Day 213 & 214: Dismal Swamp

Day 213: May 15: Following a very storm night we left the dock at about 7:30 a.m. under overcast skies. Hidden behind the clouds, the sun did not offer much warmth. Despite the chill and the promise of a dreary day, we looked forward to cruising the Dismal Swamp on the Pasquotank River. 

There are two locks along the Dismal Swamp. Smith Mills and Deep Creek. Each lock, along with its respective bridge, has only one person on duty from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week, 365 days a year. There are only four scheduled openings each day: 8:30, 11:00, 1:30 and 3:30. The lock master opens the lock and boaters wait while he/she travels to the bridge to open it. Leaving Elizabeth City at 7:30, we had plenty of time, traveling between 4 1/2 and 5 knots, to make the 11:00 opening. 

Not long after leaving the dock we approached the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge. Although it is still in operation, it appeared run down, almost abandoned, looking more so due to the demolished building off to the side of the tracks.

The 22 mile long Dismal, once covering over a million acres, is home to a diverse wildlife population including one of the largest black bear populations on the East Coast. Construction of the canal began in 1793; the grueling work was conducted by hand, primarily by hired slave labor. It opened in 1805, enabling trade between the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. This is the oldest operating man-made canal in the United States. It is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The swamp was a known route for runaway slaves during the Underground Railroad's height between 1810 and 1850. It was the most rugged and treacherous passage due to an abundance of wild animals, snakes and insects that lived there. 

With its still water and overhanging branches, the swamp was everything we expected. Part of the canal is extremely narrow and sometimes shallow. Boaters are warned to travel slowly and watch for debris. 

There were a couple of not so stunning sights, including one that was pretty creepy. An old sailboat with no boom was tucked up along the bank; there was a dinghy attached to it so we assumed someone was living on it .With no boom it definitely wasn't moving. We then saw what appeared to be someone standing on a dock, only to see it was a figure of something resembling a zombie out of the Walking Dead. I guess the owners of the property thought the name Dismal required something equally dismal greeting boaters as they passed by. 

We passed through the lock along with SV Dream, tug Jack Robert and trawler Solitude. Tammy, the lock master, helped each boat by grabbing the bowline with her bow hook. Boaters are instructed to hold on at the bow and aft during the 8' lift. 

After passing through the Smith Mills Lock and bridge we pulled onto the Welcome Center dock, followed by Solitude. A couple of boaters, already tied to the dock, helped maneuver us in. 

We got settled, chatted with folks on Irish Rose and then walked over to the state park visitor center. A very informative exhibit told the story of how the canal was constructed and ts role in the slave era. Taxidermy mounts of the various animals indigenous to the area were also on display. While they are amazing to look at and to be able to feel their silky coats, it is disturbing to see the once vibrant creatures lifeless. 

We took a short walk on the. boardwalk that winds its way through the damp swamp before heading back to the boat, just in time to help fellow boaters on Waypoint, a beautiful Fleming, raft to us. As most boaters are, the folks on board were very friendly; we chatted for a couple of hours before saying goodnight.

Day 214: May 16: All 5 boats left early, intending to make the Deep Creek Lock 11:00 opening. We traveled slowly, careful not to bump any deadheads. Turtles were clustered on logs, sunning themselves and slipping into the water when we approached. A large osprey was perched in a tree, watching our flotilla pass by as we crossed into Virginia. 

We got secure in the Deep Creek Lock and the lock master opened up the valve to release the water. John then noticed water rushing in from behind. Sure enough the chamber started to churn with the incoming flow. We saw the lock tender heading toward us; he said the chamber door stopped closing midway. Luckily he managed to adjust something and got the gate closed. Crisis averted.

We finally emerged from the swamp, to find ourselves in Norfolk on the Elizabeth River. What a difference in scenery. Going from a remote, tranquil waterway to the busy Portsmouth/Norfolk harbors was certainly a shift. Military and huge cargo ships were everywhere. Unfortunately we fell in behind a container ship being guided by two tugs; causing us to reduce our speed and crawl along the river before being able to turn off and head toward Portsmouth Boat Center.  

The wind was blowing pretty good as we entered the harbor, passing a working barge, but John did a great job getting us to the dock, as usual. We fueled up, took on water and pumped out with the help of a couple of dock hands. Rather than continue on we decided to anchor in nearby Hospital Point in about 10 feet of water just outside the busy channel.