Chesapeake Chase Day 17: Albemarle Sound, Pasquotank River to Dismal Swamp

June 28, 2022

We woke to a gorgeous morning!  We delayed our coffee so we could get underway as soon as possible.  I was glad for the beautiful day but dreading the morning portion of the trip.  The first leg was to cross Albemarle Sound which is notoriously known as the roughest part of the Atlantic Coast ICW.  It is wide, not real deep, and most always windy.  The good news – we only had about 12 miles to get to the other side.  This would also test Fred’s repairs.

We pulled anchor successfully, avoided all the crab pots and enjoyed a cup of coffee.  Breakfast did not happen until closer to lunch time.  The action in the sound and lots more crab pots made it impossible to eat and made for another uncomfortable passage.  However, we knew it wouldn’t last long. 

Our destination today was the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitor’s Center with a free overnight dock.  The Dismal Swamp and the canal have a very interesting history.  (There will be an aside at the end of tomorrow’s log.) From the Albemarle Sound we turned onto the Pasquotank River.  The change to less active water felt good.  We celebrated by eating a late breakfast of leftover pancakes.

The Pasquotank took us past Elizabeth City.  Originally, we thought we might stop here.  From the water it is an attractive coastal town and what we read in the guidebook is how welcoming the town is to mariners.  It too offers free dockage for boaters.

The scenery changed dramatically once we passed Elizabeth City.  It is hard to describe the breathtaking beauty we encountered.  Even the included pictures cannot adequately express how incredibly gorgeous this stretch of river was [we had a hard time deciding which pictures to not include]. 

Today was the first time on this trip we were able and wanted to drive from the flybridge.  The river snaked through amazing green growth on both sides for as far as we could see.  We were by ourselves winding through a piece of God’s Creation and for me, it was a Spiritual and refreshing experience. 

Again, I also understood how privileged I was, and I wanted all of you to be with us sharing this peaceful, Spiritual experience with us.

Dismal Swamp Canal

Gradually the scenery became more swamp like as we got closer to the first lock, the South Mills Lock.  The two locks along the canal have set times for opening.  The last opening for the day, which we were aiming for, was at 3:30 PM.  We really didn’t want to miss it! 

We did have to slow down as we moved deeper into the swamp.  There was a boat in front of us that was also planning to get through the lock.  The captain hailed us to warn us of an obstacle and we also learned that they had already been in touch with the lock about getting through.  We were close enough that slowing down would still put us at the lock at the right time.   

At 3:30 PM both boats were pulling into the lock.  Every other lock we have ever gone through provides a line for you to grab, but in this lock, we had to hand the lock master bow and stern lines attached to our boat to hold onto while the water level rose.  All went smoothly.  The lock master was also the bridge master.  He drove down to the bridge and opened it for us. We were now officially on the Dismal Swamp Canal.  

As we approached the visitor center, the Meridian (the other boat) was now behind us and wanted to pass.  They were continuing.  It was tight, but both captains maneuvered skillfully, and Meridian went on their way.  Shortly after that we arrived at the welcome center docks.  There was just enough room for one more boat. 

We were warmly welcomed and assisted by two gentlemen on a sailboat, and we were very happy to be done moving for the day.  The only issue we encountered was biting flies.  My ankles provided them with dinner and then some.

This site was a welcome center and rest area for Route 17 and at the same location was the Dismal Swamp State Park. 

The park included a visitor center (more like a mini museum), trails, and kayak rentals. There was a one-of-a-kind pedestrian bridge across the canal to get to the visitor’s center.  The pedestrian bridge was a special kind of floating swing bridge to allow for boats going through the canal.  We were impressed and looking forward to checking things out in the morning.

Captain’s Comments:

The thunderstorms finally reached us around 0400.  The wind shifted from south to north in the process, as predicted.  I had set the anchor to leave us enough room in the shallow anchorage to swing with the wind shift, but the anchor alarm was set tight, and it went off. 

By now, we are pretty practiced at wiping up the rain that comes in through the open windows and hatches.  The Admiral went back to bed while the Captain stayed up till the storm passed to make sure the anchor really was holding.  It was.  I went back to bed—and a light sleep in the now choppy water coming across from the other side of the anchorage.

By 0630 it was time to get up for real.  We wanted to get across Albemarle Sound before the wind kicked it up more than it already was.  The usual drill: check/start engine, make coffee, pull anchor, get underway, have coffee.  It was already too rough for breakfast.

Albemarle Sound

We crossed the sound from south to north at the widest spot, about 12 miles, with the wind, now about 15 knots, and waves, 2-3’, coming at us.  Spray over the bow again made the windshield wiper useful and limited the amount of ventilation we could have open.  This was actually better than the usual conditions for crossing the sound with the prevailing wind out of the east and kicking up waves across the entire length of the sound from the outer banks, resulting in having to tack against the waves to minimize the rolling.  Since the sound is quite shallow, the waves build up steep and close together.  It provided a real test for our temporary leak repair around the blue hose.

As a precaution, I turned off the power to the thruster.  Hopeful, I checked the forward bilge several times during the day, and again at night, and never found any water.  Tomorrow I’ll open the space under the berth back up and observe the blue hose and thruster close up, but we’re optimistic for now.  By evening, when we turned the power back on, the thruster was still working.

Pasquotank River

Across the sound, we continued north up the Pasquotank River.  Elizabeth City sits at the end of the wide portion of the river.  The town provides plenty of free docks to encourage boaters to stop and spend (enjoy) and looks like it would be a great stop.  Coming this way again, we would try to stop here.

The bascule bridge tender was prompt, so we had a minimal wait before proceeding upstream.

For the next 14 miles, the river narrowed and wound back and forth—you had to actually drive the boat instead of use the autopilot.  It was the most beautiful green on the banks contrasting with a perfect blue sky; even the brown water looked blue. 

It was perfectly peaceful.  It was awesome.  I felt like a kid who had just finished the coolest ride at Disney World who says “again.”  I felt like I had just completed a perfect slalom run through fresh powder.  I felt in awe of God’s handiwork.

Dismal Swamp Canal

After 14 miles, the canal started in what is named Turner’s Cut, before the south lock of the canal.  Along Turner’s Cut we approached another boat from behind, Meridian.  They politely let us know of a log in the middle of the channel. We didn’t hit that one, but we bumped several more before we finished with the canal.

The lock opens 4 times each day, along with the adjacent highway bridge, and we had to wait for about 45 minutes before the last opening at 1530.  During the wait we floated alongside Meridian and discussed travel plans—they were from Hilton Head and just starting the Great Loop.  We ended up locking through together. 

The lock tender was professional and right on time.  After being lifted about 8’ to the main canal level, the exit gate opened, and we brought in our lines.  I thought about calling the bridge tender to let them know we were coming, but then realized the lock keeper was in his car driving up to the bridge to open it for us.  (He also radioed ahead to the state park bridge to tell them we were coming, so it was also open when we arrived.)

One side of the canal is adjacent to Federal Highway 17 (the other side is national wildlife refuge and state park), resulting in unexpected traffic noise.  Interestingly, the Highway 17 bridge was adjacent to our marina when we kept a boat in Charleston.  We crossed the Savannah River on the Highway 17 bridge when we kept our boat in Savannah.  We even take a portion of Highway 17 to reach our current home port in Port Royal.  [Later in this trip, we’ll stay at a marina at the foot of the Highway 17 bridge over the York River.]

While Highway 1 is usually thought of as the coastal highway (and we lived close to it in Maine), Highway 17 originates in Punta Gorda, FL, ends in Winchester, VA, and is known as the Coastal Highway.  It clearly doesn’t follow the federal highway plan (yes, there was a plan in 1926), which would have had it going north-south, west of Highway 15 and west of Walterboro, SC.

We stopped for the day mid-canal at the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center free dock, while Meridian headed further down the canal.  We were the third of three boats tied up for the night.  After helping us with our lines, the previous arrivals introduced themselves—boat cards were exchanged–and we again shared plans and information.  We all took our turn at killing flies.

Where we are:

Here is a link to show the progress of our Chesapeake Chase.