Craig and Jo Ann Mulligan of Bavon have been working for the past decade to refurbish and maintain the small marina they purchased in 2006 on Davis Creek in the southernmost portion of Mathews County.

Now the couple is concerned that their business, and the waterway it serves, may be affected adversely by a U.S. Coast Guard proposal to take away the creek’s aids to navigation.

The Mulligans’ business is sustained by charter boats and sailboats that run out of the marina regularly and by watermen who buy fuel there. When boats break down, the ramp at the marina is available, said Craig Mulligan, and during stormy weather the creek is “a great holdover—a safe haven.” It’s also a prime spot for cobia and speckled trout, he said.

Davis Creek Marina is just a hop, skip and a jump from New Point Comfort Lighthouse and is the only marina for motorized boats on the county’s portion of the Mobjack Bay, said Jo Ann Mulligan.

“It’s a hot l...