Underway Day 19
The sounds of wildlife all around us stirred me. The woods were waking up. So was I, if I didn’t want to miss the 0830 South Mills Lock opening. I had a look around and despite the heavy dew, we were all dry inside. This was dew (sea what I did there) in large part thanks to the dri-deck flooring that I custom fit before starting archeological dive ops with the St. Aug Lighthouse crew. Not only does it protect my non skid from Scuba tanks, but it keeps everything on the deck dry. Combined with the isinglass and canvas enclosure, and our teepee tent, we are well protected from the elements, better than I expected actually. We idled within visual of the lock and called him on VHF Ch. 13. After the green light, we threw a wrap around some bollards on the port side and locked up 8 feet. Mary hadn’t been through a lock before, but she’s a quick learner and is getting better every day as a First Mate. We exited into the Great Dismal Swamp’s Turner Cut without incident. Two bigger trawlers untied from the free dock wall and fell in behind us, no doubt hoping I would be the first one to bump something. Right away there were more snags and the controlling depth set by the Army Corps is only 6 feet. The guys behind me had a few bumps, but overall it was a magical morning. It was peaceful, primeval and surreal, just cruising at 5 knots. This is one of America’s treasures and only 2000 people a year enter these locks. Most choose, like I did 15 years earlier, to do Waterway Rt1, aka the Virginia Cut, with it’s12’ controlling depth, faster speeds and only 1 easy lock. Having now done both routes, the Dismal Swamp is the clear winner if your vessel fits the specs.
After some gentle rain, we came to the Deep Creek Lock, waited for two southbound sailboats to lock through for an hour and pulled in to the lock. “Ya’ll doing the loop in this?” said the lockmaster, both excited and surprised. “When you said Cat, I pictured a whole different animal.” I let him know a few details about the capabilities on board, and he was converted and happy for us. A friendly lock master can make all the difference in transit.
I understand the confusion about our choice of boat. At first glance, there is a perceived lack of amenities. I’m not sure some traditional loopers understand the beauty of simplicity. This is not a normal, or even ideal, boat to do the loop in, but it’s ours and we’re doing it. Sometimes that’s all that matters. It’s safe, comfortable, capable and fast. But sometimes the slow days are the best! Some of the scenery looks the same going 5 knots or 25 knots. Most of the good times happen with the people we meet along the way. Boat people are my kind of people. It’s them you need to throttle back to spend time with.
We The People are America’s greatest treasure, and many of us live on the water, protected by the most powerful navy on earth. And the Mombo just navigated through the heart of it, the Norfolk VA area, the largest naval complex on earth. This is where ships are born! To see a gigantic naval ships being built and maintained in dry dock is truly a sight to see. Here is some of the finest nautical engineering in the planet. This area is a maritime industrial complex the likes of which the world has never known. Keep your distance from the big grey boats, or you might get to experience the sight of a deck mounted 50 cal up close, operated by a 19 year old.
We tied up at Tidewater in Portsmouth. We enjoyed happy hour at Fish and Slips, and are now going to take a break. We will rent a car tomorrow to go and be with family. It’s time to celebrate our daughter’s graduation from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Road trip.