A question for the east coasters

[rick&sue]

We are planning to put the R25 in the St Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida and cruise to Washington DC. We have bicycles that we carry on top of the boat. I also have a 9 ft dinghy that I carry on top but it is a pain to launch and retrieve. It appears that opportunities for anchoring overnight are limited - I'm wondering - is there any need to even bring the dinghy for this cruise? Also - are the marinas open seasonally or year round along this part of the coast? Any specific places we should stop to visit or avoid? Guidebooks that you recommend? Appreciate any info!

I also have charts from our previous cruise that I would like to sell - 3313 Gulf Islands $40, 3312 Jarvis Inlet and Desolation Sound $40, 3311 Sunshine Coast - $15. $13 each for shipping or $17 shipping for all three.

Thanks!
Rick and Sue

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

There are literally hundreds of places to anchor between Jax and DC. Bring the dink and bikes. Review the Waterway Guide and ActiceCaptain.

 

[CLF]

Well, this is a journey I want to make, but in the opposite direction as I am on the Eastern Shore near Oxford, Maryland with a R25SC.

I think you are in for a wonderful experience along the route up to the Chesapeake Bay. And, once you get to the Chesapeake you have literally a lifetime of exploring you could do.

I am partial to the Eastern Shore. You can work your way up the right side of the Chesapeake, exploring areas of interest all along the way. Stop at Oxford...it's a charming town. Have a meal or even get off the boat and spend a night at the historic Robert Morris Inn. And, if you want company to share your story of the trip up, shoot me a note. We have an active group of Ranger Tug owners in the area and would enjoy a visit.

Don't miss St. Michaels...about 3 hours from Oxford and a wonderful community which has the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum which is not to be missed to really understand the heritage of the Bay. https://cbmm.org

From there, cross over to visit Annapolis and if you want the experience of a large city with some great recently upgraded marinas, visit Baltimore.

The two must have guides from my perspective are below. They show most of what you need to know about the Intracoastal and the Chesapeake.

Intracoastal Guide https://amzn.to/2OWYs9o

Chesapeake Guide: https://amzn.to/33sL3v9

You might enjoy taking a look at a site covering "Chesapeake Country" by the State of Maryland. Lots of places of interest!
https://www.visitmaryland.org/scenic-byways/chesapeake-country

One question....when are you planning on making this trip? Ranger Tug and Cutwater owners get together in mid-June. We had about 40 boats this year. If you are in the area, it would be fun to have you join us.

Lastly, should you need anything, the good folks at The Pocket Yacht Company - https://www.facebook.com/pocketyachts/ - are our go to folks on all things Ranger Tug.

Hope you will keep us posted on your plans and cruise!

 

[ssobol]

... It appears that opportunities for anchoring overnight are limited - I'm wondering - is there any need to even bring the dinghy for this cruise? Also - are the marinas open seasonally or year round along this part of the coast? ...

Plenty of places to anchor. However, some may be remote from places you might want to go ashore and visit.

In the Chesapeake area some marinas are open year round, but may have limited facilities in the off season (i.e. the water gets turned off in early November). Other marinas may only be open for limited hours. Marinas in developed areas (e.g. Baltimore) are more accommodating in the off season. Might want to use Snag a Slip and Dockwa to find marinas that are open.

 

[MichaelStrotz2]

I boat on the Potomac River around Washington DC and in the middle part of the Chesapeake Bay in the Annapolis / Tilghman Island / St. Michaels area. Washington DC is about 100 miles up the Potomac from its mouth where the Potomac flows into the Chesapeake Bay.

There is an interesting waterfront town on the Virginia shore of the Potomac about 30 miles upstream from the Potomac's mouth. It is called Colonial Beach, VA. The boundary between Maryland and Virginia is the Virginia shoreline. In the 1930's Maryland permitted gambling but Virginia did not. A number of Maryland gambling boats tied up permanently to docks in Colonial Beach and people in the town would walk out the dock to the gambling boats which were in Maryland territory. In the 1930's the resort town was served by steamers that brought Washington DC residents there for gambling. There are marinas, shops, restaurants, inns, art galleries, etc. You can rent a golf cart to get around the town.

There is a small river on the Virginia side of the Potomac about 80 miles up the Potomac called Occoquan River. There is a historic town there called Occoquan, an old mill town. It now has many small shops, boutiques, etc. The main restaurant there is Madigan's. They have their own small dock. The town dock is next to Madigan's dock. Pay attention to the channel markers and stay in the narrow channel as there are many rocks to avoid.

There is a new town on the Maryland side of the Potomac a few miles downstream from DC called National Harbor. Lots of restaurants, stores, hotels, a 2,000 room convention center and, most recently, a new major casino. Worth spending a night there at their dock (not on the hook).

The place to stay in DC is The Wharf, a new 5 block long waterfront development in DC on the Washington Channel. It replaced Gangplank Marina. You can anchor there in the channel and come ashore on your dingy or pay more and rent a slip at The Wharf marina. You can also cruise upriver to Georgetown, a historic waterfront neighborhood in DC, and tie up for the day at Washington Harbor in Georgetown. From there you can also cruise another 40 minutes upriver through the Potomac River Gorge, a very scenic river trip. That is as far as you can go as you start to see rocks in the river. That is the end of the navigable part of the Potomac.

On the Chesapeake Bay I recommend you visit Solomons, near the mouth of the Potomac, and Annapolis, Oxford, and St. Michaels. One more trip worth doing from the Annapolis area is to cruise up the Chester River 25 miles to the historic town of Chestertown. It is a historic town with well-preserved 1700's Federal architecture.

 

[knotflying]

In my opinion when cruising the east coast a dingy is a matter of choice. If you don't have a dog that needs to get to shore when anchored out overnight you really do not need one. There are a multitude of marinas available. It is all about the type of cruising you want to do. If you want to save money and dingy into shore then you need the dingy. I would say bikes are great for sightseeing when at a marina and general runs for groceries etc. If I had to make a choice of a dingy V bikes I think I would take the bikes.

 

[drykard]

I recommend you spend at least a day each in the cities of Savannah and Charleston.

 

[rick&sue]

Thanks Everyone!!! I appreciate you taking the time to send your suggestions. As I get further into the plan, I would like to contact you for specific questions.
Thanks again!
Rick&Sue

 

[ssobol]

.. There is a new town on the Maryland side of the Potomac a few miles downstream from DC called National Harbor. Lots of restaurants, stores, hotels, a 2,000 room convention center and, most recently, a new major casino. Worth spending a night there at their dock (not on the hook)....

Wouldn't call National Harbor a town. It is a commercial development around a Gaylord Resort. However, there are lots of shops and restaurants. Right nearby is a big casino complex (MGM National Harbor) in the same style as a large Las Vegas type casino.

Be aware that transient boats get moored at National Harbor on the outer slips. These are exposed to the wakes from the main channel of the Potomac. My boat got pretty trashed on one side from bashing against the dock due to the wakes (also took the rubber bumper strip off the dock itself). Won't go there in my boat again.

There is also Quantico. It is a town on the west side of the Potomac (south of Occaquan). There is a free dock in the park just north of the Quantico base marina. It is a short walk to the main street of the town from the free dock.

The channel into Occaquan is long and a lot of it is no wake. This means NO WAKE. I got stopped there once because my wake was too big and I was only going 6 mph. The town dock at Occaquan is fixed and can be high if the tide is low. There are a couple of ladders to get on the dock when the tide is low and/or you have a smaller boat. Madigans has floating docks and lots more space than the town dock. The Occaquan town dock is $5 for 4 hours during the day. You can stay overnight and I think the price is $35/boat/night.

If I was doing it. I'd go to Occaquan for a walk and a meal, but would spend the night on the hook in Belmont Bay (off the approach to Occaquan.