Cruising up the Delaware River?

A

AllanS

Active Member
Oct 30, 2020
180
Boat Info
1989 440 Aft Cabin
Engines
Twin Caterpiller 3208 (375 HP)
Hi, in planning our trip south from CT to Annapolis in the coming weeks, we are considering doing a side trip up the Delaware River to Camden to see friends that live in Philadelphia.

Any warnings or suggestions for doing so? Any marinas that are recommended?
 
I don't have a personal recommendation on the marina... but if you're on the Delaware within a few days of a big rain, watch out for floating/slightly submerged debris like logs.
 
Noted! How up the river? Penn Landing Marina in Phili?
 
Delaware Bay is sometimes called Hellaware Bay. It's wide, but if you stray our of the channels it gets shallow and it's a granite bottom. You can't just wing it and go wherever you like. You'll also be in for a ride if the tides/wind are opposing the river flow.

I transited the Bay going from the D&R Canal to Cape may with the famous . It was a hell of a ride, and one of the few times I gladly handed over the helm to Rusty. We had big waves breaking over the bow of my 40 ft boat, clearing the cabin and landing behind the swim platform. It was like an episode of Victory at Sea. I'll see if I can find the video for it.

So, plan your transit accordingly.

Here's the video. That's Rusty at the helm.

 
You're going to have to go through Delaware Bay to get to the Chesapeake anyway, so that's not really the issue. The problem is if you want to go up the Delaware River to Philadelphia.

I'm not aware of a good marina on the Delaware River at Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Marine Center was decent but it closed a few years ago. I don't know if the Penns Landing Marina takes transients, but it's not a very nice marina and it's in the middle of a high traffic area and I'm not sure there's much security. https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/marina-at-penn-s-landing There are two marinas just north of that, Pier 3 and 5. https://pier3marina.com/ https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/pier-5-marina. Those may be an option, though they didn't look very well maintained and the water was shallow the last time I did a drive-through, so I'm not sure that would work for a boat your size.

There are several marinas a few miles south in Essington, PA, but that is a hike from the city and I'm not sure the facilities are very good. We keep our 225WE in rack storage at a marina at Neshaminy State Park, which is about a half-hour north of the city by car. The docks are OK although the bathrooms and showers are not well kept. http://www.neshaminystatemarina.com/. On the Camden side, there is a marina at the Freedom Music Pavillion that actually looks decent. Not sure about security, and as others have said Camden is not particularly safe. https://www.camdencounty.com/service/parks/wiggins-park-marina/.

I wish I could say there are more marina options in Philadelphia, but to my knowledge there are not. We would love to bring our Princess 56 up to Philadelphia for a few weeks to have near our house, but as far as we've been able to determine there are no acceptable marina options near the city.
 
@AllanS with regard to the Delaware, I've traveled that waterway many times. The trip from Cape May to Chesapeake City can take 4-5hrs or it can take all day. The fog is probably the biggest deterant to a safe trip, second only to the possibility of rough water. I've been on the Delaware river on days the makes Brad's video look like a sunny calm day. As mentioned it's a very large body of water that gets as rough as the LI Sound does down by the CT River. I've also been on the river and had the best rides, stopping to hang and watch pods of dolphin (porpoise) feeding at the tide line.

As mentioned, watch the rain in PA and mindful of debris in and under the surface of the river, especially above the C&D canal entrance. Make sure you do not go out of the channel as you make your way up river. It may appear to be deep but the rocks are a big concern if you decide to cut the channel, especially around the C&D entrance.

Traveling this time of year will also mean a lot of north wind which will make the river a mess. Just monitor the weather and make sound decisions. Let us know how you make out with your trip.
 
Getting back to the OP's question....everything lawndoctor (above) said is accurate and informative. The only thing I would add is that once you peel off the main Delaware Bay by passing the C&D Canal you are now on the Delaware River. There is plenty of deep water but it is a long run through some very industrial areas before you get to Philadelphia. And you'll likely be sharing the channel with industrial freighters and huge oil tankers. So if your determined to visit your friends by boat it certainly can be done but it's no pleasure cruise.
 
...Oh, and by the way, if you are familiar with the You Tube channel "Trying Not to Sink" the hosts Ed and Lyn were based out of Penn's Landing Marina for many years. You may want to contact them for local knowledge.
 
Thanks to all for your experienced advice. I’ll review the options and decide when I get closer to the departure date, seeing what the weather and tides are like.
 
Honestly, it's not worth the trip and hassle. The amount of crap in the Delaware River is no joke. Out of the C&D and south is OK but just don't take a left and head towards Philly. No great marinas and the waterway is just a mess with objects.
 
I used to boat out of Neshaminy, PA and boat down to Philadelphia on a regular basis. Not much to see, but it was definitely 'home' for me. It's easy to navigate once through the Delaware Bay. The middle of the channel is 50ft+. Dave and Busters used to have a marina on the one side of it that was public, but 10 years ago or so I went through there hitting bottom at low/mid tide (6 ft tidal shift by the way) - I don't think it was dredged in years. I also don't think it's even open anymore. Across the river at the Camden facility (horseshoe marina - Wiggins Park Marina I believe?? - Call ahead) I used to also belong to. You're not going to get shot at if you dock there lol. It's easily accessible and it's a locked gate with a moat between you and the public. I agree, not much to see, but if you're that close to family, why not stop?
 
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