Need Help with NJ to Chesapeake Bay planning

[Sea Gull]

We are making plans for our July cruise. The discussion taking place in the “Navigating the Chesapeake†thread has me thinking about heading south this summer. Unfortunately we will not be able join those of you going to Baltimore at the end of July because of family commitments. Most likely we will leave Connecticut just after the 4th of July and spend about 2 weeks; we just have to be home on the 20th.

Among the places we want to hit along the way are: Long Beach Island, Cape May, Atlantic City, Baltimore, and Annapolis. We’ll also give Still Pond a try and are looking for other ideas and recommendations. It might be fun to take the boat up the Potomac to DC, any advice here would be appreciated. What are the other not-to-be-missed spots in the Chesapeake that we should we consider? We could spend a couple of nights at anchor, but usually prefer to be in a marina. We like to be near good restaurants, beaches and pools and half of us enjoy shopping. We are open to just about any ideas at this point.

We cruise at 25 knots in open water and usually like to travel no more than 6 hours in a day. I realize that it’s slow going through the canals and the ride from Cape May to BIH may take longer – that’s OK as long as the destination is worth it and we don’t string together too many long days in a row.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Four Suns]

Annapolis is a must.

St. Michaels is good... The pool at the marina stinks but the shopping is good.

The Hyatt up at Cambridge has a great pool if you like that. Oxford is also a neat place for a day or two. Have to get the crabcakes at Morrison's Inn. They are to die for.

A little further south is Soloman's which we always enjoy for a day or two as well. Further south from there the bay really opens up. I've never been up the Potomac so I can't say much for that.

The very south bay area is where I am. Yorktown is convenient and staying at Sarah's Creek is nice. If you like to anchor, a night in Mobjack Bay is very nice.

You cruise about the speed I do so anything is in reasonable range on the whole bay.

 

[osd9]

Among the places we want to hit along the way are: Long Beach Island, Cape May, Atlantic City,

Jeff:

I'll offer some suggestions for the Jersey side.......

LBI will be tough to get a spot......you will have to reserve early....try Morrisons....no pool, but close to restaurants and beaches....nice protected slips....I'm not familar with many other marinas that will have accomodations for a transient 58 footer....and Morrisons only has about 4 or so transients from what I've heard.....

Atlantic City shouldn't be a problem (Farley's State Marina at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino...800-876-4386) especially if you plan to be there on weekdays. Weekends can get busy....$4 foot weekends, they have discounts for weekdays.......pool (Roof top in the casino) health club, gambling, floating docks, Shopping in town at the new outlets via Jitney's, etc, etc....

Cape May....the two biggies there are Utsch's and the Canyon Club.....I have no personal experiece with either. We usually go to Wildwood and stay at Schooners Island Marina. In Cape May, eat outside at the Lobster House .....very summertime nautical type of place on the water.....

Depending on where on LBI you stay, you will want to come inside at either Barnegat or Little Egg inlets. I would suggest Barnegat and then enjoy a short relaxing ICW ride south from there. Plenty of water, but just north of and just south of the route 72 bridge the ICW will narrow up on you. It is well marked, but be extra carefull to stay in the channel there. Most LBI marinas will be an hour or less from the Barnegat Inlet.

Once you head out of LBI you could continue south via the ICW into Atlantic City, but I wouldn't suggest that route. If it is a weekend day, you definetly want to go outside via the Little Egg Inlet. The back marshes will be LOADED with fisherman in small boats fishing the channels. You will spend more time coming off plane than it's worth. There is plenty of water back there, but you will be aggravated by the time you pull into AC. Your best bet is to just go outside from LBI and come in the Absecon Inlet to AC.

Heading south of Atlantic City, the oustide is the ONLY way for you to go....if the weather is bad, hold over until it clears up. South of AC the ICW has VERY skinny water and a ton of low bridges and no wake zones where the dreaded NJ Green heads will be waiting for you....they expecially like out of towners.... :grin:

Too bad you can't make it to BIH with the other's here....but I hope I get to meet you some where along the NJ coast on your trip. I spend many weekends in AC....I already have reservations for June 30th and July 1st and then again later in July on the way back from BIH.....my home dock is a 1/2 hour north of Barnegat Inlet if you run into any problems finding overnight accomodations....I have plenty of extra dock space....even for a 58 footer......

Have fun and keep us posted......

 

[Converse48]

Sea Gull-

The Bay has alot to offer... I would agree that Annapolis is a must, and probably Baltimore too. Both are great, but to really get the authentic Chesapeake Bay experience, you should consider the towns on the Eastern Shore as well. Rock Hall (www.rockhallmd.com), Chestertown, St. Michaels, Oxford and Cambridge are all unique places.

From north to south on the Eastern Shore:

You mentioned Still Pond… there’s nothing to do there except anchor and have fun!

Rock Hall is a cool little fishing town with a nice protected harbor. You can't anchor in the harbor (OK, a few people do), but there are three nice marinas on the harbor, The Sailing Emporium (don't let the name fool you... that's where we are), Rock Hall Landing and North Point (in that order in terms of "niceness") are all on the harbor. The town is on a peninsula and on the backside of town is Swan Creek which is a nice anchorage, plus it has two first class marinas in Haven Harbour and Osprey Point. The Downtown is very small, i.e. a block long, but it has a very 1950s Norman Rockwell feel, including the old time drug store with soda fountain. Everything is pretty spread out (i.e. a long walk) but there is a trolley service that loops about town for a couple of bucks for the day. Any weekend night at either Waterman's Crab House or the Harbor Shack (both on the harbor) can be a lot of fun).

Chestertown is a very nice little historic town. It’s a long and scenic ride up the (mostly) un-developed Chester River. There are a few marinas here, but none are the “resort styleâ€. If you want to see Chestertown but don’t want to waste the fuel, the Rock Hall Trolley can be convinced to make the 15 minute drive to C-town.

St. Michaels is probably the most "developed" and if you want to stay at a marina, there are two with pools and they fill up quick. I'd do that as a mid-week stop if possible. St. Michaels Marina is on the "town side" and is less of a walk to town, while St. Michaels Harbor Inn is on the other side of the harbor and is a bit of a walk to town (it's really not that bad, plus we always take the dinghy and use it as our personal water taxi). The town itself is very charming and worth walking around. Hold on to your wallet if the Admiral likes to shop! Also, a visit to The Crab Claw on the harbor is a must. Be warned, they only take cash (I wonder why that is???).

Around Tilghman Island and through Knapps Narrows will take you to the Choptank River. First town you will encounter is Oxford. It is a sleepier version of St. Michaels. There are a couple of nice marinas in Town Creek. If you have bikes, you can bike to the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry from St. Michaels and thus see Oxford by land.

Further up the Choptank is Cambridge. This is a rapidly gentrifying old fishing town. IMO, the town doesn’t bring that much to the table but is worth a visit. We stay at the Hyatt River Marsh Marina which is just past the town under the route 50 bridge. Many people will steer you away from the Hyatt because it is expensive, it’s a long walk to the hotel/restaurant/pools and the marina is exposed to NW winds (i.e. thunderstorms). However, if you have small kids who like to have fun, this is the place to be. There are three pools, two outside and one inside, one of them has a waterslide. There is miniature golf and a game room. And they have a big outdoor chiminea where the make s’mores every night. Plus, at night they show a movie in the indoor pool. I.e., the kids can splash about while they watch a movie. If you go midweek the rates are much lower, plus the third night is free (I go crazy by the third night, but I know lot’s of people who take advantage of that deal). Lastly, there is a very nice golf course if you’re into that sort of thing.

That’s the extent of my range to the south, but I’ve heard great things about Solomons too.

If you really want to go nuts, you could go to Deale, MD, Smith Island or Tangier Island, VA.

Bottom line, you’ll love the bay! Drop me a line if you decide to come through Rock Hall.

 

[Sea Gull]

Wow! What great info. Thanks to the tree of you. My biggest problem will be figuring out what I have to miss with only two weeks vacation and 2 days of travel on either end.

The basic itinerary looks like:

CT to Cape May
Layover in Cape May
Cape May to Baltimore
Layover days in Baltimore
Baltimore to Rock Hall (or St. Michaels)
Layover in Rock Hall (or St. Michaels)
Rock Hall (or St. Michaels) to Annapolis
Layover in Annapolis
Annapolis to Cambridge
Layover in Cambridge
Cambridge to Atlantic City
Layover in Atlantic City
Atlantic City CT

The first and last days will be long, but it looks like it could be a good trip. Of course all of the above may change as I try to get reservations in all these places. I left an extra day for weather or to break up the long legs. I'll keep you all posted as plans progress.

 

[Converse48]

Gull-

A couple of comments on your itenerary:

I think you've prioritized well, but you seem torn between RH and StM. I suggest that you could skip the layover day and do both. They are only an hour and change apart... and with some of the runs you're planning, that would seem like a grocery run! As much as I love RH, I'd hate to see you skip StM, as it is quintessential Chesapeake.

You won't have any problems with reservations if you plan in advance. You may want to gamble on getting a spot on the wall in Ego Alley in Annapolis, with a mooring ball or a slip as a backup. It is the best way to experience Annapolis, but it is first come first serve. And yes, go can get that beauty of yours down Ego Alley!

As far as weather,... with rare exceptions, the Bay isn't going to throw anything at you that would keep you at the dock on a 58 footer.

Also, I'm sure you've done the math, but Camridge to AC would be one hell of a long day!

 

[CSR_Admin]

Sounds like a fun trip. When you are in Annapolis look me up. You definitely need to stay in EGO Alley in Annapolis. This is the little piece of the harbor that juts up into the center of the waterfront. It takes most people multiple seasons to see the whole Bay so don't be too ambitious. In all honesty I would not put Baltimore on your itinerary. Baltimore is our touristy concrete city like any other that you can visit by car. The Bay has so many cool spots that you will probably only ever see by boat. You could cruise up the sassafras river instead of going to Baltimore. Or maybe put Solomons on your itinerary and make Annapolis the first stop instead of Baltimore.

 

[standers]

Sea Gull-

When in Baltimore, a great dining expereience (seafood) is McCormick & Schmicks. You can dock outside the restaurant on Pier 5 (1st come 1st serve) and from there, it's an easy walk to the Inner Harbor or to Little Italy. A little longer walk or water taxi gets you into Fells Point, for a pint or 5!

By the way, as a Connecticut native myself (Hamden), I'm curious where you're hailing from?

Enjoy.

 

[CJ Martin]

Jim - how close is your shop to Ego Alley? We're planning a trip up that way in May and I'd like to stop by, say hi and thank you in person for setting up this site. :smt001

-CJ

 

[Sea Gull]

Standers,
Thanks for the info. We have eaten a a McCormick & Schmicks in Atlanta. Excellent suggestion. We already have reservations in the inner harbor for 3 nights and plan to take advantage of all that Baltimore has to offer.

We keep the boat in Stratford, CT.

 

[mrsrobinson]

We just completed a 3 day, 470 mile trip from Washington, DC to New York City. It was an adventure to say the least:

http://pictures.aol.com/galleries/g...do&state=albumId%3D51101.1505.1179104396796.1

My advise to you, plan for fog and lots of it and make sure your compass, radar and chart plotter are working well, and take good, current navigation charts. Make sure you are comfortable reading headings off the charts.

We made stops in Colonial Beach, Annapolis, Cape May and then onto the ocean to NYC. South Jersey Marina in Cape May is awesome. Dinner at the Lobster House is a must. We stayed at a marina next to the Mariott in Annapolis and we were not impressed. I cannot recall the name. They helped us tie off at the gas dock, took our money and we never saw an employee again.