Upper Bay Favorite Spots

brettcloak

brettcloak

Member
Jul 12, 2009
71
Maryland
Boat Info
282 XSF
Engines
Twin Yamaha 250
We are new to the Bay and are looking to hear about your favorite spot. We keep our boat at the Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor and our favorite spot is to achor out right in front of the big brick mansion on the Bohemia River.

We have gone to Chesapeake City for lunch a few times as well as the Kitty Knight House up the Sassafrass and one overnight trip to Baltimore.

I love to anchor out and would love to hear your favorite spot. What else are we going to do in this weather except talk about our passion??

Brett
 
Guide To Cruising Chesapeake Bay book published by the Chesapeake Bay Magazine is a must. You can pick it up at most boat stores. Make friends at your dock and follow them to the local spots. There are some great places that calls for local knowledge to get to. My favorites are Lloydes Creek, hidden on the Sassafrass. Carra Cove on the North East. Nuti Goose Resturant in North East harbor. Fairlee Creek,Rock Hall,Kent Narrows, all easy cruises with a 340. Join a boat club. I'm in the Upper Chesapeake Yacht Club and the Wellwood in Charlestown. Ask your marina about the clubs,they know us.
 
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Hi Brett,
We are on the Bodkin Creek and keep our boat on a lift at the house. We love to cruise and see new places so we are in the process of joining the Bodkin Yacht Club to find new friends on the water. I'm not that familiar with your area above Rock Hall. I have made many passages Thur the C&D Canal and down to Ocean City and I must admit that you folks have skinny water up there. Having grown up in South County I am very familiar with the area below the Bay Bridge and down to the Va. line. I worked on Charter Boats in Solomons for awhile and would recommend staying there. Also St. Michaels and Annapolis are great boating destinations. We like to dock our boat rather than Gunk Hole. I hold a commercial fishing license and I'm also a sober skipper which means my brew time is when the boat is at the pier. Try coming down our way and you will find some neat things to explore. We have a Marina and Restaurant-Bar ( Pleasure Cove) on our creek (Bodkin) where you can dock or anchor out at Jubb Cove and take the water taxi or use your dink. Also you can go down to the Maghothy River and gunk hole at Dutch Ship Island with about 50-75 boats each week end. These are all above the Bridge and an easy run for you. Whatever your choice, gunk hole or dock side, have fun and bring "um back alive".
George





 
Brett,

We splash the boat as soon as they take the bubblers out of the water down here, usually middle of March, but at the very least the first of April for sure. As we get closer we can make plans to raft up at Still Pond. Have you been there yet? It's not far away for you.

Also we have a group trip planned for Havre de Grace in early May. It is on the website calendar.
 
Yup, Still Pond is my favorite for overnighter on the hook.
 
Still Pond, Fairlee Creek and always the "anchorage" on the Bohemia River. All great spots where we have the best boating available. I am in BBYH, and always searching for others similarly addicted to boating for rafting weekends. The top of the bay is the best, and I am already looking forward to the 2010 season. Please feel free to contact me at any time - I am in slip E - 20 - Katheryn Ann - 340 Sea Ray.
 
Where to start? We moved this year to Skipjack Cove on the Sassafras so we can get familiar with the upper-Upper Bay. But I am very familiar with the middle-Upper Bay...

Rock Hall: stay in any of the three marinas in the harbor, North Point, Rock Hall Landing or Sailing Emporium. Sailing Emporium is nicest, but it is a long walk to town. That said, they have bikes to rent and there is a Trolley that runs all around town all the time. Visit either of the two waterfront restaurants... Waterman's has dockage but Harbor Shack does not. Swan Creek is a protected cove on the north side of Rock Hall where you can anchor or there are another three excellent marinas in there (Haven Harbor, Osprey Point and Spring Cove). DO NOT MISS THE FIREWORKS AT ROCK HALL! They are one of the best on the Bay, and definitely the best on the eastern shore. They go off at 9PM on July 3rd. The town parade is on the 4th, and is straight out of the Norman Rockwell 50's. Waterman's Day is the Sunday after the fourth and includes the work boat docking contest which is also a sight to behold. Those boys can move those single screw inboards like nobody's business!

Tolchester Beach has a nice very well protected marina and beachside bar/restaurant with great sunset views, but that's about it.

Fairlee Creek has its infamous entrance. It is no big deal, it is well marked, but you will get VERY close to the beach. Yes, they actually want you to go between those green markers and the beach! And the narrow 90 degree turn into or with a raging current while everyone at Jellyfish Joels is watching is only stressful if there is another boat, usually a sailboat, clogging the entrance. Once inside there is Great Oaks Landing, which is a really nice marina with restaurant, live music, etc. There is plenty of room to anchor and there will often be big rafts in there. The navigable part of the creek goes back quite a ways, so don't feel like you need to be all the way up front. Jellyfish Joel's Beach/Tiki Bar is quite the scene and is definitely good for people watching. Lot's of muscle boats and silicone.

Next to the north between Fairlee and Worton is Button Beach (we've always called it "Belly Button", but it is marked as "Button" on the charts). It's quite exposed to the open bay, and it is not a place to spend the night, but it is a wide arcing beach with a nice sandy bottom. Most people set two anchors with bow out towards the bay and stern towards the beach. Also not a place for rafting. Wakes from the bay make it a little rough. Great place to hang on the beach and swim though. Great for dogs, as long as they don't run away! The land behind the beach is marshy, buggy, and private property!

Next north is Worton Creek; anchor in the "outer cove" for great swimming and a gorgeous sunset view. Exposed to west, so don't stay here if thunderstorms are in the forecast. On the way into Worton Creek proper is a really cool spit-beach, but I'm not willing to take on the liability involved with trying to give the local knowledge on how to get back there, plus, I have to keep some things to myself! Inside Worton Creek, there is room for anchoring (although not as much as Fairlee) and three marinas. The only marina worth staying at (IMO) is Worton Creek marina. Very old school. Stay here and have a reservation at the excellent Harbor House restaurant, and they will incorporate your family name into the menu that night (e.g. "Thompson's Crabcakes"). A little hokey (the menu thing, not the restaurant itself), but fun for the kids. Good food too. A bit expensive.

Next up is Still Pond. I have written chapter and verse on this site about the four different Still Ponds and their Pros and Cons. I'm running out of time this morning, so perhaps a search on "Still Pond" might be in order. We had a 21 boat CSR raft there last year.

In fact, the BoatPix dude took a picture of that raft from his helicopter. Perhaps he could throw us a Freebee by posting that picture here? It was July 18th.
 
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All the spots mentioned are good. I also like Back Creek off of the Sassafrass, behind Knight Island - stay to Port on the way it it gets thin to starboard. Oh BTW festivus44, do you really get that big boat back into the spit off of Worton Creek? You must get close to the bottom. It is one of my favorite gunkholes, really quiet and well protected. A fun place to hang out for the day is the flats up by Perryville. You can anchor, get out and walk south and find spots where its barely more that ankle deep. Dogs love it here. Have fun this year.
 
jcoll said:
Oh BTW festivus44, do you really get that big boat back into the spit off of Worton Creek? You must get close to the bottom. It is one of my favorite gunkholes, really quiet and well protected.
Click to expand...

I do. But like I said, I have to keep some secrets for myself!
 
Yeah, I agree, I'm not letting this one out either. I'll keep an eye out for you this year. I'll be in a 290 Sundancer - tan canvas with the wife and a Flat Coat Retriever who can't get enough "fetching the stick" in no matter how many times I throw it!!!!!!!!
 
If you are looking for an anchor out spot close to where you are, don't overllok "$1.98". It get's its name from local boaters because it would only take about that much in fuel to get there from the Sassafrass River marinas. At today's prices, they may need to rename it $49.50

Going up river, look to starboard just after passing into the no wake zone. Large cove with good/deep water all the way to shore. Be careful of a sand bar tyhat comes out in the middle but iot is also a good spot to get close to.
 
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