THE DISMAL SWAMP

On Wednesday, June 20th we traveled from Elizabeth City to Norfolk, Virginia.

Not only did we cross the Virginia State line, we successfully traversed The Dismal Swamp 😊.

We enjoyed a perfect weather day, and the sightseeing on The Dismal Swamp Canal was anything, but Dismal. The scenery was absolutely stunning......one of those amazing Looper pinch me days ("Is this for real?") ♥️.

The Dismal Swamp Canal is a 22 mile long man made Canal that connects North Carolina to Virginia, and all the ports on the Chesapeake Bay. The Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest man made canal in the United States. 

In 1763, George Washington made his first visit to the Great Dismal Swamp. At that time he suggested digging a canal to connect the waters of North Carolina and Virginia. As the first President, Washington agreed with Virginia Governor Patrick Henry that a canal was the easiest answer for efficient transport and transportation. 

In 1784 the Dismal Swamp Canal Company was created. Work on the Canal started in 1793. The Dismal Swamp Canal was dug completely by hand, most of the labor was done by slaves hired from nearby landowners. It took about twelve years of backbreaking construction to complete the 22 mile long waterway. The Dismal Swamp Canal opened in1805. Prior to opening, the Canal shipments had to go overland on poor tracks or by ship around the treacherous Outer Banks of North Carolina. 

Today the United States Army Corp of Engineers operate and maintain the Canal. About 2,000 pleasure craft transit the Canal each year, as they pass through on the ICW. The historic Canal is also recognized as part of the Underground Railroad, for runaway slaves seeking freedom. 

The logistics to transit The Dismal Swamp Canal are pretty straightforward, but it does take some planning. Locks only open at  8:30am, 11:00am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm. We also needed to have the Elizabeth City Bridge open in order to arrive at the first lock before 8:30 am. We set our alarm for 5am and pushed off the dock by 5:15am (We really wanted to make the first opening, to hopefully avoid the predicted afternoon thunderstorms).

The next morning we were overly excited to start the days journey, as we have heard so much about this particular day on the Loop,and at the same time nervous, as there are many stories of Loopers hitting logs while traveling through the Canal. Our navigation Warning reads "Dismal Swamp Route is beautiful, quiet and unique, but there are things that go BUMP in the day".

 It all worked out perfectly 🙂, definitely a day to remember  ✅.

Looper Tip: Don't plan on hurrying through the The Dismal Swamp, the Lock and Bridge openings are in sync with one another. We made the first Lock opening at 8:30am then the second Bridge opening at 1:30pm. Travel speed was about 5-7 miles per hour and we bumped about three "objects" and saw numerous dead heads (for you non boaters there were not any Greatful Dead fans, just lots of  dangerous tree stumps in the waterway). 

The yellow line was our journey through The Dismal Swamp Canal.

The Historic Dismal Swamp Canal.

A beautiful sunrise 🌅.

Byrd's expedition journal included a passage, 

"We were devoured by yellow flies, chiggers and ticks. We were lost and ran out of food."

FYI: We decided to pilot Thistle from inside for about an hour due to so many biting insects 😱.

🎼  Here comes the Sun ☀️.

Crossing the railroad bridge.

The water reflections were stunning.

Thistle on the Dismal Swamp Canal. 

Mills Lock. 

The South Mills Bridge.

There was a giant tree trunk (red circle) floating inside the Lock?

Safety a First 🏵. 

We made a quick stop at the Visitor Center.

There were pretty wild pink roses 🌸 all along the Canal.

Nice to see the Mile Markers.

We buddy boated with Don't Think Twice 🙂.

We are in Virginia👍. 

Green swirls on the Canal. 

The Superintendent House. 

Deep Creek Lock.

Our last Lock of the Great American Loop!

We made it VERY exciting ... another one of those questions to ask privately 😝? 

Yes, a 🗡 was involved.... 

The Canal narrows near the end. 

You can almost touch both sides.

Interesting mile information. 

We were awarded a sticker for completing 

THE DISMAL SWAMP 😊

NORTH CAROLINA

We stopped at seven ports in North Carolina. It's a beautiful state 😀.

At every port we say to each other, "Is this a one night town, a two night town, or do we want to live here"? Well....we aren't moving yet, but both of us really liked a few of our stops in North Carolina. 

The past week in North Carolina has been very hot and humid. Even warmer than typically expected this time of year on the East Coast. We have experienced thunderstorms almost every afternoon and evening for the past ten days. Some of the thunderstorms have come with severe weather warnings! We set our alarm to wake up at sunrise for an early push off the dock. Then, we hopefully dock prior to the afternoon storms. This worked everyday, except our last stop in North Carolina? All ok now, but it was a pretty scary afternoon.

Our first port stop in North Carolina was on Wednesday, June 12th in Southport. Southport is on the coast where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The town is known for stunning scenery, maritime heritage and salubrious breezes. In this little slice of heaven those breezes cast a calm welcome on residents and visitors alike. There have been many movies and TV shows filmed in Southport (Dawson Creek, Revenge, Matlock, Safe Haven, Summer Catch and Crimes of the Heart). 

Wrightsville was our next stop. Due to weather, we stayed two nights (Wednesday and Thursday evening). Wrightsville is a suburb of Wilmington, NC. It's known as a surf town, with a pretty beach and a nice fishing pier. It is home to the largest TV and movie production company outside of California. 

We then docked in Swansboro on Friday night. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune borders Swansboro.  The Camp is a 246 square mile Military training facility. The base's 14 miles of beach make it a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location is strategic for fast Military deployment. Well, the little town was HAPPENING on Friday night!!! There were a few live music venues, the two restaurants were full and the town pier was one BIG party 😜....We fit right in and had a great time!

Beaufort on Saturday and Sunday, pronounced "BHO-fart". This was one of our favorite towns on the entire Loop! Established in 1709, it is the third oldest town in North Carolina. In 2012, Beaufort was ranked as "Americas Coolest Small Town" by Budget Travel Magazine. Beaufort is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks Region. In 1718, Blackbeard (The Pirate) ran his flagship boat, The Queen Ann's Revenge aground here. We like the Pirate influence, but loved the historic small town atmosphere in Beaufort. A charming town 😊.

Oriental on Monday, June 18th. The town has a population of about 800. The area was originally settled by Native Americans, who fished and farmed here long before the Europeans arrived. The town was named after the sailing steamer ship called the Oriental. The ship, was used as a Federal transport ship during the Civil War. 

Belhaven on Tuesday! Not the best plan... we liked Belhaven, but one of the most acclaimed restaurants on the entire Loop is located in this tiny town of 1,000. Unfortunately, The Golden Spoon restaurant is closed on Tuesday? Oh well...next time 😋.

Elizabeth City was our last stop in North Carolina. It is the cultural, educational and economic center of the Albemarle Region of North Carolina. It is noted as the "Harbor of Hospitality". The city has a long Maritime History and hosts the largest Coast Guard Base in The United States 🇺🇸.

Thank you North Carolina... we are hoping to get a good nights sleep and tackle the Infamous Dismal Swamp early tomorrow morning. 

Looper Tip: Visit Belhaven any day except Tuesday 😋.

We stopped at seven ports in North Carolina.

Southport

Wrightsville

Swansboro

Beaufort 

Oriental

Belhaven

Elizabeth City

The Red line on the map is the ICW in North Carolina, we decided to take the inland route (where it splits in the north). 

In North Carolina the water changes to a dark rich brown color. The color is described like strong tea or coffee without milk. The substance coloring the water is a tannin. 

Tannin is naturally released from the roots and decaying leaves of cypress and juniper trees.

Southport Marina.

Beautiful historic homes in Southport, every historic home is decorated 

with a plaque to indicate its history.

A very charming town with yoga, nautical antique shops and a provision company. 

Southport is located near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is a notoriously famous location for nautical danger! 

The Pilots Association has a 👀 Lookout tower in 

Southport.  

Their mission is to assist Captains with safe navigation tips through Cape Fear. 

Captain Greg was safe entering Southpot, but Admiral Reenie had a slight mistake departing the Marina Dock (Please ask privately what happened ... yes, a mask and knife was required  😱  

to correct the slight mistake). 

The tidal current is very strong...

Seapath Yacht Club in Wrightsville.

We had a beautiful slip with a 🇺🇸 view and a courtesy car. 

We rode bikes to the Wrightsville beach and pier.

The beach was nice, with surfable waves,  and we found it very interesting that admission to walk on the pier was $2 😳 (we passed). 

We drove the Marina courtesy car to Wilmington NC, 

and walked around the historic downtown district.

That evening we had a delicious BBQ and entertaining thunderstorm aboard Thistle.

More Shrimp 🍤 boats on the ICW. 

Entering The Camp Lejeune Firing Range along the ICW. 

If the Red Lights are flashing, pleasure craft are required to stop until the training is completed.

(It is reported on our navigation charts that training can last up to 6 hours...

we were 🍀 lucky, no Red Lights.) 

Caspers Marina in Swansboro. 

Thistle was the only boat in the Marina.

There was a Friday night concert on the town pier...we had a great time with the "Locals"😀. 

Swansboro has a charming downtown with many weekend tourists.

Beautiful Beaufort ♥️.

The Marina was full of serious fishing boats participating in the 

annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.  

Beaufort sightseeing.

The historic district with the Old Jail...Reenie is guilty of something?🤣 

The Beaufort harbor was very busy with pleasure craft of all sizes.

We were excited to visit with our Looper friends aboard Skinny Dipper & Don't Think Twice.

A spectacular sunset.

Oriental Marina and Inn. 

The Town Dock has a web cam...

Lab Partners (Looper friends) ... Thanks for the picture👍

We reprovisioned at the Oriental Piggly Wiggly.

While riding our bikes around the town we saw the best mailbox ever 📬. 

Belhaven Marina with Lola and Harlo aboard Don't Think Twice. 

Pelican Marina. 

We were in the middle of a very scary lightning storm about three miles from the dock...all ok, but a good reminder to finish early in the day!

Elizabeth City had some nice restaurants and a brewery. 

(We needed a beer after the lightning episode this afternoon ⛈).

The giant dirigible hanger just outside Elizabeth City.

 A nice dinner on Pailin's Alley to end our stay in North Carolina 🍷. 

Thank Y'All. 

SOUTH CAROLINA

We have been traveling up the ICW in South Carolina for the past seven ports. The Lowcountry is beautiful, with wide grasslands, beautiful ports and some interesting wildlife. Some of our Loop friends hurry past this section, but we have truly enjoyed the southern hospitality, scenery and cuisine.  

On our last blog post we promised to try and explain the tides, currents and obstacles when planning our travel day along the ICW. We typically decide our next port by talking to fellow boaters, reading friends Loop blogs, checking the AGLCA web site for suggestions, or looking at Active Captain (for those of you who are land lovers Active Captain is kind-of like YELP for boaters). Once we decide on a Marina we call or make a reservation online (we prefer to call and ask for local docking tips).

After we secure a Marina slip reservation, we look at our navigation charts (online) for warnings, bridges, tides and currents. After assessment of the travel day we check and recheck our weather reports. Before going to sleep we typically have a "game plan" for the next day (we do check our weather again in the morning).

The strong currents are what is new to us on this section of the ICW. After a week or so of travel we are getting better at our travel timing (but we really think you need to live here a lifetime to totally understand).

We have included a few pictures on this post to try and explain the tides, currents, bridges and weather in the Lowcountry (if not interested just skip and look at our travel pictures).

After departing Georgia, we entered South Carolina and stayed in Hilton Head on Sunday, June 3rd. Hilton Head is a Lowcountry resort town. The Island is named after Captain William Hilton, who in 1663 identified the headland and named it after himself. The Island has 12 miles of beach front on the Atlantic Ocean. It is known as "The Golf Island" with 33 championship courses. We liked the beach...but no golf clubs aboard Thistle.

Monday night we docked in Beaufort. The town is known for it's preservation of historic Antebellum mansions. Chartered in 1771, it is the second oldest city in South Carolina (right behind Charleston). Yes, we researched Antebellum Architecture, meaning "pre war" from Latin ante "before" and bellum  "war". It is characteristic of the 19th century Southern United States. We rode bikes around the historic district, admiring the beautiful mansions. We even saw the home where "Big Chill" was filmed. 

The following night we deviated form the typical Looper ports and docked on Kiawah Island. The Island is primarily a private resort with villas, beaches and acclaimed golf courses. We had a lot of fun riding bikes and getting "lost" along the private bike trails! We happened to be so lost we needed to stop and ask directions at the Island Resort. 

Looper Tip: Every Tuesday evening there is a free wine 🍾  tasting at 48 Wine Bar, walking distances from Bohicket Marina. 

On to Port Charleston City Marina for three nights. The city was founded in 1670 as Charles Town, honoring King Charles II of England. It's defined by cobblestone streets, horse drawn carriages, well preserved architecture, elegant homes and hospitality! Fort Sumter is one of the tourist highlights, and is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. We loved touring Charleston, but the best part was visiting friends during our stay. Charleston was awarded "Americas Most Friendly City" by Travel and Leisure, "The Most Polite and Hospitable City in America" by Southern Living and "Worlds Best City" in 2016, again by Travel and Leisure. We have to agree......👍

After a fun stay in Charleston, we felt like we went back in time for one night in the small rural town of McClellanville. The town has a population of about 1,000. The town's livelihood is centered 

around fishing, shrimping and oystering. Life moves very slowly here...it was one of the most unique, interesting and favorite stops thus far on our Loop. This port was in very "Skinny Water", we had to plan our arrival and departure carefully. Upon departure we "kissed" the bottom and warned fellow Loopers following us out of the channel. 

Sunday night was in Georgetown. The third oldest city in South Carolina. The town has a nice Harbor Walk and downtown area. We found it interesting that very few business were open on Sunday and NO mixed drinks are sold in South Carolina on Sunday (it's the Law). At a local restaurant we had the pleasure of randomly meeting the crew aboard Waterford (a gorgeous Kadey Krogan). They were a wealth of knowledge, and sent us future port recommendations, and navigational notes on some dangerous spots on the ICW ...🙂 Thank You 🍷

Our last port in South Carolina was Monday, June 11th in Myrtle Beach. The town is situated in the center of a long continuous 60 mile stretch of beach. It is known as "The Grand Strand". The beach attracts some 14 million beach visitors per year. We docked at the Barefoot Marina. It's in the middle of what we would term adult Disneyland ( a bit 😜 crazy)...with live music venues, very large capacity restaurants, discount malls, and more hoopla....

South Carolina, Thank You for your exceptional hospitality and breathtaking Lowcountry♥️

Looper Tip: There is no reason to hurry through the Lowcountry. Slow down and enjoy!

Our seven port stops in South Carolina.

Hilton Head

Beaufort 

Kiawah Island

Charleston 

McClellanville

Georgetown 

Myrtle Beach

On the ICW in South Carolina, 

admiring the beautiful "Lowcountry" with "Skinny Water" 😱

Special sights along the ICW. 

An eagle, water front homes, an alligator 🐊 and vibrant blue hydrangeas.

The next few pictures we will attempt to explain some of the factors (complications) when planning our journey for the day.

The currents on this section of the ICW can be wicked...and tricky to understand. 

It's mandatory to study the currents before we decide what time to push off the dock.

This example is Elliott Cut Inlet.

The tides are easier to understand, but also play a critical part in timing our travel on the ICW.

This example was traveling in and out of McClellanville.

Thistle drafts 4 feet, we planned arrival and departure on a rising tide.

(Note some of the boats resting on the bottom at low tide.)

The relationship between currents and tides. 

We attempt to plan our docking each day around the "slack water".

There are also many bridges on the ICW.

We note the H ( blue on our navigation app). 

Then check to see if we can fit under the bridge or need to request an opening by VHF radio.

Some bridges open on a regular schedule (hour and half or 15 and 45). 

Then to complicate travel or create some excitement we also receive 

weather updates throughout the day. 

These were some examples during our travels through South Carolina. 

Harbour Town Marina on Hilton Head Island was our first stop in South Carolina. 

Once docked at the Marina a dockhand presents each guest with a bottle of their special label wine 🍷

This was a Loop first 🙂...Thank you! 

We rode our bikes to the beach, and then listened to a concert under the Marina's oak tree.

Yes, the lighthouse is plaid.

When someone wins the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links they slip on a plaid jacket for the trophy ceremony. 

Beautiful Beaufort SC 

Pronounced "BYOO-fert"

Historic District Homes. 

Bohicket Marina on Kiawah Island. 

We were assigned a lovely T Head slip with an unobstructed view of Lowcountry. 

We rode bikes to the Sanctuary Resort, and enjoyed lunch with ice tea in the elegant hotel. 

(Yes, we snuck in 😱...another story?)

Stopped at Fresh Fields Village for wine and boiled peanuts.

Then watched a special sunset aboard Thistle.

Charleston City Marina.

We finally are in the same City with our good friends Jim & Lesley aboard Tyre-less. 

Great to see you ♥️

The annual Spoleto Festival was happening in Charleston.

We attended a Spoleto culinary event in a private historic Charleston home.

Palate Magazine sponsored a Southern Dinner with Italian influence.

Yum 😋

Historic Charleston.

Great restaurants in Charleston.

(These were some of our favorites.)

Reenie was happy to see her USLA friend Nikki. 

Lots and lots of rain in Charleston.

A pretty Charleston sunset.

And an early push off the City dock the next morning...

Sights departing Charleston: Arthur Revenel Bridge, a Confederate Flag, storm clouds, Fort Sumter and smiles 😀. 

Leland Marine in McClellanville SC.

This is the check-in office! 

(Notce the difference between high and low tides.)

McClellanville is a fishing town.

T.W. Graham's (established as a restaurant in 1894) was great!

That evening enjoyed sunset with a rainbow aboard Thistle will fellow Loopers aboard Knot Kidd'n.

McClellanville was an unexpected pleasure to visit. 

It is full of Southern charm and our fast paced world somehow passed this town by ...

A 1,000 year old oak tree in McClellanville. 

A quick stop at the Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown.

Almost everything was closed on Sunday. 

Barefoot Marina in Myrtle Beach SC.

A nice beach with surf. 

We enjoyed some live music at The House of Blues before the rain started. 

We docked at the Barefoot Marina for the weekly Monday night firework show. 

The show was cancelled due to rain. 

Well, we were not disappointed...

The heavens put on quite an original thunder and lightning show for hours that evening.

The next morning we safely crosses "Dangerous Rocks". 

Watch Out North Carolina...Here we come ♥️