Thanks for the nice comments
There is a Kindle book called "Life's a Ditch" by Charles Dougherty that I found both entertaining and informative.
Looks interesting, thanks!
I was wondering--forgive me if it's an inane question but I'm an inland lake sailor-- how do you know which dock is a public dock? Are they marked on charts or is there a sign? my luck, I'd tied up to a dock thinking it's free and public and end up really upsetting some very private person...
I didn't know about active captain the first time we went (didn't really have any plan other than a bunch of food, beer, gas and go
) We planned on anchoring and learned about the free docks by word of mouth once we got started. For the most part there were not signs at the time. With active captain now everything is online. There really are not many docks or houses since it runs through wildlife refuge and marsh. There are maybe a half dozen clumps of houses/docks over each 50 mile stretch. We originally planned 3-5 days for the loop, but spent 4 days going down the swamp totally by ourselves. Saw maybe 2-3 boats passing northward for 15-20 seconds each day. Then met a group in Elizabeth City heading north and did leisurely 10 mile days with them for 5 days on the way back.
The free docks are nice since you don't need a dinghy. I found another neat perk of the canals other than no tides is that once you are locked in you are in. So if someone has not passed by the last locking at 4:30 no one will.
I was planning on launching at NAS Navy Base Norfolk, $5 a day and very secure.
I will add a few more days to the trip.
That should be perfect. If it happens to be June 6-8 it is harborfest, which is nice, but VERY busy. You may want to check the norfolk events calendar. Try to schedule a few hours for both downtown portsmouth and norfolk, they are very different. You can pick up walking tour maps at kiosks on the street for both. If you like museums the shipyard museum is in Portsmouth is decent and Nauticus Maritime museum is the standard stop in Norfolk. My recommend is staying in portsmouth landing and taking the ferry across to norfolk, but you can use waterside marina if you want to tie up in norfolk (where we keep our boat form nov-may) Its $5 for an afternoon.
Does the Gilmerton bridge monitor ch 13 or is it like on the hr or 1/2hr?
I just double checked and the Gilmerton appears to have its 35' span done, so we should be able to sneak right under now which is very nice, circling there is a PITA. Otherwise it opens on the :30 every hour.
I think I am going to try and motor up to lake drummond in the dismal this year, I have not been there yet. The ditch to it is about 25' wide and 3' deep by 3 miles long. Tree limbs and the mast (as well as potentially having to back 3 miles out) is my main concern. Supposedly once there its beautiful and you have it totally to yourself since the only way in is by kayak or small boat through the locks.
While thinking of gunkholing I also have my eye on the outerbanks on the carolina cut side if the weather is good. It looks like carova just finished a small boat public landing park at the north end of the outer banks. Its a few miles off the ICW and VERY shallow, but would be cool stop. Its in the 4x4 area north of the paved roads and is deserted during the offseason.
Now I am getting excited for the trip, 3 weeks
I'm thinking of doing the ICW / Dismal Swamp Canal Loop starting out of Norfolk In June.
