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Best place to keep a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay if you live in Philadelphia
I'm new to Philadelphia and have never sailed on the Chesapeake Bay. I've been sailing my whole life and I'm looking to buy a sailboat boat and keep it on the Chesapeake Bay. I would like to enjoy the bay with my wife and two small kids.
I'm looking for a location on the bay to keep my boat that is somewhat close to Philly (with-in 2 hours) but would offer me a great family location.
Eastern shore, Georgetown MD is on the saffafras. A longish ride from there to the bay but very close to philly, Elkton, Baltimore of course, You can join one of the 30 YCs on the Del River and just head for the bay via the C & D canal. When I had my boat at Georgetown it was about 2 hrs. traffic was terrible many times. then we wised up and took 295 south to Delaware. What size boat you looking for?
I live in Allentown. I have kept boats in Georgetown, MD on the Sassafras and in Annapolis.
Georgetown - Closer, rural setting, very protected, brackish water easy on boats, beautiful river; long motor up and down river to get sailing room, wind are flakier on upper bay, its a long distance to get to most organized raftups if you join a group as they generally center around Annapolis.
Annapolis - Well you know the setting, some marinas can be very exposed, can be sailing in minutes. Closed to raftups and gatherings. Longer drive.
We loved Georgetown for the setting, but the sailing was not great. This is the primary reason we ended up moving to Annapolis in spite of the drive.
eastern shore is easier driving. but remember, while the sassafras is closer to philadelphia, you can get to the good cruising grounds further south much faster at 60 miles an hour than you can at 6 miles an hour. I keep my boat in Rock Hall. Only a half hour or 45 minutes beyond the sassafras marinas by car but half a day closer to annapolis, wye river, st. michaels, choptank, etc. etc. etc. by boat
We live just above Phila and spent 8 years at Skipjack Cove on the Sassafrass in Georgetown. Pluses are it's close to home, the river is very scenic and nice to play on with the kids, friendly people on the eastern shore. Negatives, like others said, it's a long way to the bay. Also loaded with power boats. Apx 7 miles, 45 mins to where you can actually sail without fear of a collision. An hour and a half to get to the bay heading south. Limited places to cruise to in a reasonable length of time as a result. We moved to Baltimore Inner Harbor this past spring and are very pleased. We're now within 3-4 hrs of too many places to mention to cruise to. I'd also second Rock Hall, Worton Creek, Tolchester as good eastern shore locations. As mentioned the extra 15-20 mins by road opens up your cruising grounds dramatically.
Rock Hall was my choice. Many sailors there are from eastern Pennsylvania. I live in Easton, PA and it's a 3+hour drive for me. From Philly you should be around 2-hours to Rock Hall.
Quickly on the bay, in a matter of minutes, and plenty of places to which you can cruise. Lots of good anchorages around too.
I agree that it is far better to travel south at 60mph than at sailboat speeds. I think you will love Rock Hall. There are things to do in town if the weather keeps you in port. That's important with small kids. Rock Hall has several marinas to choose from. Sailing Emporium is a nice, family owned marina. Or you can choose Worton Creek Marina on Worton Creek who also does a nice job and is in a great location for sailing. Great Oak Harbor on Fairlee Creek is also a good choice. There is a beach across the harbor that is great for swimming if you wade through the flock of power boats. I agree with what others have said; stay away from Georgetown as it is very far to the Bay and you basically have 1 direction to sail to: South. Besides, the powerboats will be very annoying as they speed to the bay. I would stay to the eastern shore. Baltimore has some nice marinas and is priced reasonably but it is a long trip down the Patapsco to the Bay. Go south and you have to deal with traffic in and around Balto. which will add time and aggivation. There are several nice marinas on Middle River north of Balto. such as Bowleys. Bowleys does a nice job, is friendly to families and has a pool. Middle River is very busy with boats and can get hectic in the summer. Good luck with finding a boat and a place. Welcome to the Bay.Tod
Like the others, we found Rock Hall to be a reasonable compromise between distance driven and a great place to sail from. Lots of good marinas to choose from. Nice little town with a West Marine and a grocery store. Easy day's sail from destinations like Annapolis, the Miles River, the Chester River, the Magothy River, Baltimore, Worton Creek. We lived on the north side of Philadelphia (Ft. Washington) and it was usually a 2 hour drive (except Friday afternoons in the summer - I 476 was terrible!) Avoid it if you can.
The warning comes because we found it to be a life-changing experience. We liked the rural area so much that I retired early and we moved here.
Sassafrass River marinas are 4 miles (plan on at least an hour) from the bay, good for charging batteries and getting WAKED by rude stinkpots. If you want to explore the bay you can only go 'south'. 60 mph will get you a lot further south.
Mid upper bay on the eastern shore offers more versatility - Worton Creek (3 marinas), Fairleigh Creek (1 marina), Tolchester (1 marina), Rock Hall (many marinas). All access by relatively uncongested/rural highways.
The upper Western Shore can be a problem with traffic congestion on I-95: Harve de Grace area has a loooooong ride out to the bay; Middle River, etc.
Unless you like the go fast, party boys and girls I'd stay away from Great Oak Harbor at Fairlee Creek. Lot's of noise, lot's drunks, very crowded on weekends.
Georgetown marinas are actually 7+ miles or 1 1/2hr from the bay. The river opens up apx 3/4 of the way out or apx 45 mins. Good sailing from there on out.
G Town marinas charge more for fuel than any other place on the bay. Captive audience mentality?
G Town marinas have plenty of spiders. The spiders take care of the misquitos. They can be managed by keeping your boat washed weekly.
G Town has barn swallows. Nice birds until they sit on your rigging and crap on your deck. Again not a problem with weekly boat washing. Keeping jib sheets slack during the week eliminates a place for them to sit and ****.
You wont notice the extra 20 mins to get further south (Rock Hall, Worton Creek) by car.
The eastern shore is very relaxing with friendly people. Not unusal to have someone offer to share a table in a resturant with you if it's crowded. It's very scenic as well.
Very few toll roads unlike Rt95.
Also fairly crime free. A lot of folks never lock anything up.
Life style is slow and relaxed. Nothing gets done in a hurry. You'll need to adapt to it or become frustrated when dealing with vendors.
Beautiful sunsets since you'll have a view to the west.
Night skys that make you wonder how there can be that many stars.
Fewer resturants to choose from.
Few medical facilities. Not important unless you have an emergency, then it's a long drive to get help.
Do the speed limit. State and local cops have radar and use it to boost the community revenues. Of course the MD Staties do a pretty good job out on Rt 95 too.
Overall a great place for the family and boat. I highly recommend you take a drive down some sunny Saturday and see for yourself. Don't forget to stop for ice cream at Durdings on Rock Hall. Mmmmmm good.
We would have to recommend the Rock Hall area. You can pick marina's in the little town proper and they will put you out on the bay in a blink. There are also some nice locations up the Chester and they still have Rock Hall addresses. There is Long Cove Marina and Edwards Lankford Bay Marina. You can have slips or moorings. There are many creeks to explore off the Chester and when it is blowing stink, you can still enjoy a terrific sail on the river. If you want to get South, the Narrows is a sail down the Chester or the Western Shore is just a day sail away. We always figured that all the boats on the Western side come to the Eastern Shore on Saturday while the folks on the Eastern Shore travel west. You can still find anchorages that are not totally filled which is a joy. No matter, it makes for perfect weekend travels, and far better than traveling out the Sassafras getting rocked by power boaters who are less than knowledgeble handlers of vessels . Good luck with your venture. It will bring years of enjoyment.
Thanks for caring. The day must have been bad....at the end of the day, I am so tired I couldn't see so tried to increase the size of font...won't do that again. Also learned we need to have our yanmar overhauled...OUCH!!
Since you've settled on Rock Hall make sure you check out the Sailing Emporium and Osprey Point. Both require a lengthier walk into town but in my opinion are worth it. (not sure of the prices though) Beautiful grounds and well kept buildings at each. Keep in mind that there can be a fair amount of noise from some of the bars in town. Something you may not notice if you're shopping for a slip in the off season. Happy searching!
I have my boat at Haven Harbour. They are really first rate. Excellent riggers and mechanics too. (Not cheap but they do it right the first time and if they dont, they redo it on their dime, not mine)
Man if 2 hours driving gets you to a marina on the bay proper vs. an hour driving to land you 3/4 of an hour up a tributary, I'd say you're nuts not to drive the extra distance. The bay is too big and rich to explore in a lifetime. Spending hours to-ing and fro-ing up a creek to get to the bay is a waste of precious sailing time.
The closest bay access to me is about 1.5 hours with no traffic snarls, but I love the mid/lower bay, so we choose to drive over 3 hours to our boat.
I'd have to agree with the last post re Swan Creek Marina: Family run, laid back, nice people, very fair rates.
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