Lake Drummond

Monday May 25, Memorial Day
This morning we were under way by 7 AM. We have a long day ahead of us and depending on the current who knows how far we will get. We would like to get though the Pungo Canal but it is 24 miles long and now where to anchor within it. We arrived at the canal by 6 Pm, too late to go though. There are many tree stumps along the sides of the canal and a boat that went though after dark hit one last year and sank. We anchored off on the Pungo River a place we had not used before. We had good water depth and protection from the wind and waves. We will definitely use this one again.

Tuesday May 26
Again we were under way by 7 AM. We traveled the 24 miles of the canal along with several other sailboats and of course we were passed by many power boats. They were not necessarily traveling North back home for the Summer but were local boats cruising for the Summer. Many of them go to New England or the Chesapeake.

When we left the canal we then traveled up the Alligator River to the Alligator River Bridge. After going though the bridge opening we stopped at the Alligator River Marina and took on fuel. Larry felt that this fuel would last us til we got to Deltaville. After fueling we headed across the Albemarle Sound. The wind had begun to pick up and the fetch was growing on the sound. It was a little uncomfortable and got worse in the middle then eased up some on the other side. When we made our turn to go up the Pasquotank River the wind and waves were coming from behind us, this flattened out the boat and the rolling stopped. We had motor sailed across the sound but the waves were greater than the wind and the sails didn't help much. We arrived in Elizabeth City when the bridge came off restriction and we caught an opening shortly after 6 PM.
We transited though the bridge and continued on up the river to Goat Island, where we dropped our hook along with two other boats. It had been a long day, a little over 11 hours of travel. It felt good to stop for the evening and have dinner and a good nights sleep.
















Wednesday May 27
Last night we discussed taking our time this morning and catching the 11AM bridge and lock opening at South Mills. I knew we would be up early and said why not go for the 8 AM opening that would get us at the Visitors Center around 10AM. We had planned to spend the night at the center. Getting there early would give us more time to visit the new State Park Center on the West side of the canal. That is what we did and it was worth it. We spent several hours viewing the center and walking the new board walk. After which we borrowed the courtesy bikes at the Visitors Center and took a ride on the nature trail. Of course we got caught in the rain but it was only a shower. It was a very warm day so it felt good. Along the way the only nature we came across was one dead snake and one very long, very alive one. That was enough nature for me.

The picture is of the new pontoon foot bridge, which gives you access to the center on the West side. They have been working on it the last two trips though for us. One of the rangers told us it has already been struck by lightening twice and cost a small fortune to fix.

Thursday May 28

This morning we were the last ones to leave the dock at the center. We were in no hurry we were only going about five miles to the dock on the East side of the canal by the feeder ditch. When we arrived another boat was already tied up. When we ask how long they were going to be there they said a few hours and that it was OK to raft up to them. We did and then got into the dinghy for a ride up the feeder ditch to Lake Drummond.

The ride in the feeder ditch was quiet and very scenic. We had hoped to see some wild life but it didn't happen. The picture above is of the dam that controlls the water flow that feeds the canal. The boat house is for the lock tender that arrives by boat. We turned to the port ( left ) and followed the water way to the lift. Where we placed our dinghy on the rails and proceeded to move it across the land to the other side where we placed it in the water again.

This picture is of our dinghy as it took a ride on the rail car.

Our breath was taken away by the view that awaited us when we emerged out onto the lake. It was a perfect day not a breath of wind to disturb the water. You can see by the pictures the water acted as a mirror for the landscape and the sky. I took many pictures and it was hard to choose for the blog. They were all magnificent.

We rode along the shore being careful not to get too close as to snag on a stump. As you can see, some of the trees are growing out in the water. We arrived on the other side and came straight back in the middle of the lake. With nothing disturbing the water you could look out over the bow of the boat and almost think you were on a movie set. The landscape was a painted picture for the back drop and the dinghy was nothing but a prop with a recording for the sound of the engine. What an experience we were very glad we made the stop. We have passed by many times and we always say we need to stop. I'm so glad we did today.

We arrived back at the boat around 1PM and both us and the boat we were rafted to set out to make the 3PM bridge opening at Deep Creek. We didn't go though the lock, we will do that at 8AM tomorrow morning. We both went to the Elizabeth Dock and tied up for the night.

Larry and I went for a walk to stretch our legs and see what the grocery store had to offer. We picked up a few things. When we got back to the boat we went over for a cocktail on our neighbors boat. We called it an early evening, tomorrow would be a long day.