ICW October20th - Even a Stone Heart can Break

I woke this morning to 43 degrees F in Reboot.  Burrrrrrrr.  I set out at about dawn.  At 10 AM it was still cold.  The Dismal Swamp Canal is lined by trees on both sides so until the sun gets way up in the sky it really does not warm the canal.

 

I am used to being worried about hitting bascule bridges as I pass thru.  I was not prepared to have to pay attention to the tree branches that hang over the canal.  It is pretty easy to pay attention to the first 10 feet up, but my mast goes up 60 feet!  I learned the hard way when I trimmed a tree.  The branches were thank goodness small so I just got a shower of old dead branches with no harm done to Reboot.

 

It feels strange to see the depth gauge reading 1 to 3 feet all of the time.  Normally that would have me concerned but of course the canal only guarantees a 6 foot depth and I draw 5 feet.

 

Once clear of the South Mills Bridge and Lock the canal continues for a couple of miles.  It is a canal, narrow, shallow, tree lined on both sides.  One has to pay continuous attention not only to the sides of the canal but also the trees overhead.  And then it happens.  The canal section ends and puts you into the Pasquotank River.  The upper section winds around bend after bend.  Although wider than the canal it is still narrow but beautiful.  I felt like I was in a James Fennimore Cooper novel like Last of the Mohicans.  The connection to the primordial was amazing!  Not quite Heart of Darkness as there was no sense of brooding but cool none the less.

 

I have uploaded some pictures to Facebook (“RebootRacing”) of the sloop parade.  Since we all bunch up at the locks we end up going down the river single file.  I was last so I was able to drop back and pretend I was on the river alone to enjoy the solitude.

 

I arrived in Elizabeth City but of course I was too late for the free wine and cheese party. Perhaps tomorrow night as I came this way to explore.  Elizabeth City has quite a few museums and landmarks.  More tomorrow