When Kent Narrows Is Skinny

Between Chestertown and Baltimore lies an island called Kent. It is possible to cut through the Island via a dredged channel in a narrow part of the Island, hence Kent Narrows. What Brio did not fully appreciate was just how skinny the waters could become with the Harvest Moon and a north wind. There is a tortuous dog-leg of a channel leading from the cut through the Island out to open water. There's even a sign as one approaches Kent Island from the norththat says, "Danger: Shoaling." No kidding.

The full moon distorts the normal tidal range by maybe a half foot, making high tide high enough to flood docks and shores and the low tide low enough to threaten passage in dredged channels.

So it was as Brio approached Kent Narrows harbor from the north. She successfully navigated the area marked by the Danger sign. it was the next dog-leg that threw Brio a curve ball. Suddenly, Brio slowed as the bottom of the pods burrowed into the soft silt bottom. The engine rpms slowed from 900 rpm to 800, then 700, then 600 as the propellers were stirring up more and more silt. Brio draws four feet, but this part of the dredged channel had shoaled in from a stated 12 feet to maybe 3.5 feet.

Brio's stern rose as she cut through the silt.

Then, just as quickly as the shoal slowed us down, the danger passed and she was back in deeper water. The engines sped back up and all seemed well.

A brief walk about town shows a very expressive statue to two watermen.

The shading makes it difficult to see the men's power as captured by the sculptor. From behind, the sun let's you see more.

The accompanying plaque describes all the watermen had to do.

Not wanting to repeat the skinny water xperience, Brio rose before dawn and cast off at 7:30 am. The morning high tide was at 7:47 and we didn't want to miss it. It was only an 18-inch tide, but that would make all the difference. We were also told to favor the green markers over the red, keeping to the starboard as we left Kent Narrows motoring north.

Brio is happy to report the skinniest depth on the fathomeyter was 9.9 feet! Whew!

Cheers,

Brio