Ocean City Inlet is the only navigable ocean entrance to the inside waters between Cape Henlopen and Chincoteague Inlet and is about half way along this 61-mile stretch. This inlet, between stone jetties, is marked by a lighted whistle buoy and range lights. It is subject to frequent change. Southward of Chincoteague Inlet there are several inlets through which the inside waters can be reached. All of the inlets have shifting entrances, in some cases marked by buoys. The inlets and interior waters give access to the villages and summer resorts on the beaches and the adjacent mainland. They are used by a large number of small craft engaged in the oyster and clam industry and inside and outside fishing, and by some pleasure boats. There is some freight business between points inside, and some coasting trade in sea food, wood, and lumber. There are fish trap areas along the shores and islands of the inland waterway, and these should be guarded against. Delaware Bay is connected with the north end of Rehoboth Bay by a canal and creek which lead from just inside the mouth of Broadkill Creek (5 miles northwestward of Cape Henlopen) southeastward in Lewes Creek to Lewes, then by the canal southeastward to Rehoboth Bay. A project provides for a new entrance channel near Lewes, Del., 6 feet (1.8 m) deep and 200 feet wide protected by two jetties; for a channel of the same depth and 100 feet wide from the Broadkill River to South Street bridge at Lewes, with a basin of that depth at the latter point; for a channel of the same depth and 50 feet wide (40 feet wide through deep cutting) from Lewes to Rehoboth Bay with jetties at the outlet. The dredging in the latter channel has been completed. The controlling depths reported in June, 1936, were 2.4 feet (0.7 m) at the Delaware River entrance of Broadkill River, thence in the Lewes Creek to the highway bridge 4.1 feet (1.2 m), thence in the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal through Gordan Lake to the highway bridge at Rehoboth 3.9 feet (1.2 m), and thence in the canal to Rehoboth Bay 4.2 feet (1.3 m). The commerce is mostly in motor boats carrying fish. There are wharves at Lewes and Rehoboth. Directions for the inside route are given on page 125. Supplies.-Gasoline, provisions, and water can be obtained at Lewes, Rehoboth, Ocean View, Ocean City, Franklin City, Chincoteague, Wachapreague, Broadwater, Willis Wharf, and Oyster. Coal can be had in limited quantities at Ocean City, Franklin City, and at Chincoteague. There is communication by telephone at all villages and by telegraph at the railroad stations. Repairs. There are three railways at Chincoteague, the largest capable of hauling out vessels of 100 feet length, and 10 feet (3.0 m) draft, and shops for ordinary repairs to hulls and motors. There are also smaller railways at Ocean View, Bishopville, Ocean City, Scott Landing at head of Martin Bay, Girdletree Landing at head of Johnson Bay, Franklin City, Folly Creek (near Accomac), Wachapreague, and Willis Wharf capable of hauling out most of the boats frequenting those places. Pilots.-There are no regular pilots for the inside passages or the inlets, but all of the local boatmen are competent pilots. In good 121767-37-9 weather there are often fishing boats outside the inlets, and strangers can obtain a fisherman for a pilot. There are no towns at the inlets from which a pilot may be obtained on signal, but a member from the Coast Guard station nearest the inlet will usually go out if a signal is set. Bridges. Between Delaware Bay and Cape Charles there are eleven bridges crossing the Inland Route. The distances in nautical miles from the mouth at Delaware Bay, near Lewes, the width of the openings, and headroom (draw closed) above mean low water, for the bridges, as far as Rehoboth, are as follows: Lewes, South Street (highway, bascule), 3.4 miles, 46 feet, 10% feet (3.2 m). The four fixed bridges crossing the Assawoman Canal have a least span of 1812 feet and least headroom of 5 feet (1.5 m). The canal is non-tidal, except for wind effect. The fixed highway bridge crossing this canal west of Bethany Beach Coast Guard Station is closed to traffic but has not been removed. The highway bridges crossing the thoroughfare near Fenwick Island Lighthouse, at Ocean City and at Chincoteague are described on pages 130 and 132. Communication.-Lewes, Rehoboth, Ocean City, and Franklin City have railroad communication. Points on the beaches from Ocean City southward can be reached only by boat. Points on the mainland adjacent to the interior waters can be reached from the railroad and highway a few miles westward of them. A short truck haul completes the railroad connection with Ocean City as the former railroad bridge has been removed. Ice. The inside waters northward of Chincoteague Bay are usually closed to navigation by ice during ordinary winters. From Chincoteague Bay southward the waters tributary to the inlets are closed by ice during severe winters, but remain so for only short periods of time. The principal inlets are rarely closed by ice, and are used by local boats throughout the winter. Tides.-In the inland waterways the tides are greatly affected by winds, both in time and height, westerly winds producing low water and easterly winds high water. In Assawoman, Isle of Wight, Sinepuxent, and Chincoteague Bays northerly and southerly winds drive the water to the ends of the bays. With strong winds of long duration the change in depth may be as much as 3 feet (0.9 m) above or below the normal high or low water, respectively, and the time of high or low water may be accelerated or retarded by more than an hour. At the western end of the inlet cut through from Indian River Bay there is a range of tide of about 1 foot, and at the south end of the bay there is no range. From here to the north end of Chincoteague Bay, before the new inlet was cut through in 1936 at Ocean City, there was no tidal range, the only variation being due to winds as mentioned in the preceding paragraph. It is reported at present that there is about 12 to 1 foot tidal range in the inland waters in the general vicinity of this Inlet. Under the following stations in Chincoteague Bay and Inlet are given the mean range of tides and the time of high or low water after high or low water at Assateague Anchorage, Snow Hill Landing, 0.4 foot, 5 hours 30 minutes; Assacorkin Island, 0.4 foot, 3 hours 55 minutes; Franklin City, 1 foot, 2 hours 25 minutes; Chincoteague, 1.9 feet, 55 minutes; Chincoteague Point, 3 feet, 0 minute. The mean range of tides at Assateague Anchorage and at the entrances of the inlets southward is about 4 feet, and high and low waters occur 15 minutes before they do at Sandy Hook. Along the inside waters between Chincoteague Inlet and Cape Charles the mean range is about 4 feet and high and low waters occur from 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the distance from the nearest inlet, after high and low waters at the inlets. Currents. The currents have considerable velocity in the inlets and the narrow channels connecting the inlets with the adjacent bays and sounds. No observations are available, but it is estimated that current velocities of as much as 3 knots may be experienced at times in places of maximum velocities. In the inland waters from Rehoboth southward to the north end of Chincoteague Bay there are no tidal currents, the only currents being due to winds. Aids to navigation.-The more important of the navigable inlets are marked by buoys, but the channels are shifting and the buoys can not always be depended upon. Breakers form on the shoal areas even in ordinary weather and are often a good guide. Some of the more important interior channels are marked by beacons and lights, but most of them are marked only by bush stakes maintained by local authorities, which are of little use to a stranger. The sloughs leading through mud flats can best be followed at low water, when the shoals are visible. Strangers drawing near the limit of draft for the interior channels should take a pilot. DIRECTIONS, INSIDE ROUTE, DELAWARE BAY TO CAPE CHARLES The directions and description following are written for use with charts 379, 1218, 1219, 1220, 1221, and 1222, published by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Delaware Bay to Rehoboth, distance 81/2 miles, least depth 2.4 feet, 0.7 m). See page 122. Rehoboth to Ocean View, distance 1011⁄2 miles, least depth 4 feet (1.2 m). From the canal 1 mile westward of Rehoboth, the waterway follows the canal southward for 134 miles to Rehoboth Bay. The south end of the canal leads between two stone jetties and is marked by a beacon (white post) 12 feet (3.7 m) high at the entrance. From here the best water slightly favors the west side of Rehoboth Bay, passes about 12 mile eastward of Piney Island, about 300 yards northeastward of Bluff Point (marshy and not marked), and close eastward and southward of the large island southeastward of it (marked by an old house in the center and a cedar thicket on the east end). In May, 1936, the limiting depth was along this large island course. The channel then passes through Big Ditch, the thoroughfare westward of Middle Islet, which lies between Burton Islands and Indian River Neck. Middle Islet is marked by a single tree and shanty. From Big Ditch the waterway trends southwestward for 1 mile in Indian River Bay to avoid the shoals in its eastern part, then leads south-southeastward to White Creek, and then follows White Creek for 12 miles to the mouth of the canal at Ocean View. There are shoals, usually marked by bush stakes, making off many of the points in White Creek. There is a fixed trestle across Indian River Inlet with spans about 21 feet wide and headroom of about 6 feet (1.8 m). Ocean View to Ocean City, distance 15 miles.-The least depth in 1936 was about 1 foot (0.3 m) and was in the Assawoman Canal. From thence, with local knowledge, the controlling depths reported are about 4 feet (1.2 m) to the south end of Little Assawoman Bay where it is about 2 feet (0.6 m) for about 3/4 mile, thence about 6 feet (1.8 m) through the thoroughfare and Assawoman Bay to the dredged channel beginning about mid way between Keyser Point and Reedy Island in Isle of Wight Bay. This dredged channel had a controlling depth in June 1936 of 2 feet (0.6 m) deep, 125 to 75 feet wide and 3 miles long extending to the Ocean City Inlet Channel through the bascule bridge. For the bridge clearances see page 130. With adverse winds Assawoman Canal nearly goes dry and boats have been marooned there for 10 days at a time. The waterway leads from Ocean View southward through Assawoman Canal crossed by 4 fixed bridges (see p. 124) to Little Assawoman Bay, then southward across the mouth of Miller Creek, passing westward of two grassy islets and eastward of a string of islets, and then close along the marsh on the west and south sides to the Narrows. It favors the west side through the Narrows, keeping out of the bight, then leads southward, favoring the west side of Little Assawoman Bay to the thoroughfare connecting it with Assawoman Bay, passes through this thoroughfare and the western fork at its south end, and then favors the west side of Assawoman and Isle of Wight Bays to the dredged channel described above. Ocean City to Chincoteague, distance 30 miles.-The least depth from Ocean City to the north end of Chincoteague Bay is 5 feet (1.5 m), and from there to Chincoteague is 3 feet (0.9 m). There is a dredged channel from Ocean City through Sinepuxent Bay to within about 1 mile of Robins Marsh. In June 1936, this channel had a controlling depth of 5 feet (1.5 m) with widths 150 feet to Green Point and 100 feet to the lower end, for a total of 112 miles. It is marked by beacons. From the dredged channel to Chincoteague, the controlling depth reported is about 3 feet (0.9 m), and is in the channel immediately northward of Killick Shoal light. After leaving the dredged channel from Ocean City pass 1/4 mile either side of Robins Marsh (covered by bushes). Then head a little westward of Big Bay Point until about 1 mile from it, and then pass 1/4 mile eastward of it. Pass about 250 yards off the southeast end of Big Bay Point, about 1/4 mile westward of White Rock (bare at extreme low water and usually marked by bush stakes), and about 1/4 mile eastward of Assacorkin Island. Pass about 200 yards eastward of the southeast end of Mills Island, and between the two largest islets southeastward of that point on a southerly course for 11⁄2 mile; shoals extending a short distance southward from these islets are sometimes marked by bush stakes. Pass 1/4 mile eastward of the islet off Long Point, steer southwestward for about 114 miles, and then steer for Killick Shoal light passing 200 to 300 yards westward of light 4 (flashing red) to within 11⁄2 mile of light 5 (flashing white). Then head for light 5, rounding it close eastward, and steer southwesterly for 1 mile. Then head for a position about 200 yards northwestward of Killick Shoal Light (flashing white, red sector), red skeleton tower on piles. Pass 75 yards southwestward of the lighthouse and follow the curve of the channel, passing southwestward of light 2 (flashing red) and eastward of lights 3 (flashing white) and 1 (flashing white), to the wharves at Chincoteague. Chincoteague to Wachapreague Inlet, distance 33 miles.-The least depth is not more than 12 foot (0.2 m) (in Bogues Bay dredged channel) at mean low water, and it often goes bare in places. There is 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) at mean high water, and it is only used at half tide or higher. The deepest draft using it is 32 feet (1.1 m) and usual draft 2 or 3 feet (0.6 or 0.9 m). There are several lights and beacons, and some bush stakes. Navigation is difficult, and local knowledge is necessary. The shoalest places are found in Bogues Bay, Cat Creek, Kegotank (south side), Metomkin (north end), and Floyds Bays, where the controlling depths are about 12 feet (0.5 m) except in Bogues Bay. Boats from Chincoteague southward can carry the best water by leaving on the last of the ebb tide, and from Wachapreague northward by leaving about 2 hours after the beginning of the flood. A little deeper draft can be carried northward than southward on a single tide. A drawbridge crosses Chincoteague Channel at Chincoteague; width of openings, 59 feet, with 18 feet (5.5 m) headroom at high water. From the wharves at Chincoteague the route follows Chincoteague Channel southwestward to Chincoteague Point, then westward toward the entrance to Cockle Creek, crossing a 4- to 5-foot (1.2 to 1.5 m) bar. Then southward 1/2 mile, and westward through Ballast Narrows. An alternate route follows Queen Sound to the northern end, thence southwestward in Cockle Creek. The reported controlling depth is 6 feet (1.8 m). The route then leads through Island Hole Narrows, controlling depth 10 feet (3.0 m), and then in a dredged channel across Bogues Bay, with a controlling depth, in January 1936, of 12 foot (0.2 m), and through Cat Creek, about 1.0 foot (0.3 m) deep; the dredged channel is marked by spoil banks. At the south end of Cat Creek the waterway follows the easternmost narrow slough to Hog Creek, and down the latter to Assawaman Inlet. The Government planned to redredge Bogues Bay and Cat Creek during 1936 to project depth of 4 feet (1.2 m). From Assawaman Inlet the waterway leads northwestward in Assawaman Creek for 3/4 mile (22 feet (0.8 m), at eastern end of creek), then westward through a short cut-off, and then follows the most westerly thoroughfare, as shown on the chart, to the northwest end of Kegotank Bay. It passes westward of an islet on the west side of Kegotank Bay, and then leads southeastward across the bay (least depth at low water is 12 feet (0.5 m)) to the easternmost narrow slough at its south end. It then follows this slough and North Gargathy Creek southward to Gargathy Inlet, (following a channel 21/2 feet (0.8 m) deep), and South Gargathy Creek westward and south |