Maryland Marina Experience

[Brina]

New (to us) boat in new location. Just purchased our 2008 330DA last month and we are trying to figure out where we want to keep it. Our last boat we had in Annapolis as we lived there which was a simple decision. We now live in Howard Count and unfortunately will have a drive to whichever marina we chose. We decided to try out the Inner Harbor due to the convenience to where I work. Like the location, but the water quality is atrocious! Not sure if that is JUST because of the amount of rain we have. It is like a floating forest. Does anyone with more experience and length in the Inner Harbor have any comments. Very interested if this is normal or just unfortunate after all of the rain. Really concerned as to what my boat might suck in or hit for that matter.
Second question, any live in Howard County and what marina are you located at. Would truly appreciate reviews! Sorry for long email. Expensive to be in the inner harbor and worry about all of this stuff.

 

[gmacd81]

New (to us) boat in new location. Just purchased our 2008 330DA last month and we are trying to figure out where we want to keep it. Our last boat we had in Annapolis as we lived there which was a simple decision. We now live in Howard Count and unfortunately will have a drive to whichever marina we chose. We decided to try out the Inner Harbor due to the convenience to where I work. Like the location, but the water quality is atrocious! Not sure if that is JUST because of the amount of rain we have. It is like a floating forest. Does anyone with more experience and length in the Inner Harbor have any comments. Very interested if this is normal or just unfortunate after all of the rain. Really concerned as to what my boat might suck in or hit for that matter.
Second question, any live in Howard County and what marina are you located at. Would truly appreciate reviews! Sorry for long email. Expensive to be in the inner harbor and worry about all of this stuff.

First, congrats on the new boat. The Admiral and I both lived in Howard county until two years ago when we moved to Annapolis. She spent all her life in HoCo and I was there since '93. Before moving we regularly made the trek to Naptown since we began docking our boat there in 2014. Choosing a marina was her focus and she visited them all. We settled on Annapolis Landing Marina on Back Creek and couldn't be happier. It's a great place with a pool, outdoor covered deck for entertaining, and a clean, new bath house with great showers. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Mears across the creek, but it's 30%+ less expensive. It has one the best fuel docks in Annapolis and you get 10% off as a slipholder. It's also home to the water taxi so you can get downtown with that or a short dinghy ride. Folks are friendly and there's quite a few live-aboards. Travel in and out of ALM avoids some traffic since you get off 97 at Arris T Allen and take Forest Drive before 50 gets clogged by bridge traffic. The dockmaster, Ralph, is great. PM me if you want his number.

 

[scooper321]

Until last year, I lived in HoCo. Moved to Canton in 2017. When I was in HoCo and contemplating marinas, my first priority was tine to the marina. I wanted to be able to get to, and use, the boat on weekdays and not just weekends. That ruled out all of Middle River and north of the City. You simply cannot get there at 5pm. Annapolis, for me, was also too far. I was in Ellicott City, however. If you're in south Columbia, Maple Lawn, etc., perhaps that's is more feasible. We ended up in Pasadena, off Rock Creek. I won't say where, but it was CHEAP. And we got exactly what we paid for. Places you might want to look into in Pasadena include Nabbs Creek, MD Yacht Club, PYY Marine or Fairview. Rock Creek has the benefit of "you're in the bay in 15 minutes".

I'd also check the marinas on the Magothy. You can get to many off route 100 and that's a nice river to anchor in, without going far.

As for Baltimore, it's ok. I'm at Lighthouse Pt now. I wouldn't want to be at any of the others, as they are too far "in" and the farther in you go, the longer it takes to get to the Bay and the more issues you have with trash. Check your strainers often! We are outside the Inner Harbor and its not bad for debris - especially once you get outside Ft McHenry. This week is not ideal however. I didn't go out this weekend at all.

 

[Brina]

Until last year, I lived in HoCo. Moved to Canton in 2017. When I was in HoCo and contemplating marinas, my first priority was tine to the marina. I wanted to be able to get to, and use, the boat on weekdays and not just weekends. That ruled out all of Middle River and north of the City. You simply cannot get there at 5pm. Annapolis, for me, was also too far. I was in Ellicott City, however. If you're in south Columbia, Maple Lawn, etc., perhaps that's is more feasible. We ended up in Pasadena, off Rock Creek. I won't say where, but it was CHEAP. And we got exactly what we paid for. Places you might want to look into in Pasadena include Nabbs Creek, MD Yacht Club, PYY Marine or Fairview. Rock Creek has the benefit of "you're in the bay in 15 minutes".

I'd also check the marinas on the Magothy. You can get to many off route 100 and that's a nice river to anchor in, without going far.

As for Baltimore, it's ok. I'm at Lighthouse Pt now. I wouldn't want to be at any of the others, as they are too far "in" and the farther in you go, the longer it takes to get to the Bay and the more issues you have with trash. Check your strainers often! We are outside the Inner Harbor and its not bad for debris - especially once you get outside Ft McHenry. This week is not ideal however. I didn't go out this weekend at all.

Thanks a ton for the response and you nailed it about the water quality when you get further in to the Inner Harbor. We are currently looking in Bodkin and Rock Creek and will likely end up there with better water and easy dash into the bay. Drive is similar to Inner Harbor to get there. We shall see, but we are glad we tried the Harbor as it was something we thought we wanted to do.

 

[Brina]

First, congrats on the new boat. The Admiral and I both lived in Howard county until two years ago when we moved to Annapolis. She spent all her life in HoCo and I was there since '93. Before moving we regularly made the trek to Naptown since we began docking our boat there in 2014. Choosing a marina was her focus and she visited them all. We settled on Annapolis Landing Marina on Back Creek and couldn't be happier. It's a great place with a pool, outdoor covered deck for entertaining, and a clean, new bath house with great showers. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Mears across the creek, but it's 30%+ less expensive. It has one the best fuel docks in Annapolis and you get 10% off as a slipholder. It's also home to the water taxi so you can get downtown with that or a short dinghy ride. Folks are friendly and there's quite a few live-aboards. Travel in and out of ALM avoids some traffic since you get off 97 at Arris T Allen and take Forest Drive before 50 gets clogged by bridge traffic. The dockmaster, Ralph, is great. PM me if you want his number.

Really wish we were closer to Annapolis as that would make this a no brainer. The drive to and from would be too challenging and close to an hour. Maybe in retirement! Love Annapolis from land and water. Cheers!

 

[scooper321]

Thanks a ton for the response and you nailed it about the water quality when you get further in to the Inner Harbor. We are currently looking in Bodkin and Rock Creek and will likely end up there with better water and easy dash into the bay. Drive is similar to Inner Harbor to get there. We shall see, but we are glad we tried the Harbor as it was something we thought we wanted to do.

Ooo. Forgot about the Bodkin. Even faster Bay access!

And definitely check out Nabbs. I have many friends there and they all love it.

Yeah, I like where I am. Marine Max is across the cove, West Marine and the tiki bar are at the entrance to my marine. I get awesome sunsets and I can walk to my boat. But if I didn’t live in the city, I wouldn’t have my boat here. Definitely a pain to access from HoCo. Good luck in your search!

 

[PlayDate]

I was at National Harbor for two years. It really is a balance of what you want. The debris on the Potomac river has been terrible this year at every marina that it runs by. It isn't just National Harbor.

It was so bad a few weeks ago I felt like I could walk across the river and not get wet! Yesterday, the water was perfect no debris to be found.

Back to National Harbor......it has a ton of restaurants, a fuel dock and a professional staff. My only compliant beyond the huge crowds that show up there was that it was wide open to the Potomac. The wind normally blows from the south and the marina has a east/west slip orientation. If the wind is up, there is no treeline to break it and docking is a complete nightmare especially if your slip is upwind from the finger pier. In addition, the wave action was considerably more there than any marina I have been at. Something to think about.

We enjoyed it there and it was a great place to throw parties. Not much to do boating wise except head up river to Alexandria and Georgetown.

I'm now at The Yards which is a great new marina located next to the Navy Yard and the Nationals stadium.

 

[JeffM]

New (to us) boat in new location. Just purchased our 2008 330DA last month and we are trying to figure out where we want to keep it. Our last boat we had in Annapolis as we lived there which was a simple decision. We now live in Howard Count and unfortunately will have a drive to whichever marina we chose. We decided to try out the Inner Harbor due to the convenience to where I work. Like the location, but the water quality is atrocious! Not sure if that is JUST because of the amount of rain we have. It is like a floating forest. Does anyone with more experience and length in the Inner Harbor have any comments. Very interested if this is normal or just unfortunate after all of the rain. Really concerned as to what my boat might suck in or hit for that matter.
Second question, any live in Howard County and what marina are you located at. Would truly appreciate reviews! Sorry for long email. Expensive to be in the inner harbor and worry about all of this stuff.

Yes, congrats on the new boat! As someone mentioned, the Magothy River has a lot to offer...there are several good restaurants on the river, a bunch of nice anchorages from rowdy to quiet, and because it’s behind Gibson Island the nettles show up later than many other locations. And it’s a 15 to 30-min run to the bay (depending on how far up the no-wake zone you are) — but there’s so much to do on the river we often don’t go out to the bay.

There are several nice marinas, with relatively easy access from Rt. 100/10. On Friday evening coming east from Howard County, though, there’s not really an easy route.

Here are some marinas to consider...we’re on the south shore, so these are the ones we can access easily. There are others worth checking out on the north shore of the river. We’re in Hamilton Harbor, in Pasadena, which is in the no-wake zone so about a half hour to the bay. They are mainly a boatel, but they do have a few in-water slips. Not a resort marina, but nice people and serviceable facility. They sell fuel, have a good mechanic on staff, and have both forklifts and a travel-lift. They offer winter storage for tenants as well as others.

Down the river a bit is Magothy Marina, a condo marina which also rents slips. Also a nice marina but they do not offer any mechanical services so you’ll have to find another marina for service and winter storage. They sell gas and diesel fuel, have a pool, and are also run by nice folks. A more active social scene than HH. We were there for a couple of years. They’re outside the no-wake zone, so about 15 min to the bay.

Just around the corner from MM is Ferry Point Marina, a smallish marina with a very popular restaurant. They offer mechanical services and winter storage. We stored our boat there when we were at Magothy, but never slipped there. Also not a resort marina but a nice facility.

As I said, there are also several on the north shore but i’m not familiar with those. Check out the Chesapeake Bay Magazine’s listings — but keep in mind they push their advertisers and so don’t include all marinas (HH isn’t listed, for example).

Hope this helps....

 

[Brina]

Yes, congrats on the new boat! As someone mentioned, the Magothy River has a lot to offer...there are several good restaurants on the river, a bunch of nice anchorages from rowdy to quiet, and because it’s behind Gibson Island the nettles show up later than many other locations. And it’s a 15 to 30-min run to the bay (depending on how far up the no-wake zone you are) — but there’s so much to do on the river we often don’t go out to the bay.

There are several nice marinas, with relatively easy access from Rt. 100/10. On Friday evening coming east from Howard County, though, there’s not really an easy route.

Here are some marinas to consider...we’re on the south shore, so these are the ones we can access easily. There are others worth checking out on the north shore of the river. We’re in Hamilton Harbor, in Pasadena, which is in the no-wake zone so about a half hour to the bay. They are mainly a boatel, but they do have a few in-water slips. Not a resort marina, but nice people and serviceable facility. They sell fuel, have a good mechanic on staff, and have both forklifts and a travel-lift. They offer winter storage for tenants as well as others.

Down the river a bit is Magothy Marina, a condo marina which also rents slips. Also a nice marina but they do not offer any mechanical services so you’ll have to find another marina for service and winter storage. They sell gas and diesel fuel, have a pool, and are also run by nice folks. A more active social scene than HH. We were there for a couple of years. They’re outside the no-wake zone, so about 15 min to the bay.

Just around the corner from MM is Ferry Point Marina, a smallish marina with a very popular restaurant. They offer mechanical services and winter storage. We stored our boat there when we were at Magothy, but never slipped there. Also not a resort marina but a nice facility.

As I said, there are also several on the north shore but i’m not familiar with those. Check out the Chesapeake Bay Magazine’s listings — but keep in mind they push their advertisers and so don’t include all marinas (HH isn’t listed, for example).

Hope this helps....

Jeff- Thank you very much for your write up. Very much appreciated as we are looking at the Magothy and Bodkin at this time. Thanks!

 

[Brina]

I was at National Harbor for two years. It really is a balance of what you want. The debris on the Potomac river has been terrible this year at every marina that it runs by. It isn't just National Harbor.

It was so bad a few weeks ago I felt like I could walk across the river and not get wet! Yesterday, the water was perfect no debris to be found.

Back to National Harbor......it has a ton of restaurants, a fuel dock and a professional staff. My only compliant beyond the huge crowds that show up there was that it was wide open to the Potomac. The wind normally blows from the south and the marina has a east/west slip orientation. If the wind is up, there is no treeline to break it and docking is a complete nightmare especially if your slip is upwind from the finger pier. In addition, the wave action was considerably more there than any marina I have been at. Something to think about.

We enjoyed it there and it was a great place to throw parties. Not much to do boating wise except head up river to Alexandria and Georgetown.

I'm now at The Yards which is a great new marina located next to the Navy Yard and the Nationals stadium.

Thanks PlayDate! Much appreciated. The Potomac is a bit far for us for annual, but we are hoping to make the trip down there soon. Probably a similar experience at National Harbor as Inner Harbor. Just a different boating experience and we are more inclined for the laid back creek with anchorage opps. Cheers!

 

[Fat Tony]

I live just below the HoCo line. I've been in both Herrington Harbor marina's in Deale and Rosehaven. Then I moved up to the West River....so basically two rivers below Annapolis. Annapolis has always been just a bit too busy for my tastes. It's about 40-45 minutes door to door from home to the marina.

It's much quieter in this river, but still has restaurants etc. There are a couple different marinas on the West River, and a few more off of the Rhode River. (I'm at Hartge's which is very laid back.) It's an easy shot out the river to so many destinations.

This weekend we didn't bother to go out on the Bay with all the crap coming down from Conowingo. We just anchored out in the Rhode River.

 

[Brina]

Appreciate all of the comments. We decided to make the move to Pleasure Cove Marina on the Bodkin. A decent ride from our home in Howard County. Met some great people and staff over the weekend. Looking forward to hanging out at our new second "home" Cheers!