Journal Entry 2: Cedar Swamp — Woodland Beach
Date: May 14, 2007
Time: 0830 – 1030
Weather: Clear
Wind: Southeast, 10 to 15 knots (gusts)
Tide: Ebb, 1.5 – 2.0 knots
Distance: 5 nautical miles
Leaving Cedar Swamp landing at the end of the flood tide I turned south to head down Delaware Bay. The navigation system indicated that I was only making about 3.5 knots. This didn’t surprise me. The tide would not reach full flood stage for another half hour. I was confident that when the tide began to ebb my speed would pick up.
The wind was from the southeast at 6 to 10 knots. I did not expect this light breeze to cause a problem even though it would be blowing directly against the bow of the boat. Since I had left with the tide was still flooding, the wind direction coincided with the direction of the tide. This kept the surface of the water flat, with little chop or waves.
Within an hour, the wind had gained strength and the tide began to ebb. The boat speed did not increase with the change in tide. The ebbing current and the wind were now in opposition, creating an increase in the height of the waves.
The Delaware shoreline along the Bay generally runs in a northwest to southeast direction. A southeast wind blows directly up the Bay. As the wind travels without obstruction it pushes the surface water ahead of it creating waves. When the wind and tide are going in the same direction the waves are long and rolling. But when the wind and tide are in opposite directions, like this morning, the water gets very choppy.
The distance wind travels across open water effects the size of the waves. Because Delaware Bay lies in a northwest to southeast direction, a northwest or southeast wind will create the largest waves.
This morning, the wind was blowing from the southeast. By 9:30 AM it had increased to 10 – 12 knots and as expected, the size of the waves had increased.
Rowing the boat against the wind and the waves was difficult. The boat speed dropped to about 3 knots. To test the affect the strong wind was having on the boat, I stopped rowing. As the boat slowed, I noted how choppy the water had become. Once the boat stopped, I checked my position on the GPS navigation system. I found that even though the tide was ebbing, the boat was being pushed up river by the strengthening winds.
By 10:00 AM it was apparent that rowing against the southeast wind was not going to work. More importantly, the increasing wind and waves created an unsafe condition for the boat. I decided to stop for the day.
Woodland Beach, DE is located on Delaware Bay just north of Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. A long steel pier juts out into the Bay from the beach. The pier is a favorite fishing spot for many of the local residents. Woodland Beach is made up of several small houses and the remains of an old inn. The beach itself is sandy, but just off the beach the bottom of the Bay consists of a heavy layer of fine sediments. Almost black when they are wet, these sediments dry to a grey clay like material.
The tide was still high enough for me to row the boat onto the beach. Although the wind was blowing, the sun was warm. The air temperature was approaching 80 degrees. Stepping out of the boat, I said hello to a fisherman down the beach. After calling my support group for a ride back to New Castle, I packed up the boat. While I waited for my ride, I walked down to talk with the fisherman.
Irwin Stone had retired to Delaware after serving in the Army for 26 years. He began his career in Viet Nam with three tours of duty. These were followed by tours in Germany, Italy and Anchorage, Alaska. With a love of hunting and fishing, he had retired to Delaware.
Irwin has a warm smile and is soft spoken. We talked about his experiences in Europe. He enjoyed meeting people and, while he only spoke English, he had developed a strategy for communicating with Europeans. “If you smile, are soft spoken, and polite you can communicate with just about anyone.” I thought about that and realized from my own travels abroad that he was right.
Irwin spends a lot of time at Woodland Beach. “Sometimes I just come out here and watch the Bay. I watch the ships go by. On a calm day you can see the fish role in the waves.” His retirement philosophy has become to stop and enjoy the world around him.
My support van arrived, I packed up the boat and said goodbye to Irwin. Today, I was only able to cover 5 nautical miles, instead of the 18 I had planned. But, thinking about Irwin’s philosophy I realized that the Bay would be there for me to enjoy tomorrow.