Overnighting in Northeast US

[fasttalker372]

Hello everyone. I became new member a few months ago and have really been enjoying all the advice as well as all of the fiery discussions this forum.
My wife and I have been considering purchasing a 21 to 23 foot sailboat to do some long weekends to places like the northern Chesapeake and Barnegat Bay. What's it like to get a temporary slip in these places? Are you able to get them on short notice or do you have to make reservations months in advance? Can you recommend some good marinas? Thanks for your answers.

 

[sailingandsuch]

Not sure about marinas but I would think that it shouldn't be to much trouble to get a transient slip for the night. Having a smaller boat helps too since you can tie up places larger ones can't.

Nothing wrong with staying on the hook, even if your just a short dinghy trip away from the marina.

 

[fasttalker372]

Thanks for the quick response. The thing is we have 2 young daughters that will be with us so we will need decent accessible facilities. My hope is to go for maybe 3 nights or so at a time.

 

[Stu Jackson]

It really all depends on the marinas you're planning to visit. The "northern Chesapeake" is pretty much a HUGE area, and you'd need to be more specific. If you don't have one, get one of the great cruising guides to the Bay, and call a few of the marinas. Barnegat Bay may well have been affected by Hurricane Sandy, so check ahead, too.

 

[Mulf]

We have been boating on the Chesapeake since 1999.

We started in 1999 on a used Hunter 29.5 and since 2003 on our Hunter 410. The early years we marina hopped. With the exception of Holiday Weekends, you can usually always find a slip the day you decide where you are going, and most of the time even when you arrive in the area. We have begun to prefer anchoring out over marinas. There seems to be no end to the beautiful and peaceful places to do so.

For more information there are publications like the following:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/18...IN=1884726186&linkCode=as2&tag=baydreamingcom
or
http://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Ches...1147474&sr=8-1&keywords=gunkholing+chesapeake

and websites like:
http://www.baydreaming.com/
or
http://www.thebayguide.com/old_site/marina_reviews/marina_reviews.html

The most inexpensive can be found at:
http://www.skipperbob.net/publications
check out both the Anchorage Guides and the Marina Guides, and also note they are available as e-books.

Happy Sailing!

PS: Reread your email. For eleven years before 1999 we sailed an ODay 222 on the Barnegat Bay. Definitely not as many places to go, but did have some great times. As we wanted to go bigger we checked out the Chesapeake and never looked back. Also, Hurricane Sandy has made a mess of that area and you might want to give it time to get cleaned up. There are official warnings out about cars, sunken boats and even houses in the waterway that need to be cleaned up first.

 

[seadaddler]

Call

Well since your boat is small and with 2 kids a marina would be best for you and when we travel and know where we are going we call ahead and make reservations for a slip.
Get a good cruising guides or goto Marina .com and look for some nice Marina's for the things you would like to enjoy durring your stay like a pool and good showers.
Nick

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Another option instead of buying a cruising guide is Active Captain. There is a lot of information there about marinas, anchorages and transient slips.

With about the size you are thinking about, I don't think it will be very hard to get a transient slip. Some marinas are popular and it's like getting a good hotel room. You need to make your reservation early.

Good luck

 

[Bill Roosa]

If you are thinking northern Chesapeake then consider the boat draft. the water gets pretty thin there in a lot of places. I did fine with a 5' keel but there was certainly some gunkholing going one every time we anchored out. also consider how you get the girls to shore if your dingy can't take the whole crowd at once and you have to make two trips. How do you provide adult supervision for the one on the dock and the one left back on the boat at the same time. You may want to go for a dingy large enough for all 4 of you. Kinda depends on the kids ages/maturity levels.

 

[richk]

Dear fasttalker
You didn't say where the boat will be based or if will be trailerable...you indicate around 20feet. That and available time off for you will dictate where you go. As others have said, there are cruising guides for some info. Some considerations
maybe go somewhere that has a couple of marinas nearby so you can "sample" them rather than park at one. You'll probably want a swimming pool @ the marina b/c of the daughters. Also it would be good to have decent dining facilities so you can enjoy a meal out. Locations which come to mind... Rock Hall, MD; Annapolis; Baltimore (it's a fair trek up the Patapsco).
Rich

 

[RichH]

For the Chesapeake, Id recommend "Gunkholers Guide" http://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Ches...d=1361205402&sr=8-1&keywords=gunkholers+guide which will list all the Marinas, Anchoring spots, things to do, etc. etc.

OR
Chesapeake Cruising Guide: http://www.amazon.com/2013-Guide-Cr...492&sr=1-2&keywords=chesapeake+cruising+guide

My wife and I help edit one of these so Im somewhat 'biased' ... but I really prefer the 'other guys' guide for marina, etc. info. .... and Im not going to divulge which one.

Most of the public launch ramps on the Northern Chesapeake are county owned and you'll need a county permit to launch ... but cheaper than launching at a marina, etc. For info go to the county websites for Cecil, Kent, Queen Ann's, Talbot etc. counties ... the details and permit charges, etc. are usually posted there.

 

[watercolors II]

chesapeake

Almost all the marinas around the northern Chesapeake are not full and have slips for overnight and longer. Some marinas require slip holders to sign out when they are not using their slip so the marina can rent it out. During the week you should be OK but weekends may need a couple days ahead for reservations. Holiday weekends are tough and with two small children I would not recommend, it’s one big speedboat party!

Check for the marinas that have launch ramps because they may charge you up to $100 for each lift, if not.

Also, the bay is more than 15 miles across at Baltimore so with a small boat you may not make it across and back in the same light.

Check with Navionics for a notepad app. that works with the pad’s internal GPS, it blows away all of the expensive GPS units.

 

[rgranger]

Hey FastTalker

You sound like you are starting off on an adventure that I began 10 years ago. Let me put in 2 cents .... I think a 20ft sailboat will be too small for a family of 4... it was for my family... especially if 3 of the crew are female. When you look at a 20 to 23' boat it looks plenty big... but when you go on a 3 day cruise you need 3 days worth of food (one or two big coolers) and 3 days worth of drinks (another cooler) and three days worth of cloths, and beach towels, and CD's and/or iPods etc etc. and soon a 20' boat is jammed full of stuff.... stuff that gets scattered all over the boat, wet and disorganized. And don't under estimate the importance of a functioning and closed off head when you have 3 ladies on board.

If you haven't purchased the boat yet... let me recommend a MacGregor 26S or 26D as a good starter boat. They are water ballested so they are easy to tow and launch, and they have a queen birth under the cockpit for you and the admiral. The 2 girls can have the double birth in the salon leaving the V-birth available for stowage (duffel bags and sail bags etc.)

I know a lady selling one for $3K in Pennsylvania and if you shop around you can almost always find a well maintained and well equipped one in the $4K to $6K range.

 

[fasttalker372]

Wow. Thanks for all the great answers. We are actually considering a Precison 23 mostly because we will have a wet slip at Lake Nockamixon which limits us to 24 feet. This summer I am hoping to take it for a couple long weekends (like 4 days) to places like Rock Hall or Harve de Grace and would basically stay at the same marina for the whole time and just daysail. Barnegat bay was another consideration but I hadn't thought about all the hurricane damage so maybe next year.
Thanks again everybody for all of your input. This really helps.

 

[Brian S]

Fasttalker, if you're going to be on Nockamixon most of the time, I hope you'll consider joining the club, if you aren't already a member. Nockamixonsailclub.org

 

[s sauer]

We've spent over 30 years on the Northern Chesapeake starting out with a shoal draft, outboard powered Hunter 25 for myself and two small boys. We cruised from Tolchester to the Sassafras or over to Baltimore and down to Annapolis and as far as Solomons and Tangier Island on vacation cruises.
As our family expanded, we upgraded to a Hunter 28.5 and have cruised that same range throughout the upper and middle Bay. I would consider a 25' boat minimum for some storm situations we infrequently encountered, but more importantly, as minimum for four people. Launch ramps are available, and you should get a Cruising Guide to Chesapeake Bay to check locations. Getting a transient slip never seemed to be much of an issue if we radioed ahead. We towed or carried an inflatable dingy for anchoring out.
Set up your cruising ground by how many hours you expect to sail or motor at say 5 knots. So maybe you could launch at HavreDeGrace and cruise down to Warton Creek or Fairlee and anchor out or get a slip. You could launch at Rock Hall and cruise up the Chester river or go north to Tolchester, or across the Bay to the Magothy River or to Bodkin Creek. We sail out of Tolchester and I find a 20-25 mile radius is as much as we want to do, although we've done 60 mile days (our deep keel 28.5 is larger and faster than boats you are considering). You could charter out of Rock Hall just to see what works best for you before commiting to a purchase. You won't regret you time with your family exploring the bay.

 

[Chef2sail]

All the advice given is good. I would look into any of the places down the Chessie on the Eastern Shore as launch points, Northeast, Bohemia, Sassafrass, Still Pond, Worton Creek Tollchester, and Rock Hall. Havre de Grace is a beuatiful town, but a long winding motor out to sail of over 45 minutes in our boat.

Your boat will be tight for 4 but doable for a few times during the year. Make it a positive experience so they will want to do it more and maybe a larger boat on the Chessie will be in your future. Getting off it for everyone will help with that. Slips are easy to find and you can call that morning or sometimes even just show up. Good way to go as they have showers, pools etc for the kids too. Get the Cruising Guide and get Active Captain on you pad or smart phone.

 

[fasttalker372]

Fasttalker, if you're going to be on Nockamixon most of the time, I hope you'll consider joining the club, if you aren't already a member. Nockamixonsailclub.org

Brian- I am a member, in fact I have been on both your boats if you are the Brian S I think you are. It is a great club to be a part of! Chet