The Great Dismal Swamp

As we got ready to depart Top Rack Marina we watched as several boats were splashed down by an oversized forklift.

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We quickly cast off the lines and turned north putting Top Rack on our starboard side. Several boats remain in their slip for an extended stay.

Our planned route would land us at the Dismal Swamp Visitor’s Center.

The Great Dismal Swamp

In the morning we turned north instead of south because we had to backtrack about a nautical mile to get back to where the ICW bifurcates between the Great Dismal Swamp route or the Virginia Cut. Most ICW cruisers chose the Virginia Cut route as it is the preferred route south.

We chose the path less traveled…

Hazards

The Dismal Swamp route is beautiful but notorious for duck weed clogging your engine’s sea strainers and “dead heads” (trees stumps just barely protruding above the water’s surface or sometimes just below).

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Being very familiar with the airline industry, I think Buddy & Renee might have an alternate definition of deadhead.

Alternate Definition: A dead head is an airline crew member, a pilot or a cabin crew, who is assigned to fly to a particular destination to assume a duty. In the flight where he or she is in, she’s not supposed to work as a crew. He or she shall be in a complete uniform, thus making him or her able to sit on a jumpseat if the flight is full. Deadheading crew are also paid based on their flying time.

Deep Creek Lock

The Dismal Swamp route requires you to pass through two locks rather than one via the Virginia Cut route. Heading south, the first of these locks is the Deep Creek Lock. This lock only opens at predefined times. Schedule: Opens 8:30am, 11:00am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm. We were a bit early so we dropped anchor in the middle of the channel to wait for the horn to sound that it was opening.

When the lock opened we weighed anchor and proceeded in following lock master Robert’s detailed instructions. We prefer when the lock master gives you explicit instructions and Robert was quick to let us know that he wanted us to hand him the stern line first. He asked for the middle of the line to be placed on the end of his boat hook leaving us to hold the bitter end. Robert would loop our lines over the bollards that line the edge of the lock. The rest of the yachts following us made their way into the lock behind us. .

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Lock Master Robert has been working the lock for some time now and is full of colorful info about the history of the lock that involves George Washington.

Upon the last yacht exiting the lock, Robert explains that he is also the bridge tender for the next bridge around the corner. Robert must get in his car and drive down around the corner so he can operate the Deep Creek bascule bridge.

Once under the bridge we waved goodbye to Robert as he stuck his head out of the bridge tender’s house.

Through the lock you instantly notice that the duck weed has gone from sporadic to a floating carpet of green.

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Eventually you arrive at the state line heading into North Carolina.

Next up… The Great Dismal Swamp visitor’s Center.

Arriving first at the Visitor Center’s tiny dock we quickly set fenders not only on the dock-side but also the canal-side. This would allow the boats following us to raft alongside us. Soon we would be jumping onto some of the other boats that were already docked there to help the boats behind us tie up to the other boats. Luckily the boats already there had their fenders set expecting possible raft-up buddies.

Swamp Friends

Once we were docked I went out to the foredeck to invite the other captains and crew to come aboard MV Simple Life for a cocktail or two.

In no time at all every captain and crew would find themselves squeezed into the pilothouse. It was clear within seconds that this group would become our Swamp Friends.

What a fun time we had. The boater talk was non-stop and eventually turned to either “batteries or poop” as we often joke.

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Soon it was dinner or supper time (depending on your definition of dinner) and each crew returned to their boats as we prepared sausage, pepper & onion subs with red sauce.

Trevor & Jess

As we were preparing dinner a friendly couple yelled “hell0” from out on the dock. Buddy was talking at them through the window and quickly asked them if they would like to come aboard. They accepted and came aboard for some conversation, drinks and dinner.

From the moment Trevor and Jess came aboard we became fast friends. The couple has a YouTube channel called 9to5Less so please checkout their channel and subscribe.

Trevor and Jess light up a room the moment they walk in. These two had us laughing so hard about their misadventures aboard their houseboat as well as a catamaran that they were in the process of restoring while they cruising up the ICW.

Upon learning that their boat lacked proper lighting we knew we had found a new home for the two solar lights aboard MV Simple Life.

They stayed until our sides hurt from laughing. We wished them well on their future cruising and told them we were sure we’d cross paths again.

You meet the coolest people in the swamp.