7-Day Chesapeake Cruise

[Donna]

Hello everyone. In order to get through the winter, I'm planning a 7-day spring trip on the Chesapeake. I'd appreciate some recommendations. We'll be leaving from Rock Hall, MD and it will be our first overnight trip in our new boat. I'd like to stop at St. Michael's and visit the maritime museum. I'm OK not stopping in Annapolis since we've been there many times by car and I would like to visit less touristy places (although that may be hard these days). I'm planning on three days to head down the bay and then turn around and head back so I guess we're limited to the middle bay. So far my list includes: Crisfield, Deal Island and Cambridge.

If anyone has any suggestions on must see stops, I'd appreciate it! My SO loves raw oysters so I'd like to work in a few good raw oyster stops.

Thanks, Donna
(I'm still waiting for LAST summer to begin!)

[Daren Magness]

If you've never "sailed" into Annapolis (ANP) and spent a night on a mooring ball, do it. I'd recommend upstream on Spa Creek on the other side of the Sixth Street drawbridge. Most of the time we gunkhole on the Bay, but St. Mikes is a worthy destination. Without knowing how far you're planning to go, I will temper my suggestions based on your seven day window out of Rock Hall.

Annapolis
Kent Narrows (if y'all wanna just run south to the Miles River)
Wye River (Granery or Dividing Creek)
St. Michaels
Rhode River (High Island)
Galesville
Knapps Narrows
Dunn Cove
Oxford
Solomons Island
This one's a stretch, but Smith or Tangier Island.
Smith's Creek off the Potomac
Carter's Creek (Irvington, VA)

Have fun.

[Mike Brown]

Solomons is also a nice stop. Spring Cove Marina has very nice grounds and a pool with music you can hear under water.

If you stop at Cambridge and your mast is taller than 50' you'll have to stay at the town marina and dinghy over to the Hyatt. The Hyatt has a great eclipse pool but the resturants are expensive.

Consider stopping at Oxford. It's a small town that you can see in a day, but nice anchorages surrounding the area. Trippe Creek was nice and is surrounded by expensive homes. Very scenic.

Either coming or going from St Michaels try the Wye River. It offers a number of places to drop the hook.

I know you said you would pass on Annapolis, but if you haven't been in by boat it's a different experience. Try picking up a mooring ball for $30 a night. The water taxi will pick and drop off right from your boat.


Don't forget the Magothy River for more anchoring options.

Good luck with the planning. And yes I agree what happened to this summer?
Mike

[John Young]

I'd avoid Crisfield as some dock mates went there a few months ago and found most restaurants closed.Good marina though.
Other ports listed would be good - Oxford, Solomons Island, Kent Narrows, Cambridge - all have good marinas andrestaurants.
Have fun.
John

[Donna]

Music you can hear "under" water? That's loud. :)

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Mike Brown]

No actually it isn't. Not sure what type of speakers they use but it's piped in under water not cranked up from the outdoor speakers.

[Donna]

Now I'm intrigued.

[Mike Brown]

To be honest we haven't been in the pool ourselves. One of the Mom's that was there told us about and said her kids loved it. Not sure how they do it but with the way sound travels underwater it shouldn't take too much.

[Tyson Arnold]

I have to agree with Daren's list! I'd really suggest a visit to Oxford, we enjoyed it last year. Mears Yacht Haven was a great marina with really good facilities (kids loved the pool there). You'll have a nice little walk into town (maybe a mile and a half) with a few restaurants ( I think two?), a nice little town park, a local museum and some shops (really liked the small book store).

No night life to speak of but worth the trip!

[Captain Ron]

Recently complete Chesapeake Bay sailing over Labor Day Week on brother's Beneteau 423 "Breezing Up" out of Baltimore Inner Harbor. Visited the following anchorages and marina's :
• Whitehall Bay (first bay South of Bay bridge): 12 feet of water with protection from West and East winds. Take care in setting anchor as bottom is sandy and not muddy.
• Annapolis: anchor off the USNA Practice Athletic Field in 14 feet of water and muddy bottom. Anchorage exposed to E and NE wind.
• Herring Bay: Docked at transit slip ($3 / foot) at Herrington Harbour South (nearest to the mouth of Herring Bay entrance marker). Take care in making slip reservations as there is also a Herrington Harbour North at the other end of Herring Bay. Best anchorage near the channel entry to Herrington Harbour North at 9 feet of water. No protection from North East or East winds.
• Solomon Island: Back Creek at Marker "5", mooring balls of ZahniserS' Yacht Center between $35-$45 /day. Dinghy dock close at hand. Fee includes showers and bikes. Because we expected high winds over night it caused us to take a mooring ball. Mooring balls seems to be taking over the available anchorage area. Reasonable priced "sailor's bar" is the "Captain's Table" at the far end of of Back Creek. Has a dinghy dock.
• South Creek, West River: Good sheltered anchorage. 8 feet of water at anchorage. Hartge Marina Fuel Dock and restaurants nearby. Town of Galeville.
• Anchorage off the YMCA Camp Letts, Rhodes River, (Northside of West River). 9 feet of water. Take care in wind shifts out of the West.
• Harness Creek, Northside of South River: Excellent storm "hole". Anchored in 8 feet of water with very muddy bottom.
• Selby Bay, South River: No protection from strong NE and East winds. 8 feet of water.
• Hudson Creek, Little Choptank River (Eastern Shore): Best protection from N and NE winds. 8 feet of water.
• San Domingo Creek, Choptank River (Back door to St. Michael's. A bit of a walk to center of town from fishermen dinghy dock).