Possible Relocation?

[rme78]

Hello everyone,

I am potentially relocating from Lake Minnetonka, MN to the D.C. Metro, Virginia, or surrounding Maryland area. (I will be based out of South Suburb D.C. but I can live anywhere within 1 hr) I am looking for suggestions for fun places to boat that would be within a half hour drive. I have a wife and two dogs. We are looking for fun places to anchor and hang out with fellow boaters and also be able to go to bars/restaurants. We are also looking for suggestions of places where the water is clean. I have heard mixed answers on both the Potomac and Chesapeake. My research also showed Lake Anna but I am not sure if it has bars/restaurants on it. (which would be a deal breaker for the admiral)

Another concern, while I have been boating for years I am not so sure about getting into "choppy water"....i.e. three foot waves. I have only ever boated in lakes with the largest being about 14,000 acres so I am a little nervous about being on the bay if the waves are big. I am going from input and I have heard everything from the bay is like glass to it can get nasty. If it does get nasty, is that common? Is that only with 30 mph winds? Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[mistercomputerman]

I've been boating in the lower part of the Chesapeake for 38 years and it hasn't killed me yet. Just like any other new boating venue, you have to learn a bit about the area and when it is safe to go and when you stay tied to the dock and do maintenance work.

No need to let it scare you, but, as always, respect is the key. There are several guys on the forum that live up that way. I'm sure that they will put their $.05 worth in about the upper end of the Bay.

 

[DiveCuda]

Our little family did two tours up in the MD/DC area. The first, we lived in Annapolis. Great boating area, one of the best in the nation. The drive from DC, straight out 50, if you plan it right, 45 mins.
I have boating friends on Lake Anna; beautiful lake, some nice little cafes, but too far. If you want a 30 min drive, Lake Anna's not it. With traffic, you're looking at a couple of hours.
You might want to consider a marina in the DC area. We didn't boat the Potomac, but it's a beautiful area to live--we lived in Alexandria VA our second tour. I think the Admiral would be very pleased with the various places to boat as well as stop for sightseeing, drinks etc.
I will say, in the three years we boated on the Chesapeake, we loved it. If it was rough, we stayed in the Marina. Otherwise, we spent most weekends from May until Oct on the water: Baltimore, Annapolis, Queenstown, St. Michaels, Oxford...look 'em up on the map. Just great boating.
Good luck,
ear:thumbsup:

 

[rme78]

Thanks so much for the posts! I have heard a lot of great things but boating is a huge part of what we do as a family so we obviously do not want to get there and find out we made a mistake. Everyone I spoke with says it is amazing but then I get online and you read the "one off" type articles and you can't be sure since you have never been there before.

 

[ANYTIME]

Your boat is identical to our last boat. I live in a small town that is about 60 miles SW of Washington, DC. We did our boating on the Potomac River in the Woodbridge area, there are several nice Marinas where you could keep your 310. You might "Google" Belmont Bay Marina, which is located in Woodbridge, and just a mile or two from the area's Sea Ray Dealer, Prince William Marine. PWM generally has a several year waiting list for slips, but Belmont usually has them available. Belmont Bay is located in Prince William County, one of the few Virginia counties that DOES NOT impose a personal Property tax on boats.

Lake Anna would be a significant drive for you, from DC, at least 2 hours - probably more. We considered moving our boat to Lake Anna. We found a nice marina there where we could purchase a covered slip for around $40k (a couple of years ago), but decided against it due to the high personal property taxes there.

If you boat out of Belmont Bay, it is a couple of hours cruise to the Chesapeake Bay. As an alternative, you may also keep your boat at the Colonial Beach Marina, and you will be an hour from the Bay. They have some very nice covered slips there and are reasonably priced. Colonial Beach is a minimum of 2 hours from DC, I-95/Route 1 traffic permitting.

I am retired Navy, so I was able to get a slip at the Quantico Marina for an excellent price. It is located in Prince William County, so I was able to avoid the property tax dilemma.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I will try to help.

I wonder how you like your 310 w/Axius. The Admiral and I really enjoyed ours. It took nearly a full season for Prince William Marine and Mercury to get it fully operational, and once they did, it was a dream. To demonstrate the Sky Hook feature, I would go out into the middle of the Potomac off of Quantico, place the bow of the boat a couple of feet from Buoy G43, with the full force of the river's current broadside on the boat, activate Sky Hook and the boat would stay in the same spot without moving more than a foot or so.

 

[WDCboater]

I live in Northern VA and have my boat at James Creek in DC. If you're south, look near Woodbridge, VA. There are several marinas on the Occoquan. Occoquan bay is a nice area and it's loaded with Sea Rays when the weather's nice. (The area's Sea Ray dealer is on the Occoquan)

Up in DC there are a few nice spots. I often anchor north of Georgetown. You can also dock at the Gtown waterfront, but it gets busy fast. There's also Alexandria's City Dock and National Harbor. Although, I think NH is a bit of a tourist trap and overpriced.

In terms of chop, I have a 240 Sundancer and it cuts through the waves just fine. I've been out on Occoquan Bay in a 350 in 3' waves and it's a comfortable ride as well.

 

[cpt. sundancer]

That's a big change going from tonka to D.C., political move????. Crime rate is high there. good luck

 

[Mikemapva]

Hi,

I keep my boat about an hour south of DC on the Potomac (actually the Occoquan). There are several marinas in the area and I can give you more tips if interested. The Potomac used to have terrible water quality back in the 1960's, but has gotten better since then. It is not crystal clear like Florida water, but we get in it every time we go out in the summer and have not had any ill effects. After a heavy rain storm, the quality is usually worse due to the runoff from shore.

There are a number of restaurants around the Occoquan including Tim's Rivershore, Water's Edge, and Maddigan's. There are also areas in DC to visit as well.

There are also several places where people tie up and hang out on shore and in the water on the weekends. One of them is an area at the mouth of the Occoquan called Belmont Bay.

We enjoy the Potomac and have gone as far as the Chesapeake Bay (about 80 miles from the Occoquan). There are a lot more places to explore as you go south on the river as there are many smaller rivers and the river is also much wider.

I hope this helps.

Oh yes, 2 local websites are www.partyonthepotomac.com (very slow to load) and www.aquiacreek.com Aquia creek is about 45 minutes south of the Occoquan.