Bellatrix

Hello from the Great Dismal Swamp

22 September 2014

Well we didn’t make it to Elizabeth City…

Robin, “Our morning at the lock… the Lock Tender, Robert, was a wonderful host. Coffee, fruit, and virgin mimosas for all. This way of life has me excited and I feel fortunate to be able to partake in it. An older gentleman who locked thru this morning, sold his house, his car and bought 27’ sailboat, a bicycle, and a dink. We don’t know his whole story yet but he has never had a boat before. When we asked him where he was going, he just says south, learning to boat. This adventure is becoming interesting indeed.”

Skip, Robert also is the bridge tender. After he locks you thru, he gets in his car and drives an around about way to get to the bridge that is a few hundred yards down stream to open the bridge and let you through.

The dismal Swamp Canal is arrow straight, about 50 feet wide, tree lined on both sides. We haven’t seen any depths less than about 7 feet but we do bump underwater logs and branches at times, not to hard. We were warned we would. We were almost talked out of doing the Dismal in favor of the Virginia Cut (there is a restaurant on the Virginia Cut that has the best 32 oz. Prime Rib). The Virginia Cut is deeper and

wider. I’m glad we decided to experience the Dismal Canal though. It’s lovely, peaceful, and the weather has been excellent. The water though is the color of dark coffee. It’s interesting to flush the toilet, the water is reddish brown.

We are at a visitors center at Mile Marker 28. We walked a nature trail, we’ll have dinner on the boat spend the night, In the morning we will continue south to the second lock on the canal, then on to Elizabeth City. Elizabeth City has a surprise that I’ll tell you all about after we experience it…