ICW Pictures

Looking down the Dismal Swamp Canal, quiet and peaceful and surrounded by trees. Its depth is uncertain and speed limit restricted, so it is used mainly by sailboats with shallower draughts and trawlers.









Another view of some of the trees surrounding the Dismal Swamp Canal. There are birds of several kinds, including woodpeckers - we saw evidence of their work many times, but only heard one once.









Elizabeth City is a key destination for cruisers coming through the Dismal Swamp route of the ICW. Friendly volunteers make everyone welcome, and the city is hospitable to everyone - though its businesses do close down on Sundays.









The downtown streets of Elizabeth City are undergoing a renaissance, with many small stores moving in.











Alligator River Marina was an unexpected find, inexpensive, with good facilities and a simple, clean layout. All this, and a morning paper too!











You go carefully along Alligator River, minding the chart and staying in the channel - and even then there is no guarantee that you will not meet deadheads (floating logs). There are many dead trees along the banks as well.










We anchored for two nights in Bear Creek, with a windy day in between. We had to feel our way in between shoals, some marked with stakes, but it is very sheltered from most wind directions - good for peace of mind.









Shrimp fishing boats sitting in the harbour in Oriental, North Carolina. They trawl with nets lowered from the long booms, now raised.











A sport fisherman, passing us full blast - something we have not met very often in this part of the waterway. Most people are considerate, and pass slowly making as little wake as they can.









As we approached Beaufort, North Carolina along the Adams Creek Canal we could see the sand banks along one side of the river, and felt how much closer we were getting to the sea again.









One evening in Beaufort NC we saw this team go out rowing. Note that everyone seems to be doing their own thing...











We were in Beaufort, North Carolina when we saw this boat for the second time - the first time was Jackson Creek on the Chesapeake. This meant that this was one of the few times we were not the smallest boat in the harbour. A young couple are cruising in this boat, heading for ??? They did not know for sure.







This anchorage on the South Edisto River in South Carolina was the most isolated one we have been in so far - when night fell, there were no lights around, and the only traffic we saw were hunters heading for their blinds.










This picture from Beaufort, South Carolina, shows how people build their docks out as far as they can to get past shallow areas close to shore. The tide was partly out - you can see the high tide mark on the posts.








One day we saw shrimp boats out trawling around where we were anchored up the Bell River across from Fernandina Beach. The birds were following closely - pelicans and gulls - looking for their share.









Here the shrimp boat is listing to the side as it brings in its net and catch. The birds are hovering...











One of the main streets in Fernandina Beach, with Christmas decorations already in place. Palm trees helped create the feeling of being in a tropical place. There was a big Christmas tree down by the harbour, decorated with festive red ribbons.