* Hertford, NC to the Dismal Swamp *
79 miles –
The Albemarle Plantation was a festive stop for America’s birthday. Staying six nights, we enjoyed the holiday activities. Festivities included a boat and golf cart parade, and fireworks show. We joined 300 new friends at the community 4th BBQ. The food was delicious and the company most hospitable.
We met Frank, the crabber. He introduced himself and said we share a cleat. A cleat that he kept his crab trap line on. He was a bit gruff, and it seemed to be a warning to keep our hands off his trap. He would come down each day to empty his trap, usually catching a handful or more each time. He sells his for $15 a dozen, shared that those in Elizabeth City charge $30. Not bad for one trap in a marina that he doesn’t even have a boat in.
Buddy in the library, filled us in the activities of the day, the best place to watch the golf cart parade, when to go to the BBQ, and gave us directions to his house and told us to stop by. We tried to retrace his directions, but with 650 homes and multiple neighborhoods, we really didn’t get too far after the big mansion, red roof. All we know, is if we were in the vicinity of his home, it’s a big one!
Docked across from Wayne and Martha, they were the only boaters we found that stayed on their boat. They had been at the maarina since November and were a wealth of information. Wayne works part time as a dock master and was very helpful to us during our visit. Martha contacted a friend who lived up the Potomac River to assist us in our trip later this month to DC. Our stories could go on and on, so many kind people.
Tasha enjoys reading and finishes several books each week. She had more books on board when we departed Melbourne than she wants the captain to know (close to 40 but who’s counting?). She lost her best book source in friend Ruth when we left our home port of Admirals Anchor. Thank goodness for free libraries and marina exchanges. She is just about through her original stash and enjoying the finds in the libraries as we travel, she just might have more now than when we left Melbourne. She was delighted to find a library at the plantation. Not a 2 x 2 box, but a walk-in wall shelved library. She donated her completed books and gathered an arm full. She returned the morning of departure and grabbed more. She does have a few books on her ipad but there is nothing better than turning the paper pages.
Also got a small haul from the awesome farmers market before we departed! The best on the loop so far.
It was the coolest morning of the past week as we departed for Elizabeth City NC. The summer heat seems to have arrived overnight and gone straight to 450 bake. We anchored just 2.5 weeks ago in very mild, pleasant temperatures. We had visions of staying in Elizabeth City on the wall so we could visit that area, then head to the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center and stay on their wall within the lock system. Both locations have no power. This has been a little troubling for the first mate. Tasha doesn’t have Remy as an excuse anymore to ensure power, thus air, to have provided for Remy’s comfort. The Now or Never has very few windows that open and the aft cabin stateroom never seems to cool down after motoring because the engine room is right next to it and we have two inverters in the closet. We were on a wait and see basis. Tasha is always working looking for options, this days was to scoot up the river a few miles to a small marina if available, before they closed, and through the bridge that was in between the two. Not always ideal, but an option.
Friends Diane and Tim on Wilma May, took this route a week ago, reported it was horribly hot and for sleeping and within the swamp the bugs were miserable. It was not a good endorsement for our chosen accommodations.
Docking at Elizabeth City was a bit of a cluster. We tried finger docks which we were warned were not the way to go, and they weren’t. We missed finding the wall as there was construction happening in the area and it was hard to see. In the middle of our chaos, the bridge was opening for two sail boats, so we followed them through and tried a commercial dock that allows you to dock and dine and we’re good at that! We didn’t realize the tree limbs stuck out the entire length of the wall until we collected limbs and leaves all along the starboard side of the boat. We abandoned that plan and ended up at the only dock left at Mid Atlantic Christian University. This dock was a bit further from downtown and it meant a small hike in the heat. The cool day ended up being one of our warmest. We found a great little place called Hoppin’ Johnz. The frigid air was welcomed and the drinks cold as we bellied up to the bar. Rejuvenated, we walked to the Museum of the Albemarle. Having just spent 3 weeks in the area, it was an interesting stop.
We were tired and did we mention hot? and didn’t investigate other sights in Elizabeth City. We (Tasha) deemed that the dock location with no power was not going to fly, so we to our option and scooted 4 miles north to a mom-and-pop marina up a creek, with one long narrow fairway and docked at Lamb’s Marina. The son of the original owner, Larry is now 80 and been hanging out at Lamb’s since his father starated the business in 1962. There is Lamb’s Marina, Lamb’s Mobile Home Park, Lamb’s Seafood Restaurant and just last year the general store closed after 60 years. They could no longer compete with dollar general.
Assisting us with docking was not Larry, but Darryl and Darryl, we mean Ed and Randy. Super nice guys, but no help whatsoever to the captain. It was a bit of a clown show, and we were in the big top! This is a small country marina with 4 transient spaces front and center by the restaurant. The dock clears the water by a few inches, and they told us if it rains, just walk behind the bushes, don’t walk on the dock as the boards flip up. It was a great stop, and we’d go back. We have found the friendliest people who will bend over backwards to ensure you have a good experience at the smallest marinas, and they usually charge the least. They are glad you’re there, want your business, and treat you so kindly. The power efficiency was right on – so happy they had 50-amp power to run all three a/c’s. We found a clean laundry room, crew quarters, and bathrooms, good wifi and a great restaurant on site. We frequented the restaurant for 3 meals over a two-night stay, well Dave did as Tasha did not join him for 6:30 for breakfast! They charged a flat rate of $35. $30 for the second night! A great deal.
To Dave’s chagrin, Tasha put up the country sun curtains she made before we left Melbourne. With Velcro or hooks they can be put up anywhere along the back of the aft deck using one to three panels. They worked well!
Our journey this week has been dictated by the hopes of getting pulled early week. This is to check the vibration we have from hitting something in the Albemarle Sound around Harvey Point. Dave talked to the boatyard just south or Norfolk, they indicated when we get there, they will work us in. We’re hopeful if we get there over the weekend, they will get to us Monday. We’re not holding our breath.
We departed early for our trek through the Great Dismal Swamp. The swamp is defined by a bridge and a lock at each end with openings only 4 times each day. We had close to 15 miles to cover prior to arriving at the first bridge and lock of the day, thus the early start. With temperatures predicted to climb into the mid 90’s and only drop to the mid 70’s, we decided to navigate the swamp in one day and not stay at the visitor center overnight. We would need to motor 45 miles with timing for two locks and two bridges at idle speed and once out of the swamp time another bridge and lock more before arriving at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, VA, our 11th state. There was one additional bridge, but it opened on demand and not an issue.
The Great Dismal Swamp is large, covering 750 square miles which is in the Coastal Plain Region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. For millions of years, it was under the sea and emerged as a landform when the Continental Shelf made its last significant shift. Today, It is viewed by naturalists and other scientists as one of the best outdoor laboratories in the world!
Even though the average depth of the swamp is only six feet, its unusually pure water is essential to its survival. The amber-colored water is preserved by tannic acids from the bark of the juniper, gum and cypress trees, prohibiting growth of bacteria. Before the days of refrigeration, water from the Swamp was a highly prized commodity on sailing ships. It was put in kegs and would stay fresh a long time. People spoke of the magical qualities of the Swamp’s tea-colored water and how, if it were regularly drunk, it prevented illness and promoted long life.
The first European of note to pass through and write famously about it was Colonel William Byrd, part of the survey team that hacked their way through the swamp from east to west in 1728 in order to draw the state line. His desire, like others after him, was to drain the swamp and build a canal though it from north to south. He also is credited for giving the “dismal swamp” its name.
In 1763 George Washington, another Virginian surveyor, who purchased much of what he surveyed, came to the Swamp to implement his improvement plan, draining it for agriculture and building canals. Washington formed the Dismal Swamp Land Company with other local businessmen and purchased more than 40,000 acres.
Construction of a hand dug 22-mile-long canal started in 1793 by the Dismal Swamp Canal Company, using slave labor, and was completed in 1805. This canal survives today and is part of the intra-coastal water way which we are travelling. As imagined, the canal opened the region to commerce, and commercial traffic peaked in the mid 1800s. In 1860 the bigger and better Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal opened, and the Great Dismal Canal’s use waned. Then the railroads moved in, and the canal era ended all over the country.
Washington’s share of the land and logging company passed to his heirs, and logging continued into the 1960s. The land was given to the Nature Conservancy in 1973, which led to the creation of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Today the canal is a relic, the oldest operating artificial waterway in the country, still maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, including its locks and rotating bridges and is used primarily by recreational boaters seeking a scenic inland alternative along the Intracoastal Waterway, along the eastern seaboard.
The ditch, as it is often referred, represents a challenge to those who pass. Many boaters take another parallel route which uses deeper open water segments to speed travel.
The Pasquotank River which we traversed to the lock was a beautiful winding trek! The crisp, cool, early morning air was a treat for the 15 miles to the lock and bridge. This was the first lock we have encountered since leaving the river system 17 months ago. It took a minute to get in synch, though these were very small locks and just a few feet up and down.
We entered the very narrow Dismal Swamp. The reflections were awesome and made it hard to discern the water from the tree line, especially looking ahead. The canal was straight, one 45 degree turn over about 30 miles from lock to lock, and shallow at 6 feet. That’s 6 feet in the middle, with no logs, trees, or other debris that may have fallen or shifted. The Now or Never draws 4.5. But with a dinged shaft or prop like we have, what do you have to lose? Staying centered and hoping we wouldn’t meet a boat was the goal. One also doesn’t want to follow another boat too closely in case they do kick up something. Being July, there was no traffic. We saw one other boat the entire way through, and it was a jon boat belonging to the Corp of Engineers. Spring and fall are busier during the migration north and south for loopers and snowbirds.
The swamp was anything but dismal. The ride was beautiful. The reflections of the trees in the water, the serenity, and sounds of nature at 4 mph was surreal. The captain sat high at the helm, and we were both in our own little oasis. One with nature, then Tasha could hear the snaps of the fly swatter. The dang yellow flies were gnawing on the captains’ legs, and he was on a conquest to take them down. So much for a peaceful cruise.
We were on high lookout for nature, our friends aboard Wilma May saw two bears just last week. The swamp is known to provide a habitat for 47 species of mammals, 200 different birds, 70 species of reptiles and 47 kinds of butterflies. Bear, otters, fox, and bobcats are favorites to see.
The first mate sat on the bow for the entire journey, on lookout for any of the wonderful creatures who call the swamp home. We had no such luck seeing anything out of the ordinary. Turtles, butterflies, waterfowl, songbirds, woodpeckers, dragon flies, and a water snakes. This bear in the Visitor Center is the only bear seen.
We tied up at the visitor center and roadside rest park as we had made good time and and had time to investigate, snap a few photos, and take in the history. The visitor center is shared with autos transiting US 17. Another unique rest stop / national wildlife refuge / state park that is accessible to both cars and boats.
Hoping the boardwalk into the woods of the swamp would bring a sighting of a critter, we quietly walked the route with no such luck. The crew lunch was served up at the rest park while reminiscing of our childhoods and stopping with family while traveling to eat on the roads of our country. Keeping an eye on the clock, we needed to move on to ensure enough travel time to reach the last lock and bridge opening of the day.
Continuing the trek alone through the swamp, finding the first duckweed upon leaving the visitor center. The patterns were like spirograph creations we made as kids. The beauty in the pattern with the neon greens shimmering from the sun against the coffee-colored water was a wonderland of natural art as far as one could see.
A sign on the waterway marked our crossing from North Carolina into Virginia that afternoon, transiting our 11th state (Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia) on the Great Loop.
The first mate was enjoying the ride on the bow and became captivated by a blue heron. Herons are one of our favorite waterfowl. This heron was our guide for the better part of 5 miles. At 4 mph, he was with us a long time. He took off on flight right in front of us, would glide 2–5 feet off the water in the center for 50-100 yards and then land of one side on a stump or tree. He’d wait until we were about 25 yards away and take off again, repeating the same pattern over and over. After a long time as our swamp ambassador and guide, he headed west into the trees deeper into the swamp not to be seen again. He knew mother nature had something brewing.
As quickly as gnats jump on a ripe banana, the Dismal Swamp turned dismal. Tasha photographed a shelf cloud that suddenly appeared and 4 minutes later we were in a monsoon! We scrambled to batten down hatches as we had everything open. We couldn’t traverse any slower and keep control as we were already at 4 mpg and the wind was blowing like Hunter Biden in the White House. Securing the strata glass on the flybridge in the humid heat, quickly fogged up the captain’s line of sight. Tasha became the human windshield wiper with a chamois while the captain dodged a slew of tree limbs that were encroaching the waterway. She could handle the fog, but not the thousand rain drops on the outside. We added a fan on the strata glass to assist and finally got it under control. The human wiper was able to take a break from time to time. For just over an hour the thunder clapped, the lightning crackled left to right, the captain battled strong wind and rain, while not being able to see. We just held on. This is another addition to our multitude of weather stories on our Great Loop adventure.
Soon after it was over and our stress levels were returning to normal, we arrived at the Deep Creek Bridge, our exit from the Dismal Swamp. The photos can’t describe it. You feel like you are deep in the swamp, then the bridge appears and there is traffic, a Hardee’s and all kinds of busy life. We had arrived just a bit early and tied to the lock wall. Dave tried summoning the bridge tender on the radio to no avail, so we sat and waited for the designated opening. We noticed crazy congested traffic for a Saturday. Our guy arrived minutes prior to the posted opening and informed our crew that the area had power outages from the storm and the bridge had no power (thus the crazy traffic). And there was no generator.
We were stuck. Our plans to transit the swamp in one day possibly just ended. Being the last opening of the day, our bridge tender was due to get off work. He took our phone number and said he’d return later to check on power of call us if he heard any official word. We were tied to the wall next to a deserted parking lot in a little town and planning for the night. We would be fine, chalking it up as another adventure. We had discovered a El Puente Mexican Grill just a block away!
The drizzle continued as we recapped the day’s events including hitting or bumping something submerged in the swamp 25 times, three with a bit of force. Still high on the excitement for the experience of the day and possibly the night kept us upright. It had been a long day. A cold beverage (perhaps a margarita), a bite to eat, and our bed sounded pretty good. The stress of the day for the captain was starting to fade and we were entering the chillaxin state of mind. Luckily, we refrained from the cold beverage as the area did get power back and the bridge tender returned from home to open the bridge and lock us through. At that point, we would have rather stayed, but with him returning after going home, we untied the lines and motored through the bridge and lock.
With just over 8 miles to reach the Atlantic Yacht Basin, we moved on to where we are staging to have the boat pulled this week. That is 8 miles and a lock that only opens on the even hours and then a bridge that opens on the hour less than a half a mile apart, though transiting south, you must wait to the next hour! Our timing was off from the lock power failure and 13 hours after we left Lamb’s Marina, we arrived at our destination. Tired, hungry, and hot, we made an audible an pulled in across river from our intended destination at a free dock for the night, just seemed easier than setting up camp with power and all. We crashed with 2 fans running in our cabin. When you’re exhausted, you can sleep through anything. We won’t soon forget our enchanting cruise through the majestic Dismal Swamp that showed us just a bit of dismal.
Cheers! David, Tasha,
& Remy forever in our hearts!
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A great adventure!
We are loving it!
We always enjoy your stories but really enjoyed todays. I am fascinated with the swamp. It is so different from anything I have seen.
Love you guys,
Mary and Dan
Thanks – it was a very different cruising day full of adventure. We are loving the history and geography of the trip!