[NautiG]

I'm bringing my boat down to Deltaville in March. I have about two weeks for the trip, so there is no great rush to get down the bay. I've gone down the bay and back once before, sticking to the Western Shore. I'm familiar with the destinations/anchorages on that side: Magothy, Annapolis, West River, Solomons, etc. I'd like to expand my cruising experience on the eastern side of the bay.

I'll be mostly single handing, but I may have some crew for a few days out of Baltimore, if I leave on a weekend. I'd like to do most of the trip sailing, not motoring. I will be sailing during the day and anchoring at night. I realize that it will be early in the season, and there could be some snotty weather. I've got no problem sitting in an anchorage a few days waiting out the bad weather. If the weather is marginal, I'll likely motor sail to the next anchorage down the bay. If the weather is perfect and I can sail on a broad reach in 10-15 knots and a light chop while wearing a t-shirt and shorts and working on my tan, I'll sail all day.

So anyway, I've never sailed further down the bay on the Eastern Shore than St. Michaels. I did visit Tangier Island years ago by ferry. I have the Dozier waterway guide for the Mid-Atlantic and will consult it for anchorages. I have a few other Chesapeake cruising guides too, but they're stuck on the boat. I wondered if you guys had any specific recommendations for favorite routes, destinations and anchorages on the lower Eastern Shore.

Thanks, Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

 

[NautiG]

Hey John,

Hope winter is treating well down in NC. I don't think I'll be able to make it to FL next winter, but I do have fantasies about bring the boat down to NC and maybe as far south as Charleston, SC.

I don't really want to go as far out of the way as Cambridge. Looking at the charts, I was thinking about going through Knapps Narrows, and looking at somewhere along Tilghman Island as a possible anchorage, and continuing down to the Little Choptank as another possible stop.

Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

 

[NautiG]

Velero,

Those all look like possibilities. I think you're right that regardless of where I go, I'll likely have a quiet anchorage in March. My main concerns would be finding an anchorage where I could get a good night's sleep, and also not getting too far off the Chesapeake, so that I'm not spending too much time getting into and out of the bay.

I'll put a big X on my chart for Dunn's Cove. Thanks.

Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decsion

 

[NautiG]

Bill, we did a road trip to Deltaville in the fall and checked out a bunch of marinas. The boat has a 14 foot beam, so it's a bit limiting. There were a few marinas that looked good and had space for us at the time. But I haven't committed to a specific marina yet. I think there is another Gemini at Stingray point, but he's on the hard right now. I'll be sure to stop by and say hi when I come by to visit the other Gemini.

Cam, looks like Crisfield will be part of the itinerary. The only time I've been there was when I took the ferry to Tangiers. If I try to stay strictly on the Eastern Shore, the next opportunity for an anchorage south of the Little Choptank looks to be coming in between Hooper's and Bloodsworth islands. Dozier's doesn't have much to say about the area. Any recommendations for anchorages? Keep in mind that I draw only two feet with the boards up.

Thanks, Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

 

[NautiG]

Thanks Hud,

I'll try to take advantage of any good weather early in the trip to get as far down the bay as possible. I'm excited to check out my new cruising grounds and will try to visit the places you mention. It would be nice to get my bearings in the area before I have guests aboard this summer.

Wish I was further south with you!

Scott

 

[NautiG]

Bill,

We walked around Stingray, but no one was in the office the day we were there. I didn't see any slips that I thought my boat would fit in, and was surprised when another Gemini owner told me that he kept his boat there. But perhaps I didn't see the whole marina. At one of the other marinas I was told that the water at Stingray and further out the point was a little on the salty side, due to a cracked aquifer. Any opinion on that?

We visited all those marinas you mention, except for the yacht club. I agree about Dozier's. I don't see any reason to pay Annapolis prices in Deltaville. All the others are possibilities, as long as they still have something open when I get down there.

Scott

 

[NautiG]

Joe,

I'm trying to avoid Solomons, only because I've already been there twice by boat, and numerous times by land. I'd like to see some new stuff on this trip. Although I do have a free pier I can tie up to just past the bridge over the Patuxent.

If I come through the Honga river, do you have any info on anchoring in Deale Island? I would like to check out the Skipjacks.

No worries about the cold. I spent a week aboard the boat during the recent cold snap. The water froze at the marina and so did I. Pic of me on the boat then.

 

[NautiG]

ScottyT, thanks for the offer of crew, but I'm afraid that I've already got a couple guys at my marina in Baltimore that I'm going to have to fend off with a boat hook to keep them from joining me on the trip. Besides, I've done a lot of single handing and enjoy the solitude.

I didn't start this thread to discuss Deltaville marinas, but as long as we're on the subject... does anyone else have info about water quality? The admiral is a trooper. My marina in Baltimore has no amenities, and for a while the only bathroom was a porta potty. But I've been selling her on how nice it's going to be to hang out this summer by the pool at our new marina in Deltaville. I don't mind stinky water, but I'm afraid it may sour her and diminish her enthusiasm for spending time on the boat.

My current thoughts about a route for the trip are to go through Knapps Narrows and overnight in Dunns Cove. Then down to Hudson Creek on the Little Choptank. From there I'd like to come down through Hooper Strait, but I'm questioning the wisdom of this. Dozier's mentions a strong current and the chart shows this route skirting the prohibited area/bombing range on Bloodsworth Island. I'm all for taking the road less traveled, but maybe there's a good reason that people don't take this route?

Anyway, my highest priority for the trip is to do as much sailing as possible. Next highest is to see some new stuff and take some new routes. But the itinerary is not writ in stone. I'm just looking for some options to the usual Western Shore stops (Annapolis, Solomons, etc).

Thanks, Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

 

[NautiG]

Cam, currently I think my list of marinas from favorite on down would be Fishing Bay marina (I liked their big pool), Deltaville Yachting center (owners seemed nice), Deltaville Boat Yard (if as pdqaltair says they have room for me) and Stingray Point. I don't know if there are others I should be looking at.

I would like a marina with a pool. The one thing the admiral has made clear is that she would like nice, clean bathroom/shower facilities. I hadn't really thought about the water, as it had only been mentioned to me in passing at one of the marinas we visited in the fall. But on further thought, it's pretty important. I can imagine the fallout when my girl gets back from her first shower smelling of sulfur/rotten eggs. It wouldn't be a pretty scene.

 

[NautiG]

Thanks Cam, maybe it would be best if we take another trip over to Deltaville this month to check out marinas. This time I'll be sure to turn on the water in the bathhouses. Maybe I'll even sign a contract so I can be sure of my slip, rather than just showing up and playing it by ear.

Hud, I'll keep Hooper Strait on my proposed itinerary. On my way up the bay last spring I got warned by a patrol boat near the target south of Solomons. Nothing serious, just told me that they would be using the target in an hour or two, and for me to keep my course and keep moving.

 

[NautiG]

Thought I'd give you guys an update. I left Baltimore on Sunday. Surprisingly after a long cold winter, the engine started right up, and everything on the boat seems to be in working condition. I motored to White Rocks (no wind), and spent Monday sitting out the Gale warning.

Yesterday the winds were 5-10 and the bay a gentle chop. Unfortunately, the wind was from the south, and I didn't make much progress down the bay. My old catamaran does not point into the wind real well. But I want to do most of this trip sailing, and had a great day sailing to Kent Island on a single tack.

I'm anchored in Queenstown, MD while there is a small craft warning and more winds from the south. It's a nice anchorage, except for the din of route 50 in the background. There's another small craft warning tomorrow, but northerly winds. I figure I'll be fine sailing in the lee of Kent Island and will try to make Dunn's cove or Hudson creek tomorrow.

Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

 

[NautiG]

Midlife, get that boat in the water! It was pretty windy last night, but it seems to have calmed down. I'm looking forward to a sunny, if a bit chilly sail down to the Choptank today.

I haven't decided on a marina yet. Everyone in Deltaville seems to want me to sign a year contract, but I'd like to keep the option open of taking the boat further south next winter. The only place I could find that showed any flexibility was a small marina across the river from Deltaville.

I was able to check out the water at Deltaville Yachting Center. The sulphur smell wasn't as bad as I feared. I could get used to showering in it, but I think I'd want to get my drinking water elsewhere.

Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

 

[NautiG]

Boy is that some current through Kent Narrows. I don't remember it being that fast, but maybe that's because I was too busy watching the bikini contest last time I was there.

Beautiful day out. 5-10 knot winds and sunny. It's a bit nippy too, but the best thing about sailing this time of year... No crab pots! Internet on the Eastern Shore is a lot better than it was a couple years ago.

 

[NautiG]

Anchored in Deltaville. It was a great trip. I didn't make it to most of the anchorages you guys recommended, but I did see a lot of the Eastern Shore that I hadn't been to before, and did A LOT of sailing! A highlight of the trip was passing dozens of fishing boats oystering in the Tangier Sound, north of Crisfield. It was a blast listening to their conversations on the radio, even though I could only understand half what they said because of their thick accents.

Sadly, the restaurant in Crisfield where I had the best crab cake of my life is closed. It's been redeveloped into waterfront condos.

It was a cold, wet and windy trip, but I did enjoy a couple long, sunny days of sailing. I've continued to get better at balancing my sails and the rudder so that my boat will sail itself for hours at a time without an autopilot. I could never do that with my old Pearson Ariel.

And you guys convinced me. I've agreed to a slip and will be going to Stingray Point Marina tomorrow. Yes, the water stinks. I tasted it when I biked over the other day, but the marina has nice people and seems like a sailors marina.

Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

 

[NautiG]

I did not anchor in the Crisfield basin and can't comment on that. I anchored in a creek nearby and dinghied in. The creek would not be an option for most sailboats, but was fine for my catamaran draft.

I enjoy a secluded anchorage. I was rewarded this time by what I'm pretty damn sure was a bald eagle which perched on a marker nearby. It looked sort of like the vultures flying around, but had a white head. I wish I could have taken pictures, but it looked like a speck on my point and shoot camera. I could only get a good look through my binoculars.

 

[NautiG]

Midlife, I've been to a few marinas over the years and I've enjoyed my stays at all of them. The people have always been great. I just decided Stingray was the best fit for me, my boat, and the Admiral. I will however sadly miss the people I left behind at my marina in Baltimore. I had some great times with them. But I'm looking forward to having some more good times in Deltaville.

Get that boat in the water!