Rehoboth

Text by
Danny Calvi & Tom B. Wet
Photography by
Tom B. Wet

There’s something cathartic about having sex outside. There’s a kind of euphoria that comes over you, just from being in a natural setting with another man you may or may not know. Once you’ve had that orgasm, you can’t help going back for more. If you’ve got that urge and it’s making you crabby, head on down to Rehoboth, Delaware, mid-Atlantic seaside destination for homos from Washington DC and Baltimore.

From the Baltimore beltway, get on the 97 Freeway to Route 50, away from DC in the direction of the coast. Route 50 will take you through Annapolis and over the Chesapeake Bridge until you get to Route 404. At Andersontown, just before the Delaware state line, take Route 16 off the 404. Then just stay on 16 until you hit Route 1, Coastal Highway, which leads to 1A, taking you right to Rehoboth.

During the summer season, you’ll find about three or four blocks of gay beach, the so-called Poodle Beach, at the south end of the boardwalk, past Queen Street. Get your Planet Ice, find your spot, and lay out. Some guys — predominantly young, fit, muscular guys — are playing volleyball, but other than just showing off their bodies, no one’s really crusing. If you’re in the mood for intercepting someone individually, there’s a little bit more of that going on further north at Gordon’s Pond, that’s about three miles up the coast from Poodle to Pond.

You’ll want to go to Gordon’s Pond in the afternoon when everyone’s on the beach, and there’s not a lot of families around. Or go around five or six o’clock. That’s when the straight guys leave the wife and kids back at the hotel, and go out there to get their dick sucked. Enter the parking lot and pay five bucks if you’ve arrived by car. Park by the picnic gazebo at the end. You’ll already see guys waiting in their cars to involve you in some kind of activity. Watch out for Rangers on ATVs. From the parking lot, you can see the beach. On the left side of the jetty are the bears. Your sort of naturist trolls are scattered northwards, between the bears and the fishermen at the far end of the beach by the two WWII lookout towers.

Or, try the path to the bird sanctuary. There are benches along the trail, and men are sort of hanging out, pretending to be birdwatching. You’ll see the signs warning visitors they risk a fine if caught encroaching upon the habitat of the nesting osprey. Be mindful where you drop your drawers, some of those trails under the pines are tick-ridden. You might be wacking off three days later and find a tick on your dick.

At night, cut to the chase. Skip all the bullshit in the bars and just start walking up and down the boardwalk by Poodle Beach. During the season, police are patrolling the boardwalk at night. Just be aware of your surroundings. You’ll find many, many, many men. Sit down on a bench and do your little thing where you open your shirt and show off your chest — or whatever your calling card happens to be — things like that, to sort of get a look. Walk down the beach, someone will follow you. One minute, you’re brushing up against them, and the next you’re kneeling in front of them.

Published on 30 May 2011