jersey to chespke,anchor/marinas?

[redhead78]

Evening all, I am heading south from Sandy Hook area tomorrow, maiden voyage in my newly powered boat, to Chesapeake area, anybody know of good anchor spots, or marinas, I would appreciate it. I am going to stop at Charlestown Marina, I believe in the northeast river, my sister lives in Perryville MD.Anybody know this area, my charts are coming tomorrow, bridges? I draw 6.5'. Thanks in advance. Red

[priscilla]

Hey Red, Your bible for this trip should be the Northern and mid-Atlantic Waterway guide, they will give you the marinas and anchorages. In the Delaware I like the Cohansey River and Reedy Island Dike, both are easy and protected. Cape May harbor has lots of marinas but holding ground is poor. You should have a good sail up the Delware but the Jersey shore may be a motor boat ride. You don't need that mid-Atlantic guide as your destination is at the very top of the Cheas. bay. Have fun...watch out for the tugs and barges. BILL

[wwilson]

Originally Posted by redhead78

Evening all, I am heading south from Sandy Hook area tomorrow, maiden voyage in my newly powered boat, to Chesapeake area, anybody know of good anchor spots, or marinas, I would appreciate it. I am going to stop at Charlestown Marina, I believe in the northeast river, my sister lives in Perryville MD.Anybody know this area, my charts are coming tomorrow, bridges? I draw 6.5'. Thanks in advance. Red

Red,

Southbound, Atlantic City (Absecon Inlet) and Cape May will be your only real choices given the draft of your boat. Both have sand bottoms and decent holding with a well set anchor. Here are the anchorage coordinates: Atlantic CIty 39°22.90'N x 74°25.29'W, Cape May 38°57.02'N x 74°53.03W.

You will not fit through the Cape May Canal, so be prepared to go round the long way. The run up the Delaware Bay is boring and interminable. Don't fall prey to the "horrors" hype that some want to spoon on it.

Once in the Chesapeake, you will want to anchor either at Veezy Pt. on the outer edge of the Bohemia R (39°28.57'N x 75°56.21'W). or in the Sassafras R. if you still have the light to make it on the run that will start early from Cape May. While Northeast is on the upper end of the Chesapeake I think that you will find it will take you another day due to the channel that you will have to take. Paste the following URL (minus the lead dash) into your browser for the Upper Chesapeake 1:40K chart.

_http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12274.shtml

You may have to take the channel to Havre de Grace then as far to Northeast as you can get from there. I have 6'2" draft and 60' mast and have done your trip (minus the Northeast stop) a number of times. You will have fun with it. Be careful with T-storms predicted for Saturday.

[killarney_sailor]

Be careful if you want to use the anchorage at Chesapeake City. The anchorage is fine and the town is very nice to visit but there is less water than the charts say. With your draft you *might* be ok going in and out at high tide. Inside there is lots of water.

[SVAuspicious]

I agree with Wayne that Atlantic City is a great stop for your first day southbound from Sandy Hook. The anchorage shown on the chart (see ActiveCaptain.com if it isn't on your chart) is quite good. The depths on the chart look like you can cut through from the channel into Farley State Marina, but you can't. There is a hump. Head up to the bridge and turn left around the green buoy.

Like Wayne, and probably you, we don't fit under the bridge at Cape May. Accordingly we don't head in there at all - we anchor at Cape Henlopen just inside the inner breakwater. Plan on leaving Henlopen at slack before flood and you can be on the Chesapeake in 12(ish) hours. If you're lucky enough to catch slack before flood in the morning you can anchor in Still Pond or Worton Creek before dark. Unless there is personal reason to stop in Chesapeake City I wouldn't recommend stopping there if you time the currents right.

[wwilson]

Interesting Henlopen info Dave!

I've never tried it, but it would have been very convenient when we did our DELMARVA circumnavigation. (We went clockwise and should have gone counterclockwise - rattled the fillings out of some teeth pounding all night down the coast against the wind. Oh well.) But it would add ~10nm on to a trip up the Delaware from a northern entrance and that ~10nm at the least desirable part of the trip, the mouth of the bay.

killarny,

I agree with your assessment but was put in mind of a cruiser's experience in Chesapeake City written up in Sail® Mag. last year. Here is the link if you are interested. Best wishes for your Carrib cruise & subsequent circumnav.

Chesapeake City misfortunes

[SVAuspicious]

Originally Posted by wwilson

Interesting Henlopen info Dave!

I've never tried it, but it would have been very convenient when we did our DELMARVA circumnavigation. (We went clockwise and should have gone counterclockwise - rattled the fillings out of some teeth pounding all night down the coast against the wind. Oh well.) But it would add ~10nm on to a trip up the Delaware from a northern entrance and that ~10nm at the least desirable part of the trip, the mouth of the bay.

I stopped in Cape Henlopen most recently coming back from RI in May. I carefully stepped off the distances and assuming an eastern entrance and western exit from Cape Henlopen the "extra" distance was only a couple of miles. I haven't found the mouth of the Delaware Bay to be that big a deal. If you anchor inside the outer breakwater it may well be a wash. Avoiding the stress associated with shoaling in Cape May was worth a few extra miles to me. Finally, catching the current on the way up the DE Bay from Henlopen is easier (fewer uncertainties) than from Cape May Inlet. YMMV of course.