Well they have one steel treadle that extends about 50 feet from the parking lot. You still have 150 feet to go to the water IF you leave you vehicle on the treadle. You must have wheels to make it.

Current Policy is that you are NOT supposed to put your vehicle on the treadle. It's supposed to remain on the parking lot pavement At this year's C100. we had a truck and trailer completely on the treadle in order to load beach wheels and I was told not to do that again.

The problem is the sand is so soft that the very few rec sailors who visit the launch and don't know much will back down and get their trailer caught in the sand and so this policy appears to be the solution.



This is not enforced The parking area is lined for trailers but it is used as general parking for the picnic crowd and fisherman. First come first served... since it's the lot closest to the beach and access to picnic tables it will fill up first. It is also used by a lot of the fisherman who will cast off the jetties.

The actual beach launch is not user friendly. Two rock jetties extend off the beach for 20 yards... and the distance between them is not great. If you don't sail well you can get tossed onto the rocks. The water drops off rapidly so it's tough to hold onto the bow of a boat while the wife get's on. All of the powerboat slop from boat traffic ripping around the point and heading into the Magothy make it a washing machine on the beach.... So much so that the hords of jetskiers we are supposed to share the beach with have also abandoned it. Not sure where they go these days.

You are supposed to then sail another 200 hundred yards out through a marked channel (but this is not enforced).. They will hassel you if you don't beach your boat in this narrow launch area though.

The launch area is hardly used. I sail out of Podickery Point which as you may remember is 1/2 mile north. I usally sail by to check out the beach and for most weekends the launch is not used at all... I have never seen more then one boat on the beach in several years.

You will occasionaly have a windsurfer or kite surfer using the beach when it's breezy. They will move down the beach a bit so that they don't get thrashed by the jetties and the park is usually empty on those days anyway. Usually they will drive to Dewey or across the bridge and down Tillman Island to another launch. They hate it as well.

It is not a pleasent place to spend any time at if you are rec sailing and the local hobie fleet despises the place. The CRAC racing fleet does not have a problem with the launch. Everyone has beach wheels and rig's up on Friday afternoon when the park is empty using the parking lot. We then move our trailers to the powerboat parking lot so that we free up parking for the picnic crowd. Sunday is just a zoo if we get back early. One year we could not get the Race Committe into the park because it was closed. Jodie Perkins did her best pleading to have them make an exception so that we could finish the race.

Compared to previous sheltered launch, the current setup is a nightmare. I must say... in the early days I frequently cursed your unknown existence. The cat clubs had no idea who had given input to the park for the redesign. Currently, there is so little demand for the facility that we are happy with it the way it is for our once a year race.

I think that the entire beach launch area was closed for about two years because the park had an issue with the paving contractor and it had to remain closed for the year and half after it was built. After that... the rec sailors never returned. It just wasn't a fun place tobe or sail from.

email me and we can talk further if you would like

Mark Schneider
CRAC