Indian River Yacht Basin in 1940s
The Indian River Inlet area has been a popular destination for a long time. This postcard from the Delaware Public Archives shows a packed parking lot at the Indian River Yacht Basin in the 1940s. There were plenty of boats to take visitors out on fishing trips or just leisurely cruises. Although much different these days, the Indian River Marina area is still home base to many charter boats, with transient slips available for people who want to stop in for some food and drinks at the Dockside Marina Bar & Grill.
The earliest reference to the origins of the Indian River Yacht Basin came in a 1939 edition of the News Journal. In the article, it says the basin is proposed as part of a Delaware State Parks Commission effort to turn Delaware’s coastal lands into a large recreational center for bathing, fishing, picnics and yachting. This effort came just one year after the Indian River Inlet became navigable from the Indian River Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.
The next mention of the basin in news print came in 1946, when The Morning News reported the basin was capable of servicing boats up to 75 feet with all classes of marine supplies, repairs and wharf facilities available. A News Journal that same year credits John J. Marsh of Rehoboth Beach as the person who spearheaded the effort to open the basin. “Marsh formed the Indian River Yacht Basin Corp., and rushed into action to dredge a harbor deep enough by July 1 to accommodate 50 deep-sea fishing craft. Party-boat owners took advantage of the new yacht basin along the Delaware coastline where the Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay find access to the sea.” Marsh died in 2008 at the age of 95.
