2008 REED’s East Coast Edition - Pilot Notes
Delaware
First Stops in the First State
REED’s RECOMMENDS: Directly across from Cape May, New
t
Jersey is the historic Delaware town of Lewes. The Cape Henelopen
Harbor of Refuge provides good anchorage; make for the Harbor of
ilo
P
Refuge light at 38°48.9N, 75° 05.6W and be aware that Cape Henelo-
pen is still building in a NW direction.
Lewes was founded in 1631, and bills itself as “the first town in the
first state.” One of the most majestic houses in the town is Captain
a
y
Charles “Diver” Johnson’s Queen-Anne-style Victorian house on Sa-
vannah Road, one of the most arresting examples you will ever see e B
of the gingerbread-excess that so typifies this style of architecture. ar
As you entered the Harbor of Refuge you passed one of Captain
w
Johnson’s projects, the outer breakwater of the harbor. The house
e
la
was built in 1899 and is perfectly preserved. After years of serving
D
as a private residence, the Johnson house is now called “Harvard
House.” It is the headquarters of Harvard House Business Services,
who represent some 6,500 Delaware corporations.
For the thirsty sailor a brewery tour is always in order, coming as
it does with samples of the product. The Dogfish Head Craft Brew-
ery offers exactly that. It’s a 15-minute taxi ride from the docks, and
for those whose taste run more to fruit of the vine, Delaware’s only
vineyard, the Nassau Valley Winery, is also nearby. You’ll need a
taxi for this as well.
Just south of Lewes are a series of beaches and coastal barrier is-
lands, among which are Bethany Beach, with its mile-long board-
walk and enormous red cedar totem pole and Rehoboth Beach,
both stellar examples of what a good beach should be.
The bays behind the barrier islands are, for the most part, too shal-
low for navigation, but they provide excellent windsurfing, fishing
and dinghy exploration. Local legend has it that pirates buried trea-
sure on Cedar Island in Little Assawoman Bay, so bring your shovel
and maybe you’ll be in that new boat sooner than you thought.
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