November 17, 2008

Hello all, Ah, the Dismal Swamp! ‘Twas anything but dismal. First off, it was Veteran’s Day, so we flew the big Holiday flag and indeed felt festive! Then Robert, the lock tender (of 3 who work the locks, he has least seniority with 15 years!) offered coffee and passed out danish as we four boats prepared to be raised up 8’ in the lock so we could transit the canal. About 2/3 of the way thru the canal we tied up at the Visitor’s Center, and as soon as we stepped ashore a State Park Employee opened a new type of bridge across the waterway. A handful of hikers crossed, and we hurried to inspect the bridge. Sarah the policeperson, closed it while we watched so Fred could see how the mechanism worked. Then it was time to re-board and head for the South Mill Lock. Once again we were awed by Turner’s Cut, the beautiful section just south of the Dismal Swamp. While the leaves had just passed the peak of color, many fell into and floated on the water, and it was lovely. Our destination for the day was Ellizbaeth City, NC, about 18 miles past the Canal. Tying up at the town dock was a challenge. Thank goodness locals turned out to help. One, Steve, is the mayor of the town. He toured the boat--is in the market--and we rushed him through so we could get to the dinner theater on time. What a fun evening. Order dinner using the telephone at your table, then lean back and watch a movie while you eat. This one was “The Secret Life of Bees”. We recommend it highly. We’d have loved to stay over in Eliz. City, but checked the weather and decided to take advantage of the promise of a beautiful Wednesday. Sure enough, we crossed the Albamarle Sound in quiet, calm weather, and anchored just as dusk fell in a cozy creek off the Pungo River, near Belhaven. End of nice weather. Rain, wind and fog kept us in our cozy creek all day Thursday. We couldn‘t see the pennants on our own mast, and when we did, they were flapping in a strong breeze. Friday the wind was calm and so we moved on despite more fog. Again, we were stopped short of our planned destination, and again anchored in a cozy creek. Saturday morning we headed into Oriental, NC. A self-proclaimed ‘Boating Capitol of the South’, Oriental is indeed, a cute little place where we had lunch with Barb and Randy, of GH37 LAZY DOLPHIN. People are friendly, too. The dockmaster loaned us his car to grocery shop! We spent a quiet evening, and although the weather looked ok, decided to take a day off and do ’boat work’. I dusted the venetian blinds (whew!), and Fred repaired the anchor light, which has been a thorn in his side for days. We took time out to lunch with Gen and Bill from POT LUCK, and by the time the anchor light was fixed dark had fallen and we were ready to have a cup of soup and say goodnight. So we did. This morning, Monday, dawned bright and clear, and we were there to see it! At 6:50 am (a new record for us) we were underway, heading south. With the temp. at 40 degrees, we can’t get to warmer climes soon enough! See you next week! Fred and Linda Aboard YOUNG AMERICA