"Garland Gray II" wrote:
Has anyone with a boat drawing as much as 6 ft recently transited the
Dismal Swamp Canal ? A friend is a few days away from making the
detour and I am trying to find the conditions for him.


The best thing to do is call the lock keeper on the radio, or cell
phone. If south bound, Great Bridge lock/bridge keeper, if northbound,
South Mills. They'll tell you exactly what conditions in the canal are
and what the locking hours are.

Jere Lull wrote:
Considering the wet weather we've been having, I suspect that
he/she/they will have no problem. If they're open, 6' will have zero
problem in my experience.


Agreed, but I'd add that it's likely to bump a stump or two. The Dismal
seems to have more than it's share of snags. But you can't go very fast
in there anyway, so it's not a big problem.



Whether or not they do the Dismal Swamp, I highly recommend Elizabeth
City, even if they do the Virginia Cut and it's out of the way. Most
cruiser-friendly city I've found, though Oriental and Oxford aren't too
far behind.


Elizabeth City is a pretty good stop, although the docks aren't much...
and the upper Pasquotank is really beautiful. It's well worth the time
to visit.

Fresh Breezes- Doug king