Passage advice - Arlington VA on Potomac to Annapolis MD

[flyingwaspsailing]

Ahoy sailors - I'm moving my sweet sweet Flying Wasp from a marina in Arlington VA down the Potomac and up the Chesapeake Bay into Annapolis.

This is the first time I've done this and would love advice from others that have experience in parts of the journey as well as the entire passage as well.

I'm planning on motoring as much as I need to make it within 3 days with 2 night stops. My first stop was going to be Colonial Beach and then the 2nd day would overnight somewhere around Drum Point or Cedar Point MD.

First time long passage for me so any advice on splitting it up, routes to avoid, and places to overnight would be appreciated.

I'm sailing a Precision 23 with an 8hp Honda outboard. LMK if you need any other info. Thank you!
- Glenn

 

[dlochner]

We came up the bay last week to Annapolis. The route you're planning is pretty ambitious for a small boat. It can be done and could be a fun trip, I'm not certain trying to cover that distance in 3 days will work.

A big factor in your trip will be the tides and currents. The ebb tide is much stronger and longer than the flood. We saw ebb currents approaching 1.5 knots. That is a lot of current to buck for a small boat. The dam on the Susquehanna River is wide open due to lots of rain in PA and NY. Expect some more current and debris working its way down the bay.

The anchorage around Drum Point is pretty exposed. The shore line is lined with houses and private docks, finding a suitable spot may be difficult. Better to continue into Solomons and anchor in Mill Creek. There are a number of places to anchor which will be well protected and quiet.

The Cedar Point anchorage is filled with construction barges working on shoreline preservation. It is also directly under the flight path for Patuxent Naval Air Station and exposed to the north.

Annapolis got busy this weekend. The heavy rains that have been falling in upstate NY has forced the closure of a vital section of the Erie Canal. Great Loopers and others headed back to Great Lakes will not be able to progress until the end of June at the earliest. As a result all these boats are scattered in marinas and mooring fields as far south as Annapolis. In Annapolis I know three boats here waiting (I'm one of them). When we left Thursday there were plenty of empty moorings in the front mooring field, when we came back today there was only 1 open mooring.

Good luck! Hope the trip goes well.

 

[flyingwaspsailing]

Thank you so much for this insightful answer. This is very helpful in planning this passage out!

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@dlochner gsve you good advice. I suggest waiting till good weather comes back and allow 6 days to make that passage safely. I was a former sailboat dealer who sold many lines of trailerable sailboats in the area and attended the Annapolis shows for over 35 years.
Better yet, may I suggest you contact Backyard Boats in Potomac Mills, Va who use to sell Hunter and Precision trailerable sailboats for advice. They use to have a sales office in Annapolis.
Crazy Dave

 

[thinwater]

I would plan on four days. That's a long run for a small boat. Additionally, a good four-day window is difficult to bet on. If you get a long day with the wind on the nose it will hurt.

I would have planned that that way on my 34' catamaran, but not on a 23' mono, and probably not on my 24' trimaran. Also, unless you carry a lot of fuel, you have to plan on fill-ups.