The trip up the Pasquotank is one of our favorite parts of the trip North. That coupled with the Dismal Swamp make for a perfect trip. Don't believe the reports of shallow water if you draw less than than 6'.
Yesterday was 'Paddle the Border
where kayaks and canoes shared the Swamp with us cruisers. It was an enjoyable experience for all of us. We did not hit one of them Not bad. Except when we tied up to the concrete wall south of Deep Creek. Crunch is not good!
Today, we went through the Deep Creek lock where Robert was waiting for us. Robert is great. He can play the conch and he always takes care of us. He explains the locking process for newbees and helps us old folks when we have a brain f*rt (failure). A real asset!
We passed by the Norfolk/Portsmouth
high rises on our way to the Hampton anchorage. The Gilmerton bridge is always a bit troublesome but we were only delayed 15 minutes. Apparently the USCOE wants to bunch traffic to minimize the openings. We have seen that here and at the Alligator River bridges.
We had hoped to go from Hampton to Cape May on the
outside but the weather did not want to cooperate. So we started the
trek up the Chesapeake in light to moderate headwinds. The first night
we anchored off the Great Wicomico River just south of the Potomac
River. Kiawah was just ahead of us to the anchorage. The next day saw
us pass under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge around noon with anchor down
near Worten Creek.
The third day we made it through
the C&D Canal with
an early anchorage off of Reedy Point in the Delaware River. Our
buddies on Kiawah arrived a couple of hours later. The last day to
Cape May was rather pleasant with favorable currents most of the way.
The wind was light until we approached the canal. Kiawah had to take
the long way in as they did not have the necessary clearance for the two
55 ft bridges.
Anchor down just as a USCG buoy tender was deploying from their base near us. Cape May is a big Coast Guard town with a boot camp, and a rather large USCG Station. We can hear the recruits singing as they are marching. We can always tell time by the bugles.
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