DelMarVa Trip

[Warren Milberg]

With my boat on the hard, I'm already planning a spring circumnav of the DelMarVa penninsula. From the "upper bay guys," I'd like to know how difficult, or not, it is to get into Still Pond back beyond the USCG station? What kind of draft can you carry back there? I've stopped off in Still Pond a few times, but always anchored in the bigger outer area that is exposed from the west. Would also like to hear advice from those who have transited the C&D canal in recent years. What has been your experience with the tides and traffic there? Currently planning to sail from Reedy Pt to an anchorage on the Cohannsey Riv rather than push on to Cape May. From there, planning a straight and longish ocean leg all the way down to the mouth of the bay and a stopover in either Little Creek or Salt Ponds. Appreciate thoughts and advice from those who have made this trip recently -- I last did it more than 20 years ago and I'm sure a lot has changed since then.Think spring.

 

[Chris]

Some folks did it in 2002 and posted a log.

nm

 

[paul]

sail mag

article in Sail magazine by some guys who did it, last issue or two.

 

[Tony]

Havre de grace to Cape May

WarrenDid this trip a few yrs ago and my timing was close to what you seem to be anticipating. We left from Chesapeake city with the tide in the C&D I strongly recommwnd this. It can be 3 kts We did Ches City to Cohansey and stayed there overnight at a marina a few miles up. The river is just about at the Lighthouse on the chart. Deep and strong ...very stong tidal current.Lots of flies. If you feel a need to do Pennance, anchor out here without screens. In the middle of the night the boat shifted in to out and i felt it enough to wake me up. Took two guys on lines to get off the bulkhead. Like guitar strings. Once let go we flew out of there. On the way from C&D you get to see that big nuclear plant DOesn't quite measure up to the views you are used to on the Bay.From there to cape may essentially a rhumb line course. We are too high for the Cape may canal so went around with the dolphins! Three cautions1. Weather on Delaware Bay notorious. Can really bash/ bang you with severe chop. If in doubt- wait it out otherwise make an appointment with your dentist to replace your fillings.2. Gi-nourmous ships in canal stay out of it3. Watch out for Cape May Lewes Ferry at lower bay. That big thing really moves and will be on you in what seems like a heartbeat.I found the Delaware Bay rather dismal and was glad to get back to "our" bayGlad I did it ........... oncet

 

[Rob]

Our dock mate did the loop

When they came home they sold the boat......probably not a very good sign.He left around 4 am from the sassafrass river,,,,shot through the C&D without issue,,,going down the Delaware Bay he said the shipping traffic was a mess.....The weather front that was suppose to burn off actually built up to a nice size storm..... They made it down to Cape May but couldnt shoot the canal because of the fixed bridge height, so they went around.... As going into cape may there engine stalled..... turns out they were out of fuel,,,,he said the fuel should have been fine, didnt know why they burned so much..... ended up getting a tow to the fuel dock where they topped off and spent the night....he went over the side to check the prop around dinner, found a huge plastic sheet had wrapped around the shaft....dislodging that they started off the next day for the open ocean leg,,,,,the wind was coming from the south and right on their nose...so they motored...a few miles out of Cape may, their engine sputtered and died,,,,Turns out the fuel they just picked up had water in it and was clogging the filters and injectors...they replaced the filters, but it kept clogging....so being the wife was sea sick, The Kids were sea sick, the revised weather forcast was 4 more days of the same,,,and no more filters they hightailed it on a run back up the Delaware, where he told me then the wind truley kicked up....as they were reefing, a strong gust kicked up and he blew out his main....they limped through the C&D on idel power only and made it back home,,,,,he as you can imagin was dissmayed. Moral I guess, Plan weather, bring a Baha Prefilter and use as filling up...bring PLENTY of spare fuel filters...sea sickness tablets,,,,and reef early,,,and prey to Posiden for mercy.They left in June on this trip last year.Warren as for STill pond coast gaurd station...I have brought our RIB with 10hp engine in there our son loves it and we fish we anchor out like you did we draw 6' even...,,,I was really surpised how it opens up in there....Ive seen sailboats around 35' but it all depends what your draft is,,,,I heard it was 6' clearance.....very deciving as when you come in and bang the left you have to almost hug the trees on the starboard side.....but its beautiful once inside.Rob

 

[Ross]

Warren, contact Dobbs at

Waldenrigging@earthlink.net he made the outside leg last summer is a recovery skipper for Seatow and a very good rigger. He and Suzanne may know this end of the bay as well as anyone.Reeds Nautical Almanac has excellant details on tidal currents for the whole trip.

 

[RichH]

Still Pond and such....

If you go into Still Pond creek go in on a high tide as Hurricaine Floyd dumped a lot of gravel at the entrance, especially between 2s (entrance) and 3-4. A six ft. draft will easily pass at high tide; but, check on the 'net' with the COOPS buoy at Tolchester for tide predictions and actual data (http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/data_menu.shtml?stn=8573364%20Tolchester%20Beach,%20MD&type=Tide%20Data). Dont enter or exit during a flood or ebb as the flow can be quite high/fast through this very narrow 'cut'. Once you get 'in' look to the old coast guard station off to port and start 'bumping' your way towards it after you pass 9 and before you get to 9a you should find the 'hole' that will get you into deeper water just east of the CG station. The bottom shifts around a lot by the CG station but its worth a try. When near 9 & 9a favor the 'bank' to stbd... and you may have to push a few branches out of your way .... otherwise keep a watch on your mast so you dont get tangled aloft. if you have less than 5'6" draft you can after 9a stay in the channel and follow the private marks up to where the channel crosses the creek towards the North shore. Better place to hide is INSIDE Worton Creek between Handys Point Marina and Worton Creek Marina on the west shore of the creek. Just follow the private marks till past HndyPt. Marina .... go about 50 yards past the green private mark ... and head for the trees to stbd. This area used to be a mooring field but a new property owner got into a legal pissing match with the marinas and won so now most of the moorings are gone. This will be good protection from all points of weather especially from a NW blow. You can anchor out in the entrance of Worton in all but a NW blow, good hard sand bottom, most prefer the north shore.Another good place to hide is up the Sassafrass River @ G5 Ordinary Point. Just go east of Ordinary point and follow the east side of the point keeping about 100 off the shore and you will find a steady 8' halfway in to the north shore ... all this has been scoured out by tidal flow. Dont anchor there on weekends as its a popular anchoring spot and the power boats on the Sassafrass LOVE to go bow-up and wake the boats anchored there ... its a 'game' (but you're from the western shore so you should be quite used to this). For travelling down the Del. Bay, I usually stay at the C&D Canal engineers cover at Chesapeake City, just east of the Rt 213 bridge (entrance supposedly has just been dredged but favor the west of the entrance when you enter as a huge lump usually forms in the middle of the entrance). From there I usually leave about 1-2 hours before a falling tide (use Reedy Pt. Delaware as the tide reference) so I can get flushed down the Del Bay to Cape May .... if there is a NW wind there will be more water coming from the Ches. through the canal so you can leave a bit earlier on the earlier tide... if strong SE winds I stay put. You dont want to be travelling on the DelBay in high winds bucking an adverse tide ... it then becomes a snotty bitch. Del Bay tides range 5-6 ft.

 

[Mike]

Summit North

Warren another good place to spend the night on the C&D is Summit North Marina. It puts you on the far side of the canal and will leave you an apx 8hr run to Cape May. I'd pass on the Conhannsey unless you like to punish yourself. The Cape May Canal bridges have a 55' clearance. Watch if your running it at peak boating hours as the power boys will squeeze you at the railroad swing bridge. This bridge is narrow enough that it's usually single file only. As far as Delaware Bay is concerned everything that's been said about it is true. If your doing the trip in July or August your biggest concern will be thunder storms. There's nowhere to duck into while they pass. Once you leave the C&D it wont take long to pass Salem Nuclear. Once you do the channel will straighten out and you can run 150 degrees right to the Cape May Canal. I generally stay to the NJ side and outside the channel. Watch for crab pots, fish traps and some shoals. Time the tides the best you can. Doubtful you'll make it to Cape May without it changing on you so try and base your depart time on the winds and weather conditions. Watch the weather at Cape May as anytime you have the wind blowing into the bay it'll combine with the confused tides between the bay and ocean and really kick the seas up. This is true of the entire bay but the entrance is so open it's even worse. Because of it I prefer to favor the conditions at Cape May when I determine my arrival timing. As for the commercial traffic it's easy to see them coming and get yourself out of the channel. You'll still have to deal with wakes from some of them but it's nothing to worry about. We always stay at Utchs in Cape May. They're friendly, helpful and convenient to town. There's a trolly that will shuttle you the apx 2 miles to Cape May if your not up to the walk. Good luck it sounds like a great trip. We'll be making the run as far as Cape May again this summer. The DEMARVA run will have to wait.Mike

 

[Mulf]

Might want to check out...

http://www.nshsa.org/schedule.html (Northern Star Hunter Sailing Assoc.) On their 2007 schedule is the following: 24 Jun-02 Jul Start at Zahniser's CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE DELMARVA If you go to the site you can click on the Event captain and e-mail for more information.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Warren...

Rich, Tony, and Mike hit the nail on the head. Not much more to add other than the Bohemia could also be a place to duck into from a southerly, exposed to the west though. The Pearson 28 I raced on got into the inside of Still Pond a couple of years ago, drawing 4'8". Bad summer thunderstorm a few of seasons ago put a few boats up onto the beach on the outside with a gale force westerly so beware. There's little protection available immediately off the upper Bay from a West or Northwest driven storm. One needs to get inside Worton Creek or Ordinary Point for adequate protection.Ross's friend (and the rigger I use) did the DelMarVA trip aboard an H34 from my club along with two other boats from the club. Other than a nasty thunderstorm while in Lewes the trip was a great one, taken just after July 4th. Crew changes took place in the Norfolk area. The weather window is the key. Plan well and use prudence!

 

[Mike]

Crab pots

Should you choose or need to duck in behind Ordinary Pt on the Sassafras be aware of all the crab pots that run across the mouth of the river. It's not an issue in daylight but I wouldn't want to try it after dark. There's just too many of them except for the North and South shorelines. Plenty of water on the South shore but it gets pretty thin if you try the Northern side.

 

[Ross]

The sassafras is my favorite destination

With my full keel and attached rudder crab pots don't seem to be a problem for us. I have passed them with the buoys sliding along the hull and haven't snagged a line with the engine running. I sail through them without a care. Give Grove Point a wide berth in the river and the south shore is very flat, being six feet 300 yards from shore and five feet at 150 yards. Nancy gets nervous when we have less than six at low tide so I can't tell you about closer in than that. Across from Ordinary Point is the entrance to Turner Creek and the cove is a nice anchorage, well out of traffic with good holding and reasonably sheltered from waves. No shelter from the wind as the land lies low all around.

 

[Joe Mullee]

C&D TO CAPE MAY

Warren,I've done the C&D to Cape May and beyond twice since 2004. The first time we did a non stop from the The Choptank straight thru to Cape May in 21 hours entirely under power on a delivery to Connecticut. The next time was from the South River to Cape May on our way to Block Island. On that trip we stopped in Still Pond and had no problem staying just inside the mouth but had very little weather to contend with. The traffic in the canal was nothing to be concerned about. Just stay to the sides and give the big boys plenty of room. There's lots of depth right up to the banks and if you travel at night as I did my first time thru it is like traveling down a well lit highway, literally. The entire 23 miles is lit on both sides buy bright amber lights every quarter mile or so. Just ride the tides and it's a very east trip thru.Once you get out to the Delaware is where it can get nasty. I'm sure you've heard plenty of stories about the Delaware. Nothing really to see or do until you get to Cape May or Lewes. I think it's a 60 mile trip to Cape May from the C&D and if the wind and tides are opposing it can be uncomfortable. There was plenty of big boat traffic both times I made the trip. During the day it wasn't a problem. The time I went at night, my first trip thru, was definitely harder figuring out who was traveling which way. Like I said there was more big boats than I was used to.Last thing, I think the bridge height at the Cape May Canal is about 51' at high tide so you shouldn't have a problem going into that port from the Delaware. Otherwise it's another two to three hour sail around to the entrance from the ocean. Joe

 

[Mike]

Bridge height

Warren, the bridge height in the Cape May canal is 55' for both bridges. If you choose to anchor out versus paying for dockage there's an anchorage by the Coast Guard Station. It should be marked on your chart. Pay close attention to the markers in Cape May Harbor and avoid the temptation to cut corners, it's very shallow in spots.If you stop in the Sassafras just pay attention to your charts and the markers and you'll stay out of trouble. The river is well marked and the depths are fairly accurate compared to the charts. Turner Creek as mentioned before is a nice cove in which to spend the night. I've seen it listed as a hurricane hole so that should tell what kind of protection it affords. Just pay close attention to your depths as you enter as it's narrow and shallow. Many folks choose to anchor just outside the creek, towards the Western shore, which will give you nice protection against anything but from the East. BTW prevailing winds are from the West. The Bohemia is another choice but is also shallow in spots and is wide open to the North and West. You'll also want to make sure your in far enough from the mouth as the tugs will be running barges at all hours of the night, rocking and rolling you if your too close. If you do run at night stay to the edge of the channel and watch for commercial traffic, especially tugs PUSHING barges. The barges aren't that easy to see, especially if the weather is poor. Keep the radio handy, if your too close they'll holler for you. If you stop over in the C&D Canal I would avoid anchoring at Chesapeake City unless there are few boats and you have predicted stable weather. It's not very good holding ground, the anchorage is small and fills up fast on many nights in the summer. If it is crowded you wont have the room to leave proper scope and if a storm comes through the risk of dragging anchor is high. They have dockage (floating docks) if you prefer and it's available. If I think of anything else I'll let you know. You should have a great trip. When do you plan on making it?Mike

 

[Buck Harrison]

Warren,

I did the trip over 4th of July week last Summer.Left from Lt. Creek and ran overnight to Cape May (6/30). Stayed in Cape May (at Utches?) that weekend, then Mon, up the Delaware, thru the canal and to the Sassafrass in one day (~ 11hrs). Tues (the 4th) to Annapolis. Agree with all previous posts... ck times of high and low tides so you don't fight current in C&D.You might want to plan the trip going in either direction. IMHO, (especially in the Spring) the offshore run is easier going South to North with (an offshore) SW wind. I'd rather be using the NE wind to come South in the Bay ( rather than offshore). Then wait (if necessary) for a day of SW wind to go back North offshore. The entire trip is more comfortable that way.Have fun !!

 

[BBC16385]

I did the go around last JUNE

We left from Deltaville VA and headed south. We took our time. Spent the second night behind Cobb Island next to the Great Machapungo Inlet on the VA Eastern Shore Atlantic side. Also spent time in Chincoteague and Ocean City MD before Cape May. Loved Ocean City. Stay at White Marlin Marina. Dingy over to Aseteague Island and spend the afternoon at the beach all by yourself, except for the horses and deer. Stay at South Jersey Marina in Cape May.Made Delaware Bay to Chesapeake City in a day. Going with the current in the Canal is a MUST.I think going north in the Atlantic and Del Bay makes more sense that the other way. Most wind is southerly in the spring/summer. We did not fight the wind a single day on the outside.If you want more info, email me.