There will be a Pause in Our Programming

[Roger Long]

I spent a couple nights in a slip last spring at the Hampton Public Piers which I found to be the gold standard for a municipal facility. People who anchor out are not treated like second class citizens but can use the facilities for reasonable fees and the staff could not be friendlier. The only possible complaint are slips that seem to have been designed by a city engineer who had never been on a boat.

I signed up for their Preferred Member program because I got my second night free as a signing bonus. I didn’t give it much thought until I rowed in from the anchorage yesterday and inquired about a slip in case the weather turned nastier. Wow, I can leave the boat a whole week here for less than I’ve paid for a single night in some places. This is a great program. Not only that, Enterprise car rental has an office right around the corner.

Looking at the weather forecast and considering all this, I decided now was the time to take the road trip out to Ohio to see my father and son. I’d already decided not to make the trip at Thanksgiving in order to be more flexible and not battle it out on the roads during the heavy travel days. I’ll therefore be car cruising until next Tuesday.

Shortly after making this decision, I got a much appreciated invitation to Turkey Day from Buck420 so Strider will be a little more hospitable to the organisms trying to hitch a ride on her bottom paint until after all the bowl games are history. That’s OK, I’ll get my revenge on the critters when they hit the very acidic fresh water of the dismal swamp a couple of weeks from now.

 

[Buck420]

I forgot to tell Rodger that in addition to a nice turkey dinner he'll get to tell salty sea stories to 9 grandchildren (age 7 mos to 7 years) ...

 

[Jimm]

I forgot to tell Rodger that in addition to a nice turkey dinner he'll get to tell spooky sea stories to 9 grandchildren (age 7 mos to 7 years) ...

...wow, a perfect Thanksgiving!! Y'all enjoy!

 

[rtshinn]

Let me know if you're near Akron. I'll buy you a beer! Or... any other beverage...
Robert

 

[jibes138]

Roger,
Just curious why the Dismal Swamp cut versus the Virginia cut? I know you took the Dismal route last year. I have only taken the Virginia cut myself, just wondering what attraction the Dismal Swamp has, I know it is two locks versus 1 for instance. Coinjock is a good stopping point on the Virginia cut but may not have as much going on as Elizabeth City. I draft 5'7" so I was a little concerned about depths in the Dismal Swamp.

 

[Ron-Anne]

This is the way marinas are run on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence, we get chaufered to stores and local events at no charge, they have propane grills set up for everyones use and they have people meet you at the docks to help if you need, all this while your at the dock or anchored out. None of this exists on the American side, wonder why? Happy Thanksgiving to all

 

[Shoaldrafter]

Elizabeth City, NC versus

Roger,
Just curious why the Dismal Swamp cut versus the Virginia cut? I know you took the Dismal route last year. I have only taken the Virginia cut myself, just wondering what attraction the Dismal Swamp has, I know it is two locks versus 1 for instance. Coinjock is a good stopping point on the Virginia cut but may not have as much going on as Elizabeth City. I draft 5'7" so I was a little concerned about depths in the Dismal Swamp.

------------------- // ------------------------

I found nothing great about Elizabeth City.

Suggest you look up river toward Edenton. They
have city docks and used to have restaurants in
walking distance.

http://www.townofedenton.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={B7B5FA8C-9FEC-4B00-B152-4DCC327B06D3}

And across the river is Columbia, NC. Next to the
small Columbia marina are the city docks that run
under the bridge and to the National Red Wolf center
which has bathroom facilities. That is tie up at dock
and walk under bridge to rest rooms.

http://marinas.com/view/marina/4316_Columbia_Marina_NC_United_States

From the picture of marina you see beginning of
docks that continue under bridge. The city dock is tie up with no sevices. If you need service there is marina just up river:
http://www.yachtworld.com/cypresscove/cypresscove_10.html

There was one restaurant just off main highway [U.S. 64]
one block east last time I was there.

Ed K

 

[Roger Long]

Just curious why the Dismal Swamp cut versus the Virginia cut?

I took the swamp route down and the Virginia Cut route back last year and I much prefer the swamp. It's a unique area, the most biologically diverse east of the Mississippi I'm told. Although you don't really experience that, it's cool just to know it. The sight of that dead straight ditch disappearing over the horizon is something you'll never forget.

The route is very protected, unlike the long stretch of shallow and open Currituck Sound before Coinjock. Best of all, the 6 mph speed limit sends most of the powerboats the other way and few will pass you. It's very peaceful. The visitors center is a great place to stop and walk around. If you have a dinghy with an outboard or kayak, and luck out to get the one boat tie up space at the dock across from the feeder ditch, the trip up to the self service marine railway over the hill and into the lake is not to be missed.

You should be able to carry 6 foot draft through on this route. Just don't follow other boats too closely so that any logs they stir up have a chance to sink back to the bottom.

Another plus is that almost no weather can prevent you from reaching Elizabeth City which is a better place to wait for suitable weather to cross Albemarle Sound than Coinjock or one of the anchorages south of it. The rivers section south of the land cut is some of the most impressive and extensive Cypress Swamp on the ICW.

Despite what Shoaldrafter says in a later post, I love Elizabeth City. It make a great effort to be boater friendly. Free tie up in the town park for 24 hours and they let us stay longer because of weather. Lot's of history. It was the Wright brothers staging port and base camp for Kitty Hawk.

The locks are no big deal. As the lock keeper said to me, "Sir, if you will just stop thinking and listen, everything will go very smoothly."

Here are the threads on the swamp passage last year. The second has a link to a video of the boat lift.

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=135810&#post867820

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=135886&#post868541

A bounus: The water is so acidic that it will kill just about everything growing on the bottom of your boat and much of it will fall off.

 

[sea_casper]

Spot is a nice touch to your road trip. at first I thought, Roger has found a new inland route

 

[JustDucky]

We did the Dismal Swamp last month and I will use the Virginia Cut when going back north. We have a 5' draft and bumped 6 times with the depth sounder chirping most of the time. Our stay at the Visitor's Center was pleasant and we met some nice folks we raftes with. When we arrived at Elizabeth City there were two helper on land to assist docking and one supermarket offers a shuttle but that was the end of the Elizabeth City experience.

 

[Roger Long]

We have a 5' draft and bumped 6 times with the depth sounder chirping most of the time.

I wonder if it's shoaled. My sounder is very accurate and I found more than that last year. The ACE had just finished a maintenance project IIRC so maybe it fills in fairly fast.

I'll let you all know what I find this year.

 

[jibes138]

Roger,
I saw your route on your road trip from your SPOT. If you haven't done this in the past take a ride down Skyline Drive to route 64 on your way home. You pick it up at Fort Royal in Virginia. Absolutely beautiful ride, I made this trip and the rest of the blue ridge parkway this year and am very glad I did. Just a little out of your way but well worth the diversion.

 

[Shoaldrafter]

Strider

I didn't realize Strider was a trailer boat. Look he going to sail on Lake Erie. Image that, sailing Lake Erie for Thanksgiving.

Ed K

 

[Buck420]

I wonder if it's shoaled. My sounder is very accurate and I found more than that last year. The ACE had just finished a maintenance project IIRC so maybe it fills in fairly fast.

I'll let you all know what I find this year.

I doubt that it shoaled. The water level in the canal ( which is held in by the locks), varies by a foot or more depending on rainfall in the Dismal Swamp watershed.
I've been back and forth 6 or 7 times in the past 15 years with 5 1/2' draft. Most of the times I transited, I had no problem; on two occasions, I bumped logs on the bottom.
Occasionally, usually during Summer droughts, the water level drops so low that they curtail the number of daily openings to reduce water loss, or in extreme conditions, close the canal completely.
You can call the lock attendant(s), if you are concerned, and they will tell you what the water level is in the canal.