Boaters Beware: Baker's Channel Navigational Markers to be removed 

Action being taken as part of larger maintenance project to Inland Bays navigational aids

May 23, 2026 - Reprinted from Cape Gazette - Written by Chris Flood

As part of a project repairing and installing channel markers in the Inland Bays, the Delaware Department of Natural Resouces and Environmental Control (DNREC) has announced it is removing the floating channel markers from Baker’s Channel and will not be replace them.

More than half of the floating markers within the channel were lost following this winter’s storms, said Josh Lippert, DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section administrator. Many of the remaining markers were knocked off station and no longer accurately reflect navigable conditions, creating a potential navigation concern for boaters, he said.

Connecting Rehoboth and Indian River bays, Baker’s Channel is located along the eastern side of an island called Lynch’s Thicket. It’s an area of the bay known for sandbars, but the channel has been marked through a partnership with the Center for the Inland Bays since 2011 and was done to help alleviate congestion in Massey's Ditch. The ditch is on the western side of the island and is where Massey's Landing is located at the end of Long Neck Road. However, Baker's Channel was never formally established as a state-maintained navigational channel.

Lippert said a review determined the partnership arrangement with the center is no longer in force, and no active agreement governing ongoing maintenance responsibilities could be identified. Massey’s Ditch remains the recognized and actively maintained state navigation route for the area, he said.

While DNREC recognizes the continued increase in boating activity throughout the Inland Bays, Massey’s Ditch continues to remain the state’s primary maintained navigation channel in this area and remains the priority for ongoing maintenance and dredging resources, said Lippert, comparing Baker's Channel to the state's roadway system.

"Some roads are owned and maintained by the Delaware Department of Transportation, while others are private roads, or maintained by municipalities or homeowner associations," said Lippert. "Similarly, the state maintains priority navigational channels such as Massey’s Ditch, while other waterways may exist and be used by boaters, but are not formally maintained by the state."

The larger issue with Baker’s Channel is the long-term maintenance associated with floating buoys, said Lippert. Coastal storms and shifting shoals can move markers off station, requiring additional survey work, vessel time, and staffing resources to routinely inspect, reposition, and maintain the aids to navigation, he said.

Baker’s Channel was named in honor of Capt. Bill Baker, a member of the Inland Bays Water Use Plan Implementation Committee that worked with the state on marking the channel. He also owned a bait and tackle shop in Lewes.