Dear Mods, Delaware Bay Heading?

[pdqaltair]

I stopped there some years ago, to catch the ferry over to Pea Patch Island with my daughter; at the time the bulkhead was scruffy and very shallow (2-3 feet at MLW) and there were only a few slips, which had ~ 4-5 feet in them. Not much else. Now, according to their web site, they have installed a very long row of floating docks and can handle much more sizable boats. The whole waterfront looks quite re-modeled. It strikes me that they have really made a turn around and that I will definitely stop there instead of Chesapeake City next time I go the Cape May from the Chesapeake.

So, any local knowledge? Comments on the town? Other things to do?

Additionally, it seems my company may be starting a long-term project about 2 miles away in ~ 1 year, and it would be very convenient to spend a few nights there, now and then. Easy bicycle distance, though I am certain we will station a company car there too.

[Tempest]

It's a long...day from Canal to Canal....Most people I know just hope for good weather and do it in one leg. I've been up the Cohanssey it's pretty. It's Quiet, the Bait Box Restaurant is right there. Worth a look see.

I've never been up the Maurice.

Neat Old lighthouses, a nuclear power plant are about the only other scenery

In the wrong wind esp.against tide the seas can get steep. I've done this trip at night a few times, it's black. There's not alot to get bearings from..so good navigation would be key.

There's a fair amount of shipping but you can avoid most of it staying outside the channel.

Then there are those days...when it's like a desert! It's Hot Hot Hot, not a sign of a breeze....green head flies..trying to eat your feet. Day's like that, I've stopped the boat and jumped in the water about once an hour...just to cool off and get away from the flies..

If I get a nice breeze and get to sail this stretch, I consider myself lucky!
Fishing isn't bad!

[chef2sail]

Weve done the Delaware many times on our way to New England in the summer. We usually go from the Patapsco to Reedy Island 5 mi south of the canal on the Delaware side. Then we weither get up real early or wait until; the express (tide) runs down to Cape May. Usually is a shorter day when you do it from Reedy to beigin with (42 miles) if you catch the current you go 8 knots for 4-5 hours. Comming back we usually can make it to at least the Bohemia...usually the Sassafras. Again you have to play the tides.

As was said the lower bay when the predominant SE wind runs against the tide...it gets ugly. Short...choppy....square waves. Thunderstorms can stop you dead if running against the tide and chop. We make the Delaware enjoyable by taking short turns at the helm...11/2 hrs and playing rock and roll. Best advice for Green heads is avon skin so soft and flyswatters. One year my wife and I counted 123 of them dead in the cockpit. Those who have never experienced a green head ( I lived in ocean city NJ for 20 years), the only good greenhead is a dead greenhead. They bite till they die.

Dave

[labatt]

Yamsailor - I don't have my charts in front of me to check depth, but we stayed at the Delaware City Marina about 3 years back on our 40' boat with a 6' draft. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have gone in there if the charts had shown the water to be that thin, and we didn't have any issues. The entrance is a bit tricky, but we followed the markers in (and our radar out - almost a Maine fog when we left) and didn't see really thin water.

[justified]

Denise

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you.
Check out ActiveCaptain.com lots of good info there its free.
Have a wonderful and short winter - Gotta get the boats back in the water where they belong.

Peter
"Justified"