Potomac Gunkholing
- Thread starter dparilla
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Mattawoman Creek can be a nice anchorage:
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...ocal_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQnwIwAw
Aquia Creek is okay and I was there one night on my Hunter 22 when I could get into skinny water. I think that the depth is only about 5 feet most of the time.
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...ocal_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQnwIwAw
I am familiar with a lot of the places a little further away. Not sure about your boat or your typical trip, but you can also try the Port Tobacco River.
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...ocal_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQnwIwAw
Further down river you have Cobb Island, Bretton Bay, Canoe Neck Creek (behind St. Clements Island), Nomoni Bay, and a bunch of other good places. I am more familiar with these as I am in this area.
The Cruising Guide to the Chesapeake Bay is a good resource. You want to have charts for the areas as well because they can get shallow.
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...ocal_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQnwIwAw
Aquia Creek is okay and I was there one night on my Hunter 22 when I could get into skinny water. I think that the depth is only about 5 feet most of the time.
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...ocal_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQnwIwAw
I am familiar with a lot of the places a little further away. Not sure about your boat or your typical trip, but you can also try the Port Tobacco River.
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...ocal_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQnwIwAw
Further down river you have Cobb Island, Bretton Bay, Canoe Neck Creek (behind St. Clements Island), Nomoni Bay, and a bunch of other good places. I am more familiar with these as I am in this area.
The Cruising Guide to the Chesapeake Bay is a good resource. You want to have charts for the areas as well because they can get shallow.
Totally agree with BO
They get shallow.
Also note on the charts the VRE railroad bridges that run along the western shore.
I would also like to find some gunkholes in the upper Potomac. I live in Woodbridge. Unfortunately what I found when I had a 30' Catalina (5' draft) was that it is really not conducive to sailing. Seems that they put the river at the bottom of the valley for some dumb reason. The wind either blows across the river but does not come down into the valey or it blows down/up the river and you have to motor in one direction. And it is pretty sholly everywhere which makes the effective width of the river pretty narrow so you are tacking a lot.
I opted for a longer drive to the western shore of the bay in MD.
A catamoran or retractable keel boat would have lots of oportunities though.
They get shallow.
Also note on the charts the VRE railroad bridges that run along the western shore.
I would also like to find some gunkholes in the upper Potomac. I live in Woodbridge. Unfortunately what I found when I had a 30' Catalina (5' draft) was that it is really not conducive to sailing. Seems that they put the river at the bottom of the valley for some dumb reason. The wind either blows across the river but does not come down into the valey or it blows down/up the river and you have to motor in one direction. And it is pretty sholly everywhere which makes the effective width of the river pretty narrow so you are tacking a lot.
I opted for a longer drive to the western shore of the bay in MD.
A catamoran or retractable keel boat would have lots of oportunities though.
Re: Totally agree with BO
Down loadable and printable charts. http://ocsdata.ncd.noaa.gov/BookletChart/
Down loadable and printable charts. http://ocsdata.ncd.noaa.gov/BookletChart/
I like to stay to the wide parts of the Potomac and usually head towards the Bay. There are so many nice places to cruise in that area and, where I am at, the slip fees are really reasonable. I can make Smith Creek, St. Marys, Kinsale, The Coan River, Bretton Bay, Leonardtown, Canoe Neck Creek, Cobb Island, and a few other places in a reasonable day's sail.
You are right about the winds up river. East of the Rt. 301 Bridge the river is much wider and a little deeper. The winds still love to go North West or South East (usually when you want to head in the direction it will blow from that direction). Occasionally we will get a South West wind and that is LOVELY sailing!
You are right about the winds up river. East of the Rt. 301 Bridge the river is much wider and a little deeper. The winds still love to go North West or South East (usually when you want to head in the direction it will blow from that direction). Occasionally we will get a South West wind and that is LOVELY sailing!
Thanks for the links! We have the cruising gudie to the chesapeake, but looking at "inside" knowledge on other places. I am thinking about heading down to Mattawoman creek next weekend, but will take the dink into Aquia and get some good depth soundings when we get time. We draw about 4'6" so it is a pretty forgiving setup for river exploration. Just got the latest charts and digital updates too. So far, we have gone up to the 14th street bridge (limit of sailboat navigation for us with a vert. clearance of only 18 feet!) and since we are sitting at 48 to the top of the windex.... We have also spent the night at Ft. Washington (at the marina so not gunkholing per se) and treked up the river when we brought the boat down from Rhode Island with stop overs at Point Lookout and Dahlgren. Looking for some longer trips up to St. Marys and Smith Island this fall. More to follow. If anyone is heading up here in the thin water, let me know. We live in Old Town Alexandria and need no excuse to head out to any of the areas around DC.
Here's a post from March discussing Potomac anchorages. I had a link in there about Port Tobacco River. Check it out.
Neat!
Scott, thanks for the link to the old post. I knew I had seen it somewhere, but couldn't remember which site.
I like the idea! Throw some electric tape stripes for depths and probe away.
Scott, thanks for the link to the old post. I knew I had seen it somewhere, but couldn't remember which site.
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