GL: Legrace in Chesapeake City MD

[Bob Williamson]

Hi All,

We ran up the Bay from the Queenstown MD (off the Chester River) yesterday
in a gray overcast but winds weren't bad and had only one rain shower toward
the end of the day - so the day turned out ok.  Made it into Chesapeake City
at the start of the C&D Canal around an hour after low tide (according to
NOAA low tide was 2:43 PM at +0.3 ft).

The center of the channel into the basin here at Chesapeake City has filled
in again.  A couple of years ago they had dredged it and the last time we
were here in 2007 it wasn't a problem.  But yesterday just after low tide we
found about 4 ft.  The shoal extends almost all the way to the transient
docks at the Chesapeake Inn & Marina (straight in from the entrance
channel).  Several sail boats grounded after we came in - one left and a
couple kept trying and finally plowed their way through and went back into
the anchorage.

Can't tell you yet where the deepest water is - on the east side of the
entrance toward the wall, a USCG tug and work barge stirred up a ton of mud
pushing in to tie-up at the wall, they had a hard time pushing through the
mud.  His draft markings on the hull showed a little less than 5 ft draft.
After the USCG tug had tied up, a sail boat made a second try to get in by
staying close to them on that side and grounded just at the end of the wall
where it opens up into the basin.

We will try the west side of the entrance by the town dock when we leave and
see if the depth is any better there.

Hopefully by early next week we'll be up the New Jersey coast to New York
then up the Hudson.  This year we plan stop for a couple of nights (maybe
around Kingston) and get a car for some sightseeing - Hyde Park, the
Culinary Institute are two of the places Lynn wants to see this year.

All for now from a rainy Chesapeake City, MD

Bob & Lynn Williamson
On Legrace at the Town Dock