Day 218 - The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center

Miles cruised 25, fuel, purchased $0, slip 0, daily high temperature 69°f

The herd was up early and restless. Four out of five boats were off the dock by 7:00 am for the bridge opening at 7:30 am. The bridge was 5 minutes away. We cast off at 7:15 am.

We snaked our way north on the Dismal Swamp Canal for 18 miles to the South Mills lock. There were 12 boats to lock through.

Immediately past the lock is a swing bridge. The lock tender jumps in his car and opens the swing bridge for the same group of boats. We then cruised 5 miles to the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center. The visitors center is on the highway and has a 150′ dock in the back. Three boats can fit on the dock and other boats raft up. We were the third boat to arrive so we have a dock space and two sailboats rafted off of us.

The Dismal Swamp Canal is located along the eastern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina. It is the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States, opened in 1805. It is part of the Intracoastal Waterway, an inland route, which parallels the east coast and offers boaters shelter from the Atlantic Ocean from Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey, to Brownsville, Texas. The route runs through bays, lakes, rivers, streams, and canals, and includes the Intracoastal Waterway running from Norfolk, Virginia, to the Florida Keys.

One of the herd, Fredericka Lady, decided to keep going and not stop at the visitors center. It is 17 miles to the next lock at Deep Creek. We currently have 7 boats tied up at the visitors center. We might pick up a few more after the 3:30 pm lock opening. The lock only opens 4 times per day – 8:30 am, 11:00 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm.

The welcome center has a museum and hiking trails. John and Priscilla went hiking on the trails and Dale and Andy rode bicycles.

Docktails was an extravaganza with a dozen or more Loopers headed to Norfolk. Today is our last day in North Carolina. Tomorrow we will be in Virginia.

Bonus photo.

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote of the day.

“There was a single blue line of crayon drawn across every wall in the house. What does it mean? I asked. A pirate needs the sight of the sea, he said and then he pulled his eye patch down and turned and sailed away.”
Brian Andreas,

Brian Andreas (born 1956 in Iowa City, Iowa) is an American writer, painter, sculptor, technologist and publisher widely known for an ongoing series of works presented by the author as StoryPeople.