Dear Mods, Delaware Bay Heading?

[deniseO30]

I've yet to find any substantial sailing information about sailing Del Bay. Most sailors say; Yes it's difficult, the wind and current are problematic. but! very little sailing information and actual talk about sailing the Bay seems to be available. Until there is a canal from Trenton to the Jersey coast (never gonna happen!) anyone coming or going to the C & D or the Del river needs to use the Bay. there could a be direct link to current chart information and blogs of those that do sail there.
anyway.. just my latest idea for "another" forum.

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by deniseO30

I've yet to find any substantial sailing information about sailing Del Bay. Most sailors say; Yes it's difficult, the wind and current are problematic. but! very little sailing information and actual talk about sailing the Bay seems to be available. Until there is a canal from Trenton to the Jersey coast (never gonna happen!) anyone coming or going to the C & D or the Del river needs to use the Bay. there could a be direct link to current chart information and blogs of those that do sail there.
anyway.. just my latest idea for "another" forum.

There is a guide book "Cruising New Jersey Waters" by Don Lanner that covers some of the area. I have written a guide, "Circumnavigating the Delmarva Peninsula"(available on my blog, below) that covers the Delaware Bay and some surrounding areas. The Delaware can be bad, but more often it is quite nice, and there are some nice destinations (Lewes, Cape May, the Cohanasey River, the Maurice River, and Chesapeake City, as well as locations just up or down the coast). I love the mouth of the Bay. It is not as user friendly as the Chesapeake, but few places are.

[Yamsailor]

It's not that bad. I sailed from Sandy Hook, NJ to Northeast Maryland 3 weeks ago. Just know that once you leave the C&D canal you are committed until Cape May. Takes 11.5 hours to get from Cape May to Delaware City as long as you have the current with you most of the way.

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by Yamsailor

It's not that bad. I sailed from Sandy Hook, NJ to Northeast Maryland 3 weeks ago. Just know that once you leave the C&D canal you are committed until Cape May. Takes 11.5 hours to get from Cape May to Delaware City as long as you have the current with you most of the way.

Many sailors stop on the Cohonasey River (See blog Statistical Information | Catboat Adventures. There are many blogs entries - I picked one at random.

How much more Delaware information is missed?

[deniseO30]

thanks for the plug. this is what I mean.. people saying it's this that or other but to get real accounts of sailing the DB is what i'm trying to zero in on. I'ver heard the Cohansey is a good place to stop too. and Reedy Island, also there's an anchorage next to the C &D but it's open to the weather I think.

[Yamsailor]

They are all open to the weather. There is the town of Salem across and south of the C&D. Be careful though--the holding ground, like the Cohansey is not the best. Makes sure you have a cqr anchor, a danforth won't be very good.

You can dock up at Delaware City, just know that there is barely 3 feet of water at the entrance at low tide. Once you past the entrance you have 4-5 feet unles it is a Spring tide.

I tend to deliver/sail boats no less than 35 LOA so my drafts are usually a little deeper than 30' LOAs.

I would consult the latest version of Coast Pilot #3. I use it all the time. You can download it for free.

United States Coast Pilot®

[Keldee]

Have stopped at the Cohansey several times and recomend it.Good info (short and sweet) is in Skipper Bob

[tommays]

Having grown up on Broadkill Beach (North of Lewis ) and sailed and power boated there theres not a whole lot places to bail out for big boats as its shallow close to land

Growing up i cant ever recall much in the way of sailboats that were NOT trailer boats

Buy the same token the Rehoboth back bays are a windsurf/kiteboard meca because of the shallow water

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by tommays

Having grown up on Broadkill Beach (North of Lewis ) and sailed and power boated there theres not a whole lot places to bail out for big boats as its shallow close to land

Growing up i cant ever recall much in the way of sailboats that were NOT trailer boats

Buy the same token the Rehoboth back bays are a windsurf/kiteboard meca because of the shallow water

There was a good jetty and light, but yes, it is not for large monohulls. There are really no deep harbors on the south shore, just the Maurice and the Cohanasey on the north shore.

I have always thought that entering a harbor to "bail" was the start rather than end of trouble, particularly on entrances that are shallow and open to waves. I often go in smaller harbors, many of them on the Delaware, but in fair weather when I have planned it that way. They are more intersting. But I have also changed plans when the entrances did not look friedly due to weather.

The last time I went around the Delmarva huricane Bill had just passed and ALL of the harbors on the coast from Delaware to Chesapeake were breaking, except for Chincoteague. The story is on my blog (Sail Delmarva: Trip Reports).

[Flybyknight]

I moor my boat (3' draft) in the Broadkill, and sail out of Roosevelt Inlet. The immediate environs is very pleasant if you pick your days. The ice breakers and the inner and outer wall provide good shelter.
Lewes harbor is a neat destination.
Dick