Annapolis / Baltimore beach recommendations

[skibum]

Ok guys, my fiance's 2 kids (7m and 10f) are going to be with us for the better part of 4 weeks. They really like swimming off of the boat, but prefer to swim from a beach. I am going to use this as an opportunity to get to know the local area a little better and take them to as many beaches as I can while they are here.

HMI is our regular swim spot. I need 40" of draft, and I really like my props, so I usually just drop the hook just outside of the 6MPH markers. The kids can swim/walk to the beach from there, but it is a good distance away.

We went to Fairlee Creek for the 1st time last weekend. The kids will love it there. Its absolutely on my list of places as they will be able to get to the beach / sand bar no problemo.

We haven't checked out Still Pond yet, but plan on doing so next time we are over that side of the Bay.

So, where else would you guys recommend for kids? I need places where I can get the boat close to the beach safely (4' of water), but still have it shallow enough, and close enough in for the kids to get to the beach safely. I doubt that we'll go much further south than Annapolis, but we might.

Thank you!
Michael

 

[JeffM]

Dobbin Island, on the north shore of the Magothy just beyond the Gibson Island channel has a nice beach but gets busy and rowdy on the weekend. The Magothy River Association and the new owner are in a permitting dispute over building on the island, and the owner has put a fence in at the high water mark, but there's plenty of beach outside the fence.

 

[Converse48]

Skibum-
I have kids pretty much the same age. Stillpond is a definite choice. Let me give you the lay of the land as there are four different experiences available at Stillpond.

See the map below:

In my opinion, the best experience for kids is the "Sandbar Experience", which is marked by the blue dot on the chart. There is a sandbar that comes off a spit at the mouth of Churn Creek. You can anchor in 6-8 feet of water about 50' from the sandbar in roughly the spot where the blue dot is. Then the kids can swim off the boat, play on the sand bar (we often set up a volley ball net), hang out on the beach, or ride the current that rips out of Churn Creek on tubes or noodles, etc. The current washes them right back to the sandbar.

If you have a dinghy, Churn creek (the green dot) is a great place to tube or ski. The entrance to Churn creek is completely unmarked, but it's very similar to the entrance to Fairlee creek... hug the shoreline of the beach and go around the spit. Once around the spit stick to the starboard shore until you get around to the parts where the creek opens up. It goes back a mile and a half or so. The downside of the outside experience is that the anchorage is exposed to the NW. If you get a T-storm, this is NOT the place to be. We will anchor out all night here only if there is a 0% chance of T-storms. If there IS a chance of storms, we will head to the inside...

The "Inside Experience" involves anchoring in Still Pond Creek proper. At or near the red dot. To get back there you follow the day markers that mark the entrance. The only uncomfortable part is when you get to Green 9 you won't believe that you are supposed to pass it to port, as there is barely enough room between the marker and a tree that overhangs the water. Once you get passed the tree, make a quick turn to starboard and follow the shoreline where the boat docks are. Once you get past the third boat dock (it usually has a Grand Banks trawler tied up to it), you can turn to port and anchor anywhere. There is a nice sandy bottom here, as well as the sandbar you just avoided. The creek goes back for several more miles and is a great place to ski or tube. The benefits of the inside experience are calmer water (it is protected from every wind direction and it is a no wake zone where people anchor) and wildlife. It is like a wild bird sanctuary, highlighted by several bald eagles.

In between these two is the "Coast Guard Spit" experience, marked on the chart by the yellow dot. Here you follow the markers into Still creek, but turn into a deep water basin just inside the spit. You can drop the hook here in about 20' of water and back the boat as close to the beach as you like. The drop off is so severe, you could have your swim platform on the sand and still have plenty of water under the props. This is also a great spot for kids, but the cut with the current is way too busy with boat traffic for kids to swim there. Also, sometimes the CG gets a little cranky if you get too comfortable on the beach (i.e. tents and bonfires). They can not legally keep you off the part below the high tide line, but then again, they have guns.

The fourth experience, not marked by a dot, is to anchor in deep water somewhere near the 9 just above the blue dot. This is a safe alternative that gives one (with a dinghy) access to all of the above experiences without concern about some of the "local knowledge" that may be required.

But enough about Stillpond...

Other places to try may be Button Beach, which is in between Fairlee and Worton; nice beach, but very exposed to the open bay.

Corsica River off the Chester River has some nice beaches along its shores.

Dobbins Island on Magothy River can be a popular spot although it may be a little wild ("daddy, what's that smell?") at times, and I'm not sure if the new owner is enforcing the no trespassing rules (it used to be a free for all).

I hear great things about some of the spots on the West, Rhode and South Rivers, but I have never been there. Hey, I'm an Eastern Shore guy!

Have fun!

 

[jrirvine1]

Cacaway Island on the Langford.

Head up the Chester River to Langford Creek and just past Davis Creek, keep Cacaway Island to your port side. Look for a sign on the island and anchor directly in front of the sign in the horseshoe shaped bay in about 10’ of water. Here you will find a delightful beach, and no jellyfish until about mid to late July.

 

[Walz]

You can get a slip at the marina at Sandy Point State Park which has a big beach on the bay.

 

[skibum]

Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate the suggestions. Looks like we'll check out Still Pond next.

Michael

 

[Chief]

I would also recommend Hart Miller Island. You can get fairly close to the beach and its all sand. Can get wavy there depending on the wind direction but still a decent place.

Craig

 

[skibum]

Hehe... HMI is out "The kids want to swim, and we want to burn less than $5 in gas to get them there" spot.

I'm in drystack at Bill's - you can hit HMI with a .22 from our dock.

I'm pretty sure that most of the birds in the area eat berries on the island before they dive bomb our docks. We're the closest targets.