Upper Chesapeake Bay Charter/Cruise??

[Lake Erie Boater]

CSR Mid-Atlantic Folks...

I am seriously thinking of defecting Lake Erie from June 12th to June 20th to partake in a Power Squadon Cruise of the Head of the Chesapeake Bay. The itinerary that has been set originates in Rock Hall and proceeds to Worton Creek Marina, Havre de Grace Marina, Chesapeake River City Marina then an anchor out at Georgetown and Fairlee Creek, followed by Middle River Marina, and an anchor out at Swan Creek before returning to Rock Hall. The legs are all somewhat limited as many folks are sailing it.

1. I am looking for local knowledge/suggestions regarding finding a trawler to charter. We will be 6 people with my parents and we want to do it slow boat, but not blow boat style.

2. Also just looking for any input on things to do, things NOT to do at the above locations. We have 2 kids (8 & 9) and want to find fun stuff for them to do as well.

Please download your suggestions/thoughts here. :thumbsup:

 

[hack4alivin]

While in Worton Creek, be sure to have dinner at the Harbor House restaurant right at the Marina, just a short walk up the hill. Great Food!

 

[hack4alivin]

Come on Bay boaters, surely you have some ideas and places to share.

 

[Converse48]

CSR Mid-Atlantic Folks...

I am seriously thinking of defecting Lake Erie from June 12th to June 20th to partake in a Power Squadon Cruise of the Head of the Chesapeake Bay. The itinerary that has been set originates in Rock Hall and proceeds to Worton Creek Marina, Havre de Grace Marina, Chesapeake River City Marina then an anchor out at Georgetown and Fairlee Creek, followed by Middle River Marina, and an anchor out at Swan Creek before returning to Rock Hall. The legs are all somewhat limited as many folks are sailing it.

1. I am looking for local knowledge/suggestions regarding finding a trawler to charter. We will be 6 people with my parents and we want to do it slow boat, but not blow boat style.

2. Also just looking for any input on things to do, things NOT to do at the above locations. We have 2 kids (8 & 9) and want to find fun stuff for them to do as well.

Please download your suggestions/thoughts here. :thumbsup:

I can't help with the charter, but you may want to check the Rock Hall maritime listings here. It looks like the best may be Gratitude who will charter you an Island Packet trawler.

As far as your itinerary... definitely a sailboat itinerary. You could literally do this in a day if you wanted to, stopping for lunch, cocktails and dinner along the way. Nothing wrong with any of the stops, they're all just fairly similar.

If you're going to spend this much time in the upper Bay in June, especially with kids that age (trust me, I know), you should really try to get to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. It's a tad further than your Middle River stopover, but quite frankly, that's the one that I saw as expendable (sorry Middle River guys). Plus, Swan Creek IS Rock Hall, so that shouldn't really be counted as a stop.

Also with the kids, I would highly recommend a stop in Still Pond (see my first post in a thread called 'Still Pond Raft '09' in the Mid-Atlantic section).

Also seems like a lot of marinas. That time of year is gorgeous for anchoring out as it is not yet that hot. Using your first stop Worton Creek as an example: The marina is nice enough, quaint and rustic, but once you take in the quaintness and rusticity, then what? I would agree though that Harbor House is nice. Instead of staying at the marina, you could anchor out in the outer cove of Worton Creek, which provides good protection from most directions and offers an open view across the Bay for a gorgeous sunset.

The marinas at HavreDeGrace and ChesapeakeCity are good ideas, no real place to enjoy anchoring at those locations.

Georgetown is one I might skip for Still Pond. Lots of nice marinas, but it is long haul up the Sassafras to anchor out in a narrow river. If you don't want to skip that consider skipping either Worton or Fairlee.

Still Pond, Worton and Fairlee are within minutes of each other, even on a trawler. No need to do all three. Pick two. With kids, I would skip Worton. They'll love the scene at Jelly Fish Joels in Fairlee, and you'll get you chance to see just how poor the maneuverability of a single screw inboard can be as you manage the entrance to Fairlee.

Lastly, I know this is off your itinerary, but I would hate to see someone do a "once in a lifetime" trip to the upper Bay and to not see Annapolis. I can't say enough about that town. I love it.

Bottom line: Take a look at a chart, see how close these places are and consider adding Still Pond, Baltimore and Annapolis to your itinerary.

Ping me when you're in Rock Hall. There's plenty to do there as well!

Enjoy the trip.

 

[quality time]

As usual, Tim nailed it.:thumbsup:

 

[Gimme Time]

Blue Goose Charters out of Baltimore. Bill _______ owns and runs the operation. Has 4-6 trawlers. We chartered his Nova 36 twice which has twin 150 Volvos. He has a couple of single screw boats as well. Have some age on them but Bill was great to work with considering it was our first BB charters.

 

[Lake Erie Boater]

Blue Goose Charters out of Baltimore. Bill _______ owns and runs the operation. Has 4-6 trawlers. We chartered his Nova 36 twice which has twin 150 Volvos. He has a couple of single screw boats as well. Have some age on them but Bill was great to work with considering it was our first BB charters.

I have seen the Nova 36 on their site. The pricing seems quite reasonable. The floor plan shows 2 queen size berths. Is there still room for 2 young ones (8 yr and 9 yr) to find a place to crash? They don't mind the sleeping bags, just need some space to roll them out. Is it true that the cruising speed for that boat is about 7-8 knots?

 

[Lake Erie Boater]

Festivus,

Thanks for all the info. Your photos of Still Pond are what sold the trip on my wife as we hope to find spots like this for some R&R.

What kind of currents are to be found in the upper chesapeake? I have never had to deal with that in the land of freshwater.

 

[Converse48]

Festivus,

Thanks for all the info. Your photos of Still Pond are what sold the trip on my wife as we hope to find spots like this for some R&R.

What kind of currents are to be found in the upper chesapeake? I have never had to deal with that in the land of freshwater.

Randy- I was about to type that the currents are inconsequnetial, but then I remembered my sailboat days... there are currents in this neck of the woods that will run up to 1 - 1.5 knots which can make a difference if you're only going 7-8 knots through the water.

So yes, you should pay attention to the currents, but they are easily managed.

 

[kpetry]

I have seen the Nova 36 on their site. The pricing seems quite reasonable. The floor plan shows 2 queen size berths. Is there still room for 2 young ones (8 yr and 9 yr) to find a place to crash? They don't mind the sleeping bags, just need some space to roll them out. Is it true that the cruising speed for that boat is about 7-8 knots?

We chartered the Nova 36 last summer. Good boat, but bare bones. Seemed to be in good mechanical shape. Bill is a bit of a curmudgeon, and insists things like a chart plotter are not necessary! On your checkout, he does teach you some good stuff to know on docking procedures. The marina is nicely located within walking distance of provisions and good dining. All in all, a very good value.

Looks like you have a family of four - there will be plenty of room. 7 knots is about it. Trawler speed is not bad, you have more time to enjoy the scenery, just plan your trip accordingly. A week spent between Havre De Grace and the inner harbor will still be easily done on that boat.

I might also suggest you consider Chesapeake City on the C&D canal. The have a wonderful little harbor that is great for anchoring, several neat little shops, and its an easy run to HDG the next day.