New Bern, NC to Crisfield, MD

Taking our maiden voyage on our 36' 1983 Sea Ray aft cabin with twin Perkins diesels 200 HP, this April 2017
Would like an idea of how much time we should take off and references to charts and apps.

I'd say a week for travel (3.5 days each way) charts for the ICW and Chesapeake Bay. 11541, 11553, 12206, 12221, 12225, 12228, maybe 12231. There are other large scale charts but I don't think you need them. A chart catalog is good to get.

Thank you SaltyDawg86

I have done that trip (at least from Oriental, NC and passing by Crisfield) almost a dozen times. How fast are you planning to cruise? Here is an itinerary if you cruise at 7 kts:

New Bern to Belhavn area- Lots of marinas. Dowry Creek is most popular. Or anchor at beginning of Alligator Pungo Canal.

Belhavn to Coinjock or Elizabeth City to do the Dismal Swamp. I like the Dismal Swamp route and the free docks at Belhavn are welcoming.

Elizabeth City or Coinjock to Portsmouth. Time your passage through the DS locks (check Active Captain for schedule) as well as the Gilmerton Bridge openings. There is an anchorage off of Hospital Point as well as free side ties at one of two pocket harbors in Portsmouth. Lots of marinas as well.

Portsmouth to Crisfield. A rather long leg at 75 NM, but doable at 7 kts. Other stops will take you quite a bit off track.

There are lots of other nice stops and side trips along the way: Oriental, Bath/Washington, Edenton, Deltaville, Reedville.

So you can do it in four days if the weather holds, but a week would let you make some of these additional stops.

David

Great information
Our home port is Seaford Delaware at the head of the Nanticoke.
Thank you

What speed do you plan to cruise at? Are you anchoring out or looking for a marina each night? I travel back and forth from Fort Myers to Crisfield each year. From New Bern to Norfolk would be 3 days for me at 7 knots. From Norfolk to Crisfield is one very long day depending on Chesapeake Tidal currents. Will be coming through there in early - mid April.

Dismal Swamp Route is still closed and as of late February has no projected reopening date.

Ted

We have taken 4-9 days ,usually stopping at , Reedville or Deltaville for extended stays...... Your avatar photo looks like it was shot from the deck a skipjack? What's the name? Volunteered on Martha Lewis dredging for oysters in Chesapeake Bay .Quite the experience under sail.

David Kimmel said:

We have taken 4-9 days ,usually stopping at , Reedville or Deltaville for extended stays...... Your avatar photo looks like it was shot from the deck a skipjack? What's the name? Volunteered on Martha Lewis dredging for oysters in Chesapeake Bay .Quite the experience under sail.

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She is the Kathryn I sailed on her as part of an all female crew during the races in Deal Island,MD

O C Diver said:

What speed do you plan to cruise at? Are you anchoring out or looking for a marina each night? I travel back and forth from Fort Myers to Crisfield each year. From New Bern to Norfolk would be 3 days for me at 7 knots. From Norfolk to Crisfield is one very long day depending on Chesapeake Tidal currents. Will be coming through there in early - mid April.



Dismal Swamp Route is still closed and as of late February has no projected reopening date.



Ted

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This is our first power boat, been sailing the Chesapeake for 7 years.
Where would you suggest our overnight be from Norfolk, since Crisfield is such a long haul?
We plan on bringing her home (Seaford,DE)
In early April as well.

ChesapeakeGem said:

This is our first power boat, been sailing the Chesapeake for 7 years.
Where would you suggest our overnight be from Norfolk, since Crisfield is such a long haul?
We plan on bringing her home (Seaford,DE)
In early April as well.

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We are going to anchor as much as possible

David Kimmel said:

Your avatar photo looks like it was shot from the deck a skipjack? What's the name? Volunteered on Martha Lewis dredging for oysters in Chesapeake Bay .

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ChesapeakeGem said:

She is the Kathryn I sailed on her as part of an all female crew during the races in Deal Island,MD

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Thought she looked familiar.





David and Stoney Whitelock are good people. My boat was in the big metal building (Sean Messick's shop) at Scott's Cove Marina, while they were rebuilding the Kathryn.

Some of the rest of the fleet on the hard in preparation for the Labor Day Skipjack races of 2015.

ChesapeakeGem said:

This is our first power boat, been sailing the Chesapeake for 7 years.
Where would you suggest our overnight be from Norfolk, since Crisfield is such a long haul?
We plan on bringing her home (Seaford,DE)
In early April as well.

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Find Fort Monroe (Old Point Comfort) just inside the Hampton Roads entrance. There is an anchorage (Phoebus / Old Point Comfort) between the Old Point Comfort Marina and the Rt. 64 causeway. It's fairly protected from everything but a SW wind. Leave there at first light; round the Thimble Shoal Light; then take a straight shot to the Tangier Sound Gas Buoy (Light). From Thimble Shoal Light to the Tangier Sound light is about 48 miles, to the Janes Island light (Crisfield) is about 60 miles. Really think you can make Crisfield from Norfolk in one day. If weather isn't bad, the hook at Cod Harbor (bottom of Tangier) would be a good anchorage. Onancock is another possibility.

Ted

Yes Stoney and David are great people! Katarina was our Captain, she and Stoney married last year.
Great Fleet!

ChesapeakeGem said:

Yes Stoney and David are great people! Katarina was our Captain, she and Stoney married last year.
Great Fleet!

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Took a ride with Stoney up the Scott's Cove ditch on the Helen Virginia, not for the faint of heart.

Ted

Ran aground there once, a guy in a skiff pulled us off

New Bern,NC to Crisfield,MD

New Bern to Belhaven would be a long pull to do in one day at 7k.

If you want to anchor out, New Bern to South River or tucked up in lower Broad Creek next to River Dunes are both easy options. Heck, even inside the Oriental jettie, while a short day, is a nice place... or the Town Docks... check the webcam. Staging from there is an easier reach to the entry to Alligator-Pungo canal or behind the Belhaven breakwater.

From there, you can make it to Coinjock and on up to Norfolk. But you might want to duck into Manteo if you have the time. Free dock are empty these days and Full Moon Brewery (now Lost Colony Brewery) reopened yesterday in downtown. It is worth the side trip just for the crab dip pretzel!

If you anchor in Oriental either under the bridge or near Oriental Harbor there are two dinghy docks, bars, food store and boat parts readily available. In Belhaven the Dowry Creek area is OK but it is a long way to anything but Dowry Creek. I would stay closer to downtown unless you just want stars.

bilge53 said:

If you anchor in Oriental either under the bridge or near Oriental Harbor there are two dinghy docks, bars, food store and boat parts readily available. In Belhaven the Dowry Creek area is OK but it is a long way to anything but Dowry Creek. I would stay closer to downtown unless you just want stars.

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Yes, Greens Creek which is under / past the bridge is my favorite place to anchor in Oriental. Quiet, protected, and usually empty, but only a 10 to 15 minute dinghy ride to the city dinghy dock.

Ted

Another option in Oriental are the two long free transient docks on the harbor and you can walk instead of dinghy.

ChesapeakeGem said:

...
Where would you suggest our overnight be from Norfolk, since Crisfield is such a long haul?
...

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I live just off the ICW in Norfolk area, you can stay for free in Great Bridge, just past the large bridge at the Seawall on the south side. Excellent place to moor, no power. Lots of restaurants and stores in walking distance.

Only downside, is when you start out the next day, you have to do the great bridge locks, and several bridges between you and Chesapeake bay.

Portsmouth has 2 free docks but in between there and Chrisfield...there aren't many places.


You can tie up in Cape Charles...not much in the way of anchoring there.


There are a few necks up from there that you could sneak in and anchor, just depends on your draft and what you want.

psneeld said:

Portsmouth has 2 free docks but in between there and Chrisfield...there aren't many places.
.

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Where are the free docks in Portsmouth?

As far as Cape Charles, it looks like Magothy Bay/Smith Island Bay would be pretty protected.

There's also Back River on the Hampton side, along with the Poquoson and York Rivers and Mobjack Bay. Several coves that are 8+ ft and offer protection.

bilge53 said:

If you anchor in Oriental either under the bridge or near Oriental Harbor there are two dinghy docks, bars, food store and boat parts readily available. In Belhaven the Dowry Creek area is OK but it is a long way to anything but Dowry Creek. I would stay closer to downtown unless you just want stars.

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Gee......... we stayed with friends at Belhaven for about a week some 18 months ago and calling it "down town" is a bit od a stretch:lol:

My suggestion is to buy the appropriate Waterway Guide books and sign up for Active Captain. That way, you can figure out how long a trip you are looking at and find information on anchorages, free docks and marinas. Keep in mind that you might need a fuel stop along the way.


Keep in mind that "X" miles per day for "X" number of days doesn't really tell you when you will get there. You should factor in possible weather delays. Albemarle Sound can be pretty rough some days and the same goes for the Chesapeake Bay.


It's been said that a schedule is one of the most dangerous things you can have on a boat. I tend to agree.

The free docks in Portsmouth are where at the ferry stops. One is at the end of High Street and the other is almost directly opposite the Norfolk down town marina. You can easily see the key ways as you are passing down the Portsmouth seawall.

Two possible stops to consider between Hampton Roads and Chrisfield are Cape Charles and Onancock, both on the Eastern Shore side of the bay. Both have interesting small towns. You might pick one going and the other coming back home.

You are going to have a fun cruise.

SaltyDawg86 said:

Where are the free docks in Portsmouth?

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The little coves where the ferry stops. One is "High Street Landing", the other is just a bit north of there, the name escapes me.

We stayed one night at High Street Landing but it was not a great experience. It's directly across the river from a 24/7 shipyard and they were grinding and banging the whole night. And of course, you are on public display. It's part of a riverwalk and people are walking right by your boat.

If I stop there again, I'll use the other landing to the north.

That's right, I forgot about High St. The one across the river is free? They change that all the time, last time I was there, they had no mooring signs. Other than events that charge to dock, it usually sets empty so I had just assumed you still couldn't dock there. There's also an anchorage at Hospital Point.

Last Summer both Portsmouth ferry docking areas were still free.

SaltyDawg86 said:

.................There's also an anchorage at Hospital Point.

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Yes, but at the landings you can step off the boat without getting your feet wet!


Seriously, looking at that anchorage, I have to wonder why they call it an anchorage. Sure you can anchor there but there's absolutely no protection from wind and boat wakes.

I've anchored several times at Hospital Point anchorage. It's in a No Wake Zone and generally it's not too bad. Once in awhile someone violates the No Wake rule. There is considerable protection from wind by Portsmouth, Norfolk and the Navy Hospital and unless a real storm is in the area you should be fine. The bottom is a bit "soupy" so you should take that into consideration. All-in-all it's not a bad place to over-night.

Yea, and at them 2 landings you step off in Portsmouth.... fine during the day, good luck at night. As stated, its a no wake and fairly protected. People anchor there all the time.