The Inlet at Ocean City

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#6699CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><U>THE INLET AT OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND</U></B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#669999" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="USCG Southwind at Key Shipyards 1969"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lady Emily at Lazaretto Point"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" 16 x 20 Pen Ink"><U><B><IMG SRC="00d0d1d0.gif" border=0 width="13" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" 16 x 20 Pen Ink"><U><B>Return to 16" x 20" pen and ink page</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#DDDDDD" TEXT="#080000"> <div>   <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT>           </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>In 1933 a devastating hurricane swept the mid-Atlantic coast.  It struck Ocean City with tremendous force leaving in it’s wake a large cut through what had previously been a continous strip of land joining what is now Assateague Island National Seashore.  Given the extent of the damage and the potential for similar storms in the future reconnecting the land masses was dismissed as an option.  As an alternative, the inlet was dredged to provide greater access to the mainland and bayside areas.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Prior to that time Ocean City already had an established commerical fishing industry using small boats for offshore pound net fishing.  With the new inlet fishermen now had access to sheltered harbors and commercial fishing gained new momentum.  The center of this activity was established just opposite the inlet  in what is now West Ocean City directly across from the south tip of the Ocean City Boardwalk area visible here in the background.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Today a wide range of Commercial fishing enterprises dominate this area and fishing boats of all types and sizes can be seen docked here and passing through the Inlet to and from the offshore fishing grounds.  About 40 boats of various size and rig work out of this harbor, far less than what it once was.  The three boats in this scene are typical of the varieties seen here each day.  The catch ranges, depending on the season and luck, from finfish like tuna and flounder to clams and horseshoe crabs.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Neither the </B><B>Lady Grace</B><B> or the </B><B>Katie Lynn</B><B> work out of this harbor today.  The </B><B>Lady Grace</B><B> worked the coast off Ocean City for many years.  In March of 1999 she was sold  to Warner Brothers to star as the </B><B>Andrea Gail</B><B> in the movie The Perfect Storm.  The 72 foot long liner </B><B>Lady Grace</B><B> was built in 1978 in Panama City, Florida side by side with her real life sister ship, the </B><B>Andrea Gail</B><B>.  The two ships were practically identical.  In July of 2000 Warner Brothers put the </B><B>Lady Grace</B><B> up for Auction on eBay.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The </B><B>Katie Lynn</B><B> did not fare so well.  She was in poor condition even at the time of this scene and no buyers were found.  She was finally sunk off shore as part of the artificial reef.</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>