Chesapeake charter, boat/days recommendation?

[Eric1968]

Hi,
I'm planning my first charter on the Chesapeake for 4 people, and am thinking of using Haven Charters which was highly recommended on this site. I've got my ASA 103/104 quals and plenty of sailing experience, but don't know the Bay very well. Do you think an interesting cruise could be done out of Rock Hall in 3 or 4 days? What is a typical itinerary? Also, although I have chartered a 35' Tartan before, what size boat would be suitable for 4, since I don't want to pay for unneeded space (I see Haven charters has many different boats available, it's hard to decide on one).

[johnnyquest37]

A 32' boat should easily accomodate 4 people. When in the summer are you chartering? OpSail (tall ships) will be in Baltimore June 14-19. Rock Hall hosts a Pirates and Wenches weekend the second weekend of August. Events like these will impact your itenerary.

Some destinations you'll want to consider if you are sailing out of and back to Rock Hall: Baltimore, Annapolis, and St. Michaels. To the north, Fairlee Creek and Still Pond are good destinations to anchor. Kent Island is close and worth a visit even if it is a bit power-boaty (and don't take the Kent Island Narrows lightly if you plan to pass through).

[chef2sail]

ld avoid fairlee Creek..its a power boat haven with huge raftups. Try Worton instead a few mile north. till Pond and the Sassafrass are nice. Also dont forget the Chester ( Grey Inn, Corsica, Cackaway island) great spots.

The Narrows are really not a problem if you pay attention to the marks. It opens up the Wye River and its many anchorages as well as the easy way to St Michaels.

Dave

[Yamsailor]

Shaw Bay, Rhode and West Rivers are nice. So is Selby Bay off the Magothy River.

Tons of choices from Rock Hall. I sail out of Rock Hall alot.

[DRFerron]

It might be easier to point out the few places to avoid. The list would be a whole lot shorter.

Baltimore's a nice half day trip away if you want to take in the aquarium and museums in the Inner Harbor.

With a chart as reference, Chesapeake Bay Magazine is a useful site for Bay info.

[sevent]

I used to charter with Haven - they are a good outfit. I would recommend 40 foot at a minimum - with 2 heads - for 4 adults unless you are all family. You can easily send a fun 4 days from Rock Hall. Mix up marinas and quiet anchorage. Some good suggestions already. Annapolis is a must (3 hour sail) - take a mooring ball and use a water taxi if you want to save some cash - use the moorings on the other side of the draw bridge for less traffic. Baltimore Inner Harbor (3 hours or less). The horse farm anchorage behind Gibson Island (a couple of hours). St. Michaels is a little further but worth the trip - and you can anchor out (water taxis will pick you up from your boat) or plenty of pricey marina slips. Good luck.

[musicmkr]

We chartered with Haven in Rock Hall this past weekend for three days and had a great trip. Rock Hall is a great starting point since there are plenty of great locations both North and South.

This past weekend we went to Harness Creek off the South River on Saturday night and then St Michael's on Sunday night. Harness Creek is really neat because there's a beautiful public park there where you can go for a walk and there's even a dock where you can rent kayaks and SUP equipment. You can also take a cab (or walk 3 miles) into downtown Annapolis. It was busy when we got there in the afternoon but it cleared out around dinner time. As for St. Michaels, there is tons to do/see/eat there so don't miss it if you head south from Rock Hall.

If you decide to head North then you can check out Georgetown or Havre de Grace. If you're looking for anchorages, Sue Creek off the Middle River is nice, along with Worton Creek and a bunch of places along the Sassafras River. Also even though it's a powerboat spot, the NW shore of Hart Miller Island is quite an interesting spot to anchor for lunch. There are even food boats that will deliver right to your boat.

If you go with Haven Charters make sure you board the night before. They don't charge anything for this great service. Haven Harbor Marina is a nice place to spend the night anyway and Rock Hall is a neat little town. Have a good trip!

[chef2sail]

Great report. Worton is oner of our favorite syps going north as is Still Pond and the Sassafras. Eastern shore is less crowded.

Also right around the corner the Chester River is replete with many quite scenic anchorages.

Glad you had a good time and wrote about it. Harbor Have is a class 1 outfit

Dave