Author: Fenwick Islander

Posted on

Waterfront Dining in West Fenwick

While the West Fenwick community is not actually an island…

Waterfront Sunset View at Crabcake Factory Bayside
Magenta skies of a typical sunset as viewed from a bayfront deck at the Crabcake Factory.

…as Fenwick Island proper is, it does have a LOT of water. This can be seen in photos on this site and elsewhere. There is Assawoman Bay to the south and the Fenwick Ditch to the east (separating West Fenwick from the actual island). The “Ditch” leads to Lighthouse Cove and Little Assawoman Bay to the northeast, which flows into Dirickson Creek to the north. There are also dozens of canals, small creeks and even a few lakes in the West Fenwick Island area.

However, there are only a few places for waterfront dining in West Fenwick. Two that we tend to patronize on a regular basis are…

Crabcake Factory Bayside

CCFB is a comfy place with an awesome view of Assawoman Bay to the south and incredible sunset views to the southwest.

Catch 54 Seafood Restaurant

Waterfront Dining view at Catch 54

Catch 54 is located on Fenwick Ditch where it joins Lighthouse Cove. It provides excellent water views with boating activity and a skyline view of Fenwick Island to keep you entertained while dining or hanging at the bar. The new(er) Papa Grande Mexican-flavor place also has a fine view of The Ditch.

The view from just every table at Catch 54 is one to savor – right along with your dinner.

Posted on

A Painted Lady at Live Bayside

The Live Bayside Community…

…has a unique bay-front access and recreation area called The Point. It has a boardwalk with access to a beach, a pavilion (under construction), a boat-launch ramp with piers, kayak/canoe storage racks and a marsh/bayside nature trail.

Painted Lady Butterfly at Bayside

You never know what you may see along the trail – or anywhere at The Point, for that matter. You should, however, always have a camera with you. The other day we found these colorful butterflies feasting on the nectar (or whatever cocktail was being served) of some large blossoms by the side of the trail.

We didn’t expect to have a show but the butterflies, giant bumblebees and dragonflies seemed to enjoy having lunch on this ol’ plant – and being entertaining while they dined. We didn’t have a clue about the type of butterfly, thinking it might be a Monarch – but only because that’s the only real butterfly name that came to mind. However, an evening Internet “search” by posting the picture on Facebook yielded some responses. After being given the name of “our” butterfly we were able to find plenty (53,000+) other pictures on a Bing.com image search.

Sooo, welcome to the Painted Lady Butterfly, which is, evidently, a regular here in West Fenwick and Lower, Slower Delaware.

Posted on

Shoreline Trail at Live Bayside Community

Take only photographs – leave only footprints!

Walk the waters edge for a trail length of one-half mile, roundtrip.

The following is a transcription of the captions on the sign.

Live Bayside Shoreline Trail Entrance Sign

The Bayside waterfront golf community is composed of 867 acres bordering along Roy Creek and the beautiful Assawoman Bay. Carl M. Freeman Companies is dedicated to safeguarding the environment and preserving historical treasures in an effort to enrich and enhance your experience at Bayside We (the Bayside developers) have placed over 287 acres of tidal wetlands and forests into conservation easements. These conservation areas are protected by the Bayside Homeowners Association, Sussex County Land Trust and, most importantly, YOU!

Tidal Salt Marshes. The tidal marsh (through which you can walk) is part of 63,400 acres of coastal wetland in Delaware. Coastal wetlands are particulary iportant habitats for estuarine fish, waterfowl, shorebirds and a variety of small animals. The upper edge of the tidal marsh contains coastal shrubs such as hight tide brush and bayberry, which are common on this trail.

Blue Crab. Many organisms which depend on the salt marsh for food are visible from the trail, such as the blue crab and fiddler crab. A variety of minnows also live in the local tidal creeks and channels such as the mummichog, stripedkillifish and Atlantic silverside.

Assawoman Bay. The Assawoman Bay and its tributaries offer a wonderful setting for those adventurous enough to explore by canoe or kayak. This quiet and peaceful alternative is low impacton the wetlands and provides a unique perspective of the area.

Live Bayside - Entrance to the Shoreline Trail

TICK ALERT! Ticks have been found throughout the State of Delaware. Some ticks carry diseases including Lyme Disease. When outdoors it is wise to take the following precautions.

  • Walk to the center of the trails.
  • Wear light colored clothing to increase the visibility of the tick.
  • Tuck pants into socks.
  • Wear long sleeve shirts
  • Use tick repellants on clothing and repellants on pets.
  • Thoroughly check people and pets for ticks.
  • Remove tick by grasping close to the skin with tweezers and pulling steadily and gently until it releases its hold.

Note: In most cases ticks must feed for hours before transmitting disease. If, following a tick bite, you develop a ring shaped red spot or any flu-like symptoms, contact your physician.

The trail into the marshy area at Live Bayside.