Sunday & Monday, April 15 & 16

Battleship -Norfolk Harbor

South Mills Lock

Today we left Hatteras at 7:30 am trying to get a jump on the forecasted increase in wind velocity.  We crossed both the Pamlico Sound and the Albermarle Sound in choppy conditions.  Not many boats  were out there and it was plenty bumpy.  Many, many crab pots made the crossing more challenging.  If we were to run one over and wrap the float line around our props, it would be a major problem.
We arrived at Elizabeth City, N.C. at around noon.  We docked & ran some errands before continuing on through the Dismal Swamp Canal.  We entered the canal having to get under a bridge with only about a 1 foot clearance (tough on the nerves).  This bridge was non operational & this being Sunday it was unclear when the next bridge opening would be.
Our next big excitement was locking through the South Mills Lock, our first of many.  After traveling over a hundred miles in our most challenging conditions yet, we tied up to the wharf at the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center.  Amenities were minimal, but the price was right - it was free.  We met
an interesting Canadian boater - he retired 12 years ago & has been boating ever since.  First on a  48 ft. Catalina that he sailed to Rio & back.  He replaced the sailboat with a trawler and will complete the
Loop in Ottawa this May.  He has finally had enough of boats & has bought a Triumph motor cycle.  He & a buddy will drive to South America, leaving Canada in August.  Another fun aspect of boating is meeting people like this.  On Monday we cruised to the next lock with him before parting ways.

Dismal Swamp Canal

We arrived in Portsmouth, Va. late afternoon. 
History of the Dismal Swamp Canal:  The canal, which connects the Elizabeth River in Va. to the Albermarle Sound in N.C. is the oldest continually operating canal in the U.S.  In 1763 George Washington first proposed draining the swamp, harvesting the timber (cypress for shipbuilding and cedar for shingles) and then farming the land.  He & other prominent businessmen purchased 40,000 acres of swamp land and a preliminary ditch was dug.  The return on his investment was not what he had hoped for and by 1795 he had withdrawn his interest.  By this time plans were underway for a canal that would allow trade between Va. & N.C. and in 1787, the Dismal Swamp Canal Co. was created.  Digging by hired slave labor began in 1793 and progressed slowly.  The canal experienced numerous changes and periods of prosperity and neglect.  It was sold to the federal govt. in 1929 for $500,000.  The canal was then and is today operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk
District.  It is quieter now and plays host to pleasure boaters on the ICW.