Toms Cove, time and tide

Before putting in for my adjusted spring vacation I thought I should check the tides to see how a sail outside on the ocean from Chicoteague to Wachapreague Inlet would work.  The photograph above is from the last attempt to make it down the seaside of the Eastern Shore, which did have perfect tides and would have gone well if a particular channel was not filled in with sand. 

I was pleased to find that the tides would be just right.  High tide on launch day is not that important, I would simply launch out of the marina at the south end of Chincoteague and make my way a couple of miles east to Toms Cove.  

It would be the next morning that the tide matters.  The morning high tide is at 5:07 a.m., with a sunrise at 5:45.  Perfect.  Anchor up at the false dawn, making my way west and then south around the hook at the bottom of Assateague Island and sailing with the tide out into the ocean.  And then twenty-some miles down the shore to Wachapreague Inlet.  Spartina could ride incoming tide at into the inlet anytime from midday until 6:15, with a sunset at 8:13.

That's assuming wind out anywhere from NE to NW to carry me down the coast.  If the wind is not favorable, then I'll be launching out of Onancock for a sail on the bay.  

It is good to know, at the very least, that the tides will be in my favor.