Sailing the Potomac River

[Artwenk]

I live just south of Alexandria, Virginia (15 miles south of Washington DC) and was wondering how good or bad the sailing conditions are on the Potomac River. How are the winds, depth and so on. Any knowledge worth sharing would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance,
Art

[mark101266]

Art,

We wife and I currently keep a boat at Washington Sailing Marina. We have been sailing the Potomac since we purchased her 6 months ago. The problems that we have experienced center around traffic and space. If you plan on sailing a small (20'' or less) day sailer, then you will be relatively satisfied scooting around between the marina and the Wilson bridge. However, sailing a larger (25-30'') boat that craves to travel a longer distance may prove to be a bit of a pain. You will find that unless you travel very far south (below Mt. Vernon), you are seriously constrained by depth. ALso, weekend traffic is horrible. Powerboats will zip by at 20 knots as close as 10 FEET from you. This is no fun at all.

Anyway, we have discovered that we love sailing, and as a result are in the process of moving to the Chesapeake. We think it will be well worth the 40 - 45 minute drive each way, as the sailing will be so much more rewarding.