[Public-List] notice (warning) to fellow mariners

[gordon white via Public-List]

    Mary Anne and I sailed from home here in Deltaville (the Piankatank 
side) to Onancock, on the lower Eastern Shore last  weekend The 
seven-mile channel up Onancock Creek to the town is pretty well marked 
and the chart (12228) has a note stating that the channel has 9 1/2 feet 
of depth and a width of 100 feet.


     Despite that, at about half tide,/Brigadoon II/ ran hard aground in 
less than three feet of water about 75 feet off green marker # 11. (We 
were on the correct side of the marker.)  It was difficult to tell where 
deep water was. Turned out it was not close to the marker, but about 300 
yards away. We had to be towed off by a towboat from Boat US, which we 
had fortunately bought towing insurance from.


     We later investigated the channel by dinghy. The channel  upstream 
from # 11 seems at least deep enough for an Alberg. On the way out we 
gave # 11 a wide berth and found 25 feet of water a long way from the 
marker. Proceeding west toward the Bay we again touched mid-channel 
between markers # 4 and # 5, where there should have been 9 1/2 feet of 
water.  Deeper water there is near green # 5.


     So if you are going to Onancock, be cautious.


Jay Davenport, who keeps his Alberg on Onancock Creek, was very helpful 
to us.



  - Gordon White