Delaware Bay Overnight Anchorage ?

[jmanboating]

I plan on making the trip to ocean city maryland this summer.. I will be leaving out of the inner harbor in baltimore maryland. I have a 28.5 foot sailboat. I plan on heading North out of harbor to chesapeake canal.. And once into the delaware ba I was told a good safe place to anchor is behind Reedy Island. I just want a safe place to anchor and rest so I can continue down delaware bay to ocean city.

My question is, wheres a safe place to anchor to sleep, in the delaware bay after you are through the canal..?

[Cotemar]

jmanboating,

Yes, behind Reedy Island is a good spot.


Mark

[hpeer]

You need to get out your chart for this. I have not done it myself as we have too much draft but......(and remember, this is from an old man's brain so it's worth what you pay for).........

Coming out of the Canal you sorta hang a right and run behind Reedy Island. You will need to be careful for there are some real shoal bars but you should be able to slip into a large anchorage that is well protected by a long breakwater.

Stay the night and then slip out the South end of the anchorage and keep going. Again, be careful as there are shoal bars. There is a marked inlet through the breakwater but it can be a bit hard to see. It is apparently not uncommon for a motor boat to miss the breakwater at hightide and run up over it doing lots and lots of damage.

Google "'Augustine Beach Access Area' delaware" then go to "maps."

Or, you could stay at the Delaware City Marina overnight, just go all the way through the canal, then hang a left.

P.S. For those who are chart challanged, becareful around Bombay Point running down the Delaware. The bar runs out from the Delaware shore to nearly the channel and is quite shoal at low tide. The voice of experience.

[CarlF]

Reedy is quite exposed if it's windy at night. I had a pretty uncomfortable stay there once. I've never tried the anchorage across the bay shown in ActiveCaptain but it's off the direct route.

After you figure out your tides for the day of your trip,I'd consider Chesapeake City in the canal. If you have a favorable current the next morning, you'll transit the canal very quickly. There's good anchoring in Chesapeake City and it's very protected (assuming it's not a really strong NW wind). Good food and drink ashore at several places. The Tap Room is an experience worth a trip.

Tap Room Crabhouse - A Chesapeake City Tradition

Carl

[thinwater]

There's lots of potencial advise on this topic. I've posted a few related trip reports and guide revisions on my blog (below); please look there as well.

The anchorage information given is good. Also consider staying in Chesapeake City. The right answer going down may be different than the right answer returning.

You want to time the tide so that you start down the Bay at high tide. It will save you hours. However, if the wind is strong against tide don't do it; in a boat your size it can be a real pounding unless you can stay in a good lee. Realistically, though, you always end up bucking tide somewhere, unless you have some real speed.

Make sure your tanks are full.

There are a few good stops on the way, if it is too far. The Cohonsey River is most popular, though most people just make it a long day.

The new Lewis City Dock is nice. http://www.ci.lewes.de.us/MarinaCity-Dock-Information/

OC MD entrance is trouble if there is a big on-shore swell. If a huricane or other big low has passed off-shore, wait; it can break, particularly at low tide. If the conditions are marginal, waiting for an incoming high tide can be worthwhile.

Have fun!

[Kettlewell]

There's room for a few boats to anchor at Chesapeake City, right in the middle of the C&D Canal. You can also go up the Cohansey River, or anchor just inside the mouth in plenty of current. Another option is to go up into the Maurice River, but that gets pretty shallow. I've also anchored just offshore along one shore or the other when it's calm out--be sure to show an anchor light as there is lots of small boat traffic along the shores of the bay.

[ActiveCaptain]

Reedy Island is pretty good in settled weather. It's certainly convenient. The Cohansey River is a good choice if the weather deteriorates all day and you want more protection.

If the weather outlook isn't good, it isn't a good idea to head out on the Delaware Bay. It can be one choppy nightmare of a place to be. Since you're coming out of the C&D, just stay in Chesapeake City until the weather looks good. There's a large anchorage there and it's a nice place to hang out.

[Don1500]

I didn't read that you were coming out of the C&D at first and I remembered coming into the Delaware Bay during a Nor'Easter. Coming down from NYC in a 65' Burger, it was nice until the front past off Atlantic City. We had 16 foot seas with a 40 knt wind running against the tide. Just made it into the entrance and ducked behind the Breakwater light. Never so glad to make an anchorage. Nice and calm the rest of the night. Headed for the C&D in the AM.

[keepondancin]

I have anchored just behind the North breakwater at the Delaware Bay side of the C&D a couple of times, and had a good night's sleep.

[Morgan3820]

Originally Posted by CarlF

Reedy is quite exposed if it's windy at night. I had a pretty uncomfortable stay there once. I've never tried the anchorage across the bay shown in ActiveCaptain but it's off the direct route.

After you figure out your tides for the day of your trip,I'd consider Chesapeake City in the canal. If you have a favorable current the next morning, you'll transit the canal very quickly. There's good anchoring in Chesapeake City and it's very protected (assuming it's not a really strong NW wind). Good food and drink ashore at several places. The Tap Room is an experience worth a trip.

Tap Room Crabhouse - A Chesapeake City Tradition

Carl

I was very disappointed with the Taproom when I was there last Oct. The Bayard house is much better with a better view. But I might be biased as my wife and I had our wedding reception there, oh so many years ago. Anyway, I agree that anchoring at Chesapeake City is the best idea.

[Mambo]

Just a quick comment on all the Chesapeake City recommendations: Chesapeake City is great little harbor once you are inside the entrance. But the entrance is a doozy . . .. The shoaling extends almost all the way across the entrance. Go *real slow* and (as of last summer) favor the north east / delaware river side heavily (hug the bulkhead) to avoid the shoaling. Don't ask me how I know, but people will just watch you run aground there . . . and afterward call out to you that "its real shallow there". Local sport???

[ActiveCaptain]

Originally Posted by Mambo

Go *real slow* and (as of last summer) favor the north east / delaware river side heavily (hug the bulkhead) to avoid the shoaling.

We track the major hazards and the entrance to Chesapeake City is a known one. Although I haven't been there since 2009, the advantage of having 100,000 people updating the local knowledge is that the data is often updated by people who have passed through.

According to the hazard comments, multiple people reported that the entrance was dredged to 10'+ in July 2010.
Of course, it's always changing and best to check before any passage.

There are currently 655 hazard markers in the database. The entrance to Chesapeake City is just one of them.

[hpeer]

Active,

Thanks for your post and link. I have not seen this before and it looks interesting.

If you want I can give you something you may want to consider adding to your database. There is a pile a little further up the canal and I think it is a bit further out into the channel than is indicated on the charts. Or maybe I'm just stupid.

Either way I wacked it, or something else real solid in this immediate vicinity, last summer. The pile is marked on the chart but it is NOT visible. I was way over to one side of the canal to make room for some others, the tide was very high, but I have 7 foot draft and it picked us up a good foot.

Even if it is the pile that I hit, it surely is not all that obvious on the chart and is NOT marked as a SUBMERGED PILE. So that even if you saw it on the chart you would be looking for something sticking up out of the water.

A lesser boat could easily have suffered very substantial damage. But 1/4 steel plate does have it's advantages.

39 32 05.11N 75 46 53.5W if you care to look at the chart.

2¢ and thanks again.

[hpeer]

And further, going back to the OP's original question, Active Captain shows the channel I was directing him to as the "Reedy Island Back Inlet."

Cool

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Active,

Thanks for your post and link. I have not seen this before and it looks interesting.

If you want I can give you something you may want to consider adding to your database. There is a pile a little further up the canal and I think it is a bit further out into the channel than is indicated on the charts. Or maybe I'm just stupid.

Either way I wacked it, or something else real solid in this immediate vicinity, last summer. The pile is marked on the chart but it is NOT visible. I was way over to one side of the canal to make room for some others, the tide was very high, but I have 7 foot draft and it picked us up a good foot.

Even if it is the pile that I hit, it surely is not all that obvious on the chart and is NOT marked as a SUBMERGED PILE. So that even if you saw it on the chart you would be looking for something sticking up out of the water.

A lesser boat could easily have suffered very substantial damage. But 1/4 steel plate does have it's advantages.

39 32 05.11N 75 46 53.5W if you care to look at the chart.

2¢ and thanks again.

Why don't you log into Active Captain and add the marker yourself. That's what the site is all about.