Norfolk and the Dismal Swamp

These cranes looked like giant transformers to us.
For several miles beyond Waterside Marina the waterfrornt
looked like an industrial sci-fi movie set.  Not very pretty.
Miles and miles of huge cranes.
Above: Our berth at Waterside.  On our port side is the
 Ferdinand Hassler, a NOAA research vessel which will be stationed
in New Castle, NH.  In the background you get a sense of how
industrial this area is.

(10/27 & 10/28/2011)
We had read that people leave Waterside Marina and the nearby anchorage at Hospital Point before dark to get through the Gilmerton Bridge (about 45 minutes away) for the 6:30 opening.  If you miss it you have to wait until the end of rush hour at 9:30.  Hanging out motoring around in circles with a bunch of other boats in the dark for 3 hours just isn’t that much fun.  We had also heard that there is often a mad dash when one of the usually open railroad bridges closes.  As soon as the bridge opens everyone pushes as fast as they can to get to the Gilmerton Bridge.  It took us a little while to realize that we did not have to participate in that madness.  We could easily leave the marina at 8:30 in full daylight, make the 9:30 opening and then make the 11:00 am lock opening to get an eight foot lift to the Dismal Swamp Canal.  Despite what seemed like an interminable 20 minute wait at a closed railroad bridge we were early to the Gilmerton Bridge.  Boats began collecting there until there were 21 of us waiting to get through.  I was surprised to see how we all managed to find our places in a single file through the bridge. 

Two years ago my son nearly missed the right hand turn into the Dismal Canal so I was ready after we cleared the bridge to make the turn.  I saw the branch of the river to the right and the red marker to keep to the right and headed for it.  Big mistake.  There were two red marks – I had failed to see the first one that formed a gate with a green mark.  Two boats behind me turned right before I recognized my error.  I spun the wheel to the right and headed for the gate.  If I had continued to the second mark I’m pretty sure I would have noticed that rounding it would have put me in the woods.  Still, I felt pretty dumb.  But I had company – a boat ahead of me went even further than I did before he corrected.  For some reason that made me feel better.  Misery loves company – or is it dumb loves to see dumber?

Here we are waiting to drop 8 feet.

Here we are a few feet lower
ready to head to the Pasquatank River.
Expert line handler Maryanne is obscured
by the mast and the cockpit enclosure.

We were a little apprehensive about the Dismal Swamp Canal.  We were told that it was shallow and it was easy to run aground.  We had also been told that if you are not careful you will lose your mast top anemometer and wind point indicator to overhanging tree branches.  To add to those hazards there were supposedly many logs and floating tree branches to avoid.  Going through locks was also something new to us and another source of worry.  We heard enough positive things about the beauty  of the Dismal Canal that we decided to take our chances.  The Canal was very different than any other boating experiences we have had.  The history of the canal was interesting too.  George Washington had suggested building it years before it was dug by hand by slaves.  The slaves used their familiarity with the area to escape and even established small colonies in the swamp.

An early morning view of the Dismal Swamp Canal from the Visitor Center