November 6 & 7: From Norfolk to the Great Dismal Swamp

     We spent part of one more morning at Rebel Marine - did we mention they had a hot tub?  We had a nice soak and another hot shower and decided despite the gloomy weather (fog and drizzle) that we would leave by noon.  Just as we pulled up anchor the clouds broke up, the sun came out, and the weather got a lot warmer.  We took it as a good omen and said goodbye to Norfolk.
     We passed mile after mile of Naval shipyard, and slowed down to allow a destroyer pass us en route to his dock.  This is also a major shipping port.  It's humbling to be so reminded that just about everything for sale in this country comes from somewhere else, and almost all of that comes in by ships.

     Nevertheless, we were glad to put all the hustle and bustle of a major harbor behind and enter the Intracoastal Waterway.  Almost immediately we came to the sign asking us to choose the Virginia Cut, or the Great Dismal Swamp route.  The first is deeper, quicker, and more heavily traveled.  We chose the Dismal Swamp.

      It's not 'Great' in terms of big, and it's not at all 'Dismal' in the modern sense.  It's a beautiful, serene riverway established back in the early 1800s, with a canal envisioned by George Washington.  We were the only Southbound traveler.  The other boat we encountered Friday was owned by locals, who gave us a care package to deliver to the lock master of Deep Creek lock.
     Rob is the lockmaster.  He's been working this lock for twenty years.  He loves to talk.  As we entered the lock, he patiently instructed us what we needed to know about locking through, then launched into a long monologue about history (his own, and that of the Swamp and this particular lock) and entertained us with a talented performance on a conch shell.  The lawn in front of his little office building is filled with conch shells; he asks boaters returning from the Bahamas bring him one. He also asked our intentions for the night and advised us to tie up at Elizabeth's Dock just South of the lock along with the two boats already there and he invited us to come back to his office in the morning for coffee and danish.
     This is what we did for Friday night.  We shared the dock with two boats from Canada - one from Montreal, the other from Halifax - and settled in for a quiet night.  Tommie was a little miffed that we kept the door locked so she couldn't roam the deck (or the dock) but we weren't taking any chances.
     Saturday we dutifully walked back to the lockmaster's office and found coffee, juice, bagels, donuts, fruit, and cups with yogurt and granola all waiting for us.  Quite a spread!  We shouldn't have eaten breakfast.  We were a captive audience for his expansive story-telling until his lockmaster duties called him away at 8:30.   If anyone wants to know anything about any aspect of the Great Dismal Swamp, the canal, or the lock, Rob is your guy.
     We set off down the canal a little while later, one of four boats.  The day was clouding over quickly, but the rain was holding off enough for us to enjoy the pretty view.  The trees come right down to the water on both sides and almost meet overhead.  The boat in the lead kept us warned of floating logs and we passed along that information to the boats behind us as we all slowly motored down the peaceful waterway.  Most of us ended up docking at the Great Dismal Welcome Center just over the border in North Carolina, and about as soon as we tied up, the skies opened up and the rain poured down.  So here we will stay the night, getting to know our fellow travelers and the friendly folks here in the Center.