Live aboard slip near Washington DC

[samolian]

Hi There,

I am in the process of fitting out a little 25 footer which I plan to live on if possible. Does anyone know of any live aboard mariners within about an hour of Vienna VA? I have been looking but can't seem to find anywhere near by.

Your help would be much appreciated.

[RickG]

Yep, me too. Closest I found that provides some weekend sailing options is Deale, MD - Herrington Harbor North/South or Shipwright. The Galesville/Shady Side marinas are right at the 60 minute mark. All of these are more than an hour in the evening rush hour.

Tantallon Marina in Ft. Washington, MD is closer, but has challenges with reputation and depth.

Check out the thread "Liveaboard Marinas around Chesapeake Bay (Baltimore or Annapolis Area)"
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...a-70187-4.html

We're probably looking at Deale starting in March 2017. Most of my work is around the DC area and office is in Falls Church, VA.

Cheers, RickG

[Waterway Guide]

A couple Potomac River marinas say they allow liveaboards:National Harbor: National Harbor Marina | National Harbor, MD | Waterway Guide Marina Listing
Gangplank: The Wharf Gangplank Marina | Washington, DC | Waterway Guide Marina Listing
Both would go against rush hour to Vienna (where I lived for 20 years!), but , of course, traffic is bad no matter what direction you’re going during rush hour!


Hope this helps!

[RickG]

See the thread referenced above. Gangplank can do monthly "cruiser" until October, then no transients until 2018.

Any first hand knowledge of liveaboard in National Harbor?

Cheers, RickG

[RickG]

We did a Deale marina tour today. The options for sailboat liveaboard marinas are Rockhold Creek, Shipwright Creek, Herrington Harbor North and Herrington Harbor South. Rockhold would work if you're going cheap. I liked Shipwright, but for the money Herrington Harbor North is a better deal for us and has the large boatyard and trades. At Herrington Harbor South the bar/restaurant is already closed and there are few liveaboards

Herrington Harbor North is big with multiple private showers and a laundry room with new washers/dryers at $1.50 per. They can accommodate a bit more than 7' draft. Cost is $5,275 for 45' and $6,200 for 50' annually plus $7.90 per month electrical meter + usage and liveaboard fee of $105 per month (paid quarterly). The annual contract starts April 1. They will offer a discount at the Annapolis Sailboat Show. As we are in the market for a used boat, they offered to write us a contract contingent on boat purchase.

Cheers, RickG

[RickG]

Another item, if you're considering Deale MD for liveaboard, there is an MTA commuter bus that runs from the park and ride 6 miles away from Deale in Bristol to DC. It is the 810 line. It is surprisingly affordable at $4 one-way or $136 per month.

https://mta.maryland.gov/sites/defau...mmuterLine.pdf

Cheers, RickG

[ranger58sb]

Rick, et al, you could shop Annapolis-area marinas too, just to compare. Park-and-ride to downtown DC available; not sure what it would take to get to Vienna from there (Metro, probably). I've also heard commuting from downtown Baltermore -- Inner Harbor marinas -- is easier than one would think, due to the commuter trains.

Herrington North is a top-notch place.

Have heard elsewhere that National Harbor does have some liveaboards. I'd expect it to be expensive there, but OTOH, that location might be much better for access to downtown DC. OTOOH, I dunno about boating on the Potomac... and it's a long way by boat to open waters on the Chesapeake.

Mike: Ganglank is doing a rebuild or some such, so that's apparently not going to be an option for quite some time.

-Chris

[TMT2]

Personal experience with Tantallon-doable with 5ft draft at high tide but "challenged" is a good word to describe management there. Currently in HHS-Love it!...50 min commute at 6 AM to Springfield VA...1 hr plus returning after 4 PM.


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