Evening star., 1937-05-30
DEPTHS SUITABLE
T0AVERACE BOAT
Number of Harbors Within
Three to Five Hours
Run From City.
BY MALCOLM LAMBORNE, Jr,

n n EMORIAL day is the tradi-
M tional time for going down
to the sea in boats. Yacht
- 4 club activity of recent week
ends, overtaxed ship yards and in
creased sales Of boats and marine
supplies indicate a decided trend to
the water and this week end will find
yachtsmen out in droves.
The early bird who has taken ad-
vantage of an advanced launching
probably is on his way now to Guns
ton Cove. Mattawoman Greek or
Occoquan. For the late skipper this
week end will be spent in putting final
touches on his boat preparatory to
trips down the Potomac over Saturday
and Sunday.
Within a three to five hour run
OF Washington lie a number of good
harbors with sufficient depth for the
average draft cruiser. A Saturday
afternoon start from the club Will get
you down to anchorage in time for
supper. On Sunday there is SWIM
ming from sand beaches or trips
ashore or run to the next cove, all
with plenty of time to get back into
town for the night.
BY far the favorite rendezvous of
local boatmen is Gunston Cove, is
miles below Washington on the Vir-
Rinia shore, affording good anchor
sge. quiet surroundings and a fine
beach for swimming.
How to Enter Cove.
ITO ENTER the cove most shippers
favor the southern side. They
go down to Spar As above Hallowing
Point and then head for an abandoned
~han inside the point. From the
outer end Of wharf piles, a straight
course for the point below the Ponton
School on north side of cove is steered.
AT normal low tide depth of feet
can be carried we'll inside
Occasionally boats with a draft less
than feet use the upper entrance,
close onto another abandoned wharf
Tn White Stone Point. It's the re-
malns OF an old channel dredged years
ago for transports to carry troops to
Fort Belvoir, but now slowly filling in.
Although within the polluted area
aof the Potomac, Gunston waters are
clean and clear, due to fresh streams
bf Pohick and Acotink Creeks at the
mead OF the cove. Likewise, grassy
shoals at the entrance keep out tidal
wash. There's a sand beach directly
south of the Ponton School point
Nrfoirh ic {Soo1 for bo tb;rr ~or;,,tI,;.o
Yacht Club maintains a large float
with diving platform off the shore,
which. incidentally. will be towed
down shortly.
Channel Is Dredged.
THE next large anchorage on the
Virginia side is Occoquan Bay.
1t can be reached quickly by making
a short cut, known as Swash Channel,
inside of tiny Craney Island lying
south of Hallowing Point.
From can 43, where you leave the
main channel, head practically due
west IN mean depth of 7 feet for
Sycamore Point. Keeping we'll off
High Point, which marks the upper
end Of the bay, the pilot heads in
when River Can 80 and the Sandy
Point beacon, red pile structure in
the bay, are in line. A dredged chan
mel Of 6l2 feet leads up into Occoquan
Greek.
On the right at the mouth of the
creek Is Belmont Bay. filled with
uncharted rocks and grass. not an
ideal anchorage. The creek is we'll
buoyed to Woodbridge, where there
ds fixed railroad bridge with plenty
OF head room up to IS feet. On the
right hand shore deep water is carried
all the way to the town of Occoquan.
There's dock along the water front
hnd variety Of provisions can be
bought ashore.
Mattawoman Creek, across the
river and 3 miles below Indian Head,
Is the best harbor on the Maryland
side for week end cruise 1t has a
depth Of feet at entrance, although
deeper water is found on the lower
side. The channel becomes narrow
and crooked about mile above the
mouth.