I am a novice and have usually sailed on local lakes but I am looking for some suggestions as to the best places along the east coast to vacation and be able to sail in a little bigger water. (Not the open sea) The lakes are very restricting and most of the time the winds are light and variable. We are sailing a 17 foot Daysailer.
daysailing in the southeast
- Thread starter donjudy
- Start date
Look at the Chesapeake Bay area. There are plenty of cool things to do there. You could even sail to a few Bed and Breakfasts and dock the boat there overnight. Usually there is pretty good sailing in spring and fall. Summer can be a little light on the winds but not always.
Thanks
Thanks, that's exactly what we had in mind. We are coming from the south so where would you suggest putting in?
ANNAPOLIS:
You could put in at Annapolis. St. Michaels is right across the bay and they would have some nice Bed and Breakfast places. There is a great maritime museum there.
Annapolis is the East Coast Sailboat Capital. That really doesn't sink in until you go into there by water and see all the masts in the harbor. This is truly an amazing thing.
http://www.visitannapolis.org/
http://www.stmichaelsmd.org/
TANGIER ISLAND/SMITH ISLAND:
If you are looking for a unique trip, put in at Reedsville. Sail over to Tangier Island. There is a marina there called Parks Marina and you can keep the boat there overnight. There is a B&B on the island and it is a very unique place. The only way to reach Tangier Island is by water.
From Tangier you can go across the bay on a short sale to Onancock or Chrisfield, MD. From Chrisfield you can go over to Smith Island (another island accessible only by water or air).
http://www.tangierisland-va.com/
http://www.visitsmithisland.com/
The one word of caution that I will give to about sailing to Tangier and Smith is that it is big water. Watch the weather. If you go in the summer we sail early in the morning and try to reach port before 5pm. In the summer 5pm is when storms start popping up. There is a lot of fetch in this area and you can get big waves. Take a GPS because it is possible to loose site of land for a while.
The area by Annapolis is not as wide as the Middle Bay.
SOLOMONS ISLAND
One other Cool place is Solomons Island. This is probably one of my favorite places on the bay and I have gone there almost every year for the past 12 years. There is a nice Bed and Breakfast there that has a dock.
From Solomons you can reach Smith Island or go north into the Choptank River. From the Choptank River you can reach Cainbridge, MD, Oxford, and the back side of St. Michaels.
http://www.solomonsmaryland.com/
http://www.oxfordmd.net/
http://www.choosecambridge.com/
There are a lot of guides to the Chesapeake Bay. They are very helpful and help in planning your trip. There are a lot of boat ramps you can use and a lot of marinas.
http://www.amazon.com/2015-Guide-Cr..._sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YB37P8QJ3RK07AYJKGB
I hope that this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions.
You could put in at Annapolis. St. Michaels is right across the bay and they would have some nice Bed and Breakfast places. There is a great maritime museum there.
Annapolis is the East Coast Sailboat Capital. That really doesn't sink in until you go into there by water and see all the masts in the harbor. This is truly an amazing thing.
http://www.visitannapolis.org/
http://www.stmichaelsmd.org/
TANGIER ISLAND/SMITH ISLAND:
If you are looking for a unique trip, put in at Reedsville. Sail over to Tangier Island. There is a marina there called Parks Marina and you can keep the boat there overnight. There is a B&B on the island and it is a very unique place. The only way to reach Tangier Island is by water.
From Tangier you can go across the bay on a short sale to Onancock or Chrisfield, MD. From Chrisfield you can go over to Smith Island (another island accessible only by water or air).
http://www.tangierisland-va.com/
http://www.visitsmithisland.com/
The one word of caution that I will give to about sailing to Tangier and Smith is that it is big water. Watch the weather. If you go in the summer we sail early in the morning and try to reach port before 5pm. In the summer 5pm is when storms start popping up. There is a lot of fetch in this area and you can get big waves. Take a GPS because it is possible to loose site of land for a while.
The area by Annapolis is not as wide as the Middle Bay.
SOLOMONS ISLAND
One other Cool place is Solomons Island. This is probably one of my favorite places on the bay and I have gone there almost every year for the past 12 years. There is a nice Bed and Breakfast there that has a dock.
From Solomons you can reach Smith Island or go north into the Choptank River. From the Choptank River you can reach Cainbridge, MD, Oxford, and the back side of St. Michaels.
http://www.solomonsmaryland.com/
http://www.oxfordmd.net/
http://www.choosecambridge.com/
There are a lot of guides to the Chesapeake Bay. They are very helpful and help in planning your trip. There are a lot of boat ramps you can use and a lot of marinas.
http://www.amazon.com/2015-Guide-Cr..._sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YB37P8QJ3RK07AYJKGB
I hope that this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions.
To get to the backside of St. Michaels you go up San Domingo Creek.
Most of the places I speak of have Bed and Breakfasts.
Since you have a shallow draft you can probably sneak by without a depth finder. It is nice to have one. You can usually find charts for the Bay pretty easily.
Also, check out: https://activecaptain.com/
The cruising guide is very helpful.
Most of the places I speak of have Bed and Breakfasts.
Since you have a shallow draft you can probably sneak by without a depth finder. It is nice to have one. You can usually find charts for the Bay pretty easily.
Also, check out: https://activecaptain.com/
The cruising guide is very helpful.
Bad Obsession has given lots of detail. I will only add that Chesapeake Bay sailing is a great step up from lake sailing. I highly recommend it.
Just check the weather forecast before setting out. In the summer, we can get some pop up thunderstorms, so you will want to avoid being out in those times. Also, the further north you are, the more sheltered and closer land is, usually.
Mid-Bay is great with great towns to visit (Annapolis, St. Michaels, Oxford, etc.) and also has lots of places to anchor in quiet coves. Just get a good chart chip for your chart plotter, or a handheld GPS or a good app for a smart phone. Before you go, read up on the area and get a cruising guide such as Cruising the Chesapeake, A Gunkholers Guide. There is a lot to do and see in the area, and boating is a great way to do it.
Just check the weather forecast before setting out. In the summer, we can get some pop up thunderstorms, so you will want to avoid being out in those times. Also, the further north you are, the more sheltered and closer land is, usually.
Mid-Bay is great with great towns to visit (Annapolis, St. Michaels, Oxford, etc.) and also has lots of places to anchor in quiet coves. Just get a good chart chip for your chart plotter, or a handheld GPS or a good app for a smart phone. Before you go, read up on the area and get a cruising guide such as Cruising the Chesapeake, A Gunkholers Guide. There is a lot to do and see in the area, and boating is a great way to do it.
I am heading out in a few days and I plan to be out for at least 10 days. I need to sail out of the Potomac River and I am rafting up next Saturday with 7 or more boats at Smith Creek (Potomac River near Point Lookout).
After that I am going to let the wind tell me where to go. One possibility is to head to Solomons and go up the Choptank River from there. The other possibility is to head East towards Tangier and Onancock. Then again, I head south towards Deltaville.
The possibilities are endless. A chart plotter is a good thing and charts are very useful. There are plenty of nice water towns to visit. You can't go wrong.
After that I am going to let the wind tell me where to go. One possibility is to head to Solomons and go up the Choptank River from there. The other possibility is to head East towards Tangier and Onancock. Then again, I head south towards Deltaville.
The possibilities are endless. A chart plotter is a good thing and charts are very useful. There are plenty of nice water towns to visit. You can't go wrong.
... I would also add the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. For instance, you can sail out of Oriental... sail two hours on a reach to the south river... gunkhole around the marsh and be back to Oriental for bed time. No problem. Kitty Hawk has great wind all of the time. Elizabeth City ... same story. OR!!!! You could leave from Swan Quarter NC and in 5 hours be docked at Ocracoke Island.. two or three days at Ocracoke is well worth doing... see attached PDFs.