Twin Capes added to state’s artificial reef stock

On Friday, June 15, I was at the Del-Jersey-Land Reef for the sinking of the former Delaware River and Bay Authority ferry Twin Capes. This was one of the original ferry boats built for the Cape May to Lewes run and had served a long and useful life.

The day began around 6:30 a.m., when members of the media and workers from Coleen Marine in Norfolk, Va., met at the service boat operation in Slaughter Beach. The workers left early on one boat while the rest of us got away from the dock at 7:11 a.m. It is a two-and-a-half hour run out to the Del-Jersey-Land Reef site, and once we cleared Delaware Bay, the seas flattened out and made for a very comfortable ride.

By the time we arrived, the workmen from Coleen Marine were already on the ferry cutting holes in the hull just above the water line. This is the final step in preparing the ship for sinking, and they completed the task by 11 a.m. Once these holes are cut, the wait begins. In previous sinkings, such as the USS Radford, it took a very long time for the ship to go down. Such was not the case with the Twin Capes, as she began sinking from the stern, and once the water entered the deck where cars were once parked, she filled up rather quickly.

The ferry was supposed to go down stern first, and that’s exactly what she did until she took a hard list to port. After that, she quickly sank beneath the sea and landed on her port side. (38 30.882/074 30.848) How long she remains in this position is up to Mother Nature. The Radford was broken into two sections by a hurricane shortly after her sinking.

While the sinking was short, the process of acquiring, preparing and paying for this project took 11 months. First the contractor, Coleen Marine, has to purchase the ferry from the DRBA for $250,000. This is done because of liability problems if the state owned the ferry during its preparation.

Once they have the ferry in their yard, Coleen Marine does the work to prepare the ship for sinking. This includes jumping through all the hoops presented by myriad government agencies and regulations.

Once the work is complete, it is up to our old friend Mother Nature to provide the perfect three-day weather window that is required to tow the ship up from Norfolk and then sink it. I don’t have to explain how we were treated by that Mother this spring. The ferry was supposed to be on the bottom before May 31, but did not get there until June 15. 

Once it hits bottom, it becomes the property of the State of Delaware. How, you may ask, does the State of Delaware pay for all this material and work? This is where Jeff Tinsman becomes a very important person. He has managed the Artificial Reef Program since its beginnings and has done a remarkable job.

Jeff has used the value of donated material to match federal funds at a three-to-one ratio to pay for just about all of the artificial reefs in Delaware. At first it was concrete pipes, but then Delaware received a windfall when the City of New York donated all those lovely subway cars. All that credit was placed in a matching bank that Jeff has used ever since.

Unfortunately, some bean counter in Washington discovered this practice and said it had to stop. They gave Jeff until May 31 to clear out the matching bank. Due to the weather, Jeff was able to get an extension until June 15.

There is no question that Delaware has the best reef building program of any other mid-Atlantic state and perhaps any other state in the union. All of this is because of Jeff Tinsman, who has yet to spend a single penny of general fund money on any of our 12 artificial reefs. 

Fishing report

Flounder fishing picked up a bit in the ocean with Reef Site 11 and the old Grounds finally producing some action. Limits are still rare, but at least there are some keepers to catch.

Flounder also made a better showing in the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and Indian River Bay. The fishing pier at Cape Henlopen State Park also saw a few keepers. Jigging with a bright-colored Gulp! has been the hot setup everywhere. Squid and minnows on a top-bottom rig has been a distant second.

The canyons have been alive with tuna. Yellowfins and bigeyes are in the deep along with some bluefin. Bluefins are bit more common on the inshore lumps. Tile fishing is also good in the deep.