Albemarle Sound - Dismal Swamp

April 26

Haircuts On The Boat

The admiral gets a little over zealous when it comes to cutting my hair.  I wonder why?  Maybe we have been on the boat a little to long .....

The Albemarle Loop

The InterCoastal Waterway (ICW) between Norfolk and Key West brings prosperity to the towns that line it.  As boat travels up and down the coast, owners stop and spend.  Studies differ on the exact number, but indications are that a new dollar to an area will circulate 6+ times.  Therefore, a $100 expenditure from an outside source has the economic impact of ~$600.  For example; If you hire a boat mechanic, he spends that money at the farmers market for food.  The farmer spends the money on help to harvest the crop ... and on and on.  Lots of boaters on the ICW bring lots of spending that brings prosperity.

Towns not on the ICW do not benefit from boat traffic that is moving just miles away.  The North Carolina Albemarle Sound communities, they came up with a clever solution.... Create a scenario that pulls boaters off the ICW to their towns.  They call it the Albermarle Loop.  Seven towns banded together to offer 48 hours of free dockage, fresh water and pump-out. 

 Here is an example of their ask ....

We figured if these towns were going to make this big an effort, we should make the effort to visit them,  We hit 5 of the 7 towns.  All offered extremely good dockage in terms of dock quality.  Most provided free electric and were located in the heart of the community.  

Columbia and Plymouth

The first two we visited (Columbia and Plymouth) we were a little sad.  Admittedly, we were there at a poor time being Sunday and Monday.  The towns were clearly struggling but fighting hard to stay vibrant.  However, between the two towns I believe we found one restaurant open.  Plymouth did, however, have a fabulous "God's Creations Wildlife Museum".  The owner was a major big game hunter and had his kills preserved and put on display that he funded.

The museum is also home to the "Bear-Ology" center.  It turns out that the NC coastal region has the highest population of black bears in the country.  Who knew.

Edenton

Edenton was a welcome relief.  Pulling into the marina, it looked fabulous with 5 star docks, a sea wall and electric all located in the center of town.  The town was bustling with commerce, children and hospitality.  Walking the town was a historical treat as we learned about the town's impact on the growth of the country.

There was a one room schoolhouse with a really tough school master (or mistress as the case might be).

I don't know if you have noticed or not, but she sure picks on me a lot.

We really liked Edenton ... and then night time happened.  The winds picked up from the direction that offered maximum fetch (not a good thing) into the marina.  The seawall did minimal to shield the docks.  We rocked and rolled all night long.  We could literally feel ourselves shifting around in the bed with each wave. Other then being exhausted in the AM, all ended well.

As we rolled out of bed and out onto the dock, some of the local elders had come down to the waterfront to serenade us. When they learned we were on a year long trip, they played this just for us. It was really cute.

Albemarle Plantation

If anyone is trying to find a retirement golf community in the warm south, you need to visit Albemarle Plantation.  WOW.  The marina was outstanding and quite large.  It was filled.  Not only was the dock, electric and water all provided at no cost, they gave us a golf cart to run around the place.  AND ... dig this, the docks were set up for golf cart traffic so we could take the cart right to the boat.

Albemarle Plantation is a giant planned community with all expected accoutrements like restaurants, pool, marina, golf, golf, golf and golf.  The homes were largely single story single family on large lots.  It was beautiful.

Elizabeth City

Elizabeth City is the largest town of the Albemarle loop.  It is more of a small city than a large town, but you could argue either way.  We encountered many other loopers here and had a large docktails at the local brewery.  Most of the rest of the Albemarle Loop we had been on our own so it was nice to see everyone.

The town is known for the staging area of the Wright Brothers as they headed off to Kitty Hawk to invent the airplane.  If you click on the picture below and read the last paragraph, it is a direct excerpt from the local paper at the time.  I found it hard to read simply because of the language structure they used.

This is our last stop on the Albermarle Loop.  From here, we head to up the infamous Dismal Swamp.  

The Dismal Swamp Canal

The great Dismal Swamp Canal!  I had always heard about it, but had never seen it.  WOW.  

The countries founding fathers, including the big man George W himself, had a hand in building the canal.  Here is a little plagiarism from Wiki:

In May 1763, George Washington made his first visit to the Great Dismal Swamp and suggested draining it and digging a north–south canal through it to connect the waters of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. 

In 1784, the Dismal Swamp Canal Company was created. Work was started in 1793. The canal was dug completely by hand; most of the labor was done by slaves rented from nearby landowners. It took approximately 12 years of construction under highly unfavorable conditions to complete the 22-mile long waterway, which opened in 1805. At about the time the canal opened, the Dismal Swamp Hotel was built astride the state line on the west bank. It was a popular spot for lover's trysts as well as duels; the winner was rarely arrested as the dead man, as well as the crime, were in another state.

 

But that is not what made it so cool for us.  The water is full of tannins from the cypress tress and others.  Again, stealing from the net:

The water of the Dismal Swamp Canal appears black at first glance, but is actually brown when examined more closely. The water's color comes from tannins, compounds found in tree bark that leach into the water. The water has a very low pH, around 4-5, which helps to inhibit bacterial growth.

But the effect is amazing.  The black water turns the canal into a spectacular mirror reflecting everything on the banks for as far as the eye can see.

There was a visitor center shortly after entering the canal where we docked for the night.  Multiple other looper boats were there so ... you guessed it ... DOCKTAILS!

Norfolk

We are now in Norfolk staging for our run home.  Officially, we crossed our wake here since we attended the AGLCA Rendezvous May 1, 2023 right here at the waterside marina.

However, we will not sport the gold flag until we hit our dock in Kilmarnock.

Norfolk is a great town with good restaurants, clean streets, museums and walking tours.  We really enjoy it.

Our next post will be on our official wake crossing!  It has been 8,200 miles and almost a full year.  We find it to be a bitter sweet situation.  We know it is time for the trip to end, but we really really don't want it to.

With love and stay safe,

Terri and Aubrey