Chesapeake Bay or Pamlico Sound?

[Ross]

Never any ice in the Rappahannock before January and most years no ice anywhere in the entire bay.

 

[rgranger]

One other thing I recall about the bay... I once took delivery of a Coronado 25 out of a marina near Annapolis. When I arrived a nor'easter the night before had blown a tremendous amount of water out of the bay and the boat was laying on its side in the mud. I had to wait overnight for the rise. So... you can get that in the Bay as well as the sound. Another thing I've noticed about the Bay that is less noticeable in the sounds is the effect of tide and current. If you are trying to sail up the bay while the tide is going out... you will make very poor progress.... on the other hand, if you are sailing down the bay while the tide is going out... you can make great progress... the effect seems less noticeable in the N.C. sounds. And a feature of the Albemarle to keep in mind.... since it runs from West to East, you have a really long fetch... and it is shallow. A 15 to 20 mph wind will build some steep and closely spaced chop in a hurry on the Albemarle. I've had a couple of roller coaster rides there.