Marinas in the Chesapeake

[gnzoidberg]

Hi everybody,

I am looking for a marina in the Chesapeake area for the summer and into the fall. It's for a Catalina 25, so 25' and ~3' draft with a swing keel. Any recommendations?

Ideally it'd have a ramp and storage for a trailer as well (though it's not a requirement). Or if you can recommend websites that that list marinas that works too. All I know is that they exist.

Regards,
Ian

 

[sail sfbay]

Welcome to the forum!!

What part of the Chesapeake Bay would you prefer access to as it is pretty large?

Might try Snag-A-Slip, a free, online boat slip reservation site: The Chesapeake Bay - Marinas in the Chesapeake Bay | Snag-A-Slip (snagaslip.com)
Another great site to find marinas: Chesapeake Bay Marinas - Marinas and Boat Slips in Chesapeake Bay - Dockwa

 

[Dr. D]

The Portbook (Portbook) lists all sorts of marine services and facilities on the Chesapeake Bay, just select the Annapolis site. On the downside, it lists so much information it can be difficult to maneuver around in it. It lists only the larger marinas, but that is a start.

We have our boat at Herrington Harbour North, in Rockhold Creek. Even if HHN isn't for you, there are several smaller marinas on the creek. Nice, central location on the Bay.

 

[gnzoidberg]

Thank you for your responses! I'll look at those websites.

I'll be driving from Arlington so wherever I can get on the water and sailing the fastest. I'd say a within 10 minutes driving from Annapolis, from South of Baltimore down to Chesapeake Beach on that shore.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Thank you for your responses! I'll look at those websites.

I'll be driving from Arlington so wherever I can get on the water and sailing the fastest. I'd say a within 10 minutes driving from Annapolis, from South of Baltimore down to Chesapeake Beach on that shore.

Arlington VA or Arlington the Baltimore neighborhood? Arlington VA is pretty far away - you’d be better off looking at spots on the Potomac. Arlington Baltimore is closer to the other places you mentioned. You could consider White Rocks Marina on Rock Creek. I’ve spent a couple nights there as a transient and it looked pretty nice.

You could also check out Active Captain to see reviews of the marinas in the area. It tends to be more transient focused but there are snore reviews from long term slip holders as well.

 

[Whatfiero1]

Solomon's island. Calvert marina is cheap

 

[kappykaplan]

Calvert marina is cheap

 

[tfox2069]

I'll throw out Backyard Boats in Shadyside, MD. They have a lot of room for trailers and a launch ramp in the marina. They allow you to do your own boat work (some marinas do not). I will say its a very basic marina - no amenities at all other than a men's and ladies toilets. But its very protected, and a short trip out to the bay. I kept my 1975 Catalina 27 there for years until I upsized.

 

[DRhoads]

From Arlington, VA it is an hour drive to HHN and HHS. Best marinas in the area but limited slips. With your size there are several around the area with launches on both sides of the river. Good luck

 

[gnzoidberg]

Arlington VA or Arlington the Baltimore neighborhood? Arlington VA is pretty far away - you’d be better off looking at spots on the Potomac. Arlington Baltimore is closer to the other places you mentioned. You could consider White Rocks Marina on Rock Creek. I’ve spent a couple nights there as a transient and it looked pretty nice.

Arlington VA. I know is far but it seems to me that sailing in the Chesapeake would be much better. Is sailing in the Potomac really an option? I'm happy to be corrected! I have Catalina 25 that has over 4 feet draft with the keel down.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Arlington VA. I know is far but it seems to me that sailing in the Chesapeake would be much better. Is sailing in the Potomac really an option? I'm happy to be corrected! I have Catalina 25 that has over 4 feet draft with the keel down.

Paging @Bad Obsession who hasn’t been sailing as much lately but is from that area if I remember right.

 

[tfox2069]

Arlington VA. I know is far but it seems to me that sailing in the Chesapeake would be much better. Is sailing in the Potomac really an option? I'm happy to be corrected! I have Catalina 25 that has over 4 feet draft with the keel down.

I sailed a Precision 18 out of Quantico on the Potomac for 4 years. With the retractable keel up it only took 18" of water to float it, and had a kick up rudder if things got too shallow!

That said, it got really old sailing the same stretch of the Potomac all the time. You could go North or South for a few hours, then back to the Marina. We did some longer trips multi-day - up to Alexandria, and down to Dahlgren, the sailing was always iffy as the wind and direction of the river had to cooperate, so we did a lot of motoring. There's definitely some pretty stretches and LOTS of history to see on the Potomac. But you pretty much see whatever's of interest that's within range of your marina within one sailing season on the Potomac. After that it got too repetitive for me.

I eventually sold that boat and bought a Catalina 27 on the Chesapeake, and a few years ago upgraded to my current H36. I would never go back to sailing the Potomac and being based there. There's SO much to see on the Chesapeake that I never get tired of it. And you can actually sail most of the time rather than motor. Just one person's thoughts, FWIW. For me its DEFINITELY worth the extra commuting distance.