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Chesapeake Cruise
Each summer, my son and I take a week or so to cruise on our cuddy-sport
boat (a 25' Regal). For the past few years we trailered it from Vermont down to CT to see the Ocean, Whales and the Northeast coast. Before that we went down the Hudson so visit my older son in the big apple. I have been wondering what a trip on the Chesapeake would be like. Does anyone know of a really good, up to date cruising guide with suggested itineraries? We have AC and shore power (I have sleep apnea and asthma). Does one have to reserve dock space well in advance as they do, especially on weekends, in well visited ports on the NE coast? Are there any can't miss ports of call? is there a safe place to leave a truck and trailer for the week and access to launch from? TIA harlan -- To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"? |
Harlan Lachman wrote:
Each summer, my son and I take a week or so to cruise on our cuddy-sport boat (a 25' Regal). For the past few years we trailered it from Vermont down to CT to see the Ocean, Whales and the Northeast coast. Before that we went down the Hudson so visit my older son in the big apple. I have been wondering what a trip on the Chesapeake would be like. Does anyone know of a really good, up to date cruising guide with suggested itineraries? Chesapeake Bay Magazine has a cruising guide they put out every year. It has 3 suggested itineraries - one in the upper bay, one in the middle bay and one in the lower bay. They do concentrate on anchoring about half the time. We have AC and shore power (I have sleep apnea and asthma). Does one have to reserve dock space well in advance as they do, especially on weekends, in well visited ports on the NE coast? Depends on when you come. I've not made reservations more than a day in advance. Are there any can't miss ports of call? Depends on what you like to do. is there a safe place to leave a truck and trailer for the week and access to launch from? There's a story (look it up on google - it was sometime in 2001 I think) about someone who did this on the lower bay and launched somewhere on the York River, and their truck and trailer was left at the nearby marina. I would think that Solomons or the eastern shore might be other good bets. We've got a sailboat that's about twice as big as your boat and probably twice as slow, but we've done a couple of trips like this. Since we are based either at the south end of the middle bay or the north end of the south bay (depending on your perspective), we've mostly done cruising in the lower bay. In 1999, we took a mini cruise starting out from our old marina on the Patuxent we anchored in the Little Choptank the first night, and then anchored in Selby Bay and then went to my BILs house in Bodkin Creek, and then came home. The following year (2000), we were in a marina off the Potomac Day 1 to the Patuxent - anchored Day 2 to Oxford - anchored and met a friend http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/56243/#TL Day 3 anchored in Selby Bay Day 4 met a friend and took him sailing and then anchored in Harness Creek http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/562f3/#TL Day 5 tied up to the dock at my BIL's house in Pinehurst http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/562f5/#TL Day 6 Baltimore http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2ab90/#TL in a marina Day 7 Anchored Swan Creek Day 8 Anchored in the Corsica River http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/c3f94/ Day 9 marina in Queenstown http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/557e2/#TL Day 10 Anchored in Chester River Day 11 thought of going to St. Michaels but it was a Saturday so we anchored in Shaw Bay instead http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/561bd/#TL Day 12 Anchored in the Choptank http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/561cb/#TL Day 13 back to Oxford to a marina http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/56256/#TL Day 14 anchored in the Patuxent Day 15 back home to the Potomac Then in September (2000) we went from the Potomac to Reedville to Broad Creek (Deltaville) and came home. We started going down the ICW for the winter in Nov 2000. In August of this year we took a mini cruise - Reedville http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/380cf/#TL Tangier http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/53091/#TL Crisfield http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/53091/#TL (where we also went in July 2003 for a couple of days) and then home This month, we had intended to go north and see St. Michaels which we've never quite gotten to, but the wind was from the north. We didn't actually leave the day we had intended to go because it was so stormy, so we went south to the Reedville Marina again, and then to Jackson Creek off the Piankatank http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/57ec5/#TL to the Deltaville Marina. The following day we went to http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/58160/#TL Mobjack Bay to the OTHER Severn River Marina. The we came back to Broad Creek on the Rappahannock and then back home (I haven't finished writing that up yet.) grandma Rosalie |
Thanks for the detailed response
harlan In article , Rosalie B. wrote: Harlan Lachman wrote: Each summer, my son and I take a week or so to cruise on our cuddy-sport boat (a 25' Regal). For the past few years we trailered it from Vermont down to CT to see the Ocean, Whales and the Northeast coast. Before that we went down the Hudson so visit my older son in the big apple. I have been wondering what a trip on the Chesapeake would be like. Does anyone know of a really good, up to date cruising guide with suggested itineraries? Chesapeake Bay Magazine has a cruising guide they put out every year. It has 3 suggested itineraries - one in the upper bay, one in the middle bay and one in the lower bay. They do concentrate on anchoring about half the time. We have AC and shore power (I have sleep apnea and asthma). Does one have to reserve dock space well in advance as they do, especially on weekends, in well visited ports on the NE coast? Depends on when you come. I've not made reservations more than a day in advance. Are there any can't miss ports of call? Depends on what you like to do. is there a safe place to leave a truck and trailer for the week and access to launch from? There's a story (look it up on google - it was sometime in 2001 I think) about someone who did this on the lower bay and launched somewhere on the York River, and their truck and trailer was left at the nearby marina. I would think that Solomons or the eastern shore might be other good bets. We've got a sailboat that's about twice as big as your boat and probably twice as slow, but we've done a couple of trips like this. Since we are based either at the south end of the middle bay or the north end of the south bay (depending on your perspective), we've mostly done cruising in the lower bay. In 1999, we took a mini cruise starting out from our old marina on the Patuxent we anchored in the Little Choptank the first night, and then anchored in Selby Bay and then went to my BILs house in Bodkin Creek, and then came home. The following year (2000), we were in a marina off the Potomac Day 1 to the Patuxent - anchored Day 2 to Oxford - anchored and met a friend http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/56243/#TL Day 3 anchored in Selby Bay Day 4 met a friend and took him sailing and then anchored in Harness Creek http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/562f3/#TL Day 5 tied up to the dock at my BIL's house in Pinehurst http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/562f5/#TL Day 6 Baltimore http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2ab90/#TL in a marina Day 7 Anchored Swan Creek Day 8 Anchored in the Corsica River http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/c3f94/ Day 9 marina in Queenstown http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/557e2/#TL Day 10 Anchored in Chester River Day 11 thought of going to St. Michaels but it was a Saturday so we anchored in Shaw Bay instead http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/561bd/#TL Day 12 Anchored in the Choptank http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/561cb/#TL Day 13 back to Oxford to a marina http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/56256/#TL Day 14 anchored in the Patuxent Day 15 back home to the Potomac Then in September (2000) we went from the Potomac to Reedville to Broad Creek (Deltaville) and came home. We started going down the ICW for the winter in Nov 2000. In August of this year we took a mini cruise - Reedville http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/380cf/#TL Tangier http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/53091/#TL Crisfield http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/53091/#TL (where we also went in July 2003 for a couple of days) and then home This month, we had intended to go north and see St. Michaels which we've never quite gotten to, but the wind was from the north. We didn't actually leave the day we had intended to go because it was so stormy, so we went south to the Reedville Marina again, and then to Jackson Creek off the Piankatank http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/57ec5/#TL to the Deltaville Marina. The following day we went to http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/58160/#TL Mobjack Bay to the OTHER Severn River Marina. The we came back to Broad Creek on the Rappahannock and then back home (I haven't finished writing that up yet.) grandma Rosalie -- To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"? |
JohnH wrote:
St Michaels may not be an "absolute must see" but it's pretty close! Yes, but I refuse beat up the bay against a north wind or go on a summer weekend. On the middle bay, I also like Oxford, Annapolis, Rock Hall and even Baltimore. Another good place to go is Solomons. And of course in a small power boat, one could get all the way up the Potomac to D.C. On the lower bay, probably Deltaville, Crisfield, Reedville, Tangier, Onacock, Yorktown/Glouster and Hampton/Norfolk. We've never gotten up to the upper bay, so I don't know the places there. 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 |
Deltaville ... Reedville,
I found Deltaville and Reedville problematic to get to by sailboat. I reached Reedville by car twice and to be truthfull, DeSmet SD is more interesting. At least DeSmet has a cafe to eat breakfast in. |
Rosalie B. wrote:
(JAXAshby) wrote: 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 |
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. |
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. 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 |
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. "JAXAshby" wrote in message ... 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. 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 |
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