Day 56 - Oct. 10
Came in to the Tidewater Marina to have showers and do laundry. Greg met up with the ship maintenance guy, Gaston, and got a lot of good information from him regarding tensioning the rigging. On our second trip in to the dock, a gentleman came up to us and asked if we were going for groceries. Not sure what made him think that, but that is exactly what we were doing. He said he'd been working all morning on his boat and needed a break and offered to drive us to the supermarket. Imagine that, he walked over to us, out of his way, to offer his help. We of course jumped at the offer, and because we were going for propane as well, he drove even further out if his way to take us there. Because that took so long, I told him to drop us at the store and we would take a taxi back. About a 1/2 later, Joe walks into the store, says he finished what he needed to do a home and would take us back to the marina. It is beyond amazing the number of super nice people we have met so far. Hopefully I'll remember that when we have transients come in to our club in LaHave.
Day 57- Oct. 11
We were planning to leave anchor at 7:00 to make the 8:30 bridge opening at Gilmerton, but it was raining. Boats may not mind the water, but I wasn't feeling up to getting soaked ear lumpy in the morning. We left at 8:00 to get the 9:30 bridge opening and arrived at the bridge at 9:00. How's that for a miscalculation. Greg called the bridge operator who said he could see us coming around the point and to keep in coming. He would lift the bridge for us. Five minutes later he tells us to hold up cause the railroad bridge on the other side of the steel bridge just went down for a train. So we wait, and we wait, finally a very ling train comes, and we wait. It gets by, and don't we hear another whistle, and there comes ANOTHER train, so we wait some more. By this time there are three more boats waiting to get through the bridge. So much for getting there early.
Once through, ( should mention here that everyone who goes through sends a thank you over the radio back to the bridge operator - very considerate) we head off to the next event, entering our first lock at the entrance to the Great Dismal Swamp. Again we arrive early and had to sit for 45 minutes waiting for the lock to open. Got in and tied up without incident, with one other boat behind us. On the opening of the lock doors, two logs came in that were impossible to negotiate around. I hit one, but I don't believe any damage was done. For the next 16 miles we motored down the Dismal Swamp Canal. This is 16 miles of a very straight ( 1 turn the entire length) and very narrow ( 2 boats can pass each other but certainly no room for three) waterway that is completely filled in on both sides by forest and lots of logs and stumps in the water. Beautiful, but after the first 1/2 hr, a bit tedious. Of course, along with the turtles, I managed to spot a snake in the water :(
We arrived at the Great Dismal Swamp Visitor's Center where everyone ties up to overnight. The dock was full, but as we came in, a couple on a catamaran were waving us in to raft up to them. We had a great chat and then had a tour of their cat. Later they invited all the boaters (6 boats in all) over for appetizers. We ended up at the picnic tables and had a wonderful time. Met a couple from France who had been travelling for 4 years, the couple on the cat from middle Chesapeake, 3 men from Montreal, and 2 other Americans headed south.
While we were pulling into raft up, we got a phone call from our friend Joe from Portsmouth. He and his wife wanted to invite us to their house for a home cooked supper. What hospitality... too bad we had already left the city.
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