I've wondered about the status of the plant(s) myself. I didn't see the
thick black smoke that warned you to anchor on the other side, but I have
seen menhaden ships on the bay.
Can't say I remember there being a lacking of trees. I think I would have
noticed

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
The only problem is to figure out which way the wind is blowing
so as to be upwind of the menhaden plant.

when I was there by car two years ago the plant seemed to be abandoned.

you can drive to someplace to have
breakfast

when I drove there, the only place to get something to eat was at the gas
station, or the tablecloth restaurant that closed at 8:00 at night. We
were
able to buy candy bars from a box in the lobby of the motel we stayed in.

like DeSmet (which I've never heard of).

Laura Ingalls Wilder once lived there. The town has two trees, one of
which
they built a park around.

In article ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

And of course in a small power
boat, one could get all the way up the Potomac to D.C.

How small. Ours is just under 25 feet.

harlan

--
To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"?

(JAXAshby) wrote:

Rosalie, it occurs to me you write of the Chesepeake anchorages from the
perspective of someone who is thoroughly familiar with the waters, while I
wrote from the perspective of someone traveling through.

That's true, but as someone points out - we had to do it for the first
time too. We made some mistakes. We've anchored in some places for
expediency which aren't really a place anyone in their right mind
would choose to anchor. (off Cove Point, off the NAS Pax River, and
Cornfield Harbor spring to mind)

We ran badly aground in Queenstown and never got in there. We had to
enter and leave Windmill Point at high tide, which mean leaving before
dawn and following a crab pot boat out (we'd come in at about high
tide). My husband knows Bodkin Creek from many years of living there
(his brother has the family house there).

But we had charts, all of which should help someone new to the area.
And we had guidebooks to tell us the details of what the charts didn't
show. And some places are places that Bob won't go without heavy
persuasion on my part even if they've been dredged since he had a
problem there.

Deltaville ... Reedville,

I found Deltaville and Reedville problematic to get to by sailboat.

Places that ARE problematic - Smith Island (my husband was on a DNR
boat (a power boat) which ran aground in the channel there), Salt
Ponds, Windmill Point, Washington DC (due to bridge restrictions),
Queenstown and my BILs dock in Bodkin Creek (local knowledge needed in
the latter two cases). Deltaville and Reedville are not in that
group.

grandma Rosalie

"Garland Gray II" wrote:

If you obtain the guide published by Chesapeake Bay Mag (and pay attention
to any channel "peculiarities" mentioned), you should have no problem with
either Deltaville or Reedville. Even those familiar with the waters had to
enter "the first time". I've had no problem w/ either place, and would even
say that only Jackson Creek could be tricky w/o the guide.

We followed a couple of newbie boats into Jackson Creek, and they had
the Skipper Bob anchorage book (which has no pictures or charts) and
they got in fine.

Of course you can go to Fishing Bay instead, and that entrance is not
particularly tricky if all the ATONs are there (which they weren't
when we made our visit).


grandma Rosalie

(JAXAshby) wrote:

The only problem is to figure out which way the wind is blowing
so as to be upwind of the menhaden plant.

when I was there by car two years ago the plant seemed to be abandoned.

We were there in August and we went past it last week and it is
definitely operating. There used to be about 14 plants there, but
there is only one left, so some of what you see WILL be abandoned.
There are 14 boats operating out of the Omega Protein plant across
from Reedville in Tibitha near Fleeton which is across the creek from
Reedville (less than a mile by car)

you can drive to someplace to have
breakfast

when I drove there, the only place to get something to eat was at the gas
station, or the tablecloth restaurant that closed at 8:00 at night. We were
able to buy candy bars from a box in the lobby of the motel we stayed in.

There are two regular restaurants in Reedville. The Crazy Crab
restaurant is open mid -May to mid-December, Tuesday to Sunday 11:30
am to 9:00 pm, closed Monday.

And Tommy's (used to be Elijahs) They serve dinner from 5:30 Wednesday
through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

So admittedly, there's no place to eat on Monday.

There's also the Cockrell's Creek Seafood Deli which is open Monday
through Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Sundays 11:00 to 3:00 (eat in or
take out) and Chitterchats Gossip Parlor which has ice cream.

There are two bed and breakfasts in town that serve breakfast to their
guests.

But what I meant was that you could drive to another town in a CAR.

For instance Fairport (on the west side of the creek) has a marina
with an onsite restaurant. It's about two miles by car and shorter by
boat. You could even do it on a bicycle. The restaurant features
soft crab - crabcakes, hamburgers and chicken sandwiches. Hours of
Operation: Wednesday to Friday 9 Am-10 Pm and Saturday to Tuesday 9
Am-5 Pm

And there is ROSIE LEE'S: Casual family dining. Fresh seafoods, meats,
homemade soups, daily specials, salad bar, prime rib. Open 7 days B,
L, D). Route 360, Burgess which is only about 5 miles from Reedville

like DeSmet (which I've never heard of).

Laura Ingalls Wilder once lived there. The town has two trees, one of which
they built a park around.

The only reference to De Smet that I can find in relation to Laura
Ingalls Wilder is in South Dakota. I can find no De Smet in Virginia.
I can believe that De Smet SD might have only 2 trees, but I think it
is a pretty far piece to go for breakfast from Reedville.


grandma Rosalie

Harlan Lachman wrote:

In article ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

And of course in a small power
boat, one could get all the way up the Potomac to D.C.

How small. Ours is just under 25 feet.

When I made that statement I was thinking of your boat. The size of
the boat isn't really relevant except that some power boats have a lot
of superstructure (although not as much as a sailboat mast usually).
It's the power boat part that is important.

A sailboat with a mast taller than 50 feet has to get the I95 bridge
(Woodrow Wilson Bridge) to open, and they need 24 - 48 hours notice
and only open at 3 am or something like that. A power boat is going
to be able to get under that bridge easily at a reasonable time.

And you might even be able to get under the 14th St. bridge or
whatever is upstream of the WWB. I'm not sure how far up the river is
navigable though. At some point past Georgetown it becomes a white
water area.

There's a restaurant cruise boat that goes under the 14 foot arches
from Old Town Alexandria past the airport to Georgetown. I'd have a
marina reservation for DC though.


grandma Rosalie

John or Rosalie:

Is there a Marina that takes transients that you can recommend in the DC
area. We would need 30 amp service, easy access for my friend to pick us
up and take us touring and facilities (showers, head, etc.).

BTW, do either of you know how long a ride it is from Point Lookout and
whether there are speed limitations? 70 - 100 miles is not long at 25-35
mph. At 10 mph it gets old fast.

harlan

In article ,
JohnH wrote:

On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 12:07:37 -0400, Harlan Lachman
wrote:

In article ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

And of course in a small power
boat, one could get all the way up the Potomac to D.C.

How small. Ours is just under 25 feet.

harlan

A 25'er should have no trouble getting up to Georgetown, and even a
little further. The bridges won't be a problem. North of Georgetown
the water gets pretty shallow in places and not all the rocks are
marked on the charts.

The ride from Point Lookout up the Potomac to DC is a pretty long one,
but the views in and around DC are well worth it. The Potomac is a
beautiful river.

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

There are 10 kinds of people in the world,
those who can do binary and those who can't!

--
To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"?

In article ,
JohnH wrote:

As far as I know, there are no speed restrictions until you go under
the Woodrow Wilson bridge.

Sorry John to be so ignorant of the area at this point (I hate to buy
charts before I pick the area I am going to go). How far is it from the
point until there?

From there to the north end of Alexandria
is a no wake area.

Again, how long is this area?

Then you are good to go to the 14th St. bridge, at
least. I haven't been north of there in a while, and am not sure of
the speed limits beyond that bridge.

harlan

Some email info on Washington DC marinas can be found he

http://www.boat-world.com/dir/5_27_DC_Washington.html

Good luck.

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

There are 10 kinds of people in the world,
those who can do binary and those who can't!

--
To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"?

Harlan Lachman wrote:

John or Rosalie:

Is there a Marina that takes transients that you can recommend in the DC
area. We would need 30 amp service, easy access for my friend to pick us
up and take us touring and facilities (showers, head, etc.).

The main marina in DC is: Gangplank Marina That's the one I hear
about most often. Since I have a sailboat, I've never been of course.

309-slip marina is conveniently located in the protected Washington
Channel with laundry, showers, cable TV, pump-out, in-water
service/repair and parking

Other Amenities:
Fresh Water, Ice, Motor Oil Recycling, Restrooms,
Phone: (202) 554-5000

http://www.coastal-properties.com

Rate Information: (Transient Rates = $1.25/ft/day plus $5/day for
electricity)

Other marinas in the area (but I don't know whether they take
transients) a

*Anacostia Marina Washington, DC
Amenities:Fresh Water Maintenance Facilities Restrooms Shower
Facilities

The NPS has threatened to close the Anacostia Marina, but it is the
place where the police boats are maintained, so I don't know their
status at the moment

*Columbia Marina
George Washington Memorial Pkwy, Arlington, VA 22202
(Located in Washington, DC)
PH: 202-347-0173
Boat US Discounts - Trans. Slips: 50%, Pump Out: Free, Launch Ramp:
20%
F E O

*Buzzard Point Marina Washington, DC
Amenities Fresh Water Ice Public Phone Pumpout/Dump Facilities
Restrooms Shower Facilities

*James Creek Marina, Washington, DC
Amenities: Gasoline Golf Groceries Shower Facilities

*Washington Marina, Washington, DC
http://www.washingtonmarina.com
Amenities Fresh Water Public Phone Maintenance Facilities Restrooms
Shower Facilities
RATES:
Slips 40' and below: $9.00 /Ft. /Month
Slips above 40': $12.00 /Ft. /Month
Charges for amenities (water, electric, pumpout) are $10-60$/month
depending on slip size and usage
Limited Onsite Parking Available

* Annual Contracts Available
* No liveaboards, no wooden boats
* License agreement and insurance coverage required

Contact Bob Stickell at (202) 554-0222 for more details.

*Belle Haven Marina
#1 Belle Haven Rd. (P.O. Box 7073), Alexandria, VA 22307
PH: 703-768-0018

BoatUS Discounts - Trans. Slips: 25%, Rentals: 10%, Sailing School:
10%, Launch Ramp: 10%

E

*Washington Sailing Marina
#1 Marina Dr., Alexandria, VA 22314
PH: 703-548-9027

BoatUS Discounts - Trans. Slips: 25%, Ship's Sto 10%/(Gifts &
Souvenirs), Bike Rentals: 10%

E B O

*Hampton's Landing Marina
16202 Neabsco Rd., Woodbridge, VA 22191
PH: 703-221-4915

Discounts - Fuel: .10/gal, Trans. Slips: 25%

E B O L

BTW, do either of you know how long a ride it is from Point Lookout and
whether there are speed limitations? 70 - 100 miles is not long at 25-35
mph. At 10 mph it gets old fast.

You don't have to start at Point Lookout you know. Get a chart and
figure out how far down the river you want to be, and find the nearest
put-in point. You could start down at Smith Piont (on the Virginia
side.

grandma Rosalie

Harlan Lachman wrote:


BTW, do either of you know how long a ride it is from Point Lookout and
whether there are speed limitations? 70 - 100 miles is not long at 25-35
mph. At 10 mph it gets old fast.

If you put in at the Little Wicomico (Smith Point) and went all the
way to Georgetown (past Gangplank Marina) it would be around 108
nautical miles. That would be about 125 statute miles so would take
about 4 hours at 30 mph.

If you put in somewhere in Northern VA, or southern MD, it will be
correspondingly less. I don't know about speed limitations - there
aren't many out in the river on the lower Potomac.

But why do it all in one day? Why not stop at Colonial Beach or
someplace like that on the way up, and somewhere like Smallwood State
Park on the way back?

I'd get the ADC map of the Chesapeake. It has most of the marinas and
their locations facilities and phone numbers in addition to the charts
for everywhere on the bay.


In article ,
JohnH wrote:

On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 12:07:37 -0400, Harlan Lachman
wrote:

In article ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

And of course in a small power
boat, one could get all the way up the Potomac to D.C.

How small. Ours is just under 25 feet.

harlan

A 25'er should have no trouble getting up to Georgetown, and even a
little further. The bridges won't be a problem. North of Georgetown
the water gets pretty shallow in places and not all the rocks are
marked on the charts.

The ride from Point Lookout up the Potomac to DC is a pretty long one,
but the views in and around DC are well worth it. The Potomac is a
beautiful river.

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

There are 10 kinds of people in the world,
those who can do binary and those who can't!

grandma Rosalie