On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:22:56 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

Does Chesapeake Bay present a special challenge for a boat of his
draft? It may be he wanted a good sail without those concerns.
Not knowing these routes and I'm all ears.

No. Some of the rivers and bays off of the Chesapeake are shallow but
the central portion is mostly deep water and very well marked. There
are many good deep water harbors.

If you are interested in learning more about east coast cruising I'd
recommend downloading the free NOAA charts along with a chart viewer.
I have spent endless hours in the off season "cruising" on computer
charts and planning the next trip. For me, there's always a next
trip...

You can also download the coast pilots for free which have a wealth of
detailed information. The Atlantic coast waterway guides are another
good source, along with the "Skipper Bob" books.