I had a business trip to Raleigh during the week, so we rented a car and drove the three hours. Wendy went too so that she could enjoy a few days off the boat exploring inland. We drove back on Friday and after wrapping up work, we set out for the 20-mile trip to the Dismal Swamp Welcoming Center.

Our plan was pretty simple. The South Mills Lock at the south end of the Dismal Swamp Canal opens four times a day – 8:30, 11:00, 1:30, and 3:30. We planned to go 15 miles from the marina to make the 1:30 opening and then go the additional 5 miles to stay on the Visitor Center free dock for the night. The eventual destination is Yorktown, VA, by Sunday night. By miles, these are pretty short legs, but one must navigate the entire length of the canal at idle speed, so it takes a while.

When we went to throw off our bow lines, it was hot and dead calm. Perfect. One of our nice neighbors came over to help us throw our lines up and we were going to be on our way. The operative word in that previous sentence is “were.” Once we tried to pull away, a wind picked up and kept pinning us to the wall. We didn’t have much room to go forward or back, so it took us several tries and a few bumps back into the dock before we finally caught a break and pulled into the fairway. After a few sincere and profusely uttered “thank yous” (rumor has it that Wendy even blew him a kiss), we were on our way.

Once we got out into the Pasquotank River, we were a little behind schedule. We pushed up on plane as I tried to calculate the cost per minute with $6+ for a gallon of diesel. Oy… We went fast for just a few minutes to get back on schedule and then settled into our cruising speed.

The river was meandering and beautiful. It took some active driving to dodge the occasional log and avoid waking the couple of fishing boats nestled in the trees near shore. We exited the river into Turner’s Cut – a straight and narrow cut to take us to the lock.

When we got to the lock, there was one other boat waiting. We drifted and waited for just a few minutes before the lock began opening. With the green light, we entered behind the other boat and set up on the port side. This lock was pretty casual. The lock master walked over with a boat hook to grab our bow line to wrap it around a fixed bollard. Then he took the stern line. Wendy and I set up holding each line for the eight foot ride up.

The worst part was that it was HOT. 90+ degrees, humid, with almost no wind. It was unpleasant. The lock master asked us if we were going through the bridge immediately after the lock and we answered in the affirmative. The lock master is also the bridge master, so he needed to run up there after the lock was open to open the bridge for us.

Once the lock was open, the lock master waved us through, got in his car, and drove to the nearby bridge. He opened it immediately and made me feel guilty for going so slow as a line of waiting cars accumulated on each side.

The last five miles were at idle in the narrow canal. We watched closely for debris and had a couple of bumps. It was a beautiful ride.

As we neared our destination, there is a floating pedestrian bridge for the state park just before the visitor’s center. Waaaay before we got there, the bridge swung open. Once again, I felt guilty for taking so long to clear the bridge, but we were maintaining our no wake speed. Thankfully, nobody was waiting to cross the bridge when we cleared it.

Immediately after the bridge, we could see the free dock on the starboard side. It was empty. The dock can fit three, maybe four, boats of our size and the expectation is that people will raft if it fills up. With no wind and no current, we picked our spot as far forward as possible and had an easy time tying up. The dock almost level with our deck making for easy on and off. This is only the second or third dock we have tied to where it was this easy to get on and off the boat.

We walked up to the visitor’s center where the ladies were absolutely delighful. They welcomed us, gave us stickers, wifi, information, and made us feel incredibly welcome. Hats off to the welcoming committee! We cooled off in the A/C for a bit before returning to the boat to relax on deck. A little later on, two other boats came and tied up behind us. There was plenty of room.

Finally, the sun set, it got a little cooler, and we fired up the genny to make dinner and cool down the interior. So far, we are big fans of the Dismal Swamp!