Journal Entry 7: Rehoboth Bay to Little Assawoman Bay
Date: June 5, 2007
Time: Afternoon
Weather: Clear
Wind: West 10 – 15 knots gusts to 20 knots
Tide: Ebb, 1.5 knots
Rehoboth Bay is very shallow. In some areas the water is less than a foot deep. Sandbars are exposed at very low tides. The shallow water creates an ideal place for sail boarding and kite surfing. Today’s west wind provided the perfect day for these activities. The colorful kites of the kite surfers bobbed and weaved back and forth above the sailing beach off of Route 1. The wind, gusting to 20 knots, crossed the shallow water of the Bay creating a rough choppy sea. The kite surfers bounced along occasionally jumping their boards clear out of the water. Some looked like acrobats as they pulled their boards free from the waters surface and turned complete somersaults hanging under the kites as the wind pushed them along. I was reminded of a wonderful story written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg – The Wreak of the Zephyr. For the wind o’er land’s ne’er steady nor true, an’ all men that sail there’ll meet Samuel Blue.
The wind was fun for the sailboarders and kite surfers but it made rowing very difficult. I was happy to finally leave the open water of Indian River Bay south of Rehoboth and enter the Assawoman Canal. I had not planned on rowing through the Canal. My plan for today was to take the boat into the open ocean. But the west wind was too strong and the waves breaking along the surf would not allow it. I settled for the safe, protected waters of the Assawoman Canal.
The Canal extends southeast from Indian River Bay to the head of Little Assawoman Bay. It is very narrow. The water is calm and quiet. In places, the Canal looks more like the Brandywine River as it slowly winds through the farmlands of the Piedmont. Some sections have steep banks on each side with old trees and thick green underbrush. In the narrow dark channel, the calm flat water moves slowly along.
Navigation through the Canal in my small row boat with its nine foot oars was difficult. Deadfall trees extend half way across the canal. The stumps of old pilings lay hidden just below the surface. These “dead heads” once supported docks along the banks. Occasionally, if the boat drifted to the side of the Canal, the oars would bump against the dead heads. Broken tree limbs have fallen into the water creating snags. Unseen below the surface, the snags would catch the oars pulling the boat to one side. Progress was slow.
The scenery changes near the ends of the Canal. The high banks are replaced by open marsh areas and hard ground. If the ground is capable of supporting development, vacation homes have been constructed. Some of these are small and reminiscent of the vacation cottages of the 1950’s. Others are large and modern with manicured lawns and gardens. Tucked away near the ends of the Canal, many of these large homes have a dock and power boat allowing access to the Little Assawoman or Indian River Bays.
To the south the Canal ends at the head of Little Assawoman Bay. This is the smallest of the Inland Bays in Delaware. From Bethany Beach it extends south along the west side of Fenwick Island. A narrow navigation channel runs down the middle of Little Assawoman. Like Rehoboth Bay, Little Assawoman is very shallow. To the south it is surrounded by small vacation homes. Along Route 1, large modern vacation homes have been constructed.
I entered the open waters of the Bay. The strong west wind pushed the boat toward the east. As the Bay widened, the waves and choppy water increased. Fighting the waves and chop, I finished this segment of the trip, landing in at a small beach along Route 1. Tomorrow I would be back, heading south through a small canal into Big Assawoman Bay, the Isle of Wright Bay and on to Ocean City, MD. Hopefully the wind would die down.