THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP

AUGUST 9, 2012
We raise the anchor early to catch 7:30 opening of the bridge & found Rosebud leaving in front of us.  The route we are taking leads to the Great Dismal Swamp & on to Norfolk, Va.

ROSEBUD  PASSING IT'S PERFECT



After we passed under the bridge we passed Rosebud & went up the Pasquotank River.  We have just entered the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.  As we rounded the next bend the river got very skinny & already green water had tiny green plants on the top.  It is called Duck Weed, the scourge of intake strainers aboard every boat.  We made our way through the twists & turns of the river, constantly dodging protruding foliage & drifting tree limbs.  Rosebud was right behind.

LEAVING ELIZABETH CITY



ROSEBUD ARRIVED JUST AS THE BRIDGE OPENED




INTO THE LOCK

We passed through a railroad bridge before we turned into the channel heading for the first lock, we lost sight of Rosebud.



The water around us rose 8ft. & we emerged through the lock doors into the ICW canal that cuts through the great Dismal Swamp.  The canal was started by George Washington in 1793 & dug by hand.  It is about 80ft wide & 6 to 8 feet deep. We were alone in the narrow canal with a large variety of trees, bushes, vines & grass protruding over the water. 
There were limbs & tree trunks partially submerged all along the shoreline of the canal.  We were constantly watching for debris in the very shallow water.  As It's Perfect made her way through what seemed a tunnel of foliage
we bumped unseen submerged objects.  We have talked to many who think the Dismal Swamp is a must see destination.  For us it was beautiful, but exhausting.  With the shallow water & the amount of obstacles above & below the water we found it hard to enjoy.  Our nerves were fried ! !

DUCKWEED FLOATING
EVERYWHERE

There were an assortment of butterflies, dragonflies & birds to watch & listen to, along with all the trees, vines & grasses.  About 2/3 of the way through the canal, the ENGINE OVERHEATED!.  In a matter of minuets we were anchored fore & aft in the middle of the narrow canal.  It was easy to see what happened when Rod checked the sea water strainer.  It was full of those little tiny leaves that were floating happily on top of the river when we started this morning.  DUCKWEED was the culprit, clogging the engine intake seawater strainer to the top.   Rod quickly cleaned it & we were underway in less than 30 min.

OUR RIGGING TRIMMED TREES
ON EITHER SIDE

 

We made it to the second lock's final opening of the day at 5pm. The lock tender was a wealth of information about the canal.  He talked the entire time the lock was lowering the water level 8ft.  He also played the conch shell for us.  Now that was worth the trip.  All in all the Great Dismal Swamp is something to see & we will not forget our adventure there.

Leaving the lock we motored about 3 miles to an anchorage beside the river to spend the night.  One time in the much talked about, Great Dismal Swamp is enough for us.  Tomorrow we will enter the Norfolk shipping lanes & anchor on the north side of the waterway just off  Portsmouth.  There will be time for a little sightseeing & chores, then off to the Chesapeake Bay.