Annapolis Harbor in Chaos

velero · #1 08-01-2011

Where was the Harbor Master yesterday????? I arrived in the harbor around 12:30 PM and was there until about 3. What a zoo!!! Every boat went right through the anchorage at more than 6 kts. I mean every boat, AYC boats & EYC boats (both members & race committee boats), the watermark boats, jet skis and Woodwind. Some of the bigger boats went by 5-10 ft around my boat. I saw wakes about 4-5 ft.

kd3pc · #2 08-01-2011

Welcome to the world of the new boater...they are far more important than you or I. Recently we were waiting in line, 3 of us, to get in to a local fuel dock/fairway to slip our boat. All 3 waiting patiently, when a 40+ ft Hunter just blasts by us all, screaming "give way" the whole time as they abruptly cut in front of everyone...no emergency, no failures - they just did not want to wait. She told me later...."our boat doesn't wait on you all"...Was all I could do to keep my mouth shut. Luckily they were not there this year.

when we lived in Annapolis in the 80's you were either in line at the bridge and out of the harbor by 9...or as you found out, it is like the wild west..and that was then...about 4 or 5 years ago I was up and it was as you described all weekend. It seems the anchorage is just a short cut, or more buoys to race around to most there..

We now go only during the week.

Best of luck

SVAuspicious · #3 08-01-2011

Did you call the Harbormaster? I had the radio on all day yesterday and don't recall hearing anything untoward. I firmly believe the Harbormaster would have responded to a call. I think there where two Harbormaster boats out yesterday.

The racers can be overenthusiastic and go too fast but I have never seen Woodwind go too fast.

4-5 ft wakes is pretty hard to believe in Annapolis Harbor.

I'm sorry you had an unpleasant visit. I'll pass your experience along to Flip.

ilikerust · #4 08-01-2011

Makes me glad to be berthed on the lower Chesapeake - just inside the mouth of the Piankatank River.

PalmettoSailor · #5 08-03-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVAuspicious

Did you call the Harbormaster? I had the radio on all day yesterday and don't recall hearing anything untoward. I firmly believe the Harbormaster would have responded to a call. I think there where two Harbormaster boats out yesterday.

The racers can be overenthusiastic and go too fast but I have never seen Woodwind go too fast.

4-5 ft wakes is pretty hard to believe in Annapolis Harbor.

I'm sorry you had an unpleasant visit. I'll pass your experience along to Flip.

I agree that you're unlikely to see 4-5' wakes in the lower mooring field.

I've been both on weekdays and busy weekends and never witnessed anything approaching that level of activity. Yes a few boats cut through the mooring but they've always been at resonable speeds. I did have a front row seat to a near crash between a sailboat and a powerboat due to the powerboaters obvious lack of knowledge of the rules of the road but at least he was maintaining a reasonable speed.

I've defintely never seen either Woodwind boat cut through the moorings balls. They've always gone up one fairway or the other when I was there.

There is no question the lower mooring field will be more lively than the typical Chesapeake anchorage, but I've always enjoyed my stays there and like that its among the cheapest places you can visit and have access to some facilites.

velero · #6 08-03-2011

midlifesailor,

I was not in the mooring field. I was in the southern anchorage near Horn Point. There were 4-5 ft wakes around my boat. My 16 ton boat was bouncing a lot. I did not call the HM office because I decide to leave the anchorage.

Jeff_H · #7 08-03-2011

I don't know what you mean by the "Southern Anchorage near Horn Point", but there is no limited speed zone outside of the Annapolis Harbor or outside of Back Creek. And in all my years of sailing in and around Annapolis Harbor, I cannot say that I have ever seen 4 to 5 foot wakes even in the channel. Now then, if you happened to be there on a race night boats will sail very close to moored boats, but collisions between raceboats and anchored boats are so rare that they seem to be front page news when they happen and lead to major investigations.

Jeff

SVAuspicious · #8 08-03-2011

Please give Annapolis another try and do call the Harbormaster on ch 17 if you there are people not honoring the no-wake zone. We can't hold government accountable if we don't tell them there is a problem.

deniseO30 · #9 08-03-2011

Actually it sounds like a regular day in Annapolis Harbor! (I actually love the hustle and bustle of it all)

T37SOLARE · #10 08-03-2011

Quote:

Now then, if you happened to be there on a race night boats will sail very close to moored boats,

We were on a ball in the main field last Wednesday, and yes it's quite the show seeing the boats racing to get out to the start. Saw one bout sail up to & hit the SSA dock to pick up a crewman without stopping, crazy stuff....