DSK wrote:

"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.

When we went through in the fall of 2003, just after Isabel, the lock
keeper at Deep Creek told us that a guy with a 7' draft had just been
through the canal and said he didn't have any real trouble. The
bottom is probably soft mud.

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 I am not mistaken, I think Great Bridge is the lock on the Virginia
Cut. The north end of the Dismal Swamp is Deep Creek.

if northbound,
South Mills. They'll tell you exactly what conditions in the canal are
and what the locking hours are.

Unless locking is restricted due to low water, the locking hours are
always the same, and is the same at both locks - 4 times a day and I
think it is 9, 11, 1:30 and 3:30 or something like that.

Anyway, the best place to call would probably be the Corps of
Engineers in Norfolk for that information.

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.

We draw 5' and we always get a lot of things bumping into our hull.
It is not usually a problem. Some pictures of the 2003 trip

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/445ce/#TL
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/4468b/#TL
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/44693/#TL
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/446c0/#TL

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.

The docks were rebuilt after Isabel - have you been since then?

Also, you don't have to take the free docks if you don't want to.

grandma Rosalie
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/