Days Events:

Greetings all from Virginia!! It feels like progress when we cross into a new state. And, we've never been to Virginia before.

The Great Dismal Canal:

We departed 06:30 to time our arrivals thru the entry lock and bridge [a 2hr leg]. The Dismal Swamp canal was first conceived of in 1728 as a route for commercial shipping thru the swamp, begun 60 years later and finished in 1805; hand dug by slave labor. Ultimately replaced by roads and a better canal, it's now an historic site maintained by the USACE. A high point recommended by other loopers, for its history and scenery, it has a water/light/reflection that creates amazing visuals [see photo]; optical illusions that were disorienting but mesmerizing.

Lock 'emergency' - when locking here, you pass a line from the bow and one from the stern to the lock master on his boat hook and he places the line over a bollard on the top of the lock so that your line holds the boat to the lock wall in a loop; and you are NOT to actually tie the line on the boat cleat because if it didn't slide as the boat goes down in particular, the line could literally pull the side of the boat up and cause damage. This was demonstrated when the boat in front of us had tied to his stern cleat and as we were dropping in the lock, the line jammed and his port side was hanging about 2 ft higher than the stbd; fortunately, the lock master was Johnnyonthespot and ran out with his machete and cut the line. He had just finished telling me why we are not to tie the lines - couldn't have been a better demonstration!!!

Photos - several of the Dismal Canal, how narrow it is -- branches brushed the boat; one illusion suggests the boat ahead of us is about to go over a 'crest' and either drop off or go down a hill; another showing how the reflections made the shoreline seem to disappear and create a narrow river of light in the center; there were 2 locks, one up 8 ft, the 2nd down 10 ft. A home-built boat docked at the Visitor Center. Finally, a few of the Norfolk Waterside marina, including the Naval Shipyard across from us.

MECHANICAL:

Nothing to report.

That's all folks. It was a long day. Tomorrow begins a week-long layover with needed maintenance. Keep on distancing.

Comments:

Dd - 1 Jul 2020: The photos do show how the reflection is different!