mooring buoy on the chesapeake bay

[jtuner119]

i want to place a mooring buoy around annapolis area. preferably south of annapolis but i have no idea where to even begin looking. anyone have any suggestions? i have an 82 catalina 30 with a deep fin keel. i wouldnt mind staying at a marina or a slip if it was under $150 a month. please help.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Check the winds. Most of our weather comes out of the west but the storms are NorEasters. you will want protection from both (and all the others if you can get it). That means a location with land to the west and north east so Whitehall bay comes to mind. There are several coves in the Severn R. that would also serve this purpose, assuming you can find one that has the depth and enough swing room.

 

[jtuner119]

thanks bill. i was thinking south river but i know someone that lives between south river and rhodes river. but i would have to place the buoy on the bay. i'll look at severn river but i would have to get a permit from annapolis. rhodes river looks promising.

 

[Bill Roosa]

I know there are lots of moorings on Smith Creek south of Galesville. Also check South Creek just to the east. Both of these have mud bottoms with good holding. Smith Creek is a bit on the thin depth wise though.

 

[jtuner119]

Smith creek is too far for me. I'm looking either west river or on the bay between south and rhode river.

 

[dparilla]

Check out mill creek, by Cantlers. There is a small mooring field just inside the mouth of the creek near the Navy marina. It is well sheltered and could support several more mooring points.

 

[jtuner119]

thanks dparilla. that looks awesome. im definitely going to look at that.

 

[jtuner119]

I've done some research on Mill Creek and apparently the home owners are very hard to deal with there.

 

[NotCook]

I've done some research on Mill Creek and apparently the home owners are very hard to deal with there.

Good point. What do you do about docking a dink wherever you put the ball?

What is required in the way of approvals, permits, etc. for placing a ball? We just acquired one in St. Croix. There you install the ball then go to the DPNR for essentially an annual "cruising permit".

 

[jtuner119]

I've spoken to DNR and Annapolis harbor master. There are no permits required for a single recreational use mooring buoy. There are restrictions and guidelines that have to be followed. If it is within the annapolis city limits, there is a fee. There's a fee to be on the waiting list and then there's an annual fee and an annual registration fee. I spoke to a marine service that does mooring installations. They are the ones that told me about the home owners at mill creek. The issue of where to keep the dinghy does arise. I was just going to launch at the nearest public boat launch and go from there. Or water taxi. There is nothing on the regulations saying how far the dinghy has to be stored from the vessel but that seems to be the issue at mill creek.