Chesapeake Summer 2018

We are starting our planning for next year's cruise, The Chesapeake, June, July and August.

Are there any TF events planned for that time frame?

Could there be?

We may be there, we currently have the vessel in Atlantic Yacht basin, we are planing on heading to the Bahamas and the Caribbean March thru July. We will be back in July through October. We also have a home in Virginia and normally keep the boat and cruise the bay in the summer. And then we head south to our home in Florida and the Caribbean for the winter. A little late start this year due to our international commitments. It's a great place to hang out for the summer away from the hurricanes. Would be great if we could connect.

I wouldn't call it an "event" but if everything goes as planned we will be passing through the Chesapeake Bay on our way to and from NYC and the Hudson River.

Do yourself a favor and get a subscription to Chesapeake Bay Magazine. If you call them on the phone, you might be able to get it retroactive a few months. There are articles about cruising to different destinations and a schedule of events.

WesK said:

I wouldn't call it an "event" but if everything goes as planned we will be passing through the Chesapeake Bay on our way to and from NYC and the Hudson River.

Do yourself a favor and get a subscription to Chesapeake Bay Magazine. If you call them on the phone, you might be able to get it retroactive a few months. There are articles about cruising to different destinations and a schedule of events.

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And definitely get a copy of their Cruising Guide to Chesapeake Bay. A great reference and orientation. https://checkout.subscriptiongenius.com/chesapeakeboating.net/

Lots of Chesapeake Bay info here.
BayDreaming.com – Your Guide to the Chesapeake Bay

If you have an extra week or so, consider cruising up the Potomac River to Washington, DC. You can get a slip in a marina near the mall, monument, etc.

I'll be on the Chesapeake May through September. It depends on the summer, but August can be brutal between heat and humidity. May, June, and much of July are nice. September is wonderful and early October is time to migrate South. The Chesapeake isn't a bad place to wait out the worst part of the hurricane season.

Ted

August on the Chesapeake isn't as brutal as it is in Florida. Or even South Carolina/Georgia.

Easy to list places up here you might want to consider in your itinerary:

Cambridge, Oxford, Knapp's Narrows, St. Michaels, Kent Narrows, maybe Bay Bridge (if you need a marina stop), Rock Hall, maybe Fairlee Creek if you need a marina stop, Georgetown, Chesapeake City, Havre d'Grace, Bal'mer (Baltimore), Annapolis, Deale, Chesapeake Beach, Solomons (Island)...

Some of those offer more to do/see than others, of course.

And you can't hardly move the boat without passing a decent gunkhole. You might consider the book "Cruising the Chesapeake, a Gunkholer's Guide" (something like that) by Bill Shellenberger.

-Chris

WesK said:

August on the Chesapeake isn't as brutal as it is in Florida. Or even South Carolina/Georgia.

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What's your point? The fact that it might be less brutal than the marshes of Georgia doesn't mean that it's going to be pleasant on the Chesapeake in August. The object is to enjoy your cruise, not endure it. I was just trying to make the OP aware of the conditions in August.

Ted

O C Diver said:

I'll be on the Chesapeake May through September. It depends on the summer, but August can be brutal between heat and humidity. May, June, and much of July are nice. September is wonderful and early October is time to migrate South. The Chesapeake isn't a bad place to wait out the worst part of the hurricane season.

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I don't notice August here being any worse than August in South FL when we lived down there. (And I gather OP is usually down in South FL.)

That said... we do usually do much more marina hopping in July and August up here than we do gunkholing. It's not impossible, some July/August nights are even quite pleasant (that's been especially the same this year)... but I don't like to run the genset and AC overnight, just personal preference. OTOH, fans running off the inverter, and some battery fans, all seem to make it OK sometimes.

The September happens, and usually Sept. and Oct. are both really nice up here for anchoring out. Barring other time constraints, I don't think I'd leave the Chesapeake until sometime between 1 Nov and Veteran's Day or just after. (In fact, if we head south this year, our departure date will be 14 Nov.)

-Chris

Folks, the boat came with so many guides, charts, etc. etc I thought it would sink.

This thread was more about events or get-togethers than where to go.

During summer months there are many Chesapeake Bay Watermen Day Events that include workboat docking contests, anchor throwing, crab picking etc which show case the activities of Chesapeake watermen. St. Michaels host a antique boat show in June, Crisfield has the Maryland Crab race, Cambridge and Kent Island have hydroplane races. Log Canoe races are held in Oxford Md and Miles River. Chestertown has a Tea Party reenactment. Try contacting the State of Maryland Office of Tourism to see if they still publish a calendar of events . There are plenty of events that celebrate Md history and culture. Get the google machine out and have a look. Enjoy!

If a member of the great loop association, try the various harbor hosts, knowing what is happening when should be their specialty.

Getting excited just reading these posts! Maybe we should stay through September as well!

If you like "off the beaten path", take a cruise up the Pocomoke river. It winds through forests and farms up to Snow Hill, MD. Free docks with electric and water at Snow Hill and Pocomoke. Nice towns with a few restaurants. Kayak, canoe, or explore with your dinghy. 3 days and 2 nights will cover it, more if you like to paddle. Great to do in June or September.

Labor day at Crisfield and Chance has the Skipjack races, Chesapeake Cowboys (boat docking) and the crab derby.

Ted

Nice,

Keep 'em coming!

Do you like to watch the Blue Angels? Commensement at the US Naval Academy (Annapolis) is the last week of May. They pull out all the stops for the mid shipmen. Anchor out and take the dinghy in to see the show. There's also a practice show a few days before. The show is on the Severn river in front of the Academy which makes it tight, up close, and personal.

Ted

O C Diver said:

Do you like to watch the Blue Angels? Commensement at the US Naval Academy (Annapolis) is the last week of May. They pull out all the stops for the mid shipmen. Anchor out and take the dinghy in to see the show. There's also a practice show a few days before. The show is on the Severn river in front of the Academy which makes it tight, up close, and personal.

Ted

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My dear man, we are living where they started!

We have them early November every year down here.

They alternate between Jacksonville Beach, where it is an Air And Sea show, and NAS Jacksonville where it is an air show. Either way you can anchor right beneath the plane's path and demos! in fact I suspect they pick a big boat and use it as a marker! Certainly seems that way off shore a few years ago as we got continuously doused in smelly black stuff!

The great thing is our yacht club is at the Beach and Epping Forest Yacht Club is across from NAS , so we reciprocate for slips every other year!

Winning!

This year it is at NAS and we will be anchored right off the end of the runway!

Because that is the weekend we lose the hour and sunset will be at 5:30 here (and Epping are rebuilding some docks), after the Sunday show we are running up to tie up at the Jacksonville Landing and going to the Times Union Center to watch The Sound Of Music!

Fall boating. What is not to like!

We live on the bay and just recently discovered MTOA - the local regions are very active and offer lots of get together and events. We will be heading south this winter but back home in the summer, so looking forward to meeting TF’ers!

Bearkeley said:

We live on the bay and just recently discovered MTOA - the local regions are very active and offer lots of get together and events. We will be heading south this winter but back home in the summer, so looking forward to meeting TF’ers!

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We have been on MTOA for a while. We are members of the First Coast group. Unfortunately their lunches happen down in the Palm Coast area. That would be a 2.5 hour round trip for us, so a bit far for lunch.

This should help finding events of interest while visiting Maryland. Maryland Events - Maryland Calendar of Events | Visit Maryland

menzies said:

Folks, the boat came with so many guides, charts, etc. etc I thought it would sink.

This thread was more about events or get-togethers than where to go.

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Which the Chesapeake Magazine guides and magazines will have virtually all of them for you. Are they amongst those on your boat?

The Waterway Guide site and weekly (free) newsletters are good sources too. https://www.waterwayguide.com/latest-news/3/chesapeake-bay

The Chesapeake has so many festivals, fairs, gatherings and other events they need to be cataloged.

Well I went into the closet where I put all the charts and guides from Sonas and found this lot. I need to look and see what is useful and then consider if I want to buy the latest versions of anything.

menzies said:

We have been on MTOA for a while. We are members of the First Coast group. Unfortunately their lunches happen down in the Palm Coast area. That would be a 2.5 hour round trip for us, so a bit far for lunch.

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Hot off the press....MTOA events for 2018 - Southern Bay...Northern is very active too. Great group of folks.

2018 Tentative Date

SCBC Event Overview

Hosts

Jan. 20th

Luncheon gathering at Dozier’s Regatta Point Marina in Deltaville, Virginia

John & Ginny Stout

Feb. 17th

Overnight road trip to C&H Oyster Bar near Elizabeth City, N.C.. Stay in a local motel. MTOA bonding in rural N.C.! Tour Museum of the Albemarle, bus ride to oyster bar!

John & Ginny Stout

March 24th

Luncheon in Williamsburg or Newport News area. Locations being considered: Jamestown tour incl. boats, or Mariners Museum, or Two Rivers County Club – with a lunch to follow

Allan & Debbie Finger

April 14th

6th Annual Oyster, Clam, Chili, and Sock-Burning at Bass’ home near Smith Point

Tab & Susan Bass

May 19th

Lunch at the Armstrong’s – Little Wicomico River, near Reedville, Virginia. Drive-in or cruise-in.

Tom & Marie Armstrong

June 20th – 23rd

Cruise-In or drive-in to Deltaville Boatyard & Marina on Jackson Creek. Docking, boat maintenance, or suddenly-in-charge exercises being considered. Another buffet dinner and live entertainment being planned.

Quentin & Choya Haynie

July 24th – 27th

Virginia Rendezvous – location being researched; perhaps at ICYCC or elsewhere in the Northern Neck area. More later on this.

Mike & Dee Byrne

August 8th – 11th

2018 Shuck-n-Suck Festival – The Oyster Farm at Kings Creek. Get a slip reservation NOW at Kings Creek! The Cape Charles Town Dock, or the Cape Charles Yachting Center are alternative slip providers!

Jim & Talley Powell

September 10th – 14th

MTOA Northern Rendezvous – The Oyster Farm at Kings Creek, Cape Charles, Virginia

Jim & Talley Powell

October

3rd Annual MTOA South Bounders Rendezvous – perhaps at New Berne again. More on this later.

MTOA Mid-Atlantic Ops.

December

SCBC 2018 Holiday Luncheon

TBD

So this is it for the period we are there - if we are in these areas.

I suspect the MTOA events are for those who boat locally. And it would be a short trip to them. I just don't see us changing our cruise plan for these.

Not being mean or anything, but a lunch or dinner isn't going to do it necessarily.

Now if we can Uber or Taxi there from whereever we are, that's a different story.

* * * *

June 20th – 23rd

Cruise-In or drive-in to Deltaville Boatyard & Marina on Jackson Creek. Docking, boat maintenance, or suddenly-in-charge exercises being considered. Another buffet dinner and live entertainment being planned.

Quentin & Choya Haynie

July 24th – 27th

Virginia Rendezvous – location being researched; perhaps at ICYCC or elsewhere in the Northern Neck area. More later on this.

Mike & Dee Byrne

August 8th – 11th

2018 Shuck-n-Suck Festival – The Oyster Farm at Kings Creek. Get a slip reservation NOW at Kings Creek! The Cape Charles Town Dock, or the Cape Charles Yachting Center are alternative slip providers!

rwidman said:

I wouldn't call it an "event" but if everything goes as planned we will be passing through the Chesapeake Bay on our way to and from NYC and the Hudson River.

Do yourself a favor and get a subscription to Chesapeake Bay Magazine. If you call them on the phone, you might be able to get it retroactive a few months. There are articles about cruising to different destinations and a schedule of events.

Click to expand...

Same with us. Our boat is in JAX and we'll head up the coast May 15-ish. We'll stop at a couple of faves along the way including a couple of places in CP: Annapolis especially. We'll then too head up the Hudson to Winter Haven Marina on the Erie Canal. We'll leave the boat there for the winter. We're starting a five-year exploration of the Great Lakes. We've already swung through there during our Great Loop, but we missed a lot. It's time to go back and get into it all deeper.

OK, final provisioning underway. New autopilot being installed today and tomorrow. Windlass service being done on Monday.

Long range weather is looking awesome for a run outside for the first three days starting no later than the 25th. We have decided on runs no longer than six hours or so per day. So we are looking at ~9 days to get to Norfolk from JAX. Monday will be to St Simons, Tuesday to Tybee Roads, Wednesday to Charleston. After that we will stay inside. Georgetown, Little River, Wrightsville, etc, towards Norfolk/Jamestown.

Then we will take a slow ride to DC where we are booked into the Capital Yacht Club for five days the last week of July and to pick up Irish guests. We will then cruise to Annapolis and then Baltimore where we drop off our guests and start to wind our way slowly back south.

See you all along the way!

menzies said:

OK, final provisioning underway. New autopilot being installed today and tomorrow. Windlass service being done on Monday.

Long range weather is looking awesome for a run outside for the first three days starting no later than the 25th. We have decided on runs no longer than six hours or so per day. So we are looking at ~9 days to get to Norfolk from JAX. Monday will be to St Simons, Tuesday to Tybee Roads, Wednesday to Charleston. After that we will stay inside. Georgetown, Little River, Wrightsville, etc, towards Norfolk/Jamestown.

Then we will take a slow ride to DC where we are booked into the Capital Yacht Club for five days the last week of July and to pick up Irish guests. We will then cruise to Annapolis and then Baltimore where we drop off our guests and start to wind our way slowly back south.

See you all along the way!

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I don't know if you will have enough liquid.

You should revise your stock, I see to much Coke there!

L