Liveaboard Near Washington, DC ?

[heymcs2401]

Does anyone know of any rules and regulations regarding anchoring in the upper Tidal Potomac in Wash., DC. We are interested in buying and living aboard a boat but finding it is next to impossible to get a slip. We keep a sailboat in Woodbridge and it's possible (not sure yet) to keep one at EZCruz but we don't want to commute that far into DC every day. Any help/tips/suggestions appreciated. Also, starting to think of partnering with others to develop our own high end live aboard marina (yes, we dream big) - but with waiting lists of over 200pp - it seems like a market just waiting to be tapped.

[Sea Ghost]

Most if not all the Marina's in the DC area are owned or governed by the Park Police, and with the exception of Gangplank you can only "officially" liveaboard 4 nights a week. The next closest marina is Tatallion (sp) in Fort Washington, and I've heard some mixed reviews about, and I'm not crazy about Fort Washington in general. I do not know about EZCruz at all, I live in Gangplank only because I bought my boat with the liveaboard status.

[heymcs2401]

Hey there Sea Ghost - Thanks so much for your reply. Since I posted we've exhausted about every option in the area - re-read all previous posts here and on a few other forums and came to about the same conclusion - there are no liveaboard slips in this area. GangPlank doesn't even have a waiting list any more so as you said the only way to get a slip is to buy a boat that has one. The previous owners of Tantallon are gone and gave me the new owners email (Marina owner RhondaI 'm sure she will contact you concerning availability. Her email address is umstantallon@netzero.net.) - never heard a word and no response to phone calls etc. The Yacht Club was too expensive for us to even see if there was a waiting list -we tried National Harbor and were cut off as soon as we identified the houseboat we were considering buying. Even EZ Cruise can't do it due to problems in the county with liveaboards - major bummer. We even considered anchoring off shore and just coming into a marina for pump out etc but too many risks, etc. We found the perfect boat and we want what we want when we want it but have to let it go for now. For us we can't commute from further points although I know it works for others. We are fortunate we still have our sailboat for day trips and and an overnight here and there.

[amarinesurveyor]

I commuted into DC from Annapolis for a year or so, it's about 30 or 35 miles. Not too bad if you leave early in the morning, and early or late at night. You might try around there.
Brian

[RickD]

I commuted from Woodbridge to DC for a year. It sucked. haha. That was in the 1980s. It was 35 miles from the front door of my house (Actually Dale City) to the base I worked and it was generally a 2 hour drive going and coming home.

Three if the Springfield Interchange was covered with accidents!

I moved onto Bolling as soon as housing came available for the next seven.

[wildshore]

There are also a whole host of marinas in and just south of Baltimore, that you might look into....either way, you get a commute, but some of them are quite pleasant.

[Bash]

I commuted from Alexandria to DC and it sucked big time. Especially after Air Florida Flight 90 crashed onto the 14th Street Bridge.

[S/V Antares]

Go east. lt is much more civilized Herington Harbor? Deal ? Annapolis is $

[heymcs2401]

Considering Tantallon in PG county - few amenities but beautiful setting - will try the commute a few times and see how it goes. No phone, no website, so you pretty much have to drop in and find the dockmaster.

[Mainsheet]

Hey, Sea Ghost-my husband is considering a long-term TDY to Washington/Quantico area and we're interested in buying a boat with full-time liveaboard status at Gangplank. We've contacted Gladys Marine to inquire about boats for sale, but haven't received any response. Do you, by any chance, have any visibility on boats for sale in the marina? If so, we'd appreciate any input/advice you can give us. Thanks!

[heymcs2401]

Hi there - was trying to pm you but not sure how that works - please email me at thefrugalbuzz@hotmail.com -

we placed an ad on craigslist.com in the wanted section for a slip at the gangplank - no price - and got a few hits - one guy was trying to sell his slip and I'll try to find his information for you. It's pretty tough (expensive and limited) and it seems like being grandfathered in isn't always a given. A very inhospitable environment in DC for live aboards. The yacht club is a possibility but the cost and getting in is steep. Our plans are on hold but we still like Tantallon - they are just very small and insular and very hard to get hold off. Beautiful setting - no amenities (not even gas) but nice, quiet, serene.

[Trekka]

As others have indicated you have three choices:

=Tantallon
=Annapolis area
=Baltimore

If Tantallon had reliable management and some basic (very basic) shoreside amenities I'd be there in a second. But they have none, and yet still want a $120/mo live aboard fee.

There are marina's in the outlying area around Annapolis that are substantially cheaper than down in the harbor and Eastport. Also closer to major roadways. (I found that after the trip back to the area, that last few miles to the marina could take almost as long, so being outside the downtown was worthwhile).

From Baltimore you have the option of taking MARC trains if their schedule works for you.

Another possibility, if you can handle it, is living aboard at anchor. I met a couple last year who lived on a multihull in the Mogathy River. They paid a fee to local marina/club and had dinghy landing, parking, and facilities use priviliges.

[dennisjay]

There are folks that permanently anchor in Annapolis and commute to D.C. There's a great commuter bus system that's comfortable and usually fast. I kept boats on the upper Potomac (and in Woodbridge) for many years and it was a waste because the sailing is so limited. In Annapolis, there's dozens of great places to sail within a day.

[Trekka]

I'm curious about those who anchor. What part of the creek/river do they anchor in? Any restrictions or hassle from the water police? And what about dinghy landing? (I think I read once that in Eastport you can land a dinghy at the end of many streets?) How do they secure their location when they go sialing (if they ever do)?

[dennisjay]

There are several permanent cruisers who live on Spa Creek (also a few on Back Creek) It's getting a bit more crowded since the city placed more moorings farther down the creek. The only restriction I'm aware of is that you must be a liveaboard. Several streets have public access for dinghies. Not sure how a location would be secured, but usually it's not a problem to find space upon return unless it's a holiday or boat show season.