Virginia Inland Passage?

vpik01 · Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 9:39 am Post subject: Virginia Inland Passage?

For anyone who's done a DELMARVA circumnavigation or otherwise has experience on the Atlantic side of the VA eastern shore... I'm finding lots of articles about the coast guard removing aides to navigation due to extensive shoaling and exploring via electronic chart it looks like there is no route even for a C-Dory that goes the distance.

I read a lovely book written by Robert de Gast about his 1975 DELMARVA in a small sailboat - Western Wind, Eastern Shore.
https://www.amazon.com/Western-Wind-Eastern-Shore-Maryland/dp/0801817676

I've also purused this guys blog about sailing an inside passage DELMARVA, at least partially in the 2006 and 2007. He has a really detailed and well illustrated ebook download that is well worth the $8.
http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/

Without the constraints of mast height or a fin keel I'm thinking a C-Dory should be able to poke into just about anywhere local john boats go... any recent C-Brat knowledge on this?

srbaum · Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:59 pm Post subject:

Valkyrie,
I retired from the Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District in 2013, so that is where my knowledge on this issues is coming from.
Congress stopped providing funding for those waterways before I retired. This meant that all of those shoaling inlets and narrow waterways, no longer got their normal maintenance dredging. Once that stopped, shoaling occurred (as it normally did), but with no dredging and no funding, the Federal navigation buoys and day makers were removed, as there was no means of providing a mariner with information to ensure that they were navigating in a Federal managed channel.

vpik01 · Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:35 pm Post subject:

Steve,

Thanks for the information,disappointing as it is. In some ways it makes the idea even more 'desirable'... a forgotten coast. Then again, forgotten b/c there is extensive shoaling and no maintenance. Probably not in this years cruising plans. Maybe I could explore from the landward side, I've been stalking boat ramps all over the Chesapeake including on the eastern shore. Figure if there are people and water, there will be boats of some sort.

But at the very least sounds like any expedition would need to be taken with alot of prep and back up plans so I should probably spend a season or two learning my boat.... and continuing to read up on it.

Thanks again.
Tony

thataway · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 1:28 pm Post subject:

My knowledge of this area is limited to exploration in the 1967-69 era in a 14' runabout. I lived on the James River, on the outskirts of Richmond. We did weekend trips, camping on the beach. Trailer the boat to good ramps.

I would launch the C Dory in some of the areas where there are good ramps. Then explore from there--taking a dinghy or kayak to do the shoal waters. There is enough tidal range, that you should be fine, as long as you don't get into a really shoal area at high tide. So watch your tidal charts carefully.

The whole Eastern Shore is a wonderful area for exploration. I suspect that many areas have little change in that 50 years.

ssobol · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:22 pm Post subject:

vpik01 · Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2020 9:18 am Post subject:

Thanks Bob, I was looking at the satellite imagery for ramps in wachapreague and Quinby as possible setting out points. I also think it's not going to be a first season with the boat destination. The remoteness and challenging depths seen like something to tackle when I'm very comfortable with the boat. There is also allot of very enticing easier to get to cruising grounds for this summer. Thanks again!

thataway · Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2020 11:38 am Post subject:

acwest · Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:42 pm Post subject:

Hi there
We have some casual familiarity with the Atlantic side vicinity Metompkin VA, and have seen drastic changes in the 20 years we've been visiting there. Entire inlets open and close, aids to navigation are removed, or occasionally left behind in now meaningless places.
Like you, we're new to the boat (in our case a 25) and to trailering and launch ramps. I have learned to study not just the ramp and parking, but also the entire road route into the place, on Google Earth. We learned this the day we were on a 1.5-lane road into a ramp outside of Saxis VA on the bayside. There are a lot of narrow roads on the Eastern Shore, and when you meet that timber- or chicken-hauling truck you'll wish you weren't there. Saxis town ramp was fine, nice jump off for a trip up the Pocomoke, and Crisfield ramp even better.
But you're right about getting more information! We've also been told that overnight parking of the trailer was not allowed in some of the lower Md Eastern Shore counties but perhaps that is a case-by-case issue.

Ann and Doug