Liveaboard Marinas around Chesapeake Bay (Baltimore or Annapolis Area)

[wingNwing]

The commute from Annapolis, frankly, um, *stinks.* It's very, very wearing and can take anywhere from 1-3 hours, each way, each day. But the sailing is wonderful

If you have regular work hours, it's challenging. I made it to the Pentagon in about 50 min, leaving Annapolis at 5:45 AM. But it can take 2 hours to come home at 4:30 PM. Alternatively, you can drive or take a bus to New Carrolton (30-45 min) and then take the metro. At least you can read or nap while you're traveling.

[hooligan6a]

Anything in Annapolis will not come cheap. Try down by Shadyside. I have stayed in
Shipwright and Herrington Harbor North. Both are good and cheaper then Annopolis.

[Auspicious]

Any chance of anchoring out and dinghying in? Lots more options that way and I'd have some suggestions for both anchorages and dinghy landings. If that isn't your thing different deal.

Commuting times differ tremendously with day of the week and time of year. Friday afternoons going East from DC is misery. If you can work 4x10 you'll make your life much easier.

[DSDman]

Nope it will be an everyday thing, probably for three years. lots of travel so would probably feel better about leaving the boat if it were at a marina.

[Auspicious]

Tough with 60'. Have you talked to Capital Yacht Club? Otherwise the next closest that I can think of is on the Bay.

There are public and charter commuter buses from Annapolis and rail from Baltimore.

[DSDman]

[Auspicious]

Sorry you're frustrated.

[RunningRabbit]

DSDMan: If you are military, see if you can dock at Quantico. My brother looked at that and could have lived aboard there, but would not have been a 60-footer. Commute-wise, Baltimore would be much better than Annapolis because you could take the MARC train the whole way to DC, then hop on Metro, rather than having to drive to New Carrolton and then catch the Metro. MARC trains run all day, unlike VRE in Virginia, so if you work late or want to grab dinner in DC before heading out you can. I did the drive from Annapolis to New Carrolton and then MARC to Union Station for 6 months; the train is simple to just read, listen to music. Monthly passes are the best way to go.

[DSDman]

Thanx for that info. What kind of commute time from baltimore is the norm? I'll look on active captain and see what they have for marinas there as well.

[RunningRabbit]

Looks like an hour train ride from Baltimore Penn Station to DC Union Station. Penn Line - - Maryland Transit Administration You'd have to tack on getting from boat to Penn Station (probably not a biggie) and from Union Station to Pentagon via Metro (Pentagon is on the Blue and Orange Metro lines...the hassle is that Union Station is red line...).

Probably the same total commute time you'd have coming from Annapolis, but none of it would involve the uncertainties and utter mind-numbing frustration of sitting in DC commute traffic. I also believe dockage is less expensive in Baltimore. I'd get all the MARC and Metro maps and do some logistical analysis. Another option is to use the commuter buses (they run from Kent Island as well as from Annapolis). They are big and comfortable and go in the HOV lane. But the hours are limited and I could never get parking at the Truman Parkway Park-and-Ride because I took one of the last buses in. They may actually go all the way to Pentagon, though. The MTA website should have the info and schedules for them (they are private buses but somehow affiliated with the MTA). If you sucked it up and rode all the way from Kent Island your dockage would be half what you'd pay in downtown Annapolis. Magothy Marina is 1.5 miles from the Severna Park Park-and-Ride for the buses, and less pricey than downtown Annapolis, too.

FYI, there really isn't any liveaboard-permissible dockage in DC or NOVA (unless that military base angle works for you). Gangplank is grandfathered in slips that are hard to get and expensive, and Alexandria completely prohibits liveaboards. You could live aboard in Fort Washington but my brief experiment with that was that it is Deliverance country.

[ranger58sb]

RR's suggestions are pretty good; out-of-the-box is often very useful

We've had guys temporarily working for us (when they were "deployed" to Ft. Meade) who lived in Bal'mer and usually commuted by MARC to their own HQ in DC. Mostly FBI guys, but the concept should work for Mil too.

I've heard (in another forum) that the Quantico marina isn't huge -- and that the commute to the Pentagon is actually grim from there -- but I don't know any of that first-hand.

My Admiral used to travel from Annapolis via commuter bus from park-and-ride on Truman Parkway (near the Annapolis MVA) to right near her site (Hoover Building, at the time). Occasionally she drove instead to New Carrolton and parked there. Fallback a few times after the buses quite in the evening was Metro to New Carrolton... and somebody (ahem!) trotted down there to pick her up. Didn't happen tooo often, tough...

-Chris

[DSDman]

unfortunately I cant change geography so I will have to suck up the commute... from someplace. If I get the orders I will do what needs to be done and find a place, until then I have a list from here and surfing around on active captain and I will spend some time in the car checking them all out. I have a month before I find out for sure one way or the other.

[RunningRabbit]

Chris' point about the commute from Quantico is well taken; my bro would have been going to Belvoir, and nothing in NoVa is a good commute, but shorter and probably less hellish than to Pentagon. Although my boat is much smaller than yours, I have info on who takes liveaboards and who doesn't, what amenities different marinas have, etc for the Annapolis area, so if your orders do send you to this area feel free to reach out for more detailed info. I have to pay it forward, since Wing-n-Wing and Auspicious took me under their wing and shared lots of knowledge as I began my liveaboard adventure here in Annapolis. For info a little south of Annapolis, Chris would have more information.

[DSDman]

will do, thanks....although it's looking like Deale. HHN is full, HHS is not a good fit, my boat needs quite a bit of work and they frown upon that sort of thing there.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by DSDman

will do, thanks....although it's looking like Deale. HHN is full, HHS is not a good fit, my boat needs quite a bit of work and they frown upon that sort of thing there.

HHN is full? Geez! It's a huge place... Correct, ref HHS. Shipwright Harbor in Deale seems OK; we've stayed there and it's a working yard like HHN. Dunno some of the others.

I belatedly remember that Joint Base Bolling-Anacostia has a small marina, since one our dock neighbors moved there for a while to do some sightseeing. Dunno whether suitable for your length or for boat work.

Commute by train/MARC from Bal'mer -- or from Annapolis to MARC via commuter bus and then MARC to Pentagon -- would seem to me to be more relaxing than driving from Deale (or Annapolis, or almost anywhere), but overall travel time each way including walking to on/transfer/off points might be longer.

When I say Annapolis... there are sail-friendly working marinas just south where I am in Edgewater. Holiday Point nar the mouth of the South River comes to mind. Or Liberty Marina approx 5 miles up river, but closer to the roads you'd use for a normal westerly commute. I don't know the places first-hand, but they seem to have a pretty good rep.

If you have a chance to test drive in person, you might find the route into the DC area via US50 is maybe friendlier (except during accidents) than the smaller roads from the Deale area. Deale is sorta rural, too.

-Chris