The 4500-square-mile body of water on the U.S. East Coast known as the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North American. It is fed by freshwater rivers at its head and then flushed by oceanic tides in is lower regions. The result is an aquatic stew that can be divided into three distinct regions.
Blessed with many sheltered harbors, coves and river mouths, the Chesapeake. Is a cruising paradise with historic towns like Annapolis and Oxford to visit and easy access to the Potomac River and the historic attractions around Washington, DC.
Famed for it seafood –oysters, shrimp and crabs, in particular—the restaurants around its shores are famous for their spicy regional recipes featuring seasonings like Old Bay.
It is said that you could spend a lifetime learning the Chesapeake and understanding is quirky characteristics. With an average depth of only 21 feet and plenty of sand bars to run aground on, you have to take care and pay attention to your navigation. Even so, you are bound to run aground from time to time.
Ship traffic is a regular hazard for cruisers. The Port of Baltimore is accessed via the Chesapeake Bay so you will regularly see ships anchored near the Bay Bridge as they await their port access. And, coastal tugs and barges ply the channels in the bay that lead to the Intracoastal Waterways entrances the north and south ends.
The three regions are the Upper Bay, which is all fresh water, the Middle Bay which has brackish and South Bay which is salt water. In summer, the Middle and South Bay can become infested with sea nettles which make swimming impossible. But, sea nettles don’t live in fresh water so the Upper Bay is swimmable all summer.
The Bay has a long and storied waterman tradition and there are still sailing oyster dredgers that work the shallows. That said, most commercial fishermen have adopted the unique Chesapeake-style workboats that you’ll see everywhere.
The best cruising is in spring and fall after the cold of the winter but before the heat and humidity of the summer. And, plenty of the snow birds heading south from the Northeast plan to spend a few weeks in the bay soaking of the beauty, the culture and the local seafood.
