Wednesday, May 6, 2015

South Locks on the Dismal Swamp Canal - at a free facedock

You are gliding through a green tunnel along the way
We had intended taking a free dock in Elizabeth City but the day was so nice and the time only 1:00 pm that we decided to press on. What attracted us onward was a bulkhead for docking between the south dock and the bridge, about 15 miles beyond Elizabeth City. The bulkhead had cleats and came at no charge and had ample grass for walking Hoolie, perfect for us.

Approaching the south dock, quiet, peaceful, all shades of green
We docked through with four other sailboats and we thought we were going to be the only ones on the bulkhead but three of the other boats decided to do the same thing. The bulkhead is along the west side of the canal and even comes with cleats spaced just right. There appears to be enough room for eight  boats so our four fit comfortably. Needless to say, on a canal there's no tide and very little wind so we're set for the night.

He sampled the trees along the way...  Watch out overhead!
Meanwhile, we're watching developments off the coast of South Carolina, it may be the first tropical storm of the season! So we're hurrying north and hoping for the best. We now plan on reaching Hampton, VA on Thursday and then reassess the weather for the run up the Chesapeake. Alas, there was not sighting of Pirate today. I think he jumped ship when he realized we were heading north into colder weather ("are you nuts?")...
At the bulkhead - cleats for all and nice grass for Hoolie

0 comments: