If you can, visit this place soon before it is gone

[HeaveToo]

http://mashable.com/2014/12/04/maryland-smith-island-climate-change/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfY3I0c2N6OXBpc3l1cDJkYSJ9

I have personally been here.  I need to get back here again soon....maybe next summer.  It is a unique place to visit. 

[TedStrat]

HeaveToo...I watched an entire show about this island on the history channel or something. I agree with you - a must go. I am planning a chesapeak trip for a week-10 days next fall and want to put this on my itinerary. Looks like an amazing place where time has stopped. Would be interested to hear more about your visit. Did you stay on board and at a dock or anchor up?

[HeaveToo]

There is a marina at Smith Island.  It use to be a Bed and Breakfast but I don't think that it is operating anymore.  http://www.smithisland.us/marina.htm

It is a unique island.  There is a lot to see but the businesses shut down after the last ferry leaves.  That means that you have to cook dinner.

Another worthy place to visit is Tangier Island.  It is similar to Smith Island but it is a tad bit busier.  There is a marina there:  http://www.tangierisland-va.com/marina/

Both marinas are pretty cheap.  They were $1 a foot and a little extra for power.  Both marinas have good depth for our boats but you have to watch the cross current when coming into the slip because it can be quite strong.

If you are in that area of the Chesapeake Bay make a stop at Solomons Island.  It is a nice place and it is busy on weekends.  They have good marinas there and you can usually find a few good restaurants.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the area.  Early fall is a beautiful time to visit because the winds are usually okay and it isn't so hot. 

[TedStrat]

Thanks Heaveto.....great stuff. Solomon's island is also on the list based on what I've read. I'm thinking last week in sept through first few days in October - good time of year or should I go earlier? Besides wind, we are looking for water warm enough to swim, some decent fishing and at least a good chance of warm weather

[waterwheels]

A group of Wayfarer's have visited that area every season since 2005. They have provided some great cruising logs and hundreds of pictures here;

http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIC/Cruise.Logs/Cruise.Logs.index.html

Look under Chesapeake Bay

Haven't made there myself, yet. So many places to sail.....so little time.

Don

[HeaveToo]

I took a trip at the end of September and the weather was incredible.  The wind can be heavy this time of year but it was fine for my trip and I really knocked some miles down on this trip.  I averaged over 30 miles a day and 90% under sail. 

Solomons Island is a must see in the area.  It is my favorite destination and I have spent some time there almost every year since I was a teenager.  There are a lot of good restaurants and they have a good museum.  You can also tour a Screw Pile Lighthouse at the museum. 

http://s296.photobucket.com/user/HeaveToo/slideshow/2014%20Solomons%20Island%20Trip?sort=3

There is a slideshow of my trip in September.  Best months would probably be May and September.  I usually head out for a trip in late May and the first week of June.  This was my first September trip and I was amazed on how nice it was.  It got cool at night and the days were cool at times.

I just simply went to Solomons Island, stayed two days, and headed back.

Day 1:  Left Colonial Beach and sailed 30 Nautical miles to Point Lookout State Park.  I found a place where a shallow draft boat could anchor.  Right as you go in the harbor, to the right, just outside of the channel.  There was 5 feet of water where I anchored.  Best part is there are public restrooms there so you can Dingy in and use the good facilities.  This is a boat area where there is a ramp at the State Park.  I could kick myself for not checking out the ramp but it may be a good place to launch a trip from.

Day 2:  Left Point Lookout State Park and sailed around Point Lookout.  I then made it past Point No Point and then past Cedar Point.  I went up into the Pax River and up to Solomons (about 30 Nautical Miles).  It was a rough morning as the winds blew hard the night before out of the North East.  Point Lookout is where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake Bay and it is to be respected.  I know what it is capable of as I worked on a Charter Boat as a teenager in this area.  Imagine wind, waves, and current all converging in one area with shallow water to push up the wave height to be really steep....that is what can happen there.  Still, Saga pushed right through it and I made good time on the sail (about 6 hours).

Day 3:  Solomons Island

Day 4:  Solomons Island back into the Potomac River and into Smith Creek.  This is an old fallback position for me and I have spent many a night with an anchor dug into this place.  There are several good anchorages in the area and a marina in this location.  I have seen dolphins at the mouth of Smith Creek. (about 30 Nautical Miles).

Day 5:  Smith Creek to Breton Bay.  You can access Leonardtown, MD from Breton Bay.  It is a quaint town with a few good restaurants.  It also has an organic grocery store convenient to the warf area.  Breton bay has a warf and you can tie a dingy up there to go into town.  (about 15 Nautical Miles).  There is also a public bathroom down at the warf that you can use

Day 6:  Breton Bay to home.  It was a foggy, uneventful motor/sail (15 Nautical Miles).

I was going to stay out longer but my company was going back and the weather for the next day was forecasting 20+ knots out of the North West.  In the Potomac River, if you are heading up river, North West is the worst wind direction because it is directly upwind and there is a lot of fetch.  Waves get huge as they are wind and current driven.  Worse yet is wind driven waves against the current (they get nasty 4-5 foot breakers). 

Coming around Smith Point (the Virginia Side of the mouth of the Potomac River) I took a full gale in my Catalina 30 when I had just bought it in Deltaville.  I had waves going over my bow and breaking on the front part of the cabin roof.  I would not like to repeat this ever again as I was scared to death of these conditions (it was April and hitting the water was a death sentence).  Be very respectful of Chesapeake Bay sailing and it will be nice to you.  Always have a back-up plan and bail out places.  If something comes up be prepared to duck and run! 

In the summers be off of the water by 5pm.  Storms frequently pop up after 5pm and they tend to travel down the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.  They can get quite intense (50 knot winds is not abnormal).  We usually leave the anchorages early and get in early to tour the town.  If it is hot the temp on the water is usually comfortable but in the anchorages that are protected it is awful.  I run 12V fans to help out some.  July and August are horrible for the temps and I usually don't cruise during these time periods.

You could make a good trip by launching out of Point Lookout State Park or Solomons Island.  Another Virginia Launch could be out of Reedsville.  Either way it would allow you to access Smith Island, Then down to Tangier Island, and then back.  That would be a quick trip but there are several other variations out there.  You can also go to Onancock (well worth the long channel to get back to it).  Chrisfield, MD is also in the area but from what I hear it is getting a little run down and it was already heading that way the last time I was there, about 8 years ago.

At Smith and Tangier you will have to take a slip.  There are no anchorages.  There is a lot of current right outside of the slips so be mindful going into the slip.  Once you are in it is well protected.  Have bug screens as there are a lot of no-see-ums and mosquitoes in that area of the bay....oh and watch out for the biting flies, they are EVIL and no bug repellant works (other than clothing and a fly swatter and those bastards have been known to bite through some clothing).

Oh, one last tidbit.  If you like to fish there is good fishing in the area.  The middle grounds, near the target ships, is where I spent a lot of time when I worked on the Charter Boat.  Also, there is a very healthy Striper population in the Bay and I have caught a few when sailing and trolling (nothing like fresh rockfish for dinner).  They like white of chartreuse bucktails with a small trailer on them (grub or something similar).  If you fly fish there is some good fly fishing in the area too.  I caught several stripers in the Smith Island areas on my Fly rod.  If you fish in the time the sun is going down it is most productive and fishing the channel and the channel edges with current and current edges it is the most productive.  I use a Clowser's Minnow, White and Chartreuse on a sink tip line (I fish an 8 weight fly rod).

If anyone has questions feel free to PM me or ask away.  I have spent a lot of time in the area and I have an Uncle that spends Months out of the year for the last 30+ years cruising around the Chesapeake Bay Region.

[TedStrat]

Don - some really excellent pics from all the Wayfarer trips... Seems like a great group - surprised you never got down there with your CL. It reminded me of my Beetle Cat sails but the wayfarers are bigger and much better sailing boats. I've been looking through all the pics from the trip - well organized and seemingly endless. Love the story about surfbird up on VC island too.

HeaveToo - your post is like me having a personal tour guide! Some really niceprofessional grade pics of your trip. You really made some ground with the winds you had - amazing. I will watch the long range forecasts on my favorite wind site - passage weather- and adjust the days last minute if I have to.  I'm starting to pull the trip together (in my mind at least) based on your thoughts of where to start and what to see.  Point lookout seems like a great base to start as you suggest - I will keep an eye out for weather and tides as I'm used to what the wrong combination can do. I fish Montauk a lot and the rips light up with a wind against tide scenario with white water rapids type waves - thx for the heads up. I also remember those afternoon thunderstorms - spent a lot of years as a teenager on cape hatteras and remember well. I'm sure sept will be more mellow, except for the cold fronts that time of year - I will keep an eye to the NW. Great to hear there a replaces to dock once in a while - wifey will appreciate to shower and facilities.

Seeing dolphins was also very high on our wish list so good to hear they were still around in September. I will bring along some bucktails and swimmers for the stripers - I have a small stove on the Eclipse but also have a small BBQ we will bring along to cook. I will reach out when I start to build a possible itinerary to see what you think. Thanks again for the detail.

[HeaveToo]

If anyone is interested, I am starting to plan a trip in Late May to Tangier.  I think that I will post details elsewhere, but it is getting a little interest from a few other friends in larger boats.

I am wondering if the Point Lookout State Park ramp would be a safe place to leave a vehicle.  That could be an interesting launch.  It is pretty convenient to access the Bay.

[waterwheels]

Ted,

The Wayfarers are a wonderful group, but looking forward to outings with this group too. May have to start trying to figure out what this CLR thing is all about.
I was looking into BBQ's and wonder what you use? I would like to have one that mounts to the rail but with no suitable horizontal rails on the Eclipse I may be limited to the Magma Kettle type as they have a mounting bracket that will mount on a vertical or on an angle rail.

Comments welcome;)

Don

[TedStrat]

HeaveToo- maybe a scouting trip in May might be of interest to me too before the 10 day trip in September. Keep us posted
Don- eclipse does have a horizontal support on both sides of the boom arch that may work. I have the small round magma kettle but have not used it on this boat yet.  I bought a mounting arm at Defender Marine last night online and am waiting for it to arrive. I will email you a pic of the horizontal arm if I have one that shows it.