Sassafras River and the Chesapeake

[rondds]

I suppose this topic is probably well-handled by Frank ImpulseIII (an ex-NJ boater) but anyone with info feel free to chime in.

What's boating like on the Sassafras? i've done a bit of mapping and marina.com-ing but it's hard to get a sense of where things are without the charts, road maps and a cruising guide (mine STARTS at the C&D canal and heads down to lewes then up to NJ coastline).

It seems that the marinas are concentrated in the Georgetown area, which necessitates a 7 mile(?) run out to the bay. Is that a no-wake zone all the way out? I had a boat at Bowleys Quarters in Middle River in the early 90s, which was great for running up or down or across the bay. It seems that the Sassafras R. is a bit further north - how far a run across the bay is it to Middle River - 15 miles? From there, i'm pretty familiar with proximity to other stuff (Inner Harbor, Annapolis, St. Michaels, Canal, etc.)

thanks in advance!

 

[ImpulseIII]

The Sassafras is absolutely great! It is fresh water which means no nettles (jelly fish), It's clean and there are lots of places to drop anchor and enjoy watching the world pass by. The only no wake area is actually just in front of the marinas (starting at Skipjack Cove and going East) and is only in effect on weekends and holidays according to the writing on the no wake barrel.

Georgetown (where all the marinas are located) is 7 miles from he bay but what a beautiful 7 mile trip it is.....at the speed of your choice the whole way!

Having only been there since October, we have not had a chance to really explore but I believe the Baltimore Inner Harbor is about a two hour cruise from Skipjack Cove. You can extrapolate other distances and times using that as a base if you are familiar with the bay.

I really think that the only down side to moving, and the hardest, was leaving all the friends we made at Dillon's Creek Marnia over the past 9 years. My wife had REAL TEARS in her eyes as we left the marina to move the boat to the Chesapeake and she wells up when we talk about the "old" marina and our friends. We still see many of them and actually are going on a cruise in February with 6 other couples from Dillon's!

Once many of our boating friends see the Chesapeake and realize that there is more to boating than Barnegat Bay, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of them move and just deal with the added commute time. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Barnegat but after a few years, it becomes a bit tiresome...same places...same few restaurants...too many morons with no clue relative to boating rules and regulations.

Anyway, sorry to be so long winded but we are really looking forward to the start of the season and getting to learn the bay.

Hope this helps.

PS. Its a great trip from Barnegat Inlet to Skipjack Cove (about 8 hours). Convince the Admiral and come visit........

 

[rondds]

frank, feel free to be long winded! that's great info. forgot abt the advantage of fresh/brackish water. i'd imagine the bohemia river is about the same in terms of dockage, etc.?? i'm fantasizing about retirement (some day WAY WAY in the future) and i know i wont be staying here in central NJ.

i have heard that the very best boating on the east coast is the chespeake and LI sound. 15+ years ago i spent two summers in a 22' cuddy. mostly water skiing, but did make trips to annapolis, the inner harbor, kent narrows (red eye's dock bar on a sunday afternoon - some of you out there know what i'm talking about :grin: ),

i'm trying to figure out the logistics of living in delaware and boating in maryland. if i hit the lottery, it could be soon. if i dont, we're talking 20 years from now :smt009

 

[ImpulseIII]

From what I have heard, the Bohemia River has all the same water attributes as the Sassafras but it is at the very Northern end of the Bay and there is really nothing (specifically water front restaurants) that is within a short ride. Being new to the area, I can't vouch for that but it is what others have said. We have lots of exploring to do next season.

I have also heard that , while we have a spider problem on the Sassafras, the problem becomes worse the further north you go and people have specifically identified the marinas on the Bohemia as being the worst around. Who knows?? I just do my best to keep the boat clean and remove the "traces" of spiders whenever I see them. Its a never ending battle..... :smt021

Anyway. good luck with the lottery. Come visit.....you won't want to go back.

 

[rondds]

frank
i was talking to the admiral about your commentary and she had a good question. what constitutes a spider problem??? do you see a lot of em inside the cabin? is the boat buried under webs each week? is there tons of spider poo?

 

[ImpulseIII]

You really do not see them but you see lots of signs that they were on your boat eating dinner and leaving what was left after digestion on your fiberglass (I am trying to keep this clean..... :smt043 ) in the form of little black specks!!!!

Most people wash their boats when they arrive on Friday afternoon to clean off the weeks worth of "stuff" and then enjoy the rest of the weekend. Its not really that bad and you really don't see them on the boat. There are several techniques that people use to lessen the problem (spraying the dock lines with spider repellent, placing dryer sheets in the cabin and cockpit and just trying to make the spiders prefer your neighbors boat to yours :grin: . I will try anything and everything and, for the most part, our boat made it thru the end of last season with minimal spider "stuff". I am told that I go a bit overboard with my spraying and cleaning but thats OK so long as the boat looks good and the spiders have their dinner elsewhere.

Really, its a small problem and in the grand scheme of things, and the beauty of the Chesapeake and all that it has to offer, it quickly becomes a non-issue.

On another post you commented on the Barnegat Inlet reputation as being simply terrible. Since the construction of the south jetty, the inlet has, for the most part, been a piece of cake. I wouldn't hesitate to use it if you are in the southern part of the bay. Naturally, you have to be aware of the wind and wave action but you will know what its like well before you enter the inlet itself. If its too bad, just turn around and go inside (ICW) if you are heading south! The worst part of using BI is the channel from the BI marker to the inlet itself. Too many people fishing in the channel occasionally makes it challenging to find the markers but with GPS and a bit of patience, its not difficult at all.

Common down......

 

[rondds]

i've heard tales of spider poo before. around us, we get the dust kicking up from the parking lot so we are constantly fighting the layer of soot and "black streak disease" that goes along with it. oh well, just another reason to wash the boat!

even my waterways cruising guide talks about BI. i have been through oyster creak canal a few times on the way in to high bar harbor and am well aware of it's "hazards." one time i made it 3/4 of the way out of the BI when i "missed the turn" to get back into oyster creek (there's a sneaky little red/green buoy that you need to hairpin around). that was a beautiful day. as a matter of fact, we turned around between the jetties and headed back in once we realized our mistake without capsizing. i even radioed my travel buddy that we should continue out and come back in through manasquan. i was serious but he wasnt interested.

to go along with the stories i've heard, here's what the waterway guide had to say...
BI has always been one to approach with caution. Boats are frequently swamped, and during the summer of 1980, seven people died in the inlet. It can be especially rough in the case of an outgoing tide that is opposed by a strong easterly wind. The Barnegat Light Coast Guard Station warns, "If you see waves breaking outside the inlet, do not proceed. If you have to (return through the inlet), you had better be wearing life jackets." Under these conditions it would be wise to detour to Manasquan Inlet when heading north or to Absecon Inlet if southbound.

i think that given a choice, i'd try to go out ANY of these inlets during either slack water or incoming tide, since most of the time (unless it's 100 degrees), the prevailing summer winds are east or southeast.