......but I'm just wondering if anybody might know, is it navigable at
all, can you pilot a tiny boat (my pwc) on it to get through from
Indian River Bay to Assawoman Bay (and then from there on to Ocean
City). I know there is at least one real low bridge across the canal,
let's say I was able to duck under that, I guess I'm just wondering 1)
does it stay at least 1 or 2 feet deep the whole way, and 2) does it
connect through to Little Assawoman Bay or does it dead-end into
complete marsh at the point where it looks like it might connect (does
it depend on the tide)? Hmmmm....maybe this is a dumb question....the
fact that it's there at all, and called a "canal," I guess would
suggest that it does go from one place to another. Has anyone ever
traversed it?

I'm just thinking of trying to make a day ride this Sunday, when I'll
be visiting my family in Longport, NJ, for the weekend, from one Ocean
City (NJ) to the other (MD) and back, I think it's definitely doable
distance-wise (pending the weather and conditions of course). Of
course I could just stay on the ocean out to Ocean City, MD but I
thought it might be interesting to do the Delaware part of the ride
back through those little bays and little canals (on the way over and
then "outside" on the way back).

Thanks,
richforman

I found this out

http://www.maelc.org/projects/dredge.html

http://www.destateparks.com/holts/assawoman.htm


Paul

And this

this guy made the trip in july of 05

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/p...0319/1013/NEWS

Paul

Paul wrote:
And this

this guy made the trip in july of 05

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/p...0319/1013/NEWS

Paul

Thanks a million for the reply, Paul! Very interesting and helpful
information. (I know nothing at all about the whole area, just got
these place names from some charts I was looking at last night and
today.) Sounds like it would probably be passable by me in my
waverunner if that guy could do it in his outboard (not clear what
happened with them on those sandbars though....was he able to just push
his boat across them?.....I couldn't do that with my 'ski, it's way too
heavy, but if the water just stays even 1 foot deep, I can make it
through just about anywhere. If I do this trip, I'll try to time it
out to coincide with high tide through there.

It sounds so worth it, like this is an especially beautiful and
interesting little passageway to cut through...and let me reassure
anyone reading, I may be in the minority among pwc'ers and powerboaters
(and certainly not in conforming to the stereotype as mentioned by the
article's writer toward the end), but I have absolutely no problem
doing a long slow, time-consuming idle or low-speed ride through a
narrow, shallow, tranquil waterway (if I'm legally allowed to be
there), just enjoying nature and the scenery...and I'm looking forward
to doing just that. I really I just hope the weather holds.

richforman

richforman,

That sounds like a fun trip. I would definately try it in my boat if I
lived in the area. I do not need a foot of water to float though. My
son and I have crossed some shallow spots that where only 3 ~ 4" deep
where we had to get out and push the boat. Once we crossed the shallow
water to the deeper stuff the fishing was better.

Good luck on you trip. Let me know how you make out.

Paul

Sounds like it would probably be passable by me in my
waverunner

You want to take a PWC from Ocean City, NJ to Maryland? I'd say the depth
in the canal is the least of your worries.

Bill Kearney wrote:

Sounds like it would probably be passable by me in my
waverunner

You want to take a PWC from Ocean City, NJ to Maryland? I'd say the depth
in the canal is the least of your worries.

Why, what bigger worries would do you think I'd have? As it turned
out, I didn't make that run, the conditions on the ocean were just not
favorable for the planned long ocean run or the Delaware Bay crossing,
too rough in the morning and way too foggy later on; so I ended up just
touring/exploring the bay and marshes from Great Egg Harbor to Cape May
and back on Sunday....kind of disappointing, really, I was all ready to
go, route all plotted on my gps, and the forecasts had been much better
than the actual conditions turned out to be!

Anyway, believe me, Bill, that run would have been no big deal, I have
made many much longer, more ambitious long-distance / open-ocean pwc
cruises than that; have ridden from Riverhead, NY to Newport, Rhode
Island; from Lake Worth Inlet, FLorida, to Grand Bahamas Island; from
West Sayville, LI, to Atlantic City; from Cold Spring Harbor, LI, to
Catskill, NY; from Kings Park, NY, to Wethersfield, Ct.; from Ft.
Lauderdale, to Key West (add "and back" to all the above list, with
overnight stays in between). And no problems on any of those trips. I
know what I'm doin'!

It's a boat! And very conducive to journeys like that IMO -
obviously they take planning, preparation, precautions, safety
equipment, etc., just like any other boat trip.

I'm still gonna do the O.C - O .C. run when I get another chance, just
no idea when that'll be, most times I visit my parents in Longport I'm
with either my wife and/or kids along, so I wouldn't have all day to
just go off on an all-day adventure like that by myself, this weekend I
happened to have gone down there on my own for the two days, so I
wanted to take full advantage of the temporary freedom.....but one day
I'll grab another chance!

richforman