Dismal Swamp Visitor Center - at their free dock

Hello morning!

In looking at the tides for Thursday morning, I discovered that there would be an ebb tide at exactly the time we would be entering the river south.So with an ebb tide of 1 to 1.5 kts, we had to leave the dock at 6:30 am, not a favorite time of Ann's. The sun rose just was we left Hampton and presented us with a bright red sunrise that woke us up!

Always ships in the yards

The Naval yards at Norfork seemed pretty busy as always. As you passed by the ships in for repairs or upgrades, there was always a watch boat with a blue light that followed between you and the ships. If you got too close to the other side of the channel, there was someone with a loudspeaker that warned you away. They take their security seriously - but then what threat is a 42 ft sailboat?

The water was perfectly flat and reflective - can you see the water line?

We turned into the Dismal Swamp cutoff and found only three boats going our way so the lock was not crowded. Robert was there again, the always cheerful lockmaster with his garden of banana trees he sets out every fall for the snowbirds.

Not as much duckweed this year

Reaching the visitor center, we found all the facedocks taken so we came alongside a powerboat with two Canadians that were making their first trip south. They came down the Hudson River so they had passed right by our home port, the Poughkeepsie YC but they didn't stop.

At rest tonight - Ann took this picture, looking like it will also be a painting

So we are docked for the night and will head out for Elizabeth City on Friday morning. Unfortunately, Saturday does not look good for crossing the Albemarle with winds out of the south to 15 kts or higher so we'll probably stay there until Sunday and leave that morning. But then, maybe the weather will change?