Heading South

This morning we are leaving Virginia.  Tonight we should be in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  I'm a little nervous about it because we have to go through locks to get into and out of the Dismal Canal.  The canal is actually above sea level so we have to go through one contraption that will raise us up to the canal and then through another lock that will lower us back to sea level.  From there we continue down the ICW (Inter Coastal Waterway) to Elizabeth City.  There is a lot of history surrounding the canal, and the ICW is supposed to be absolutely beautiful for the next few days.  George Washington and his slaves helped dig the canal, so I've heard, and it was the first major construction of the United States.  It was built to transport goods south.  I've never been through a lock like this.  Another, larger one, is the Panama Canal.  I've heard horror stories about sailboats having issues there (then again, those could be like childbirth horror stories - meant to ignite fear and make the teller feel superior) so I'm trying to keep it in perspective.  Lew says the dockhands there are extremely helpful and it's not a big deal at all.  One thing's for sure, it'll be a new experience so I'm excited for that.

The kids are ok, but not bouncing back like I thought they would.  If there are not better today I'm taking them to a pediatrician in Elizabeth City.  All three guys on this boat need haircuts desperately, particularly Ryan and Zachary, so I'll take care of that there too.  I'll also re-provision, since we are running out of produce.  We still have plenty of fish and shrimp in the freezer, but my salad greens, fruit, and veggies will be fully depleted by tomorrow.

We had a delightful dinner last night with Lew and Teresa.  It's been such fun seeing them these last few weeks, and it was sad to said goodbye.  We were trying to talk them into jumping on with us for a few days, but they couldn't.  We'll see them again in October in Annapolis and they promise to visit after that in the fall.

But now I must go get the boat ship shape.  It should be an interesting day!