Elizabeth City – At the City Docks, Fee Zero

Bridge Just South of Vistor Center - Operator Manned the small shack at left all day

Every boat but us left in time for the 8:30 lock opening. We just wanted to hang out and not be rushed so we left around 9:30 for the 11:00 opening. Along the way we banged into three “somethings”, small floating logs we guessed. We had the canal all to ourselves and as slow as we could go, we still arrived too early at the lock and had to tie up, an awkward experience given the 2 kts of current behind us and the lack of cleats on the facing dock in front of the bridge just before the lock (the bridge and lock open together). First the bow swung out and then the aft and after bouncing back and forth a couple of times, we finally got the boat under control.

Can anybody identify the snake we saw?

Proceeding through the bridge and lock, the canal widened and deepened and we felt comfortable increasing speed above the 5 kts we had been maintaining in the debris laden canal. It’s really quite scenic. We saw many turtles, a great blue heron and a swimming snake among other creatures. The trees were just starting to turn and are due to peak in the next two weeks.

We made our way to the free docks at Elizabeth City and were met by the “Rose Buddies”, a group of civic minded individuals that greet boats at the docks. They helped with the lines and invited us to a 4:00 pm free greeting party at the docks. We were given an overview of all the activities in the city and an offer for a free ride to and from the local supermarket. It was fun to meet all the other boaters at the event. The couple next to us at the dock had been cruising continuously for the past 4.5 years! We are neophytes!

The Rose Buddies - Elizabeth City Greeters

Looks like bad weather coming our way Friday and Saturday so we have to plan our stops carefully tonight, our plans are up in the air for Tuesday.