Ocean City MD to Chincoteague Inlet

[Ulladh]

Planning a trip for summer 2012. Any comments welcome.

Down the Delaware Bay past Cape Henlopen to Ocean City MD then on the inside to Chincoteague inlet then return on the outside.

Or outside to Chincoteague then inside to Ocean City.

I'm comfortable with the Delaware Bay section.

A few fixed bridges at 35ft. I have 4ft draft and 30ft air draft.

[DRFerron]

Ocean City, MD is not sailboat-friendly. The inlet is narrow with a swift current and not very far inside you can walk across the bay at low tide. I've never sailed it but I do have a house down there so I know the area.

We're planning a Delmarva circumnavigation but we'll do the offshore portion with no stopovers between Lewes and Virginia.

[jameswilson29]

I stopped at Ocean City, MD, on a P26 with 4 ft. draft with good weather, in and out with no problems, using the most current chartbook and a good depth finder on a Delmarva circumnavigation (in 1993). Watch how the large sportfishing boats enter. I would not even attempt it in any kind of bad weather - you would probably see folks surfing not far from the inlet near the city pier.

The Chincoteague inlet area looks worse to me, with shoals all over the place.

[Ulladh]

More research needed on my part.

I was thinking of a Delmarva circumnavigation in 2013. Maybe get a new tiller pilot and do it in 2012.

So for July-August which is best north to south or south to north along coast. Any suggestions on reasonably safe inlets to duck into in an emergency.

[jameswilson29]

I went clockwise last time; it will be counterclockwise next time with good weather.

There is a North to South eddy near the coast that favors clockwise if you plan to follow the sea buoys, while the prevailing Southerlies in the summer, and the sea breeze that builds up the Delaware Bay, favor counterclockwise.

Leaving from the mid-Chesapeake Bay area, my major concern in an older boat is the requirement that you motor through the C&D canal. If you set aside time for the trip, then you experience engine trouble that prevents you from transiting the C&D canal on a clockwise voyage , you could nevertheless have a pleasant cruise up and down the Chesapeake Bay. If you experience engine trouble counterclockwise and you need to pick a safe weather window for your coastal hop, then you are outside, up the Delaware Bay, then back down the Delaware Bay because you could not enter the canal, and outside again, a riskier and probably less pleasant voyage. On my last trip, I had to have an outboard engine serviced at Gibson's Island and then again at Utsch's in Cape May, so I was delayed an additional day on the trip. Fortunately, it was running when I transited the canal, although I had my concerns when I first tried to start it in Chesapeake City at 6 a.m.

If you have the same concerns in your older boat starting from Delaware, you might consider a counterclockwise trip to preserve your options by transiting the C&D canal first thing in the trip. You could then sail all the rest of the trip if necessary. Make sure your engine is in tip top shape before you leave. I would plan on not being able to enter any of the inlets between Cape Henlopen and Cape Charles.

[Ulladh]

Good information James.

The C&D on a clockwise route will be near the end and back in my familiar waters of the Delaware.

My 6hp Tohatsu has been fairly reliable so far, but this spring it will get more attention before going back on the boat.

My bigger concern is a reliable tiller pilot for the offshore portion, a wind vane is not in this years budget.

[travlineasy]

I suspect that someone will contradict this, but I've never had a problem entering Ocean City inlet at slack tide. Same holds true with Chincoteague Inlet. While Ocean City's back bays are fraught with shoals, they are well marked. The biggest problem you'll encounter with Both Ocean City and Chincoteague the currents exceed most sailing vessel engine capabilities, which is a real problem when you're approaching bridges and the current is ripping at 7 to 8 knots beneath the bridge.

In Ocean City there is really no place that you can safely anchor, but there are lots of places just inside Chincoteague Inlet where depths to 7 feet permit some protection during bad weather.

A bit farther south, you'll find Wachapreague Inlet, which can be a bit tricky during low and ebb tide, but at slack tide it's a piece of cake. Once inside, there are a few spots where you can duck out of the weather or spend the night in relative seclusion, but you better have good screening and no air leaks to the outside. The skeeters down here can stand flat footed and make love to a tom turkey. They'll get you day and night and they WILL draw lots of blood.

Great Machapongo Inlet is a narrow, deepwater inlet that is greatly effected by tidal currents. Keep in mind the tidal change behind Virginia's barrier islands is incredible, often exceeding 10 feet. That's a huge volume of water flowing through a narrow inlet during a tidal change. The inlet is relatively wide, but the channel leading to the back country and Willis Wharf is narrow and deep--it's a slack tide deal only.

Sand Shoal Inlet is a bit tricky, mainly because there are some brand-new islands forming just outside the inlet that cannot be seen at high tide. The approach channel is relatively close to shore, but it's quite deep. Once inside the inlet, there are loads of places to anchor and the depths vary from 2 to 50 feet within a few feet of shore. Lots of protected areas, though. The adjacent tidal marsh is a massive colony of greenhead flies, black flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and other biting, stinging insects. Skin So Soft seems to work best on the flies, while Deet will keep the skeeters at bay.

There are no navigable inlets south of Sand Shoal Inlet until you reach the west side of Fisherman's Island and the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Granted, there is a great channel that runs from Sand Shoal Inlet south to the east side of Fisherman's Island, but at the end of the channel there is a fixed, 40-foot vertical clearance bridge that only has 4 feet of water beneath it, thus it's out of the question for most sailing vessels.

As you can see, there are a fair number of places where you can duck out of the weather, or spend the night in the stretch of ocean between Ocean City and the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. However, they are only navigable during periods of slack tide. It's just a matter of timing.

Almost forgot: There are lots of large charter and commercial fishing vessels, as well as motor-yachts that can create problems at Ocean City and Chincoteague inlets, especially on busy, summer weekends. They don't give a tinkers damned whether or not you need a little extra space to safely negotiate the inlets and they'll hit you with a 4 to 5-foot wake and damned near run over you as they transit the inlets. On weekdays, the traffic is relatively light, especially between 10 a.m. and noon, when the crazies on jet skis are still sleeping off the previous nights booze and the charter and fishing fleets have long since left the docks and are offshore.

Good Luck,

Gary

[chef2sail]

If you have the same concerns in your older boat starting from Delaware, you might consider a counterclockwise trip to preserve your options by transiting the C&D canal first thing in the trip. You could then sail all the rest of the trip if necessary- James Wilson

I doubt seriously you could effectively sail down/ up the Delaware River effectively or easily. Having transited in over 50 times it is a game of playing tides and current. To try and make the 52 miles from C&D Canal to Ferry entrance or the 72 miles from the ocean side of Cape May Inlet sailing is an arduous task. The current rips at 2-3 knots. Even the British when they first brought their ships up the Delaware used to go with the tide/current 6 hours and anchor for 6 waiting for the next tidal change. Diaries of their trips tell stories of it being a 4 day trip to Philadelphia up the Delaware. Now a days you would see that damned nuke plant in front of you ( or behind you) for hours on end.

As far as the inlets along the coast from Ocean City to the mouth of the Cheapeake, there are a few passable, but I do not share speakingeasys comfort in sneaking on a keelboat in them in the afternoon with the normal summer S-SE wind blowuing 10-20 knots even at slack tide. These inlets are dotted with moveable Coast Gaurd bouys which change as the shoals shift. Ocean City is doable, but has challenges. Prudent sailors do not even try to duck in these when the weather is not good.

Most people loose their boats (and sometimes lives when they attempt to come in a challenging area in a storm or bad weather. Mmosty experienced coastal and blue water cruisers avoid heading in along this coast. My advice is to pick a weather window which allows a clockwise ( with the prevailing winds) departure from the Chesapeake to Lewes or cape May and stay ourt overnight. Far safer.

Dave

[pdqaltair]

... and both travelineasy and chef2sail have good points. They can both be correct.

I've done the trip many times and there are a number of trip reports on my blog below. The best advise is that the Delmarva inlets are for good weather only, though I've entered Chincoteague with an 8- 10-foot swell running (it is probably the only good inlet in a swell). Never start the trip in questionable weather with the thought that you can bail; if you need to bail you almost certainly cannot use the inlets. Should be obvious.

Cheers!

Sail Delmarva: Trip Reports

[pdqaltair]

... in a sailboat, as well as many trips outside.

The 30-foot air draft opens up all of the bridges south of OC. However, the 4-foot draft will require you to watch the tide a bit just north of Chincoteague. There are some shallow bits. As for the rest...

* Chincteagur to Watchapreague is very thin inside for you . I would not.
* Watchapreague to San Shoal is a bit better, but you will watch the tides.
* Sand Shoal to Cape Charles is not too bad inside.

The NOAA Coast Pilot is a good info source.

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I think the plan to sail part of the trip inside, from OC to Chincoteague is excellent. It is smarter than trying to go outside on a bad day. A number of boats your size have done this and had a good time.
Sail Delmarva: Don and Steve Round the Horn.
This boat went inside from Chincoteague to OC.