Here's my problem.

We've got the boat in the water and it is about ready to go. So far
so good. We have the whole summer (except for our granddaughter's
wedding in August, and some doctor's and dentists appointments) to
sail around in the Chesapeake. I have some ideas about where to go,
but maybe there's stuff I haven't thought of.

Our marina is on the Maryland side of the Potomac so that's the
starting point. It takes us about an hour to get from the marina to
the Bay. I prefer to go with the wind obviously and I like to eat in
restaurants and not to have to travel for too long in a day.

Where we've been by boat:

1998 - Galesville (where the boat was when we bought it) to the
Patuxent where we kept the boat for two years after we bought the boat

1999 - Patuxent to Bodkin Creek, and moving to a marina in the
Potomac. Also cruised over to Honga River and anchored there.

2000 - Potomac, Cove Point, Oxford, Selby Bay, Harness Creek, Bodkin
Creek, Baltimore, Rock Hall, Queenstown, Corsica River, Chestertown,
Shaw Bay, Cook Cove (Choptank), Oxford, Solomons Island.

And then starting down the ICW 2000, Reedville, Deltaville, Chisman
Creek, Ft. Monroe, Hampton and Norfolk

2001 - coming back up the ICW Norfolk VA, Salt Creek, Cooks Landing,
Indian Creek. I can't remember what we did that summer - I think we
went around to the Patuxent, and up to Breton Bay on the Potomac. Then
down the ICW Indian Creek, Sarah Creek and Norfolk.

2002 - Bob had a heart attack in the Bahamas. We came back up the ICW
from Norfolk via Stingray Point. We visited our daughter in England
and took a narrowboat trip, but we didn't go back down the ICW in the
fall of 2002

2003 - Visited Tangier Island, and Crisfield. Down the ICW via an
anchorage off Gwynn Island in the Piankatank and Portsmouth.

2004 - Back up the ICW - Norfolk and Indian Creek. Two trips - one
Tangier, Crisfield, Reedville and the other Jackson Creek, Mobjack
Bay, and Broad Creek. Also went across the Potomac to Coles Point for
lunch with our son's family.

2005 - We didn't go much of anywhere.

2006 - Ditto as my mom died (at almost 97) and I was completely
involved in clearing up her estate, plus Bob was having his teeth out.

2007 - after we sold my mom's house in July, we did a short Labor Day
cruise Tangier, Crisfield, Onancock, Reedville.

We've never been to St. Michaels because every time I plan to go there
either the wind is wrong or it is a holiday weekend. Never been
farther north than Baltimore.

My idea is to do a lot of sailing, because I also want to go through
the Panama Canal, and I've booked a trip through it and down to Peru
and back for this fall. Problem is, we have to leave November 3rd and
Bob is complaining (already) about having to pull the boat out of the
water at the end of October. I'd really love it if the trip was later
in the year, but it's not. It was the only trip I could find that
started and ended in the US on a small cruise ship (since Bob hates
the big ones)

We pretty much have covered the bay if there is a north wind which is
all we seem to get. Where should we go if we get a good south wind for
a couple of days?

Rosalie B. wrote:
.... Where should we go if we get a good south wind for
a couple of days?

Just around the corner, up the Rappahannock.

At least a week's worth of good cruising up in there, and that's not
counting the 3+ days you'll want to stay in Urbanna

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On 2008-05-28 12:00:36 -0400, said:

Rosalie B. wrote:
.... Where should we go if we get a good south wind for
a couple of days?

Just around the corner, up the Rappahannock.

At least a week's worth of good cruising up in there, and that's not
counting the 3+ days you'll want to stay in Urbanna

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Oh, yeah! We spent 4-5 days there once. Want to go back to do it right.
Maybe we'll get a chance in August.

--
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/

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
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.

--
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/

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/