This week, Arabella slows down and cruises through the Great Dismal Swamp, navigating her first lock—the Deep Creek Lock—and leaving a small reminder that they were there ;-)
After a provisioning run at the local Food Lion, Steve and Robin venture deeper into the Great Dismal Swamp, which—despite its name—is both serene and esoteric. Its history dates back to the 1700s, when the canal was dug by hand using slave labor, giving Steve and Robin pause to reflect on this history.
While a visit to Waffle House wasn’t on the itinerary, Steve, Robin and Akiva found time for an an exploration mission down the feeder ditch and into Lake Drummond. Cypress trees are a new fauna for the crew, and they enjoy motoring around their wild trunks.
Passing through the Great Dismal Swamp Visitor center, Arabella ends up in the Harbor of Hospitality: Elizabeth City, NC. They shop around downtown, exploring some adorable boutiques and perusing the South’s largest collection of rolling pins!
On Christmas Day, Arabella sets sail across the Albemarle Sound and into the Alligator River, where the forecast does not deliver on its promises. The anchorage proves much too choppy for a comfortable night’s stay, and Steve and Robin have no choice but to head into the Pungo Canal and cross their fingers for a safe place to drop the hook. Steve has an idea, and sets off in Victoria to bring his vision to life…but, while turning Arabella around, Robin runs her aground—and this time, they’re really stuck.
However, Steve is (kinda) excited to kedge the boat for the first time. He uses a kedge anchor in combination with an intricate system of lines and pulleys run back to shore to heel Arabella onto her side until she was able to float off the bank and back into deep water. It was a Christmas miracle!
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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