Dismal Swamp

I got up at 6 to shower and prepare for our group departure from Hampton to the Dismal Swamp.  We are a convoy of 8 sailboats.

  

As we left Hampton Bay a thick fog covered the Eastern side of the bay including the major commercial channel.  We stay out of the channel where two freighters came through .. completely invisible but blowing their fog horns

We made an announcement that we were all going to cross the channel at N22 together.  
Eventually, the fog cleared and we had a good view of Norfolk but missed much of the Navel shipyard

 

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Next, we waited for a train bridge to open.  The bridge was undergoing maintenance so they did not leave it open. There were easily fifteen boats waiting for the bridge to open. After some complaining over the VHF and cell phone, they opened the bridge for us but we missed the 11am lock cycle and had to anchor and wait until 13:30, when the lock-master squeezed all ten boats into the lock. 

After cycling the lock, we had to wait for the lock master to open the car bridge a mile down.  
28 miles to the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center where we rafted up for the night.   

The second half of the Dismal Swamp was wider, deeper and curvy.  The second lock was not much more organized than the first lock.  Boats head north were rude and demanded we get out of their way. 

We eventually locked through together and motored our way to Dowery Creek.