Great Bridge Lock

Entering the lock

In the lock

Sailboat follows in

Everyone in

Facing forward

Out of the lock, bridge just beyond

Let the tug pass first


The lock was fun, but I'm not sure of it's purpose. It only raised us a few inches, if anything. Maybe it does more under different weather conditions. There is a drought now. The Dismal Swamp route is closed. It's supposed to be a prettier route. I'm on the Virginia Cut.

The lock tenders call you Cap'n, which is fun. "Cap'n tie up here. Cap'n start your engine." You can tie up beyond the lock, before or after the bridge. The road over the bridge is lined with ugly strip malls. Lots of chain stores and restaurants within easy walking distance. I had lunch at Wendy's. The 99 cent cheeseburger deluxe is delicious. There were actually real, identifiable vegetables as toppings, unlike McDonald's. I don't know why I always go to McDonald's. The fries were underwhelming, though.

Spent the day starting and stopping while waiting for bridges which only open hourly. At the second to last bridge, there was a guy in a sailboat waving to me. I wasn't sure why he was waving, but it clicked in my head later that it might be Ron, a guy from my marina in Baltimore who is making the trip. I had heard a call on the radio earlier to a sailboat Gypsy. Gypsy is a boat owned by a young couple from Maryland, also making the trip. But I've already encountered a few boats named Gypsy.

Sure enough, at the last bridge, the couple pulled up (my boat is pretty fast under motor, and I got to the bridges more quickly than others). Everyone switched to another channel and we caught up on recent goings ons, and made dinner plans. Dinner was delicious. Indian curry and basmati rice. But the couple is hard aground about 50 yards off my stern. I think it's my fault. I got to the anchorage first and saw that the depths weren't great. I was going to call them, but they got here quicker than I expected. They draw six feet. I recommend to anyone doing this trip, to do so in a shoal draft boat.

I tried to pull them off last night. I've already forgotten what a pain in the ass it is to be aground in a monohull. My depth meter often goes to zero, or just registers nonsense, when I'm in an anchorage. At first, I thought the meter wasn't working correctly. But I've been in some clear water, and I can look down and see the bottom, and a thin line which my centerboards are carving through the mud. I could drive this boat in a puddle, and not get stuck. Anyway, we'll try again this morning. We'll tie a line to their mast, and see if I can't heel them over and pull them off.