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Herrington Harbor (Harbour?) South - For a small transient

9K views 25 replies 12 participants last post by  sealover 
#1 ·
I'd like to hear some thoughts on Herrington Harbour South. Wife wants a beach vacation this year but time and budget may only allow a long weekend or a mid-week getaway. Saw an article in Proptalk with a big picture of the marina. Palm trees, huge pool. Caribbean-themed. Showed it to the redhead and she agreed that might be a nice substitute for our usual Myrtle Beach vacation.

The plan would be to launch from a nearby marina, sail to Herrington, tie up and "live aboard" our 17 footer. Cook a meal or two on the grille and eat a few in the restaurant. Spend the days at the pool/nature trail/sauna or sailing nearby. (I guess that depends on conditions and the redhead)

What are the transient slips like? Sheltered fairly well from waves? How much (if any) advance reservation would I need to get one for a 2-night period during the first or second week of August?

As far as the tight quarters - we spent a night in a 4' x 4' tent on the infield of Watkins Glen during a cold rain storm. I expect this to be no worse.

Oh and another dumb question. Is "shore power" electricity offered at marinas 110V and a conventional outlet? If it's hot and muggy I'd hope to run a small fan plugged into the same extension cord I use for outdoor Christmas lights.
 
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#2 ·
Herrington is great place to stay for transients. Top notch accomadations and the people are nice there. Most slips at any marina will be either 30 amp or 50 amp service. You will need to get a 30 amp adapter to run a 110 cord to it. The are not expensive. My only caveat is to make sure that your extension cord is waterproof and not near the water. The extra electrolytic current will not be appreciated by the nearby boats. Also make sure you have netting for the mosquitos. Have fun at HH..great pool.

Dave
 
#3 ·
Good call on the mosquito net. When I crossed the country in a Jetta wagon I rigged up some sort of bridal veil material from the fabric store over the (open) sunroof, held on with strips of refrigerator magnets. Worked great when sleeping along the road somewhere. I'll come up with something for the companionway! 30 amp adapter -- so it looks like a clothes dryer power cord? I guess I could just buy a battery powered fan and some D cells.

Another dumb question -- looks like I pay by the foot. My boat is a 17 by model designation. Hull actually measures 17' 6" bow pulpit might bump it up a few inches. motor mount another half foot or so. Plus the outboard. So am I paying for 20' ? 18? Seems like most places say they have slips for "25 to 50 footers" Do they charge a minimum length? So many questions!
 
#4 ·
not to stray off the OP original question too much, but are there any moorings in or near Herrington Harbor. The weekend before our summer cruise south we had thought we would get the boat part of the way down the bay and leave it on a mooring. If we can make it, I know Zanhizers in Solomons does, but was not as familiar with HH.

Thanks,
 
#6 ·
No moorings in Herring Bay area.

not to stray off the OP original question too much, but are there any moorings in or near Herrington Harbor. The weekend before our summer cruise south we had thought we would get the boat part of the way down the bay and leave it on a mooring. If we can make it, I know Zanhizers in Solomons does, but was not as familiar with HH.

Thanks,
Only marinas.

Anchorage near Herrington Harbor North is possible, but not common.
 
#5 ·
Defender has the adapter 30A male to 15 amp for $52 (WM is 82). It has come in handy for other uses such as when I have shore power and just want to run a power tool on an extension cord saw up the mast or topside. I dont have to use the AC on the boat. Batteries will run down quickly. I am sure you will need a fan.

HH probably has a minimum charge for a 25ft slip. Our club charges $1.50 per foot one of the cheapest you will ever find. Even $2 to $2.50 per foot is very cheap. In New England it is 3.50 and 4 per foot. This is why most of us anchor out or take a mooring in New England.

I understand you want it to be a vacation so splurge and stay in a slip, use the showers pool and the facilities. Remember you fee pays for that,

Dave
 
#7 ·
I am relocating my boat to HHS in the very near future and have checked out the marina enough to know that it would be a decent place for a relaxing vacation. That said, I'd encourage you to consider either earlier or later in the year. The heat in August is simply oppressive, and unless you are prepared with coverings over your hatches and portlights, afternoon thundershowers can force you to close up the boat making it an effective crockpot for humans. Otherwise, it sounds like a great plan.
 
#9 ·
I'd go to solomon's myself. More to do, places to anchor / moor / dock. You'll find that HHS is top noch, but not much else to do nearby. Solomon's has a lot of shops, more food options, and can keep you busy for a week pretty easily.
 
#11 ·
Most newer power pylons have conventional 15A 110 outlets in addition to the 30A and/or 50A marine outlets. I expect HHS does but don't know for sure. Surely someone on Sailnet is at Herrington Harbour.
Only 30 or 50amp service is provided from the pylons @ HHS.

As for transient slips, most likely they will put you on a Tee head, but seeing your size they might be able to find a slip if you call and talk to them well in advance. (there are very few to no empty slips, and a waiting list to get one)

Another thing you might want to consider is getting a room at the Inn Herrington Harbour Marinas Chesapeake Bay Resort - Dining - Lodging

If you launch in Deale, you would be able to take the beach trolley back and retrieve your car so you could explore the area, expand your dining & provisioning options.

Chef,
As for mooring balls, there's nothing available nearby but you might want to see what the transient fees are at some of the other Deale marinas.
 
#12 ·
Hmm... $312 for two weeknights. Plus slip. Then no baking in crockpot. And no need for a fan.

Good to know about the trolley. Having my car there would be nice. Will look into Solomons too. Don't think I'd spend $52 on an adapter. Should be able to come up with a fan and some batteries for that price. Then I can use it without shore power too. Remember -- this is a 17 foot boat. There is no electrical system.
 
#13 ·
Also to note, most marinas do not allow open grilling on your boat when tied up in a slip. Thats why they have BBQ pits. A fire on a pier through a careless grill or an ungrounded wire could destroy a lot of boats in close proximity with each other, not to mention the fuel dock.
 
#15 ·
They started cracking down on this a couple seasons ago at my marina due to several boat explosions at other local marinas...
 
#14 ·
As Chef says, HHS does not allow grilling aboard your boat but there are lots of barbecue grills.
We've been at HHS for six years now and it's really a great place.
Pool and beach are great and you can pick up the trolley at the marina and take it into Chesapeake Beach/North Beach where there are lots of shops and restaurants. Food at the marina restaurant (Mangos) varies depedning on the chef. Last year it was good the year before not so much. I would also recommend Neptune's in North Beach -- doesn't look like much but the food is very good. Rates for your boat over the weekend would be $51/day plus electricity or maybe $54/day if the call your boat and 18-footer. It's cheaper during the week (Sunday-Thursday) . When we're out of our slip for the weekend or longer we give the marina office a heads-up and the usually rent out our slip to transients. No moorings anywhere nearby.
Anyway, give them a call and they can give you all the up-to-date info
 
#17 ·
Hadn't thought about the grilling/fire/explosion thing. Using a provided BBQ is easier than trying to rig one up on the boat anyhow. I found a website for a Herrington Harbor cruising club... Thought maybe if I planned my trip while they are circumnavigating Delmarva maybe I could use one of their slips and just pay the boat owner directly. I've never docked at a Marina before so I know no etiquette. Is subletting allowed?

Don't mean to make waves (so to speak), just trying to keep in line with my signature.
 
#18 ·
You may want to check out Spring Cove Marina in Solomons before you make your reservation at HHS. The bathrooms rooms are awesome, very private, the pool is fantastic, the grounds are kept beautiful, there is a restaurant on site, and its just a 10-15 walk into town with many restaurants, shops, and the boardwalk along the Patuxent (btw, the fireworks there on the 4th are superb). Zahnizers Marina just up the creek a bit from Spring cove is almost as nice but they have mooring balls for a lot cheaper than a slip (note your sig). If the boat gets old for a week there is a Holiday Inn or something with-in a 5 minute walk of each marina. The best in Solomons is the Calvert Maritime Museum.

I'm not saying HHS or HHN isnt great, but there's not much outside the marinas that I am aware of. ;)
 
#19 ·
Sealover,

As Bloodhunter may have mentioned. We have the same rules in our club. When a member is out for the weekend, on a weekend trip etc we give notice to the basin director.

They then rent out our slip. We recover the electricity fee as it is our metered electricity we pay for. The club or in your case HH receives the moneys generated by the slip rental. We are not allowed to sublet our slips.

You will have a great time at HH I am sure. Keep in mind that their slips like our clubs are where most of us pay a lot of money to have a safe secure quiet place to keep our boats, thats why it sometimes seems a little restrictive to transients. Our club is not a hotel with a lot of people in and out, but a second home to most of us who spend our weekends on our boats. Some people opt for private slips in back of peoples houses with little amenities. Some of us stay at clubs/ marinas which afford us pools, restaurants, restrooms/ showers, marine services, pump outs, fuel, and the camaraderie of other sailors and boaters. Or club has a sail fleet which gets together on weekends sometimes and does mini rendezvous in various harbors where we may raft up sometimes or anchor solitary and have a cocktail/ hor devore hour. The club/ marina is a place where we safely keep our boats.
While we welcome transients and other clubs with open arms, we have "rules" in order to preserve the main purpose of the slips in general.

This is one of the reasons I happily am willing to host the Sailnet Rendezvous on June 19. I am sure you will have a great time in HH and the Rendezvous and hope it eventually it entices you as it did most of us with the lifestyle to enjoy your passion and follow the progression to bigger sailboats (this disease we have become afflicted with) so it becomes a lifestyle.

Dave
 
#21 ·
...hope it eventually it entices you as it did most of us with the lifestyle to enjoy your passion and follow the progression to bigger sailboats (this disease we have become afflicted with) so it becomes a lifestyle.
Larger sailboat not necessary. At least a progression of larger sailboats is not necessary. We stopped at 22 ft and know a few people cruising in similar size boats. If you are going to do a lot of marina hopping (which we do) it's nice to have a boat fitted for that (shore power, head, galley) but doable without.

Sealover said:
Thought maybe if I planned my trip while they are circumnavigating Delmarva maybe I could use one of their slips and just pay the boat owner directly. I've never docked at a Marina before so I know no etiquette. Is subletting allowed?
For every marina I'm aware of, if you are coming in for a short term stay, you are a transient and must pay the transient fees. Some marinas are more small boat friendly than others. I've never stayed at HHS but ones that come immediately to mind are Spring Cove in Solomons, Knapps Narrows Inn & Marina, Shipwright's Harbor in Deale and (perhaps surprisingly) Mears on Back Creek in Eastport (Annapolis). HHS is on our list of places to try. One of the nice things about small boat cruising is that marinas can often squeeze you in someplace. It may not be the best spot in the marina but on a busy weekend, you may just be glad for a space. Last year we called Knapps a week before Labor Day (a last minute decision to go on a club cruise) and were told "no slips" until we said 22 ft when they said "oh, wait a minute".

And if you are looking for great advice from all kinds of small boat cruising check out the TSBB - The Trailer Sailor Bulletin Board Trailer Sailor Discussion Forum - Message Index

Best,
Mary Lou
Rhodes 22 Fretless
Rock Hall, MD
 
#20 ·
I agree with T37chef. We have stayed at Spring Cove 5 times. It is agreat place with all the chef has mentioned and the town is so close with restaurants and things to do.

We always stay there when in Solomons
 
#22 ·
No offense meant by the larger boat progression. Anyone who enjoys the water on a boat is ok by me. I meant maybe youll get bit by the bug like my wife and I have and buy a larger boat to travel and see other places as opposed to a day or weekend sail.

For us it is our passion. We use our boats to take longer trips and vacations like to New England and for weeks around the Chesapeake. We get our housework done after work during the week so we can be "freed" up to hang out almost every weekend from march 15- Dec 15. Our sailboat is our second home.

Dave
 
#23 ·
No offense taken (or intended). Just wanted to point out that cruising is not limited to "big" boats. We wouldn't take off for New England in ours but we have cruised for a week or two at a time and from 1999 to 2006 it was our second home as well. It's still our waterfront property. Small boat cruising isn't for everyone but it has its unique rewards (and limitations). Folks with small boats shouldn't necessarily put off cruising until they have a larger boat especially on the Chesapeake.

Mary Lou
Rhodes 22 Fretless
Rock Hall, MD
 
#25 ·
SailFar.net



I have looked at it but not regularly. There are some good cruise stories there, a few folks who are doing long distance cruises in smaller boats and a few more folks dreaming about it. I've been a member of the TSBB for a long time and tend to go there when I'm looking for advice on small boat topics. Some people participate in both communities.

ML
 
#26 ·
The big boat bug bit me when I first stepped on board a Rhodes 22 at the Annapolis sailboat show. The guy (turns out he owns the company...) said "Naw, you don't have to take your shoes off" Sounds like my kind of company! Every now and then I pull out that 11 page manifesto they gave me and drool over it. Missed a rough one on Craigslist for 2500... still kicking myself for that.

Until then, my 17 footer will do just fine. Definitely easy to tow with a 6 cylinder station wagon and rig/launch/sail single handed.
 
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