Upper
Chesapeake Bay Rivers
It
is a nice problem to have a few empty unscheduled days to explore the rivers of
the upper Chesapeake Bay. This is even better when the weather is nearly perfect but for the odd drop of rain!
We began with
the Sassafras and trip up to Georgetown.
Everyone said there was nothing there, but we found the trip up the
river scenic and the secure anchorage restful. There are several marinas although, it is
true, not much of a town on either side of the river. However, a short walk of a little over a mile
leads to Galena a small town with a Sassy Market, several antique stores (sadly
not open on Mondays) and other useful services.
Our
next stop was in Worton Bay – a handy anchorage off the main bay with good
protection from the prevailing winds.
From there we headed up the Chester River to Chestertown where there is
another handy anchorage just opposite the town marina. This cruiser friendly stop is both a charming
town complete with brick sidewalks and a free dinghy dock for transients. The choices of restaurants were also
plentiful, and we found a natural food grocery and bakery all conveniently a
short walk from the dock.
One
of our days here was almost a total washout – rain – buckets full – from early
morning until late at night, so we were happy to meet our friends Michelle and Ron
on Spirit Journey – another Kadey Krogen. Thanks to their hospitality, we had
time to gather reflections and recommendations on their Down East trip and
other boating tips. The generous spirit of other cruisers, such as the Halls,
never fails to enrich our own journey and add to our projects.
We
were also entertained by the afternoon sailors who braved the windy weather to
practice – some needing it more than others!
Sailors
we met in Havre de Grace pointed us to the next anchorage on Langford Creek
(off the Chester River) behind Cacaway Island. It proved as scenic and relaxing
as promised and empty but for the occasional passing sail. We used some of the relaxation time to catch
up on our boat keeping duties least anyone vision us napping away the weekend!
(Sorry no pictures of EMPTY)
We
crossed over to the western shore for a stop in the Magothy River where the
beautiful Saturday weather provided an excuse for dozens of boaters to venture
out. The anchorage was roomy enough for
the baker’s dozen small boats who spent the afternoon on the beach as well as
the dozen plus larger sailboats and trawlers most of whom spent the night in
this scenic spot. We lingered with
excellent TV reception to watch the Seminoles work their way into the lead against
a very talented North Carolina State team.
For
some Sunday NFL action we hopped down to the West River and lunched at
Thursday’s in front of the big screen TVs.
We visited here on our way north and again found it a quiet place to
spend the night – not empty but with a strictly enforces NO WAKE zone – we
experienced no wild rocking.
The
Choptank River with the town of Cambridge was another new and convenient stop on our
way south. To reach this convenient and
secure free wall in the Cambridge Creek, we again crossed the bay to the
eastern shore. While the reviewers did not rave about this town, we found it
has abundant signs of improvement as many of the downtown buildings have been
or are in the process of being restored.
In addition there is a VERY accommodating local grocery store a short
walk away that offer rides back to the boat as well as an onsite butcher shop. The Elliott's Bakery also on Race St is now open. Since the small maritime museum is only open weekends and Wednesdays, we will
certainly have to return here. All those
crab and oyster restaurants and picking houses don’t hurt either…..
next to our free dock!
Jimmies are males and Sooks are females
Finally, we plan to cross once more to the Patuxent River for one last anchorage on Saint
Leonard’s creek – reportedly remote and serene – before joining the crowd at
Calverts Marina in Solomons, MD. It is no wonder that many who live here never
get to explore all the possible anchorages within a few miles of the major cities
on the Upper Chesapeake. Even with
eleven nights on the hook, we have left much for our next trip.
