Deltaville VA to Annapolis

[DeaconBlues]

Planning a trip from Deltaville to Annapolis either the first or second weekend of May. I hope to leave at daybreak on Saturday morning and anchor or moor before dark each night. I expect to make it to Annapolis by Monday morning and stay there for a few days. Haven't made this trip before and I'm a novice. There will be two of us onboard.
Looking for suggestions and advice on where to anchor/moor/dock Saturday and Sunday on the way and any recommendations for a short slip stay in Annapolis. Boat is a 41 Hunter with 5' draft.

[SaltyMonkey]

Anchorages along the Chesapeake Bay

[chuckr]

get a cruising guide to the cheaspake bay -- forgot the name --we got one on board someplace but i am not digging to find it - but let's you stop and look along the way along with the shipping channels ect

[Hud3]

Here are a few places I've spent the night on that stretch of the Bay. Check them out on activecaptain.com.

Reedville or Mill Creek, off the Great Wicomico R, VA
Crisfield, MD (marina and restaurants)
Solomons Island, MD (marinas and restaurants)
Little Choptank R/Hudson Creek, MD
West R/Rhode R, MD

It's about 95 nm from Deltaville to Annapolis, if you sail it straight through. The problem is that most of the decent overnight stops on that route are somewhat off the Bay, so you end up spending and hour or more each way in/out to find your anchorages. In my estimation, departing on Saturday morning and expecting to get to Annapolis on Monday morning is a bit optimistic.

[DeaconBlues]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Here are a few places I've spent the night on that stretch of the Bay. Check them out on activecaptain.com.

Reedville or Mill Creek, off the Great Wicomico R, VA
Crisfield, MD (marina and restaurants)
Solomons Island, MD (marinas and restaurants)
Little Choptank R/Hudson Creek, MD
West R/Rhode R, MD

It's about 95 nm from Deltaville to Annapolis, if you sail it straight through. The problem is that most of the decent overnight stops on that route are somewhat off the Bay, so you end up spending and hour or more each way in/out to find your anchorages. In my estimation, departing on Saturday morning and expecting to get to Annapolis on Monday morning is a bit optimistic.

Thanks. This helps. Do you think Monday late afternoon is more realistic?

[btrayfors]

Hey, it's only 95 miles! My 42' sloop makes 160nm a day (24 hours) average over many thousands of miles.

Making 50 miles a day in early May in a 41' Hunter shouldn't be a big challenge UNLESS you run into north winds. They can be a real bear on the Chesapeake, especially when the tide is coming in (up the Bay against the wind). The Bay is very shallow and short steep (square) waves build up fast.

The comment about time to get into anchorages along the way is very correct. Most of them will cost you a couple of hours in and out.

A good strategy is to leave with a good weather window and don't try to predetermine your stops, if any. Choose stopping places depending on actual conditions you encounter. With luck and the right conditions you might just choose to go straight thru, including an overnight passage.

Bill

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by DeaconBlues

Planning a trip from Deltaville to Annapolis either the first or second weekend of May. I hope to leave at daybreak on Saturday morning and anchor or moor before dark each night. I expect to make it to Annapolis by Monday morning and stay there for a few days. Haven't made this trip before and I'm a novice. There will be two of us onboard.
Looking for suggestions and advice on where to anchor/moor/dock Saturday and Sunday on the way and any recommendations for a short slip stay in Annapolis. Boat is a 41 Hunter with 5' draft.

Our delivery with my current boats was basically that trip.

Sail Delmarva: Homecoming

[DDabs]

I just did this trip in reverse, came from Annapolis heading South. In Annapolis, there is a marina called Annapolis Yacht Basin. Really great marina right near the main part of downtown. Block away from numerous bars/restaurants/stores. I highly recommend it.

We went from Annapolis to Solomons in a day, and stayed at Calvert Marina. Great protection from the bay, floating dock, and there is a restaurant/bar right next to the dock with good food and Manhattans. I highly recommend this place as well.

From Solomons we made it to Deltaville and stayed at Dozier's Regatta Pointe Marina. Super clean marina with floating docks, clean bathhouse, but not walking distance to town. They have a car you can borrow. I'd recommend this place as well.

Hope you have a great trip and get warmer weather on the bay than I had about a week ago. More details are on my sailblog link below.

David

[Moody46CC]

I keep my boat in Deltaville and have done this trip plenty of times. Doing it in May, in fact, en route to New England. It is certainly feasible in two days, but in all likelihood you will have to motor some or a lot to make it in two days unless you get a nice 15-20 knot wind from the W, SW or S.

Stop at Solomon's the first night. That is the long leg of the trip. If you leave Deltaville at 7, you'll be there easily by 5. We prefer to grab a mooring ball at Zanheiser's (30 minutes from Drum Point), but there is an anchorage directly (N) outside the mooring field. Another anchorage a quarter mile further up the creek. Some early AM boat traffic, but maybe not on Sunday. It is then a 6-7 hour run to Annapolis. We prefer to anchor at the city-run mooring fields as one can either use your own dinghy or grab a water taxi. There is an anchorage outside of the mooring field between it and the Severn River. The mooring field is choppy owing to the boat traffic but it settles at night. You can anchor further up Spa Creek beyond the drawbridge and mooring field, but there is not much if any swing room, so only do this in very settled weather. One of the mooring fields is your best bet.

[dennisjay]

I second the idea of mooring in Annapolis. The marinas and city dock tend to be pricey for overnighters. If you do moor out, note that the mooring field on the other side of Spa Creek bridge is limited to 35 foot boats, so you would either have to get one in Annapolis harbor or go all the way up Spa Creek.

[redsky49]

[QUOTE=...Stop at Solomon's the first night. That is the long leg of the trip. If you leave Deltaville at 7, you'll be there easily by 5. We prefer to grab a mooring ball at Zanheiser's (30 minutes from Drum Point), but there is an anchorage directly (N) outside the mooring field. Another anchorage a quarter mile further up the creek. .[/QUOTE]

This "mooring field" used to be an anchorage available to all. Apparently Skip Zanheiser greased some local palms and now that anchorage is gone, and he owns the mooring field. It starts to shallow further up the creek, particularly once past Spring Cove and Washburns. Better water is to port. Plenty of snags all along the way. Anchoring is certainly doable, but use caution.

This strikes me as the "Floridization" of Solomons Island (and the Chesapeake). Sorry for going off topic.

[Jcolman]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but I'm planning a trip south from Deltaville in early to mid May. I'd like to sail to Salt Ponds inlet the first day and overnight at the marina there before heading down the ditch to NC. Assuming that I don't have the wind on my nose the whole way, is this doable? It looks to be about a 10 hr sail.

[chuckr]

why is everyone going into marinas???? what is that big piece of iron on the front of your boat used for?? decoration?? use it -- we only use marinas when we have to - insurance - no place to anchor - or for very long stays like now in tunisa

we did the run from deltaville to hospital point a few times and if you get out early you can make it before dark - but don't dilly dally

[Jcolman]

Originally Posted by chuckr

why is everyone going into marinas???? what is that big piece of iron on the front of your boat used for?? decoration?? use it -- we only use marinas when we have to - insurance - no place to anchor - or for very long stays like now in tunisa

we did the run from deltaville to hospital point a few times and if you get out early you can make it before dark - but don't dilly dally

The reason I want to dock at a marina instead of anchoring is because I don't have a stove on my boat. The PO lived on it and installed a refrigerator, microwave and toaster....all powered by shore power. I want to eat dinner at a restaurant at least for the first night out. Later this year I'll take out the fridge and install an alcohol or propane stove.

[Suijin]

It's a three day trip if you're sailing/motoring a leisurely 8-9 hour day. I would stop at Ingram Bay (western shore, just below Reedville) which is beautiful. Take a right at the fork, and go up around to the left as the creek curves. There is a gorgeous, very protected anchorage there. My next stop would be Solomon's, and then a long day on Monday to get to Annapolis. There's nothing on the western shore between the Patuxent and Deale, so if you go north of Solomon's on your second day you'll have to cut over to the Choptank to find a spot for the night. Tighlman would be my choice although I would not try and enter direct from the bay side as the channel is wicked narrow and always changing

I'm in Urbanna right now, heading back up to Annapolis in a few weeks. Those are the stops I'll likely be making.

If you can't find a slip or mooring when you get to Annapolis, consider anchoring in Back Creek. It's free, less crowded, and a relatively short dinghy ride to any of Annapolis 10 free dinghy docks.

The city dock is going to be your cheapest, and best slip option. Call the town marina and see if you can reserve one. I think it will run you @$90/day. Moorings are $40/day last I heard.