Another early morning to coordinate with the lock and bridge openings on the northern side of the Dismal Swamp Canal. This time we will be lowered back down. After about 20 minutes on the canal, we passed into Virginia, having spent 8 days getting through North Carolina (technically 7 as we stopped for a storm). Like yesterday, the swamp canal is narrow and full of limbs and other debris. At one point, we briefly hit a snag, but all seems well. Captain Mark, who is also Chief Engineer says the propeller is fine since we aren’t having any vibrations. It’s reassuring to have an engine expert on board. For about an hour, we played “chase” with 4 geese. Every time we approached them swimming in the water, they’d fly up the river about a tenth of a mile. We’d catch up again, and they’d fly again. Finally, they seemed to wise up and strategize a new technique…. they flew at us in unison, up and over the boat and landed behind us.
Finally, we reached the end of the Dismal Swamp Canal, and the Deep Lock. Just like the lock on the way in, there was also a drawbridge, in this case, prior to the lock. We were the first to arrive at the bridge and tied up to the bulkhead. The catamaran that spent the night with us back at the State Park arrived next and tied up behind us. Shortly afterward, the sailboat arrived. They radioed ahead to ask if there was room for them on the bulkhead, which there wasn’t, so we offered to let them tie up to us (a process we have learned is called rafting). They approached the bridge as slowly as they could, but eventually took us up on our offer. The three of us waited while the lockmaster/bridge tender drained the lock, loaded a southbound vessel, raised the water, opened the lock and then jumped in his car to come down and open the bridge. Once the southbound vessel was through, the three of us went under the bridge and proceeded into the lock to be lowered back down. Whenever we go through these bridges and locks, we marvel at the amount of Engineering and the manpower involved at making these waterways accessible for commercial and recreational boaters. This second lock felt a lot easier because it was basically a “sister” to the first one and everything worked the same, but in reverse.
After the lock, we followed Deep Creek to the Elizabeth River into Portsmouth, VA. Here the waterway became very industrial, filled with huge cranes and military ships everywhere, in the water and in drydock. Sidekick Sue quickly scanned ahead at the upcoming bridges to make sure we had clearance. It appeared that we were good all the way to our destination dock because all the bridges were either high enough, or were railroad bridges that remain open unless a train is coming. Well, as luck would have it, the Norfolk Southern #7 Railroad bridge was in the up position and the lift bridge right behind it had a 36’ vertical clearance, so we were good to go. As we got closer, Captain Mark questioned “what’s that blinking red light?”, and sure enough, we could see the railroad bridge was starting to close, so we were going to be treated to a train crossing. It took much longer than we expected for the train to arrive and cross. We were bobbing around for 30-40 minutes, and several other boats queued up with us, one of them a sailboat that required the lift bridge to open, so we got to see that in action too. Finally, the railroad bridge opened, the lift bridge rose and we were allowed to pass through. That was our last water obstacle for the day. We would still face another obstacle on land.
In Portsmouth, we had a free dock, but no amenities. The Visitors Center had been moved from the waterfront to a location a couple of blocks away. Before heading there to “check in”, we loaded our backpacks with smelly laundry and set out on foot to a laundromat, about a mile away, that Google Maps said was “open until 9:00 PM”. We checked in at the Visitors Center and hiked to the laundromat, only to find an empty storefront with a lockbox on the front…. the laundromat was apparently gone. Sidekick Sue, took a minute to report this “discrepancy” to Google Maps (and it was fixed within a couple hours… technology is wonderful). The problem remained that we were now a mile away from our boat with our stinky laundry and nowhere to wash, so we made the best of it by taking a different route back, through some of the historic district of Portsmouth. We walked to a nearby marina and asked if we could use their coin-operated laundry room (even though we were staying at the free dock). The dockmaster, who was clearly annoyed by our request, unlocked the room and let us in, making it clear that this was not a “normal procedure”. We tipped him for his trouble (which at least made him smile) and managed to get our laundry done.
Today, is our 36th anniversary, so Sidekick Sue insisted on dinner off the boat. We found a German Bier Garden, and had a nice meal with a couple of Helles drafts. Afterward we sat out on the fly bridge for awhile enjoying the nice weather and watching the ferries to Norfolk come in and out. It wasn’t exactly peaceful or quiet…. on one side was the sounds of the streets and the hustle and bustle of the city, and the other side was the sound of work at the Navy shipyards…. But it was still relaxing to just sit and enjoy some time together.
As someone who does payroll for the county, I know what these bridge operators make….at least here. And it’s not a lot. That’s wild that they really man two stations.
Well, they only have to go through the process 4 times a day, so I guess it isn’t that much of a strain.