Sunday, June 26, 2016

How To Select A Chesapeake Marina For Your Boat Trip

By Larry Brooks


Chesapeake Bay is an inland waterway off the Atlantic coast of the states of Maryland and Virginia. It covers an area of nearly 65,000 square miles and acts as a reservoir for more than 150 rivers and streams. The estuary is 200 miles in length and just under three miles wide at its narrowest. Its 12,000 miles of shoreline are serviced several dozen Chesapeake Marina. An area of huge ecological importance and outstanding natural beauty, the bay has been immortalized in Tom Clancy's book, Patriot Games, published in 1987 and in the 2012 eco-horror flick, The Bay.

Mooring facilities of different sizes and complexity are located at the head of the bay, central and southern Maryland, in the mid peninsula and northern neck of the bay in Virginia, at the upper and lower eastern shores, and at the mouth of the bay. Marinas differ widely in size and in terms of the facilities offered. Many offer accommodation and cater especially for families.

The bay is a powerful magnet for jellyfish, or sea nettles. These diaphanous sea creatures, breathtaking in their grace and beauty, deliver a painful sting to the uninformed swimmer. They tend to congregate in the central part of the bay. Numerous agencies post details of largest blooms on their websites, and it is recommended that you consult them if you plan to dip into the water. If a particular marina is not troubled by sea nettles, they will usually indicate so in their sales blurb.

One example of a particularly lively facility is located at Bohemia Bay, situated in Maryland at the bay's head. The entrance channel is well-lit at night. Outdoors, there are two swimming pools, a private, nettle-free beach, playground, and picnic area. The clubhouse offers free wifi and swap library, laundry room and other amenities. A water taxi transports visitors to and from their moorings.

Skipjack Cove is a few miles south of Bohemia Bay on the Sassafras River. Accessible by Highway 301, the marina boasts 365 slips with full service dockage for ships up to 150 feet in length. Amenities include a full service restaurant, Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, bathroom and shower facilities and a laundry.

For those looking for peace and quiet away from the pandemonium of family resorts, there are small, family-run marinas in Sunset Harbor and Worton Creek. One of the smallest marinas is located off Mobjack Bay. There are 17 slips that are able to accommodate boats from 25 to 50 feet in length.

Chesapeake Bay caters directly to the boats that make family holidays possible, too! Halfway between Baltimore and Philadelphia at the headwaters of the estuary is a massive, full-service marina, complete with 40-ton travel lift and not one but, two 22-ton forklifts, a state-of-the-art high and dry boatel, and certified service departments for several boat manufacturers. There are 200 slips, both fixed and floating.

The bay itself is mostly shallow. While it has an average depth of 21 feet, nearly a quarter of the waterway is less than six feet deep. The ambient climate is described as humid subtropical. Summers are hot and steamy, while winters are cold to mild. The surface of the bay freezes only rarely, the last instance being the winter of 1976-77.




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