We have crossed two state lines since Sunday!  After a great week in Annapolis where we shared time with family and friends, and spent some money at the boat show and elsewhere (we dine out really well!) we hauled anchor (and we want you to know that a motor does that for us, called a windlass, not our bare hands) and headed out from Annapolis harbor at 6:30am on Sunday morning.  Our hope was to grab some wind and good weather (following winds and seas all day Sunday) and get a jump on the southbound ICW traffic.  You cannot imagine the numbers of boats that were heading to the US Boat Show and then south for the winter.  A ton of Canadians!  We traveled 83.5 miles on Sunday and finally dropped the hook at dusk in lovely quiet Mill Creek, off the Great Wicomico River in Virginia  (for those of you not from these parts, that is pronounced why-COM-i-co.  Not the way Greg pronounces it wickamocoe.....)  It was a really quiet, still night and we slept well.  It would have been nice to stay a bit longer.

Monday as we left the river, a pod of dolphins said hello.  The wind switched and was out of the Southeast, so we had wind and waves against us for a good few hours.  Not so great on the stomach, but we did ok.  Made 66 miles and ended up on the hook just off the Elizabeth River across from colorfully lit downtown Norfolk.

US Naval Hospital Ship

Norfolk, Virginia

Today we left what is known as Mile marker '0' on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (commonly referred to as the ICW), gawked at several aircraft carriers, and other huge ships and cranes at the Norfolk Naval Yard and passed under just the first few of what will be many bridges along the route.  Some are high and modern marvels of engineering (thanks to my brother-in-law) and easy to cruise under, some we wait for and ask the bridge tender to open for us.

We had our first experience entering a lock.  We chose the more west and shallower of two routes down the ICW at this point and entered the Dismal Swamp Canal (google it!) by entering a lock with three other boats.  We entered the lock, tied up, and they closed the gates.  Then, they gradually opened the gates on the other side in order to fill the lock and move our boat to the new water level.  We started with 12 feet of water under us and ended with more than 17 feet.  Until we passed into the canal, and then there has been mostly less than 3 feet under us all day.

Dismal Swamp Canal - Deep Creek Lock

The water in the canal is dark tea colored and filled with tannins that apparently keeps it very pristine.  No bacteria!  It is a weird color though.  The canal is only about 40 or 50 feet wide, so you stay in the middle and do your best to avoid downed trees, floating logs and overhanging wires.  Wildlife sightings included several turtles sunning on the logs.  We crossed into North Carolina at about mile marker 25 or so.

Dismal Swamp Canal

Spending the night at the Visitor's Center dock in the canal - a young French couple with a little baby just tied up next to us for the evening as well.  We will see if tomorrow brings rain and whether we keep moving, or stay put.  The best part is that we had t-shirts on today, after a week of sweatshirts and jackets!