The question copied below originally appeared on the MTOA List-Serve, as did the answers. There is soooo much good information here, that I copied this discussion to this North Carolina section.

We are considering this route [Oriental to Ocracoke to Manteo and then north toward The Dismal Swamp], wondered if anyone else has gone this way and would give us some guidance. We draw 4 feet and are concerned about the water in some of the shallower parts of the Sound.
Rebecca Roman
Andante

Don’t worry about the water depth. It is easy to find the 6′ plus depths. The deepest point in Pamlico Sound is near Swan Quarter at about 25′. We have traversed this route three times and the only problems we encountered were 4′ following seas and entering the south channel to Roanoke Island on the wrong side of the markers.Â
Solutions:
1. Be sure you know which side of the channel to Roanoke Isd. has the green markers.
2. Head out from Ocracoke when winds are E. to N.W. not when they are behind you.
3. If caught in difficult following seas, Englehard is a good hole to duck into.Â
4. Long Point shoal seems to be creaping further out than the older charts show. It’s marked.
5. Take the Dismal Swamp route. The no wake speed limit is great and overnighting in the canal at the Visitors center or at the dock above Deep Creek lock is quite comfortable.
6. Get hold of a free North Carolina Coastal Boating Guide for the overall view of the entire area.
Enjoy this fun trip.
Jim Bertch

Yes, we did it in 2007. We left from Beaufort, NC, about 70 miles to Oakracoke. Don’t do this in a NE wind, gets real choppy. Bike around Oakracoke for a day and see the beach. Stay at the public dock run by the National Park Service, next to the ferry dock. It’s a 67 mile run to Manteo, again don’t do in a northerly wind. Bike to the Elizabethan gardens. Elizabeth City is 47 miles, strong SW winds make this a misserable crossing. If the weather is nice this is a neat trip.
Chuck and Claria Gorgen

Just came from Beaufort to Ocracoke to Manteo about a month ago–after 2 days in Ocracoke arrived Manteo 6/2–will dept around 8/1 for Baltimore via Virginia cut route as no interest in Dismal Swamp this time of year–expect high bug count exists.
Easy run in good weather with favorable SW wind. We came up Croatan Sound side of Manteo based on very wide passage and only few miles farther than Roanoke Sound but we have talked to a number of people that ran east side with no issue as long as you plot and follow the channels which switch marker colors at the Oregan Inlet channel intersection.
Regardless of projected wind speed/direction generally find much more favorable during daylight to about noon period +/- an hour or so.
2-3 days is adequate time to do and see most things at Ocracoke but it is interesting stop-fair amount of history, great fishing and market, beaches.
Manteo is a real find to spend few days to weeks here-activities on Island as well as immediate proximity(rental car–Enterprise, Killdevil Hills services) to Kitty Hawk and myriad of things to do and see on upper outterbanks, easy drive to Edinton, Elisabeth City area.
Howard H Cole
aboard the C Horse

We just did this route in our Nordic Tug with a draft of 4.7.this May while doing the loop. We had no problems with water depth…just stay in the channel!
Barbara and Jim Benjamin
Golden Lily

We absolutely loved the Great Dismal Swamp, recommend it all. Also stopped at NC Visitors Center, great place and good exchange of information.
We could not figure out why it was called the Great Dismal Swamp, it was beautiful. Have recommended this route to power boat friends.
Laurel and Murray Thompson
Northern Magic I

It is called the dismal swamp because in old English dismal was the word used for swamp. Redundant but an attention getter.
John Zalusky, “NEVER FINSHED”