Albemarle Sound, Dismal Swamp, and Loopers all around! :

 Monday, April 27:

Wes got up and started making tea.  I got up and grabbed our bedding and towels and got 2 more loads of laundry done while working.  Once I was done working, we took the scooters and explored some.  We visited the other marinas and visited with other loopers and cruisers.  We enjoyed docktales at the Bellhaven Marina.  The we went to Spoon River for dinner with Sea Mist (Mike and Jackie, Roam (George and Midge) and Once Around (John and Sharon).  It was a nice afternoon and evening.  We got back to the boat, relaxed watching some TV, then off to bed.

 

Tuesday, April 28:

We got up and got moving right away as we potentially could have a longer day depending on the weather.  We got all packed up then dropped the lines around 0650.  The weather was good so we crossed the Albemarie Sound and anchored out.  We arrived around 1715.  It was a quiet anchorage, but a little lumpy.  It wasn't constant, but every so often we'd get a few waves.  It was still a chilly so we had dinner inside.  Then we watched some TV before heading to bed.

 

Wednesday, April 29:

We got up and got moving right away again.  We pulled the anchor around 0645.  We made it to Elizabeth City for the 8:30am bridge opening.  Then it was on towards the Dismal Swamp.  It was beautiful!  Pictures don't do it's justice.  We saw some baby ducks with their mother and also saw a turtle sunning himself before we passed (our little wake pushed him off the log).  We arrived at the lock to get into the state park around 1100.  We locked through with 4 other boats.  Then we arrived at the welcome center for the Dismal State Park around 1230 and got secured.  It was a beautiful cruise through the Dismal Swamp!  It's very narrow, but you feel like you're in a tree tunnel.  It's beautiful and surrounded by nature.  We saw a mama duck and a bunch of her baby ducklings.  They were tiny!  We also saw a turtle sunning himself on a log (until we passed and our little bit of wake bounced him off his log).  I finished working for the day, then we got the scooters down and explored the park.  After that, we enjoyed docktales with Sea Horse.  It was so peaceful out that we stayed out on the dock until dark and the bugs started to come out, at which point, we called it a night and went back to our boats.  We had a little food for dinner, watched some TV while we ran the generator for a little bit, then off to bed.

 Thursday, April 30:

We didn't need to leave right away, so we got up and I did some work while Wes did some computer work and got the boat ready.  Both Sea Horse and us left the dock around 0745 as we wanted to make the 1100 lock opening.  It was another beautiful morning in the Dismal Swamp.  The channel was quite narrow in spots, and we bumped a couple small logs but nothing to worry about.  There were times I could literally reach my hand out and touch the trees!  We arrived at Waterside Maria around 1330.  We got secured, then Wes went and checked us in.  Once I was done with work, we went to walk the docks and stopped by Brileen (Brian and Eileen).  We ended up on their flybridge visiting and enjoying a couple beverages until 1900 or so.  We decided we should eat something, so we all went to the Tap House where we enjoyed some food and beverages.  The service was less than stellar, but the food was good.  Then we called it a night and went back to our boat.  We had one more beverage while we watched a little TV, then we called it a night.

 

 

Friday, May 1:

We got up and I started working while Wes did MTOA work to get burgees mailed out.  We got a Walmart delivery to get what we needed for the looper crawls.  Wes mailed the burgees and ran to get potato juice while I had work calls.  Wes got back and smoked some cream cheese, then he walked the docks and visited with all the loopers.  Once I was done with work, we setup for docktales on the pier by our boat.  We had a nice crowd join us and we were even fortunate enough to have Brian from Brileen bring our his guitar and sang us a few songs!  After docktales we walked over to Grain with Brian and had some dinner with some more beverages.  When we got back, we helped Brileen loosen their lines and it was a super high tide and they were listing because their bow and stern lines were too tight.  It took some work, but we got them loosened up.  Then we joined them for a nightcap.  It was well after regular midnight by the time we got back to the boat.  Once again we got stuck on that fun wheel!!    

 Saturday, May 2:

We were both moving a little slow in the morning.  I got up and started cleaning the boat to get it ready for the looper crawls.  Wes also was busy smoking some cream cheese, getting last minute items from the store and making Tom Toms.  He went over to registration and got us all set up.  We sat in on the route briefing, then back to the boat to open up for the looper crawls.  After that, we went back over to the hotel for dinner.  I won a door prize!  It was a full, busy day and we reconnected and met a lot of loopers.  

 

Sunday, May 3:

We didn't sleep the best, as Wes wasn't feeling well and got up during the night to take meds to help break his fever.  We had a full day of route briefings and visited with a lot of loopers.  We opened our boat for the looper crawls again.  After the looper crawls, we setup chairs on the deck and visited more with fellow loopers.  The we made a run to Jimmy Johns for a quick dinner and went to bed.  Wes still wasn't feeling well.  He took meds and we went to sleep, but once again it wasn't a great night of sleep.