Jere Lull wrote:

On 2008-05-28 11:55:41 -0400, Rosalie B. said:

We have the whole summer (except ...) to sail around in the Chesapeake.
I have some ideas about where to go, but maybe there's stuff I haven't
thought of.

The Gunkholer's guide covers anything I would say.

Wherever you are, study the section(s) in the direction(s) you might
want to go. There are gobs of great places just a bit off the tracks
you listed.

For instance, I see Rock Hall, but not Swan's creek; the Corsica, but

Actually, I think we were anchored in Swan's Creek. We haven't
actually been to Rock Hall - we had to get fuel and get a pumpout
because the one in Baltimore was broken, so we stopped at a marina
Gratitute for fuel and anchored over past that.

We stopped in the Corsica because we couldn't get into Queenstown, and
we went to Chestertown because we were out of food. We had to eat hot
dogs with no buns or mustard. The reason we had wanted to get into
Queenstown was to get groceries.

not Lankford right across the Chester. You HAVE to spend a couple of
days on the Wye. That vies with the Sassafras as Chesapeake Bay mag's
readers' choice for prettiest river on the Bay, far better than the
slog up to Chestertown.

I could go on for pages. Thankfully, I don't have to.

We do have the Gunkholer's guide. And use it. But I had not thought
of just staying in one river. That's a good idea. That's giving me
lots of ideas - we have been all up and down the Patuxent, but we
haven't done much in the Potomac.

Mostly we travel longer distances because Bob likes to actually sail
all day and we'd rather eat in a restaurant rather than cook dinner so
that means a marina rather than anchoring..

Has anyone done any cruising in the Honga? There didn't seem to be
much there unless your boat is a shallower draft than ours. (Ours is
bout 5 feet)

On 2008-05-29 00:52:13 -0400, Rosalie B. said:

Jere Lull wrote:
For instance, I see Rock Hall, but not Swan's creek; the Corsica, but

Actually, I think we were anchored in Swan's Creek. We haven't
actually been to Rock Hall - we had to get fuel and get a pumpout
because the one in Baltimore was broken, so we stopped at a marina
Gratitute for fuel and anchored over past that.

Yup, that's Swan Creek (my typo)

We stopped in the Corsica because we couldn't get into Queenstown, and
we went to Chestertown because we were out of food. We had to eat hot
dogs with no buns or mustard. The reason we had wanted to get into
Queenstown was to get groceries.

Ya gotta stay lined up with that house or you don't make it. Sidling a
few more feet away from the markers gives a pretty consistent 8-10' of
late.

You could instead have turned around for Kent Narrows and the
restaurants only 5 NM away. The Wye is just south, as is St Michaels.
Hate the last's city docks and main street stores, but there's an Acme
about 4 blocks from the Crab Claw, the main reason we ever stop in.

We do have the Gunkholer's guide. And use it. But I had not thought
of just staying in one river. That's a good idea.

You can't really know an area without staying a few days. So many
times, we find an interesting spot just around the corner. Nothing
beats lazing around just absorbing the area, particularly in places
like the Wye, which has 5-6 anchorages we like for different reasons.
One isn't named and I won't ID it. You're cruising, not voyaging.

Has anyone done any cruising in the Honga? There didn't seem to be
much there unless your boat is a shallower draft than ours. (Ours is
bout 5 feet)

Friends have been successful with 5. Too much shallow water along the
anchorages' shores for my taste. We were surrounded by at 100 yards of
open water. At one point, I saw the depth sounder go from 30 to 3.0
feet within a boat length. Big bump. I was so astounded, I slid off to
the side a bit and saw it happen yet again, albeit at a much slower
pace.

We did spend an interesting couple of days on the other side, Fishing
Bay. Chart shows a lot of green that really is just very shallow water,
but we were able to tuck in behind a sand "spit" to keep the wave
action down when a big front came through.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/