With the exception of between Fernandina and Winyah Bay, and the major capes at Canaveral, Fear, Lookout and Hatteras, almost all of the east coast can be run within sight of the beach, no problem... However, the stretch between Chesapeake Bay Entrance and Ocean City, MD, is the other big exception to that rule... (grin) That is definitely NOT a place I'd like to find myself off of with a problem, without charts...

You probably only need a few, Fenwick Island to Chincoteague, and Chincoteague to Great Machipongo, and Great Machipongo to Cape Henry... But you definitely want the coverage of that part of the coast, that's a lonely, tricky piece of real estate, lots of shoal water extending fairly far offshore, numerous unlit aids to navigation, etc...