A thin line of sandy islands daringly marches from the Virginia-North Carolina border out into the Atlantic until it reaches Cape Hatteras from whence it turns southwestward until it becomes reacquainted with the mainland near Cape Lookout.  Known as the Outer Banks these islands sometimes pay for their boldness by being swept with violent storms.  These islands slowly move inland as the ocean side erodes and the bay side silts in as witnessed by light houses appearing to move seaward over the decades to either topple in the surf or be rescued by a move further inland.  The Outer Banks can reach distances of 30 miles off the mainland and so enclose a huge area of water: the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and long, wide tributary rivers such as the Neuse, Pamlico, Alligator, Chowan, and Pasquotank.  The sounds are shallow with many shoals, so navigation can be difficult especially when the winds pickup providing a nasty chop.  The Intracoastal Waterway seeks to provide some protection by linking rivers and creeks with canals through some of the wetlands along the western part of these waters.  But still there are some open crossings of the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds where it is wise to have favorable weather. 

Leaving Beaufort Docks we head north on the ICW, but once we reach the Neuse River we depart from the charted magenta line and head upstream for 20 miles to New Bern.  This historic city was once the capital of colonial North Carolina and the elegant governor’s mansion, Tryon Palace, has been reconstructed. This is a very impressive building and gardens for the colonial era.  A number of other historical buildings have been moved in to this neighborhood and renovated.   New Bern is attracting retirees and visitors so the downtown sports a lovely arts community and a number of restaurants, the drugstore where Pepsi-cola originated, as well as a huge hardware store that is a return to the past. We were delighted to find out that the New Bern Grand Marina was ideally located for observing the 4th of July fireworks display.  We stayed longer than expected due to a part being shipped from California by ground rather than the requested express.  Cruising keeps trying to teach us to be more patient.  Bob used the extra time to buy a ukulele and Karen got in more painting.  Watercolors used the “found time” to invite the Coast Guard Auxiliary over for her annual inspection which she passed with flying colors. Although not required, it was recommended to put a fire extinguisher somewhere in the cockpit. Having it within reach of the cabin wasn’t enough. So we moved one to a locker.

As we had made the Beaufort-Norfolk passage twice before we focused on adding some new elements to the trip.  Leaving New Bern we went several miles past Oriental to dock at River Dunes Marina.  Managed to get diesel, a pump out, and docked before an afternoon shower set in.  Setting out early the next morning we followed the Neuse River out into Pamlico Sound to round Maw Point Shoal and then head into the Bay River and subsequently a man made cut that connects to Goose Creek.  The skies darkened as we cross the wide Pamlico River but the seas are still flat.  A squall from the southeast chased us up the Pungo River with its winds hitting us just as we enter our intended anchorage in Pungo Creek.  This was sufficient warning that we went deeper into the creek to get more protection from the waves.  Anchored facing into 18 knots of wind and set up the GPS anchor alarm.  The mud was pretty soft and the anchor drug a little before it got a proper set that held all night.  The next day we continued on the Pungo River to the Alligator-Pungo Canal which leads of course to the Alligator River.  Today the afternoon storm hit just as we got out of the Canal.  Fog and rain reduced visibility ahead so we slowed and eventually ran back toward the Canal.  When it cleared enough we went on to our anchorage in the “tail” part of the Alligator River.  The following day we headed up the Alligator and reached Albemarle Sound where the ICW divides into two alternative paths.  This time we take the route less traveled which runs through the Great Dismal Swamp.  After crossing the Albemarle we proceed up a wide river with the poetic name of Pasquotank.  In the Pasquotank we passed the Coast Guard station which is their largest overall base of operations including headquarters for air operations.  We stopped for a couple of nights in Elizabeth City which tries very hard to welcome cruisers.  From there we wind our way up the narrowing Pasquotank to the Canal itself.  We entered the canal at South Mills Lock where we are lifted about 8 feet.  The control depth of the canal is six feet.  Watercolors draws 5-1/2 feet so we should be able to get through.  Did hit something a couple of times, but more likely sunken logs.  High trees grow on both sides of the canal and branches overhang the water so these have to be avoided.  We stopped overnight at the Dismal Swamp Visitor Center and also visited the (North Carolina) Dismal Swamp State Park.  The Dismal Swamp Canal is exited at Deep Creek Lock and the ICW soon reenters the busy commercial and naval ports of Norfolk and Portsmouth.  We soon are tying up at the Waterside Marina in downtown Norfolk.

Both the upper Pasquotank and the Dismal Swamp Canal showed off their abundant wild life.  Eagles and osprey hunt along the shores, herons stalk their prey at the channel edges, ducks avoid our approach, butterflies and dragonflies visit our boat and turtles sun themselves on fallen trees.  The water itself is a dark amber color from the tannin of the fallen vegetation.  The trees and undergrowth densely pack the shores.  It is easy to see how oppressive a place this would be if on foot in an uncharted wilderness.  It is quite a different experience to be able to float through on a boat.

There is a lot of history to the Dismal Swamp and its canals.  Originally, the vast wetland area contained about a half million acres.  Today the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and the Dismal Swamp State Park protect 126,000 acres. The swamp was first surveyed in 1728 by Col. William Byrd II and his group who were mapping the Virginia-North Carolina border.  They had to fight  through the dense undergrowth of the swamp and suffered from the hordes of insects.  Byrd may have been the first to give the area its Dismal designation.  However, he did acknowledge the potential commercial value of the area when he proposed a canal to link the Chesapeake and Albemarle.   In 1763 George Washington headed a company which aspired to develop the Dismal Swamp region by harvesting the timber and draining the land for farming.  They purchased 40,000 acres of the Dismal Swamp and they built a different canal for transporting timber.  In 1793 other interests started construction on the Dismal Swamp Canal intended for shipping.  This canal was not completed until 1805.  The slaves that had to hand dig the canal learned a lot about the area.  Some of them put this knowledge to use later as the swamp became a hide-out for runaway slaves and part of the underground railway.  In spite of various financial setbacks in its 200 plus years, the Dismal Swamp Canal continues in operation today.  The virgin timber was logged out by the 1950s and eventually the owning timber company gave the land to the Nature Conservancy which in turn passed it to the Department of the Interior where it remains today as a part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.  Although not as well known as the National Parks to most of us, the National Wildlife Refuge System has over 520 units and protects more than 93 million acres throughout all 50 states and many of the US territories.