The Intracoastal Waterway

Beaufort North Carolina to Norfolk Virginia, Via the great Dismal Swamp

Taking some beers in the sun in Beaufort we chatted with our cruising buddies about routes North.

A. Go back into the ocean and make a 150 mile hit straight to Norfolk
B. The Intracoastal Waterway via Coinjock (where, if you can eat it, your 32oz steak is free)
C. The alternative Intracoastal taking the Great Dismal Swamp route.

Tempted by the name if nothing else, we opted for the Dismal route, first stop, was Oriental, so named as the wife of one of the first settlers found a name plate washed up on the beach from the unfortunately wrecked ship, The Oriental.

Just like the Bahamas we had to get comfortable sailing in just two to three metres, and it does take some getting used to but after an hour or so we relaxed, following the channel markers out of Beaufort, into the river and on up to Oriental.

Ocean Cruising Club members D and Don live in Oriental and they welcomed us to their neighbours pile dock in the marina. Pile docks are a new challenge and certainly designed to improve your skills with a lassoo, warps flying as you try to hook one as you pass.

Oriental is I guess a dormitory town of stunning homes. It's like houses built in their own small park. Lawns and hedges beautifully groomed and mature oaks, cypress and pines. Truck in the drive.....beside the Lexus. Many have their own creek leading to a pool where, like D and Dons, their own sailboat is moored at their private dock.

From Oriental we headed down the Neuse River and over the estuary to the Pungo River and the Alligator Canal. The ICW was started in 1770, dug by hand. Dug by Slave hands, working in mosquito, snake and bug infested swamps. The objective was to create a safe inland waterway linking Norfolk to Elizabeth City. It finally opened in 1809.

Acres and acres of trees. Miles and miles chopped out the forrest and shipped out on light gauge railways for sale at the new towns. Timber was also used to shore up the canal sides, and the stumps can still be seen today. The canal was dug to a depth of over two metres although on several occasions we had a dull thump as an old tree stump floated near the the surface. Strangely, very little sign of wildlife. We could hear the birds but other than a few turtles, very little else. We motored through the Alligator Canal, 20+ miles then the Dismal Swamp, another 30 miles. All excavated by hand. Just mind boggling.

Half way up the Alligator Canal we anchored in a pool, 2 miles diameter 0.5 to 2.7m deep at max. Every horizon was tree lined, Eagles and Ospreys flying around overhead while at deck level, Dragonflies by the flock, some the size of sparrows. You see a shadow which you think is a plane high overhead yet it turns out to be a super sized Dragonfly. If this were Norway there would be legends about dragonflies carrying off small children.

Between the canals we crossed the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, huge estuaries, 10-20 miles across again in max 3m water. Land only just visible on the horizon. The Italian in the Titanic movie was definitely lying when he said he could see Statue of Liberty.

Eventually we pulled into Elizabeth City at the head of the Pasquotank River. Unfortunately, the town docks were at the end of a thirty mile fetch and being battered by waves. We therefore passed through the bridge intending to anchor in the sheltered river when a cruiser on another boat already moored to the side, points to where we should tie up and yells that's a good spot and by the way, "if we need his car to go get groceries to let him know!" From Orkney to Elizabeth City the generosity of complete strangers in the cruising community continues to amaze us.

Elizabeth City, like Oriental had some absolutely stunning homes however, the centre was a little "tired" as its local industry, fishing had fallen away and the town seems too far away to attract sufficient tourism to keep the shops open. However, those that were left were interesting and we had a good night listening to live music on the harbour.

Next day we headed off up the Great Dismal Swamp. It could have been built be the Romans it's so straight. For mile after mile we motored through the swamps but mostly tree lined route stoping at the Visitor Centre and the penultimate lock for the night. Early morning we caught the 08:30 opening arriving in Norfolk about 11:00.

Norfolk is a Navy Town. It's the world's largest naval base with cruisers, destroyers, battleships and aircraft carriers all around.

Gary and Greta, the OCC Port Officers here very kindly lent us a dock and we will stay here to sight see and have a bit of a rest before heading north for either Annapolis up the Chesapeake or outside and heading up for New York.

Meanwhile, bad news on the radio. Tomorrow the wind goes North bringing a "snell blaw". Apparently the temperature is going to plummet to the 70's!

Stuart and Anne