Doing the Dismal: The Dismal Swamp Canal

PHOENIX'S POST:  ROBERT AND THE LOCK

We motored into the lock. The day was warm and sunny.  The lock was like a giant elevator for boats. When I stepped outside I got so excited because across from us there was a bunch of kids!

Waiting for the Deep Creek Lock to open.  We tied up to a dolphin (marine piling) while waiting.

The lock opens at 8:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm.

A bow line and a stern line each hook around a yellow post above on the lock walls.  We can pull tight or let out slack as needed when the boat rises. 

We had to tie on using ropes so that we wouldn't float away from the wall.  A nice man named Robert helped us.  There were a couple of other boats with us in the lock.

Robert asked if any of the boats knew any history about the Dismal Swamp Canal.  None of us did, so Robert told us all about the founders of the Dismal Swamp Canal, the reason it was created, and the reason the water in it is the color it is.

When Robert finished telling us about the canal, he started closing the doors.  They were very slow.

The beautiful ketch on the other side of the canal is Aliento.  It was the family on this boat that Phoenix was excited about.  Check out their mission at heartofthestorm.org.

When the doors were all the way closed, water started coming in from the other side.  We were rising!

The lock gate blocks the high water on the other side.  The water is let in slowly.

As the water comes in, it can create a lot of turbulence.  Jamey was directed to hold his line tight to avoid the stern moving out and the bow crashing into the wall.

When the lock was full, Robert got his conch and blew us a a couple of different sounds and tunes.  He asked dad to get his conch, and Robert gave dad a couple of tips.  Then Robert told us that he was having breakfast at his office and invited us all to come tomorrow morning!

Robert played scales and When The Saints Come Marching In on his conch!

Robert opened the gates, and we all motored through.  On the other side the river level was much higher, and there was a free dock that we spent the night at.

After we were all settled we walked to the park that was right next to the dock, and we played there for awhile.

The next morning we really did go to Robert's office for breakfast.  We ate and drank fruit, donuts, crackers, chocolate milk, orange juice and coffee.

We all then said goodbye to the other sailors and walked to our boats promising to see each other again on the way to the Bahamas.  We motored through the bridge that Robert opened for us, and I blew the conch horn loud and clear!
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DOING THE DISMAL

Do you ever feel like you are moving through a beautiful painting?  That was us today.  The Dismal Swamp Canal is serenity embodied in a still strip of tea-colored water lined by vibrant swathes of cypress and juniper.

Whether we are the discordant spilled drop or the deliberate touch of color in this painting is a philosophical question to be discussed elsewhere.

The cola colored water in the Dismal Swamp comes from tannin, a substance released from the decaying cypress and juniper trees.  Tannin prevents growth of bacteria, and this combined with artesian water that spills into the canal makes this water so clean that sailors used to bring this water with them on long journeys.  Tannins are found in other plants and are part of the reason cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract infections. 

The history of the Great Dismal Swamp stretches back to colonial times when it provided a major route of transportation.  George Washington made the initial proposal for the canal, and it was started in 1793 and dug completely by hand with most of the work done by slaves.  The swamp was dense and thick enough that it provided isolation and sanctuary for the Great Dismal Swamp maroons, freed and escaping slaves who lived in these marshlands from around 1700 to the 1860s.

This marks the fork where you can choose between two very different routes: the deeper and busier Virginia Cut or the Dismal Swamp Canal.  At times, the canal is closed due to water levels or other reasons.  We would not have been able to go through last week due to the high level of duckweed, a free-floating plant whose claim to fame includes being the smallest flowering plant and clogging the strainers in engine cooling systems.  The sign says "If you haven't done it yet you don't know what you're missing.  The Dismal Swamp Canal is lovely and worth much reminiscing."

It was a warm and gorgeous day, and we spent a lot of time on deck playing games. Dismal is a misnomer if ever there was one. 

Thank you, Robert and the Dismal Swamp,  for a beautiful day!

The pretzel eating contest.  Skye wins the prize for most mellow player.

Pretzels were the goal of the girls' journey around the deck.  They could only step on small "stones" to avoid being eaten by alligators. 

Sage's prehensile toes working hard for those pretzels. 

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WHERE WE STARTED: Deep Creek Lock Pond, free docking.  Short walk to convenience stores and a Food Lion across the bridge.  There is also a pizzeria and Japanese restaurant close by. 

WHERE WE ARE: Mariner's Wharf, Elizabeth City, NC, also known as the Harbor of Hospitality.  Based on a tradition started by a couple of sailors long ago, there are wine and cheese parties and roses that greet sailors here.  We heard that the gatherings are held if there are five or more boats, and there was a party held yesterday.  There is free docking here for 48 hours.  The Museum of the Albemarle on the waterfront is free.   We took a stroll around town and saw a lot of cute shops.  There is a CVS close by where we stocked up on Halloween party provisions.

THERE TO HERE: Mile 10.5 to Mile 51. Around 6 hours.  Navigating the canal was fairly straightforward though it was important to keep a careful watch for logs and other such flotsam floating on the surface.  Robert, the lockmaster (and the epitome of southern hospitality) opened the Deep Creek Bridge for us after his amazing breakfast gathering.  At Mile 28 we passed the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center.  There is free overnight docking here, and other mariners have told us that the Welcome Center and adjoining Dismal Swamp State Park are wonderful.  My vote was for us to stay there and do some hiking, but I was outvoted by Jamey and the girls.  We caught the Mile 33 South Mills lock opening at 1:30 pm and the Bascule Bridge opening at 4:30 pm.

PLAYGROUNDS AND PARKS:  The playground at Deep Creek Lock Pond has a large play structure, swings, an exercise course, observation towers overlooking the water, and some beautiful trails.  There was a volleyball net set up and lots of green space for the kids to run around.  At Elizabeth City there was a beautiful patch of soft, green grass right by where we docked.  There were some students studying on the lawn and an impromptu gathering of everyone docked.  The girls were able to practice their flips, and we played a lot of tag.