Saturday, April 11, 2020

on the other side

So the long-planned month-long sail on Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds is just a fond memory.  From early May through early June I had planned to visit some favorite spots - New Bern, Beaufort, Ocracoke, Washington - on Pamlico Sound and do the length of Albermale sound from Edenton to where it opens on to Croatan Sound and Roanoke Island.

It's just not gonna happen, and the heat and thunderstorms that come mid-June make a four-week trip impractical for the next couple of months.  For summer cruising I prefer to do shorter sails - five to seven days - where I can look for a good weather window and get out on the water.


When we are on the other side of this, and you know what I mean by this, maybe I will sail on the other side of Chesapeake Bay.  Below is a map of the western shore of the Bay from Gwynn's Island to the Wicomico River.


I have sailed the southern end of this area, with Curt and Barry on Curt's ANNIE in 2015, and then late summer 2018 with Barry when he made a great sailing video.  You can find Barry's post and great photographs from the trip here, and see the video here (well worth watching).


What do I remember from my brief sailing up there.  Beautiful, winding waterways with tree-lined shores, the wide open Rappahannock River, great beaches, excellent food and maybe the worlds best oysters at Merroir.  There's a ramp and vehicle storage area at Gwynn's Island, maybe a better ramp and storage at Deltavile.  I could sail up the Bay to Reedville, visiting creeks along the way.  And sail up the Rappahannock to Merroir or go a little bit further to Urbanna (another great oyster spot).  Then duck down and circumnavigate Gwynn's Island through the Hole in the Wall.  

I've got plenty of freeze dried meals, canned Italian tuna, buffalo bars and cups of fruit tucked away.  Just need to wait for the right and responsible time to start using it.

Stay safe.



4 comments:

Bill said...

There is SO much to see on the western shore! Way more going on over on this side than the eastern shore. Thousands of little creeks, inlets, coves, etc. to explore and anchor in.

If you go around Windmill Point and behind Fleets Island, you'll find Fleets Bay. If you turn south and hook around in behind Fleets Island, there is Little Bay, right at the mouth of Antipoison Creek. It's a great little hidey-hole. Very pretty, a couple small sandy beaches, very protected, with excellent holding.

Another nice spot is behind Sandy Point just inside the mouth of the Great Wicomico River.

I used to keep my boat (which I no longer have) on Queens Creek - right across Hills Bay from Gwynn Island. I've had some really sweet sailing in Hills Bay and the Piankatank River.

But really, you can't go wrong almost anywhere up and down the western shore. There are thousands of little areas off of Mobjack Bay. Mathews, Deltaville, etc.

I'd love to see you come on over and spend some time up there. Let me know, and I could meet you with supplies or whatever if you need anything. I'd love the excuse to make the trip up there - I take any opportunity I can to visit the area.

Steve said...

Thanks for the advice, Bill. Will save this note for planning purposes. steve

David Swanson said...

Maybe you can do your Albemarle/Pamlico trip in the fall. It's a great time to sail (as you know) and your mapped out a great route. I actually printed the map out and pinned it to the wall of my cube as inspiration.

Stay safe.

Steve said...

That's a good idea, fall sailing is great on the sounds. This coming fall - depending on how much we open up - I'll sail the north end of Chesapeake Bay with visits, hopefully, to both the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival in St. Michaels and the Downrigging Festival in Chestertown.