The ICW, or Intracoastal Waterway, was fashioned 300 years ago as an alternative route for commercial and recreational boaters down the eastern seaboard. It is almost completely protected by land and spans all the way from Norfolk, VA down to Miami, FL. Its basically a manmade highway for boaters.

The first portion of the ICW splits off into 2 routes (that eventually link back together). The route less traveled is called the Dismal Swamp. This was the original ICW in the early 1700’s. It got its name from the man who surveyed the land (prior to the creation of the waterway) and found it repulsive. This is probably due to the high humidity, tons of bugs and swampland. But that’s how its name was formed!

The first ICW took almost 60 years to complete but was still extremely shallow and an unusable trade-route for larger boats. Eventually it was abandoned to the new channel a hundred years after (currently known as ‘Virginia-Cut’), which is the more traditional ICW route. But the Dismal Swamp remained, mostly because of its historic landmark status.

Prior to our excursion, we had always planned to take the Dismal Swamp route, mostly because it would have less traffic. Plus the serene, beautiful grasslands and marshes boast some amazing views (so we’ve heard).

The other thing to note is the dozens of bridges that span the ICW, ranging from 2-to-200-feet high. Naturally, the taller bridges are no big deal, but the short bridges would cause issues with our 45-foot mast-height. Many small bridges open on demand, but some only open at specific times. There are also a couple of locks, which raise and lower boats between stretches of water (of different levels) on the canal. Generally in areas where the land is not completely flat or a channel has to bypass a detour, a lock is used.

Day 1: Norfolk, VA to South Mills, NC (27.7 nm)

August 1,2015

We have been looking forward to the transit down the ICW since we began cruising almost 6 weeks ago. Holy cow has it been that long already?!? Time flies.

We left around 830AM because we had to make one bridge and one lock opening. Since we already passed the really ‘big boats’ further up the channel, motoring was very easy going. And the further we motored, the city melted away and nature took its place. The first bridge opened at 930AM and had no problems. As soon as we crossed to the other side, the route took a sharp right and we were in the Dismal Swamp. The wide channel turned into a narrow river surrounded by trees and tall grasses on both sides. It was surreal and beautiful so we slowed down to soak it all in. How completely bizarre to be on a huge sailboat in this tiny river inlet!

After another hour, we reached Deep Creek Lock. We were 30 minutes early, so we dropped our anchor just outside of the entrance and hailed the lock master on the radio. We weren’t bashful in telling him we had no idea what we were doing. He gave us all the info we needed to prepare and soon pulled in, tied up and waited. The lock master, Robert, explained how the process worked and what to expect. The boat is going to be raised to meet the water-level on the other side. The lock fills with millions of gallons of water in just a few minutes, so we had to adjust the dock lines so that Bosco doesn’t whack into the side of the lock.

Once the water was raised (which was super cool), Robert gave us a history lesson on the Dismal Swamp. Robert, himself, has worked the lock for 30 years so he knows quite a bit. There is a standing tradition that people who come back from the Bahamas via this route will bring back a conch shell and Robert will serenade everyone who passes through.

The other side of the lock was completely different. Thick marshy swamp with water like glass, reflecting the cloudy sky above. There was green moss that patterned the top of the water. It was so beautiful. There were also dragonflies EVERYWHERE and all different colors. Normally I’m not a fan of any kind of bug, but for some reason I didn’t mind these guys. We liked to think they were hitching a free ride on Bosco.

A big downfall of traveling this route during the summer are the giant yellow flies. There was a good 15 mile stretch where our boat was inundated with these little bastards. It was freaking me out so I had to go below and let Jake take over. It wasn’t much better below because they managed to sneak in through the companionway. They came in waves, so at times it was fine (and we could manage killing most of them) and then another group would attack. yuck!

Eventually I came back out to take over since we were close to our planned dock, The Dismal Swamp Visitor Center. It has 3 spots to tie up to, and a large facility where you can learn more about the history of the ICW which we thought could be fun to visit. But when we pulled up, the spots were all taken, and we didn’t feel much like rafting up to other boats (when you tie up to other boats instead of to a piling or dock). So we kept going to South Mills Lock.

Unfortunately we were 15 minutes late for the last opening, but the lock master let us through the first part (a short bridge) so we could tie up to a cleat for the night. It was a really nice spot that opened up into a small town. Plus there were hardly any bugs flying around here!

After Bosco was parked, we were blazing. That’s North Carolina in the summer for you; hot, sticky, humid, buggy. The fans were sputtering in and out which made the boat even hotter. So we walked over to a gas station for some ice cream, iced tea and ice for the fridge (see a theme here?). It was a perfect cool down treat. Dinner was simple – pizza! That night also brought cooler temps so we both managed to get a few hours of decent sleep.

Day 2: South Mills, NC to Alligator River, NC (45.3 nm)

August 2,2015
Since we were right at the lock entrance, we didn’t have to go far to make the 8:30AM opening. The South Mills lock would be lowering us (rather than raising us like Deep Creek) so it was much easier to control. The lock master on this end did not waste any time chitchatting, so we were in and out in less than 30 minutes.

The narrow river was more winding today, but much less narrow. Eventually, it opened up and there were way less bugs. That made me a happy cruiser! Our route took us out of the Dismal Swamp, down the Pasquotank River (where we spotted more dolphins), out in the Albermarle Sound, which opens up to the Atlantic Ocean.

The wind and waves really picked up at this point, so we attempted a few hours of sailing. It was futile with the wind dead ahead and storm clouds brewing. Plus we were anxious to get to our anchorage because we were tired, so we motor-sailed the rest of the way. We entered Alligator River in the early afternoon, with wind howling and waves 4-5 feet high. Our anchorage did little to protect us from these elements, so we motored further into the canal, which is surrounded by marshland. Once up a bit, the waves settled and we dropped the hook.

That evening we were exhausted but stoked to have gone so far. Dinner was scrumptious: chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, green beans and garlic bread. We were STUFFED. After dinner we sat outside to watch a big storm brew just north of us; we even saw water spouts! It was a little scary because it looked like they were heading for us, but we were just out of their range (Thank goodness). That night we slept with all of our hatches open and relished in the fresh breeze.

Day 3:Alligator River, NC to Belhaven, NC (50 nm)

August 3,2015
Today was equivalent to a day from hell…

Let me preface a bit; Jake and I take turns sleeping in the salon and V-berth when we are underway. Because its just so hot every night, its easier for us to sleep separately. Last night, Jake slept in the salon and I was in the V-berth.

I woke up at 4:45AM to the sound of tapping all over the boat. It was confusing and dark and in my haze I realized that Jake was making these sounds. Once my sleepy fog faded a bit, I realized Jake was swatting with the fly swatter; then he said that the inside of the boat was covered with mosquitos. As the sky lightened, I could see what he was talking about; there were tons of them – It was SO GROSS!

I knew that if I could actually see (with my glasses on) I would freak out, so I chose to stay ‘blind’ this morning. There were only a few mosquitos in the V-berth, so I disposed of them and closed all the hatches and the door to shut myself IN. That left Jake alone to deal with the bugs in the boat. I suggested that he use the dust buster, which actually helped a lot.

We had planned to leave at 6AM, but by the time we dealt with the nasty bugs in the boat, it was after 730AM. And that wasn’t even the worst of it. Every square inch of the cockpit and bimany shade was covered in mosquitos. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Probably equivalent to what you would find in a jungle.

Jake insisted that if we were moving the bugs would blow away. I refused to leave the boat until they were gone, so Jake manned up to brave the outside. As soon as he stepped out, the mosquito FOG took over. Literally they were everywhere. I could barely see Jake out there. It was the nastiest thing I have EVER witnessed (and way worse for Jake). He quickly left the cockpit to go raise the anchor, and then motor us out. He had a hell of a time trying to steer and deal with the bugs. I threw him every can of bug spray that we had. The ant/spider spray seemed to work best for the ones that didn’t fly away. But the carnage was visible everywhere. Piles of bugs all over the place in such concentrations as I have never seen…and hope to never see again.

After about an hour of motoring, I braved the cockpit (there were still plenty of mosquitos), but was covered head-to-tow. I even wore a buff as a face mask and glasses, so that I wouldn’t swallow any (which Jake had to endure earlier).

All-in-all it was a terrible start to the day.

After we got going for a few hours, we made our way through the last narrow passage of the ICW, which was pretty marshy/swampy, so there were lots of bugs all day. I hate bugs more than just about anything, so I could only handle so much. We didn’t eat anything all day either, mostly because we were so grossed out. It left us tired, crabby, hungry and in pretty terrible moods.

The sights were pretty at some points today. We saw dolphins in the ICW which made me smile. We also had a cloudy day so it wasn’t as hot but still very humid. We also manage the longest passage since we’ve been cruisers.

We ended up anchoring outside of this tiny town, Belhaven, NC. It had a free dock but the winds were too strong to attempt docking. So we anchored slightly outside of the dock and went to work trying to clean up the bugs. Jake dumped buckets of saltwater in the cockpit, to help get rid of the piles of dead bodies but it was still really gross. There was only so much we could do at the time.

That night we were paranoid about bugs, so we took down our bimany completely and closed all of the hatches and port lights. That left us hot, sweaty messes, but better than dealing with the hell of this morning all over again.

Day 4:Belhaven, NC to Hobucken, NC (20.6 nm)

August 4,2015
Last night we both slept pretty bad, but only because it was so hot and the fans stopped working completely. I hope the boat can hold up just a few more days! At least there were no bugs (other than the dead ones from the day before)! That felt like success.

The weather boasted some very strong thunderstorms over the next few days, so we split up the last leg into two shorter ones. The plan was to dock at a fishery/shrimp dock right on the ICW. They allow recreational boaters to tie up for a small fee ($12). The biggest appeal is that its 20 miles away from Oriental, its a cheap dock where we can plug into power (and air conditioning) and boasted some of the freshest sea food along the east coast.

As Jake went up to start the engine, there was nothing. Dead silence. That is not normal. Usually it sounds weak, but never nothing. Not a good sign! I went up to give it a go, since I’m usually the one who manages the starting of the engine. I must have the magic touch because she started for me! Whew. Hopefully we can make it to Oriental without another tow (wishful thinking)!

It only took us 4 hours to motor to the dock, and we pulled up just when a big thunderstorm landed on us, so docking was tricky. The first attempt was a fail as we were pushed away from the dock by a very strong current. I rounded and tried again, this time going faster and went more head-first into the dock. Jake had to leap out from the bow of the boat but made it without a big deal and we managed to wrangle Bosco in. But of course, we were completely drenched during this process. As soon as we were tied up, the storm passed leaving calm wind and waters. Go figure!

We made our way in to purchase our spot for the night and buy some fresh seafood (shrimp and scallops). Then we headed back to the boat and were hit by humidity and heat! It was awful. Plus the fish-plant smell next to us didn’t help much. We immediately plugged in our A/C and within a few minutes it pulled a lot of the humidity and smell from the boat. It felt AMAZING!!!!

I whipped us up Shrimp Pad Thai. It was SO YUMMY. I have never had such phenomenal shrimp in my life. It had NO fishy taste whatsoever and was plump and delicious. It was a great lunch that made both of us very happy. The rest of our day was just laying around reading, taking naps and just relaxing in the air conditioning. It wasn’t particularly cold, but it helped to pull out all of the sticky humidity in the boat. Such a nice relaxing day/night.

Day 5:Hobucken, NC to Oriental, NC (21.4 nm)

August 5,2015
Both Jake and I were refreshed this morning. We were excited to finish up the last leg of the trip just so we could clean up. Neither of us have had a proper shower in 5 days and our boat was simply filthy (still dead bug guts all stuff ALL over the boat). Normally we like to keep Bosco clean, but with the last few days heat, humidity, circumstances, we just did not have the energy.

This was the first time since we started cruising that we were watching the ‘countdown’ to our destination. It made time go a lot slower. We were also tense because there was very little diesel left in the tank; how silly to run out of gas just a couple miles from our marina!

Conditions were so-so, with wind coming directly head on, so we just motored the entire way. Plus we were worried that if we turned off the engine to sail, it wouldn’t start again.

The marina we planned to land was underneath a 45-food fixed bridge at high water. Our mast is only 43.5 feet, but with wind vane and VHF antenna, we are more like 46 feet. We pulled in the channel around noon, which was right at high tide. So we could either sit around and wait for low tide (at 8PM) or risk going under the bridge and possibly hitting our instruments.

As I pulled up to the bridge, I noticed it was exactly 45-feet (There are markers on the side). Both Jake and I decided not to risk it and turn around to the neighboring anchorage (just a few hundred feet away). We dropped anchor and Jake decided to climb the mast to take down our antenna and wind vane. Climbing a mast at dock is one thing, but at anchor is a lot harder. The boat rocks a lot more and wakes from passersby affect the boat even more (especially 45 feet up the mast). But Jake managed to get up there, pull down the instruments and get back down himself in about 10 minutes. We felt like badass sailors, because only badass sailors would do something like that at anchor.

Once back down, we restarted the boat and motored under the bridge. It felt REALLY tight. We cleared it by over a foot, but it was scary nonetheless. Soon we were pulling in to our new home, Clancy’s Marina. We secured Bosco to the side of the floating dock and killed the engine. Phew we made it!

Unfortunately we still had a lot of work to do. As soon as we arrived, we plugged into shore power, hooked up the A/C and got things charging. After just a few minutes though, the inside of the boat REEKED. It was like rotten eggs and fish. It smelled like that the day before, but we just assumed it was the fishery. I deduced the smell was coming from the quarter-berth aka garage. But that was kind of in shambles over the last few days. I was worried there was a dead animal back there stinking it up.

After moving everything out, the cushion felt REALLY hot. Hotter than normal. Under the settee is where our battery-bank lives, and that is where the smell came from. One of the batteries was sizzling (hence the sulphur smell). We quickly turned off the D/C power and battery charger and then waited to let it cool a bit before going any further.

Meanwhile, I spent a couple of hours scrubbing the top deck of the boat and cockpit. Jake worked on the cushions and under all the diesel, gas and water jugs. Everything was so dirty and took a lot of elbow grease to get clean(er). It wasn’t perfect since we needed some more powerful cleaner to get the bug fecal stains out (which look like tiny blue dots everywhere). Figured we could save that for later. At least the bulk of it was much better.

We decided to unhook the one battery and remove it. The batteries power our fridge, lights, running water, so without them, it will be difficult to keep food fresh and use running water. Hopefully they will last for a little while until we get some new ones.

Once we finished these chores, we decided to walk into town to explore. We made our way to a cafe called M&M’s to get some cold drinks – it was SWELTERING hot out. We sat at the bar and got to talking to a young guy (probably mid-20’s) and his father. The younger guy, Austin, lives on his boat and has been cruising for years. His father also lives in town and both of them gave us tons of ideas and recommendations on where to go/stay to get work done and visit. They were so kind and friendly. The father, Dino, offered to drive us to New Bern the following morning to pick up our car. How cool is that?

It makes us very excited to be here finally and to be done with the long leg of the trip. But it also feels overwhelming to look at all the work ahead of us. Hopefully we will find a good balance and make really good progress while we’re here. More to come!