rules for c&d canal?

[seandepagnier]

I have tried searching, but cannot seem to find the official regulations for this canal.

I am mostly concerned because I read somewhere that sails are not permitted.

I also read that rowboats are allowed. If this is the case, then it would be allowed to row rather than sail through the canal??

[Gary Mc]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

I have tried searching, but cannot seem to find the official regulations for this canal.

I am mostly concerned because I read somewhere that sails are not permitted.

I also read that rowboats are allowed. If this is the case, then it would be allowed to row rather than sail through the canal??

Not sure if sailing is forbidden but it is unlikely that you would have a decent wind to sail through. It is not that far so motoring I believe is the way most people go, there is a nice tidal current that can give you a lift.
Chesapeake City is a very nice stop over.

[Cormorant]

I don't know about the C&D but maybe you're thinking of the Cape Cod Canal, which does not allow sailing through. (?)

[aa1bflyboy]

You can motor sail. Being under sail alone is prohibited. You must have your motor powering you through the canal. There is no way you could sail it anyway. There is a fair amount of traffic and when you have a large container ship coming down on you you need to be able to stay on you course avoiding catastrophic damage to your boat. Check the tides prior to your voyage. The current in the canal can be your friend of you plan it right. Otherwise might make for a longer trip than you thought.

[Jim Cate]

Perhaps some of you respondents have not remembered that the OP has an engineless boat and who eschews all forms of internal combustion engines for yachts.

Jim

[Paul L]

. Sailboats - Transiting the canal by vessels under sail is not permitted between Reedy Point and Welch Point. The use of auxiliary power is mandated.

Lots of info here
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal - Navigation Information

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

I have tried searching, but cannot seem to find the official regulations for this canal.



I am mostly concerned because I read somewhere that sails are not permitted.



I also read that rowboats are allowed. If this is the case, then it would be allowed to row rather than sail through the canal??

Even if you were allowed (and probably you could pull this off at night) it would be foolish with narrow, winding channel, large ships, and tall banks which make whatever wind there is very puffy.
IMHO if you are engineless you get to go down to cape charles and up the bay. Safe sailing!

[seandepagnier]

I have been told by plenty of people you can't sail to for example:

1) certain atolls in the pacific
2) harbors in new zealand with bar entrance (like Whangamata)
3) east river in new york
etc...

All of these were not a problem for me, and I have no issues.

I have talked to other engine-free sailors and found the same is true about many other places around the world. You can sail anywhere, so don't bother convincing me that your own inability has anything to do with me.

The fact is: There is wind in the canal, and I will be able to use it, regardless of if it is steady or reliable.

There is also a tidal current which means I could make it through the canal without sails if I really wanted to.

The only possible problem is the canal patrol having a tantrum because they don't know anything. This is very typical in bedraggled countries like the US.

The link posted I found, it says you are not permitted to sail. This is not an official regulation, but on "offshoreblue.com"

I have found reports of people kayaking through the canal. Is this allowed? Is it true that sails are not allowed but oars are? My boat is technically a rowboat when the sails are down and I am rowing it. I can go 1.5 knots (plus current) with the effort of rowing a dingy. I can easily make it through the canal in a single tide without using the sails at all.

Let me rephrase my questions:
1) What is the official regulation?
2) Does it allow/disallow row-boats?
3) Is there an active patrol?
4) Do they stop people and force them to turn around and go back for "any reason at all" even if they aren't actually breaking any rules?

I don't really feel like sailing all the way there only to be turned back and sail all the way around.

[Suijin]

I'm going to be blunt. If you try and sail through the C&D canal you're foolish. It has nothing to do with it's course; it's a straight shot along it's length. Rather it is transited heavily by very large tugs pushing very large barges, RORO's, and container ships where at points (particularly the eastern end) you need to pull over to the very edge of the canal to let them pass. They will hail you and tell you to move over and make it clear that they are not slowing down. If you have a following current your steerage may be a problem depending on the wind, which would compromise your ability to maneuver with traffic. It's one of the busiest canals in the world. While it's stated to be 450' wide, it can seem a lot narrower when you have two barges passing each other abreast of you.



Beyond that, Rule 9.b. prohibits a sailing vessel from impeding the passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only within a narrow channel or fairway. I guess technically if you don't impede them you're not in violation. But they are not going to slow down if you get in their way.

I have plenty of experience sailing without power and can manage with the best of them. Even if it were allowed I would not do it on this piece of water, period. It doesn't matter what other people do elsewhere, or "what you have been told." And you've never even seen this canal and you're insisting you can do it. Maybe you could, but it would not take much to go wrong to have it end badly.

As for oars, I doubt you could make it through within a favorable tide, and you can't anchor. So you'd basically get sucked back and forth in the middle of it for a bit, I expect. I think the canal is @ 15 miles long so at 1.5 knots you're looking at a 9 hour trip. At 7 knots you have a 3.5 hour window with favorable current. I think your math is overly optimistic but I'm not certain.

[Drew13440]

I'm not saying this is a good idea, but the Code of Federal Regulations governing the canal does not appear to preclude sailing through it. Best thing to do would be to contact the USACE's Resident Engineer at Chesapeake City for clarification.


https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/33/207.100


33 CFR:


§ 207.100 Inland waterway from Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay, Del. and Md. (Chesapeake and Delaware Canal); use, administration, and navigation.
(a)Applicability. The regulations in this section are applicable to that part of the inland waterway from Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay, Del. and Md., between Reedy Point, Delaware River, and Old Town Point Wharf, Elk River.
(b)Supervision. The District Engineer, Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pa., has administrative supervision over the waterway and is charged with the enforcement of these regulations. The District Engineer from time to time will prescribe rules governing the dimensions of vessels which may transit the waterway, and other special conditions and requirements which will govern the movement of vessels using the waterway. The District Engineer's representative is the Chesapeake City Resident Engineer. The Chesapeake City Resident Engineer through the dispatcher on duty will enforce these regulations and monitor traffic through the canal.
(c)Safe navigation required. Clearance for any vessel to enter or pass through any part of the waterway will be contingent on the vessel's having adequate personnel, machinery, and operative devices for safe navigation. In the event of question as to the ability of any vessel to navigate the waterway safely, a ruling will be made by the dispatcher. The owner, agent, master, pilot, or other person in charge of the vessel concerned may appeal the dispatcher's ruling to the District Engineer whose decision shall be final. A clearance by the dispatcher for a vessel's passage through the waterway shall not relieve the owners, agents, and operators of the vessel of full responsibility for its safe passage.
(d)Radio equipment. Requirements for radio equipment on vessels transiting the waterway are as described in rules governing traffic through the waterway issued by the District Engineer. Vessels not having the mandatory radio equipment will not be permitted to transit the canal.

[pressuredrop]

I have done 4 transits of the canal with no commercial traffic what so ever.... Sailing is frowned upon, I doubt illegal... Just anchor near the entrance till you have a reliable east wind to get you thru... Getting cold yet?

[eceavchss]

You might want to read the Coast Pilot Volume 3, Chapter 7 to answer your questions on the canal.

[rendern]

Notes & Cautions
Right of Way - All vessels proceeding with the current shall have the right-of-way over those proceeding against the current. All small pleasure vessels shall relinquish the right-of-way to deeper draft vessels, which have a limited maneuvering ability due to their draft and size.

Sailboats - Transiting the canal by vessels under sail is not permitted between Reedy Point and Welch Point. The use of auxiliary power is mandated.

Local Magnetic Disturbance - Differences of as much as 6° from the normal variation have been observed in Elk River Channel from Courthouse Point to Old Town Point.

[rhubstuff]

Just anchor at the entrance, hail a passing yachtie, and request a tow through. Heck, I'd give you a lift if you hailed me...

[boatman12]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Perhaps some of you respondents have not remembered that the OP has an engineless boat and who eschews all forms of internal combustion engines for yachts.

Jim

Yea, he didn't state that. If he had, he might have gotten different answers.