Chesapeake Bay trip - advice requested

L

Loose Cannon

Member
Apr 2, 2010
164
Havre de Grace, MD
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I finally have time to take an extended boat trip in my 280DA so the planning starts now. My marina is in Havre de Grace, MD on the Susquehanna river and initial thinking is a trip down the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic (or close to it) hitting destinations on one side on the way down and switch sides for the return trip. The upper Bay destinations are out, first destination will be below Annapolis. I may be alone for most of this trip so I am seeking advice for safety, recommended destinations, tips, etc. Allowing 2-3 weeks with short stays and prefer floating docks when available. Also, are there any tracking devices that would allow someone to track my whereabouts via Internet throughout the trip? My 280DA has a single 8.1 with 100 gallon tank, ~15 GPH at 29 MPH. I have towing coverage updated, 2 VHFs (1 portable/floating) + cell phone + current charts. I am in no hurry so staying docked on bad weather days. Targeting July, maybe earlier. Very excited and look forward to your advice and comments.
 
Our yacht club just stayed at Crisfield for the weekend and it appears to be a great marina with plenty of nearby food options though I can't speak to it directly. Check out the target ship American Mariner located about 9 miles northwest of Ewell, Smith Island, MD. just don't get too close.
 
Safety side:
-Buy an EPIRB. The weather in the bay can change in a heartbeat and if you lose your engine for any reason and can't reach someone on the VHF it can be a life saver. I would never head into the bay without mine.
-You may even want to consider a small life raft that you can stash on the boat. Revere makes one that's about the size of a briefcase. It's a coastal, but it's better than nothing and would fit on a 280.
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/revere-supply--coastal-compact-life-raft-2-person-valise--9941089
-Watch the tides. I crossed the bay at the mouth of the Potomac at the wrong time once and it was rough

In terms of places to stop/see:
-Solomons Island. Great town. I stay at Zanheisers, but there are several great marinas. Good restaurants. This is a very well protected area.
-Crisfield has a nice marina and it's close to restaurants. They have nice floating docks.
-Stop in Tangier Island for a night. Parks Marina is the only place to stay. This spot is like stepping back in time. **Have CASH handy for food and fuel. Not every place takes CC's (including the fuel dock) and the ATM in town doesn't always work.
-Hyatt Chesapeake Bay offers a promotion where if you stay for 2 nights the third is free.
http://chesapeakebay.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/marina.html
 
Marsh Hyatt Regency on the Chop Tank River
Tangier Island, but no floating docks at Parks Marine- Hilda Crocketts is a great place to eat.
Cape Charles city marina. New docks, and eat and drink at the Shanty
Kings Creek Marina in Cape Charles also, but can be tricky to get into.
Blue Water Marina in Hampton. Surf Rider Restaurant
Long Bay Point Marina on the Lynnhaven River, or Marina Shores.

AIS is a great. I would recommend you install AIS if you are going to make the trip. XM WEATHER, EPIRB, and radar. The weather down here on the lower bay can go from good to real nasty very quickly. Make sure your GPS is updated and you have current electronic charts. Paper charts are a must also. You can use your IPAD as a backup, but would not recommend it as primary. Garmin Blue Chart app is great. Plan your fuel stops, and do not push the limits on your fuel.
 
First off, the Active Captain website is a great resource. https://activecaptain.com/

The range of you boat will likely be less of issue than your willingness to get beaten up for hours on end. The Chesapeake can be nasty depending on the wind sped, direction and tide. About 50nm is the Admiral's limit.

There are may great places to visit on the Bay, however be mindful that some of the smaller towns may not be fully open seven days a week. Plan accordingly.

Are you looking for resort marinas or quiet towns with lots of history?

-CJ
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far, great stuff. Let me answer some of your questions. Regarding AIS, Radar, EPIRB, life raft suggestions: Based on budget I am looking at the ARC AquaLink View PLB and an auto-inflatable life vest (full vest, not belt pack). Not sure I need AIS/Radar for the long term; however, I just registered a MMSI number for my fixed VHF,ICOM M424G) which has DSC/GPS allowing push button distress with coordinates.

How far down am I coming? Originally thought about Cape Charles.. hitting eastern shore destinations on the way down and western shore on the way home; however, most of the eastern shore suggestions have been above Tangier so I could turn around there and head toward Solomons if there are gaps in interest between Tangier and Cape Charles. I obviously need to research more; this is early planning.

Regarding my preferred destination types, I would like a taste of the Bay with short stops in many places: small towns, larger areas, a resort or two (i.e. Hyatt at Cambridge). Prefer areas that have some accessibility into the town whether it is walking, bike, cab, etc. The idea is to get a taste and plan future trips to the areas I like, staying longer.
Sounds like things can get rougher than the Upper Bay so I will learn more about tides and their effects as suggested; any resources on that would be appreciated. Will review the Active Captain site, looks very useful.




 
Loose Cannon said:
Thanks for the suggestions so far, great stuff. Let me answer some of your questions. Regarding AIS, Radar, EPIRB, life raft suggestions: Based on budget I am looking at the ARC AquaLink View PLB and an auto-inflatable life vest (full vest, not belt pack). Not sure I need AIS/Radar for the long term; however, I just registered a MMSI number for my fixed VHF,ICOM M424G) which has DSC/GPS allowing push button distress with coordinates.

How far down am I coming? Originally thought about Cape Charles.. hitting eastern shore destinations on the way down and western shore on the way home; however, most of the eastern shore suggestions have been above Tangier so I could turn around there and head toward Solomons if there are gaps in interest between Tangier and Cape Charles. I obviously need to research more; this is early planning.

Regarding my preferred destination types, I would like a taste of the Bay with short stops in many places: small towns, larger areas, a resort or two (i.e. Hyatt at Cambridge). Prefer areas that have some accessibility into the town whether it is walking, bike, cab, etc. The idea is to get a taste and plan future trips to the areas I like, staying longer.
Sounds like things can get rougher than the Upper Bay so I will learn more about tides and their effects as suggested; any resources on that would be appreciated. Will review the Active Captain site, looks very useful.




Click to expand...

Make sure you plan 1 evening at the Tides Inn on the Rappahanock... beautiful resort/ great food and pool/nice floating docks. a little pricier but its all top -rate. Always lots of nice Sea Rays and other yachts there on the weekends to admire as well!

Urbanna Town Marina is nice and clean as well ( just 15 minutes up river from the Tides Inn) and you can walk to a few nice restaraunts up the hill into town...try "The Works" one of our favorite overnight trips.
 
You might enjoy a stop at Mears Marina, Kent Narrows. Annie's Steakhouse has good food and Red Eye's has live bands on weekends. St Michaels is always popular with tons of bars and restaurants. Knapps Narrows is fun, watch for the shoaling in the channel approaching from the bay. Active Captain is a great source of up to date info on the channel into Knapps Narrows. Oxford is a great stop, Brewers marina is nice and has a pool. Oxford has the best ice cream on the eastern shore at the Highland Creamery. Schooners is a great dock bar. You might consider the Cambridge municipal marina instead of the Hyatt. The municipal marina is just a couple of blocks from downtown Cambridge with great restaurants and the RAR brewery. The Hyatt has a great pool, but no access to town. Solomon's is always a great stop with multiple marinas, restaurants and bars. One of the nicest resorts on the bay is the Tides Inn on the Rappahannock river in Irvington VA.
 
Annapolis would be a good first stop, then Herrington Harbor (south for a nice stay & North for maintenance/west marine on site) in Deale are great stops on the western shore... From there you can also access north beach and Chesapeake by land (car/cab/uber). Next stop south would be Solomons. After that, I'd recommend advice given by others as I've not gone past solomons in my boat.

Coming back up the eastern shore side of the bay you could stop in Cambridge Hyatt, then to Tilghman Island (either around to the outside on the bay, or north through Knapps narrows), continue north into eastern bay and over to St. Michaels (a town not to be skipped and worth a day or two if you have time), then north through eastern bay to Kent Narrows (Mears is a nice marina and multiple great restaurants within a 10 minute walk), out the top of the narrows, then stop in Rock Hall (the actual harbor side, or accessible from swan creek too), Fairlee creek has some fun raftups and a nice marina, then Georgetown... All these locations have a fuel dock and are within an hour or two cruise of each other comfortably.

If you are looking for good anchoring spots vs marinas, let me know and I can send some ideas.

ActiveCaptain has a tracking app/feature you could use, and the website is generally a great resource. For non-boaters to view you, Life360 is a iphone/android app that allows location sharing with family and circles that works well. You could also use standard apps like find my iphone etc.
 
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Smithfield Station. Very close to the mouth of the James River, on the Pagan River. Quaint town. Nice walking trail. Nice architecture throughout the town. Great restaurants in town and the marina restaurant has never failed me. Docking can be tough because of tidal flow, but the dockmaster is always there to lend a hand. An inside slip removes all that but spoils the view. At slack tide it's like docking on a lake.

http://www.smithfieldstation.com/

I've no affiliation with the place other than being a satisfied customer.

~~~EDIT ADD~~~

+1's for Urbanna and Rappahanock as well.
 
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Thanks Jim. I am a regular at Rock Hall, Fairlee Creek, Georgetown, and Baltimore as they are close to home port. This trip is about further destinations; that said, St. Michaels may be a good first stop on the way down.
Will probably stick to marinas for this trip as I am not comfortable anchoring alone in new areas.
JimFromMD said:
Annapolis would be a good first stop, then Herrington Harbor (south for a nice stay & North for maintenance/west marine on site) in Deale are great stops on the western shore... From there you can also access north beach and Chesapeake by land (car/cab/uber). Next stop south would be Solomons. After that, I'd recommend advice given by others as I've not gone past solomons in my boat.

Coming back up the eastern shore side of the bay you could stop in Cambridge Hyatt, then through napps narrows to Tilghman Island, continue north into eastern bay and over to St. Michaels (a town not to be skipped and worth a day or two if you have time), then north through eastern bay to Kent Narrows (Mears is a nice marina and multiple great restaurants within a 10 minute walk), out the top of the narrows, then stop in Rock Hall (the actual harbor side, or accessible from swan creek too), Fairlee creek has some fun raftups and a nice marina, then Georgetown... All these locations have a fuel dock and are within an hour or two cruise of each other comfortably.

If you are looking for good anchoring spots vs marinas, let me know and I can send some ideas.

ActiveCaptain has a tracking app/feature you could use, and the website is generally a great resource. For non-boaters to view you, Life360 is a iphone/android app that allows location sharing with family and circles that works well. You could also use standard apps like find my iphone etc.
Click to expand...
 
Loose Cannon said:
Thanks Jim. I am a regular at Rock Hall, Fairlee Creek, Georgetown, and Baltimore as they are close to home port. This trip is about further destinations; that said, St. Michaels may be a good first stop on the way down.
Will probably stick to marinas for this trip as I am not comfortable anchoring alone in new areas.
Click to expand...

I haven't done Chestertown on the north side of Kent Narrows in Chester river, but hope to this season. Might be a nice stop in stead of Rock Hall, before going into eastern bay / St. Mikes.
 
If you get the Garmin Blue Chart app it works with ActiveCaptain and will overlay their information on the charts. This is very helpful.

The Waterway Guide is also nice. http://www.waterwayguide.com
I have their book for the Chesapeake. It has good reading material on different destinations, etc.

If Radar and AIS aren't in the budget I'd still highly recommend an EPIRB. It's the one device that will tell rescuers exactly where you are if you end up in trouble and it isn't dependent on line of sight or someone hearing your VHF distress call.
 
Thanks Ryan, I will definitely review those resources. I am looking at the ACR Aqualink View (this is a PLB, not an EPIRB). I am new to these devices; however, I believe the PLB will be effective as long as I affix to my person/lifejacket. Are there strong reasons to consider an EPIRB instead? From what I see, EPIRB is similar but has a longer battery life and must be registered to the vessel. I like being able to take the PLB on other boats.

WDCboater said:
If you get the Garmin Blue Chart app it works with ActiveCaptain and will overlay their information on the charts. This is very helpful.

The Waterway Guide is also nice. http://www.waterwayguide.com
I have their book for the Chesapeake. It has good reading material on different destinations, etc.

If Radar and AIS aren't in the budget I'd still highly recommend an EPIRB. It's the one device that will tell rescuers exactly where you are if you end up in trouble and it isn't dependent on line of sight or someone hearing your VHF distress call.
Click to expand...
 
I just have one thing to say.....I am soooooooo jealous! Have a great trip and be safe. Get the Tap-a-Talk app for you phone so you can keep us all up to date as you go.
 
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