The Enchanted Canal to the Bodacious Bay

We’ve been meaning to visit the Dismal Swamp for years. The name conjures images of fire spurts and R.O.U.Ss of Princess Bride lore. It turns out it is an enchanted canal full of mystery and whimsy. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The clear water was as black as I have ever seen, obsidian with a mirror like surface, and a luminous green blanket of duck weed.  Rather than dolphins, we were escorted through the canal by all manner of winged creatures, dragon flies and butterflies of all colors; I’m fairly sure most were fairies. 

Waiting to "lock through" the South Mills Lock

In reality, it is a beautiful canal and I’m so pleased we finally traversed it. The color of the water is actually more like scotch, and just like a lot of scotch, some of that color comes from peat. The water interacts with a sediment layer of peat, filtering and acidifying the water. That tannic acid is good for keeping a boat and a body clean, although neither of us braved jumping in or taking a drink. We transited the southern lock (raising us 8’) and tied up to the NC Welcome Center dock for Saturday night.  We visited the friendly staff at the welcome center and took a walk on the state park trail. We were absolutely thrilled to receive a visit from Paul and Joyce (“Time”) that evening, who saw us pass by their house earlier in the day. The next morning, we left at 8am for a long day of transiting one more lock (lowering us 10’), completing the canal and the ICW, and passing through Norfolk and into the Chesapeake Bay.

We listened to the VHF weather several times a day, and we knew we’d be coming into a small craft warning in the Chesapeake. We’d heard the predicted winds (NE 20-25) and waves (4-5’) and thought, “meh, we can do that”.



Aircraft carrier in port in Norfolk

Containership CMA CGM Melisande

When we came through Norfolk, it was looking like the trip would be pretty comfortable. We were entertained by Norfolk’s usual fare: giant container ships, battle ships, aircraft carriers, and the weekend pleasure craft, either lazing or zipping about. Once we passed into the Chesapeake Bay proper, the winds and waves hit us. What we underestimated was the wave “period” (the waves were very close together), making for an extremely rough ride. We beat into the wind and crashed headlong into those waves for hours, sometimes coming to a complete stop. We dropped anchor in a very protected anchorage on Chisman Creek at 7:45pm. The forecast was looking dismal for days, so we stayed tucked in our sleepy little spot for a while. 

The bad weather out on the bay continued and we finally got tired of relaxing on Chisman Creek, so we pulled up anchor and braved the same winds. Actually, the waves were at their most daunting when we were exiting the Poquoson River to get back in the Bay. After that, we took a pretty standard beating as we motored our way up to Deltaville, VA. We are currently anchored in Jackson Creek. We were thrilled to get the dinghy out and motor to a town dock (!) and take a walk (!) to a hardware store (!) and have lunch out (!) and drop by the library(!). Deltaville is a tiny town, but it has everything a cruiser likes to see, so we are thrilled to be here.

Our original plans were to make our way up to Solomons, MD sometime this weekend for a few days, and then to Annapolis mid-week. But the weather predictions get worse and worse, and we may end up waiting out the storm for a few extra days here in Deltaville, and just hop up to Annapolis in one 20 hour trip. By that time, maybe we can even sail!

RockHopper Anchorages: 
36°30.340N 076°21.320W; Dismal Swamp Canal, NC Welcome Center; 19Sep15
37°10.979N 076°24.817W; Seaford, VA, Chisman Creek; 20-22Sep15
37°32.722N 076°20.306W; Deltaville, VA, Jackson Creek south; 23-27Sep15