Friday, April 8, 2016

How To Select A Chesapeake Marina For Your Boat Trip

By Larry Brooks


Chesapeake Bay off the Atlantic coast of the northeastern United States is an area of extreme natural beauty and national ecological importance. Its northern headwaters are fed by the Susquehanna River. The 65,000-square mile drainage basin encompasses six states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The bay is featured in numerous books, films, and other media. Whatever type of mooring facility you are looking for, there is a Chesapeake marina for you. The bay is 200 miles in length. In terms of width, it is 30 miles at its broadest point.

The estuary has several distinct regions, all of which are well catered by mooring facilities. South to north, these are the mouth of the bay, lower and upper eastern shores, mid peninsula and northern neck of the bay in Virginia, southern and central Maryland, and the head of the bay. The various marinas offer a wide range of amenities, including accommodation and boat servicing facilities. Many cater specifically for families.

Sea nettles, or jellyfish, are capable of delivering painful stings to unwary swimmers. They make their home on the U. S. East coast, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. For some reason, they are massively plentiful in Chesapeake Bay. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) runs a map on its website. It forecasts where there are likely to be blooms. They tend to colonize the tributaries in the central bay. Nettle-free marinas are quick to point this feature out in their literature.

Bohemia Bay is tucked away in northern Maryland at the head of the bay. Facilities include a lighted entrance channel with lighthouse and jetty. There is a large swimming pool, a separate pool for children, a private beach that is free from pesky sea nettles, picnic area, and playground. The club lounge offers free wifi to slip-holders, a free swap library, dock carts, laundry room, and more. Moorings are accessible via water taxi.

South of Bohemia Bay on the Sassafras River is Skipjack Cove. Here, there is a marina with a total of 365 slips and docks that can accommodate ships up to 150 feet long. This is a full-blown resort with basketball and tennis courts, exercise room, fuel dock, pump-out service, playground and children's swimming pool.

In fact, a lot of marinas cater for families and have a wide range of amenities. A lot of them have swimming pools, a safer alternative to taking your chances with the jellyfish. Some have incredibly comprehensive services for the boats as well as the two-legged guests.

Halfway between Baltimore and Philadelphia is a huge, full-service marina, complete with two 22,000 lb forklifts, a modern high and dry boatel, and a 40-ton travel lift. There are certified service departments for a number of boat dealers. Eight miles from interstate 95, it occupies eight acres with three sandy beaches, and a bar and grill with live entertainment.

The bay is surprisingly shallow, so it pays to do your homework to find out what suits your particular water craft. The average depth is 21 feet, but 25 percent is only six feet in depth. Expect summers to be hot and humid. Winters are cold and occasionally mild.




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