Favorite Anchorages & Marinas on the Potomac

[DWJensen]

Working on our plan/list of options for our upcoming trip up the Potomac to D.C. at the end of Sept. and wanted to get some recommendations on anchorages and/or marinas along the way. We'll be coming from Solomons and generally run 7 - 7.3kts and we draw 4'8". We generally like to stick with <8 hr days so figuring on two stops up and two or three on the way back (we'll be heading down to D'Ville and on south after).

Any favorites?

Thanks,

 

[amapola]

Kinsale and Cobb Island

 

[TBW]

St Mary's city

 

[MJ Weenz]

Mt. Vernon. Anchor north of the ferry dock and take the dink to the dock. Great experience. Also if you have time stop in Alexandria.
Mike

 

[Waterant]

Last week, on our way from Woodbridge to Solomons, we anchored in Herrings Creek in front of Tall Timbers Marina. Mud bottom, no weed, well protected. Not much boat traffic. Were told Tall Timbers has a decent restaurant which is opened Friday to Sunday. We've being there on Thursday so did not have a chance to try
It's ~6 hours from Solomons at 7knots.

Mattawomen Creek is a popular anchorage out of the way from the main channel, many people from the local marinas anchor out there on the weekends. It's ~7-8 hours from Tall Timbers and 3-4 hours from Washington at 7 knots.

 

[Sig Machi]

Combs Creek off of the entrance to Breton Ba...or Breton Bay itself...then there is the public dock at the end of Breton Bay.

Leonardtown, St. Mary's County, Maryland Side. Visit Leonardtown!

Another tremendous anchorage on the Maryland side of the lower Potomac is the St. Mary's River. Two places:
1] Horshoe Bend Dinghy ashore and tour:
A) St. Mary's College
B) Historic St. Mary's City museum and historical grounds(slight fee).

2] Another great anchorage is further up the beautiful tidal St. Mary's River, past Horseshoe Bend, toward the navigable headwaters...Lovely, secure and lots of room!

Not to be outdone, on the southern Potomac River, Virginia side is Lodge Creek. Anchorages abound going in and there is the old but "friendliest marina on the Bay," OLVERSONS LODGE CREEK MARINA. Steven will find a place for you. Fuel and pool. We docked there for a year. Loved it!


Anchorages abound on this historic tidewater river from Point Lookout/Smith Point all the way to Washington DC. It's a 100 mile trip each way...

Tight Lines!
Alan & Jeanne Cecil
M/V SIGMACHI

 

[bnoft]

As you'll be coming from Solomon's, rounding PT Lookout puts you about 6 Miles upriver vs. Smith Pt on the VA side. It's about 30 NM from Solomon's to the mouth of the St Mary's River, add about 4-5 NM to get up to Horseshoe Bend at St Mary's City. Not quite an 8 hour trip but stopping there would allow for a brief trip to the historic town. If you don't stop at St Mary's Tall Timbers is within range. Another 35 NM from St Mary's puts you near Colonial Beach, Waterway Guide shows some anchorages beyond the bridge on the MD side, can't speak to those.
On your way back down, Glebe Creek, behind Lewisetta on VA side offers a couple of great protected anchorages and 1 so-so marina on the Coan; about 14 NM to Smith Pt from the Glebe. As stated, Olverson's is up the Yeocomico, stopping there adds about 5+miles to the Bay. From Glebe Ck to D'Ville is 7-8 hours at your speed. Regatta PT is a nice marina there unless the wind is NE.

 

[O C Diver]

I also highly recommend St.Mary's city. Definitely worth a day doing the ruins of the former capital of Maryland and walking the beautiful grounds of the college. It's a nice dinghy ride to the upper part of the St. Mary's River and Tippity Witchity Island. The island that has a house on it has some colorful history.

Ted

 

[gorjes]

Working on our plan/list of options for our upcoming trip up the Potomac to D.C. at the end of Sept. and wanted to get some recommendations on anchorages and/or marinas along the way. We'll be coming from Solomons and generally run 7 - 7.3kts and we draw 4'8". We generally like to stick with <8 hr days so figuring on two stops up and two or three on the way back (we'll be heading down to D'Ville and on south after).

Any favorites?

Thanks,

We cruised up the Potomac over Memorial Day in our Linssen Dutch Sturdy 32 (steel canal boat); cruising speed 7 kts. Our home port is Oriental NC, went up Dismal Swamp canal. Here are some highlights/suggestions:

In Deltaville, the Regatta Point Yacht Center is a must, best marina I've ever visited. The owners, Don Pringle and Sandy Bouvier are wonderfully warm and welcoming, the facilities are fantastic, pool, laundry, grilles and awesome shower rooms. They have two curteousy cars, so take one into town to the Deltaville Mariners Museum, it's a great display of the area's boatbuilding heritage.

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the Capital Yacht Club, what a (surprisingly) friendly place; we were welcomed by the commodore and exchanged burgees. No more expensive than other destination marinas ($3/ft); worth it to be 2 blocks from the National Mall and surrounded by fine restaurants. We used hop on/hope off buses to tour museums and Arlington, the stop is less than a block from the dock.

We went by Mt. Vernon twice and really wish we had stopped for the tour. There's a separate small day dock for rec boaters beside the commercial tour dock, and a shuttle takes you up the hill to the house. Don't miss it like we did.

You do want to miss Mallows Bay, the graveyard of the Potomac. It's on the Maryland side, a few miles south of the Occoquan River (another good stop). You can see the remains of over 200 ships sticking up at low tide.

We'll always remember the trip up the Potomac, so glad we did it; I'm sure yours will be great, too

 

[DWJensen]

Thanks for all the replies.

For now our plan is to run from Solomons to St. Clements, then Mattawoman and on to CYC for a week. Not sure yet on the return stops but thinking Mt. Vernon and Horseshoe Bend with a to be determined stop in between. Of course this may all change according to weather at the time, or if we happen to find our new boat between now and then. We're attending the Selene Rendezvous in Baltimore next month and hoping something might come up.

On our way south (and north for that matter), we always stop for a day or two at Regatta Point - They're one of our favorite marinas on the Bay.