Chesapeake Adventure!

G

gulfcoast john

New member
Our Plan for a Chesapeake Bay adventure:
Hello all Brats who have been there, done that!
We are planning for our first (possibly of many) Chesapeake Bay adventures cruise and would appreciate any input you guys and gals who have been there might have on ‘what not to miss.’
On the other hand, we’ll be back, no doubt.
Other than the ‘Pocket Yacht’ gathering June 8-10, our dates are flexible (ahh, retirement is great!).
In Nov we had 10 days to explore Washington, DC, surrounding areas, Annapolis and the very nicely done National Harbor by car, so we don’t need to repeat that. All highly recommended.
We’re familiar with the Delaware River (Eileen grew up in Philly), CD canal, and Cape May, NJ areas, and don’t need to repeat those.
We were not impressed by Annapolis. If that is “Ego Alley’ then they have never docked at Sandestin, FL, or The Moorings Key Largo, or Stock Island Marina, Key West. Or Palafox Pier, Pensacola. Equally un-impressed by shops, restaurants, city cleanliness. Way over-rated.
However, the free tour of the Naval Academy was great, don’t miss that.
We favor DOD bases and marinas when available, and resort marinas if anchoring out involves bugs, night temps over 70, or lots of rocking. We don’t mind the minor TC255 ‘slap’ of wavelets on the low bridgedeck when anchoring out into the wind in cool conditions, so we are outliers in that regard.
We like to power walk at least 5-6 miles per day on land or bike the equivalent. We don’t mind renting the equipment.
We learned on the last St John’s River adventure that it works well for us to go upriver at high displacement speeds (5-7MPH @ 1000-1800RPM on one engine, both down). When familiar with the river, return at lowest cruise speed (22MPH for us with 4 blade 17P props).
Currently our planned explorations include:
Jun 3-4: Andrews AFB to Sandy Hook State Park, launch and store truck and trailer rig there.
To Sassafrass River and Skipjack Cove marina, Georgetown.
Jun 5: to Baltimore Inner Harbor and explore area.
Jun 7-10: to Herrington Harbor South for Pocket Yacht Knot gathering.
Open to change on the fly:
Jun 11-12 : explore Patuxent river
Jun 13-15: explore Nanicoke river
Jun 16-18 explore Wimocoke river
Jun 19, 20 explore Pokomoki river
Jun 21-22: explore Mobjack bay
Jun 23-24: Norfolk NAS Sailing Center Marina to Dismal Swamp loop
Jun 24-25: Dismal Swamp canal to Durant Island, Alligator river NWR loop
Jun 26: to Currituck Sound and back to Norfolk AFB loop
Jun 27-29: cruise speed (24mph) back to Sandy Hook State Park launch site
All adjustable , our dates are flexible (however, we plan on trailering to Ontario in August to to the TS waterway and Goergian Bay/10,000 islands Inside Small Boat Passage) .
Any and all inputs appreciated, including by PM (Private Message).
What a great group of experienced boaters!
Cheers!
John
 
John,
Do you mean Sandy Point State Park in MD? Sandy Hook is a Gateway National Recreational area in NJ.

To me it seems as if you are going way too fast, and trying to cover too much water. If the weather kicks up it may be difficult to do 24 knots getting back. Most of my explorations of the Chesapeake was when I was in the Army, 1967-69 These were mainly racing other's sailboats, and our own 16 foot runabout. Also our 62' ketch in the 1980's. But we really liked the Eastern Shore, including Smith, Tangier and Tilghman Island. Also on the upper Eastern Shore, St. Michael's, Chestertown and Cambridge. On the Western Shore we hung out in Deltaville, Fishing Bay and the Rappahannock River.

I don't think you can go wrong on any of the areas.

You are going to find temps during the days into the mid to high 80's at times. Nights generally cool off enough to be comfortable with a fan going. Bugs, yes.
 
I grew up on "the Bay". Lots to be said for Wye River, Choptank River, Blackwater National Wildlife refuge (river into it is something like "Heart of Darkness"), Eastern Neck wildlife refuge, Rock Hall, Havre de Grace (watch out for restrictions at Aberdeen Proving Ground) and up the Susquehanna (Bald Eagles, Osprey and lots of other birds) to Port Deposit , and north to Northeast and up the Elk River, taking the canal into Delaware Bay if you want to Lewes, Delaware. Delaware Bay is a world of its own. Western shore Chesapeake into Baltimore, Severn River, Annapolis, Patuxent, Potomac into DC, and up the James River to where my family entered Virginia in the 1600's at Harrisons Landing. Lots of sheltered areas and a trend toward catering to boats doing the "Great Loop" and exploring the Bay. I'm now out here in Puget Sound. Mostly I miss the Bay's warm water, but have plans to spend some summers there in the future with my CD22.
 
Having lived in the area for years and being on the Bay and tributaries multiple
times, it takes years to explore; not possible to see it all in one visit.

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "Slow down and smell the good stuff."
 
FWIW, according to your itinerary, after Jun 23 you are no longer on the Chesapeake Bay. Last year we took a trip from the James River, through Norfolk, to some of the places you have listed on Albermarle Sound. That trip took 13 days by itself (~350 miles). We cruised at ~20mph when conditions allowed.

I think you have bit off more than you'll be able to handle trying to cover all these places in the time you have allocated. There are many places to see and explore. There will be days where conditions will (or should) deter you from travelling. The mouth and southern end of the bay can see significant wave activity if the conditions are right.
 
Having lived in the area for years and being on the Bay and tributaries multiple times, it takes years to explore; not possible to see it all in one visit.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is a really good point. Slow down, and consider spending more than a day at a few places instead of rushing to the next. Take a fishing rod, crabbing line and net, and a camera. Bay people are friendly and love to show off "The land of pleasant living". Locals will often ask about your boat, as C-Dorys don't have the lines of boats most typical for the Chesapeake...low gunwales and extensive shaded but open cockpits are the rule. Heck, people stop and ask about my CD22 nearly everywhere I go. Bay scenery can be beautiful, particularly if you move slow and notice. Going slower is safer. If you are a history buff, you may want to explore Revolutionary and Civil War sites, some adjacent to water (i.e. Yorktown, Baltimore's Ft. McHenry), or hire a driver for a few hours or a day. Uber and Lyft can make this easy. Some towns (i.e. Havre-de-Grace"), have free temp docks for visitors, and walkways along the water. Walking an hour or two is great after a day in a boat. Do "smell the good stuff" instead of your outboard's exhaust, as much as possible. You won't regret it.
 
Thanks everyone, we have pored over every suggestion and made many changes, including not having a ‘set’ schedule or being in such a rush that weather delays or a staying on a delightful river prevents us from ‘stopping to smell the roses.”
Bob, I can’t believe that you think a navigation error of only 250 miles is significant, but you’re right again (as usual) …it’s Sandy Point State Park, MD.
We have read over and over how one could spend a lifetime and still not explore all of the Chesapeake Bay. We get that and plan to come back. Our longest stint on the boat after retiring last year was 30 days in Key West in Dec (with the truck by the dock for beach adventures every day when we were not on the boat). To many of you 90 or 180 days on the boat is nothing, but we want to work up to that gradually (or, if 6 weeks turns out to be our maximum comfy level, that’s fine with us, too).
On the Gulf Coast, often one of the calmest times to cruise is soon after sunrise (we don’t like to cruise in the dark). Daytime heating, esp for predicted highs of 90 degrees or more inland, results in a sea breeze that cranks up by noon and maximizes with max inland heat, say 3:00 PM or so, with resulting thunderstorms that can be tracked by radar or cell phone app. Are the notorious Chesapeake thunderstorms like this? Is early AM cruising safer? We’re up at dawn every day so early cruising is no big deal to us.
Thanks again all; we really appreciate all your experiences and suggestions!
Happy Boating!
John
 
John,
Almost everywhere we have cruised the early morning is the calmest time of the day, but there are a number of exceptions. These depend on the weather fronts, which are well delineated by the time they get to the Chesapeake.

Probably the most notorious of the Chesapeake weather are the line squalls. I have seen 50 knots on several occasions (I have also seen a very severe one on Mobile bay. My experience in S. Florida in the summer was almost a daily afternoon thunderstorm. Not so in the Chesapeake. More associated with predicted fronts moving across the USA. Yes, they can be tracked on the phone--and you should be able to get reception almost everywhere on the Chesapeake. Verizon will give you the best coverage. If you want better coverage, then consider a cellular amp like the "weBoost" by Wilson, with a marine antenna.

Good to hear that you are going to consider slowing down...probably your best move. There is always some great adventure of place to see around the corner on the Chesapeake. Still a lot of working boats there--and I find these fascinating, along with the maritime history.
 
Hi John, Well bad, as somewhere along the last bunch of months I'm sure you told us you were retired. (Now confirmed in you opening post.) Well congratulations, and it sounds like you are doing it right. Time for some good cruising, and time to be able to take a weather day when needed, or to just take a day when the urge arises.

I agree with Bob on the general morning weather. Sunrise to late morning will usually work to avoid the diurnal winds. Depending on temps, they may begin earlier or later. Good place to find out is local fishing knowledge.

Sure can't help much on the Chessy, I have never been in the neighborhood but want to wish you well through the journey. Enjoy, and relax, stay safe and both of you have a great time.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
OH!!
One classic Eastern Shore MUST SEE* stop is the waterfront restaurant in
Goose Creek. Hardly a tourist joint; just some bikers and friendly folks
who go the extra mile to enjoy old Maryland seafood at its best ever.

*At Goose Creek Marina, off Rumbley Rd, Westover, MD - east in Tangier Sound
about 8 - 10 miles north of Crisfield (another real eastern shore seafood find).

Aye.
 
about 8 - 10 miles north of Crisfield (another real eastern shore seafood find).
*At Goose Creek Marina, off Rumbley Rd, Westover, MD - east in Tangier Sound
Click to expand...

I heartily agree you'll enjoy the hearty food there. Nearby Crisfield is featured in the book "Beautiful Swimmer". You might read this, and Miechner's "Chesapeake" if you want some history and a view on Bay culture past and present from people that clearly appreciate it.
 
Chesapeake mariners, beware, everywhere (it seems): crab pots, fish nets
and shoaling galore (not to mention restricted areas military jets use for
practice strafing). Don't take it personally.

Your vigilance will be well rewarded once ashore.

Aye.
 
Hi John and Eileen,
you will LOVE the Chesapeake. There are SO many nice places to visit. A few years back we lived in Norfolk and later in Baltimore. Some of our favorites were:
Smithfield, VA
Portsmouth, VA
St Michaels, MD
Chestertown, MD
Rock Hall, MD
Annapolis, MD

Steve Baum is a C-brat who lives in Portsmouth - I am sure he will share some of his knowledge with you. Steve organizes a C-brat outing or two just about every year. Steve and his wife Joan are wonderful people.
Have fund and watch out for those pesky crab pots!
 
Chesapeake mariners, beware, everywhere (it seems): crab pots, fish nets
and shoaling galore (not to mention restricted areas military jets use for
practice strafing). Don't take it personally.
Click to expand...

Crabbing will usually be done with lines in the shallower north Bay and Bay tributaries. There are usually only two floats usually, though the baited line can be a half mile long, with sinkers to keep bait and line on the bottom. Not a snagging problem like crab (Chesapeake Bay) and lobster pots (Maine), which are put out by the hundreds in deeper water, and easily snaggable when the tide stretches the sinking line (by law) toward the surface. It can be fun to watch a crabber work the line, slowly moving with the "roller" bringing the line off the bottom, and the crabber netting crabs as fast as they can. I've posted a couple of pictures of this technique under "Maryland Line Crabbing" in my photo section.

In the north, crabs don't arrive in abundance until late August and into September. These crabs MOVE...thus the term "Beautiful Swimmer". Larger waters are also more sheltered in the North, and most large boats turn into Baltimore, though some will continue into Delaware Bay through the C&D canal. If you do go into Delaware Bay, a visit to Schaefer's Canal House is popular. They have a free dock. Also, Lewes, Delaware and nearby Cape May, NJ, can be a birders paradise, as many species of migrating birds rest either before or after crossing the mouth of Delaware Bay. This isn't quite as dramatic or as dangerous as the mouth of the Chesapeake, which is much busier with "bigger" weather.

Geez, your posts are already making me start thinking of a Fall trip back here where I grew up and rediscovering all of those neat places again.
 
With something like a C-Dory, crab pots are not a big concern. It is easy to pass between/around them. Also, the shallow draft means that a lot more of the bay is open to a C-Dory than to some other boats.

So far, we've only got stuck once in one of the tributaries to the bay and it was easy to pole off.
 
Thanks all for your suggestions and comments…believe me, Eileen and I are carefully looking at each!
We’ve therefore decided to ‘cut’ the Dismal Swamp Loop off this trip (that’s 178 water miles) and defer it for another adventure. Technically, it’s not part of the Chesapeake anyway.
We plan on using a technique we used on the Hontoon River Adventure…cruise up any un-familiar river or shallow or complex area on one engine (with the other down but off) at 5-7MPH. Some depths charted as 0 ft were really 5, and some charted as 5 ft were really 2. This gives lots and lots of time to make notations on the plotter as waypoints and comments. Then return at lowest cruise speed through the least complex areas after we’ve been through them at least once. The ‘off’ engine or prop is unlikely to be damaged by by a slow-speed strike when the hydraulics kick it up with a strike.
I’m always aghast at the 10 million lobster trap between Key West and Dry Tortugas on the Fast Ferry or seaplane. Of course, in the winter (who goes there in the summer?) there is ALWAYS a 15-20 knot NE trade wind with whitecaps which completely engulf the typical trap buoy, which is 2-4 painted Styrofoam balls the size of a small Florida orange, and when painted white or green or blue are invisible in the billion whitecaps around you. We can’t imagine the Chesapeake could be any worse than that on the days we would consider cruising.
We are planning with a 2014 Garmin Vision Mid-Atlantic SD card from Amazon which is pretty obviously counterfeit ($78 vs vs $378 for the current genuine Garmin SD card).
I also have Rose Point Coastal Explorer 2011 for the laptop with maps and sealed GPS USB sensor and un-opened NMEA2000 Gateway that is supposed to be much more intuitive to use with free maps. But I just can’t get myself to like it. Bob warns laptop screens aren’t bright enough to use, though I’ve only tried home use. Pat Anderson made it work somehow on his Loop. Anyway, I’ll sell the whole $650 combo for the first $250 and pay for Priority shipping to the first Brat who wants it with 14 day return full refund. Send me a PM to get it if you want it. I’ve been dealing with the primitive, free non-Windows Garmin Homeport interface so long that to me at least, modern Windows 10 commands and files seem more cumbersome. I know it’s just what I’m used to. However, compared to Garmin the Rose Point Tech support is fabulous…US (California) based real techs pick up in person on the second ring and know your issue very well every time. I admit it is a superior product…just not for me.
Today added 200 ft of Lewmar ½’ plaited windlass line to my 90 ft of G4 ¼” Hi Test chain with a link pounded and epoxied with JB weld. Partly cleaned up a rat’s nest of excess wiring to the Helm Bus (now 2).
We both conclude the Deckadence marine carpeting, esp in the cockpit, is the best boat improvement we’ve ever done. Everything (sand, dirt, wind debris, pollen, dead bugs) goes through it where it’s never seen underneath). Never, EVER show anyone what’s under there, or they’ll want it. If the entire cockpit looks and feels like pristine plastic carpet, who cares what’s hidden under there?
Thanks again, we really appreciate the experiences you have, and it’s comforting to know what others have already successfully done.
Happy Boating!
John and Eileen
 
FWIW, any place you'd want to anchor in the bay area is likely to less than 10' deep. Most rode I've ever paid out in that area is ~30' (+10' chain on the anchor).
 
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