Adventures (and Misadventures) of Elliott and Mary

Issue 7 -  June 4, 2004

The Final Leg of the AICW, into Portsmouth…

Up we go toward Portsmouth (Mile 0 on the AICW)

There were three bodies of water that we had to cross and we wanted the best conditions we could find.

Bogue Sound is very shallow. The channel is fairly exposed and the water outside the channel was thin enough that we didn't want to stray.

The Neuse River, and then Pamlico Sound, on the other hand were big open bodies of water that could become very rough given the wrong winds.

Our plan was to cross Bogue Sound and take a sharp left at Morehead City toward the Neuse. Given good weather we would press on until we crossed Pamlico Sound.

A disadvantage to this plan is that the good anchorages we will find at the end of this 90 mile day are another 10 or so more miles ahead. However, there is the dock of a local fish processor we think we can use.

We spend the night tied up to very industrial piers at the R.E.Mayo Fish Dock. We don't bother the shrimpers and they don't bother us.

Another strategic leg tomorrow. We will go up the Pungo River, through the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal, and then down the Alligator River (headed NEE) to the Albemarle Sound.

The 25 miles we are in the canal begin to get a little long after a while. It is long straight with stumps bordering the waterway but the second growth forest is pretty.  We can tell we're far from lots of places. There are a few signs of civilization, but not many.  None of our cell phones can get a signal, even the one with the external antenna.

We find the best fuel prices so far at the Alligator River Marina where we spent the night - $1.14 for more that 200 gallons. We usually see $1.72  - $1.35. The Browns took advantage of this to really load up for their Great Loop trip.
 

We are positioned well. We leave early enough to catch light winds across the Sound and we only have a short day to Elizabeth City, home of the 'Rose Buddies'.  I think I have found what I want to do when I grow up - the equivalent of an Elizabeth City 'Rose Buddy'. For the last 20 years or so a group of retired men meet visiting boaters at the city dock. They help tie up, give the ladies roses, and host a wine and cheese get-together that evening.

                          Everyday!!

There were 2,000-2,500 visitors last year.

Elizabeth City itself is a neat place to visit. We saw lots of renovation, not only individually but by the City as well. We stocked up on provisions and really enjoyed ourselves.

I do wonder what will become of the town and the 'Rose Buddies' though.  Those 2-2,500 visitors probably transited the Dismal Swamp Canal on their way along the AICW.  The Canal will celebrate its 200th birthday soon (if my info is correct). It is the oldest canal in the US.

It is also scheduled to close this October!!
It seems that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has struck Corps of Engineer funding for it in the next Federal budget. There are locks and bridges at either end that now only open 3 times per day and are each operated a single lockmaster. It seems a shame that that much history and investment will be thrown away.
 

An artifact of the lock opening schedule is that there were some timing issues for us to consider (just like in real life :).  Lets work this backwards.

• The Jordan Lift Bridge (mile 2.5) in Chesapeake (part of the Norfolk/Portsmoutn/Chesapeake metro area) will not open from 3:30-5:30pm due to rush hour traffic.
• There are two other bridges south of the Jordan Bridge which open on demand and a railroad bridge which opens if there were no trains coming.
• The Deep Creek Lock (mile 11) at the north end of the canal will open at 1:30pm.
• The South Mills Lock (mile 32)  at the south end of the canal will open at 8:30am (and then again at 11:30).
• The Dismal Swamp Canal has no wake restrictions (about 6 mph).
• The Elizabeth City Bascule Bridge (mile 50) opens on demand until 7:00 and then on the hour and half-hour.

We left at first light, 5:45am. Our goal was to make the Jordan Bridge before 3:30.

The trip up from Elizabeth City to Portsmouth was fascinating, albeit a little stressful. We first wound our way through the green canyons of the Pasquotank River. After about 12 miles we entered the arrow straight Dismal Swamp Canal.  For many miles we were in a green tunnel with a sliver of sky above us.

W did bump logs or something about 4 times on the trip. Apparently the Corps had pulled 800 logs out of the canal after Isadore.
 
 

There was a personal bridge that a farmer had across the canal to move cattle and equipment back and forth. His was not a small scale operation.
 
 

We were following Ted and Helen on ACT II. The water ahead of then was like glass. We could see the reflection of the trees of either side and the sky between them. Then came their boat and the bow wave it generated. The sharp edge of the wave made it look like they were continually poised to plunge into some chasm! (Of course, we occasionally see strange optical effects anyway. We have learned that the surface of the water does not really tilt to one side or the other like it appears.)

We did the canal. We did the locks. As we have come to expect, the wind picked up as we went into the last one. It created a few interesting moments. It was almost 2:30 as we cleared the Deep Creek Lock and headed toward Mile 0.

The cruising guide says the Gilmerton RR bridge is almost always open. Guess what!!  I am watching the clock and recalculating out arrival time...
 

We do make it..
 
 

                                 3:15pm at the Jordan Lift Bridge
 

There is always one last bit of excitement before we're done. A thunderstorm and its associated wind was been coming from the north. We make it into Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth as (you know what comes next..) the wind shifts and strengthens.
 

We will be here in Portsmouth until around June 14 and then head up toward the Potomac. We expect to be in Washington, DC for the 4th of July.
That will be Issue #8.

Will be back in to touch later.

The Captain and Mary