Southern Chesapeake Bay Cruise August 2021

This is a summary of our cruise of the southern Chesapeake Bay aboard our 38' Silverton powerboat called Pure Lunasea. Initially we planned to do the Delmarva Loop, a 400 mile circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula, but we decided we did not have the time and went with a less ambitious exploration of the southern bay. We called it our "No Reservations 2021 Cruise" because we had a loose idea of our itinerary and no reservations. We picked Virgina Beach as well a several small towns and anchorages as possible stops. This is what our trip ended up being:

Day 1 

We departed Annapolis on a beautiful still day and headed south. Conditions were perfect and we cruised smoothly at 18 knots (21 mph). It was clear we could cover some ground that day so we looked at possibly making Cape Charles or Virginia Beach. Calls to both locations found no available slips. There was a sailing regatta in Cape Charles and fishing tournament in Virginia Beach. We settled on Plan C - Little Bay anchorage.

Little Bay is located on the western shore of Virginia just north of the Rappahannock River. It turned out to be one of the most amazing anchorages we've ever seen. As the name indicates, it's a small bay with a beautiful long beach that went on for miles. The water in the southern bay is much like the ocean and is so clear and colorful. The setting in Little Bay looked like we were in the Bahamas.

There were a few small boats pulled up on the beach, but they left by late afternoon and we shared the bay with only one other boat. We walked the beach and swam all afternoon.

Day 2

We easily could have spent another day at Little Bay, but we had to move on. We hoped we could return on our way back up the bay. 

We were able to secure a slip in the town of Onancock, VA (OH-NAN-COCK) so we headed out across the bay. It was another gorgeous and smooth cruising day. Along the way we had to stop to let a flotilla of Navy ships pass as they headed down the bay. 

 

 

Entering Onancock Creek we were met by dozens of small fishing boats flying out of the creek at full speed like bees coming out of a nest. A fishing tournament we guessed.

     Mallards Restaurant and municipal wharf 

Onancock is a sleepy historic town out in the middle of Virginia's eastern shore. It has a small municipal wharf, several art and gift shops, and a handful of restaurants. We walked into town and discovered the streets deserted. The general store was closed with a sign that said "Closed- too hot!".  Entering a couple of shops we learned that this is the way it is. Onancock is never busy, just a trickle of locals and visitors passing through. Everyone we met was extremely friendly.

The fishing tournament was a local fundraiser and a bit of a tongue-in-cheek event. The object was to catch the largest Croaker which are small fish -- and the winner wasn't even a pound. They even had an award for smallest fish (.1 lbs). Looking at the boats coming in there were way more empty beer cans than fish. It was a good time and everyone knew each other. We watched the festivities and hung out as the party ensued at Mallards Restaurant. Great food, nice folks and very interesting people watching.

Day 3

Although a pleasant town, there is not much to do in Onancock, so we decided to move on. A short two hour cruise south and we were in Cape Charles. We chose the Oyster Farm Marina over the in-town municipal marina. The short walk into town was worth the hassle because the marina was absolutely amazing. The distance became moot after we got a golf cart.

Ah, floating docks, love 'em

                                                           Rental at Oyster Farm

Cape Charles is growing as a popular vacation and retirement area. The one mile square historic area is sandwiched by the Oyster Farm development with marina to the north and Bay Creek development to the south with 27 holes of golf. I can see the draw of this area.

Golf carts are legal on all roads less than 25 mph and they are as plentiful as cars in this town. You can basically come here for a week, park your car and use a golf cart the whole time. That was evident by all the families cruising around town and to the beach. We rented one as soon as we walked into town. We don't mind walking, but it was just too hot (as were most days during our cruise)

Stretch golf carts

Our cart "Chicken Neckin" (each have unique names so you don’t accidentally take the wrong cart).

 

 

 

 

Days 4-5

 

We loved the marina and Cape Charles so much we decided to skip Virginia Beach and stay put. We spent our days exploring town, eating out and visiting the local brewery and cidery. The houses and streets are so beautiful and if you didn't know you were in Virginia, you would think you were in a South Carolina or Georgia coastal town.

Buskey Hard Cider. Mescal barrel aged was awesome.

The brewery is outside town past the 25 mph zone, so they built an off road path. 

Completing the circle - from keg to me and back to the keg again. 

Great beer and a surprisingly good local wine from Chatham Vineyards 

One of the "Jelly bean" houses, as the locals call them, because they are all different bright colors. These are by The Oyster Farm.

Mason St. (main drag)

Why it's called "The Oyster Farm". The cages below these floats are full of oysters. Yummy!

Day 6 

The forecast was for winds building out of the south through the day, so we got an early start just after dawn. Our goal was to make it 60 miles north to Solomons Island on the western shore. Although the wind was behind us, the trailing waves made for an uncomfortable rolling ride. Michelle was feeling a little green so we decided to duck into Crisfield, MD on the eastern shore.

Crisfield is not a very scenic or exciting town. It's known as the "Crab Capital of the World". Along with all the crab processing businesses, there are a few restaurants (one was closed because their only server was recuperating from a snake bite) and a few shops. Most of the draw is the ferry that takes tourists to Smith and Tangier Islands. There is a huge state run marina that is mostly empty. The state obviously had big plans for this area that did not pan out. 

The winds continued to increase and we were glad to be in a protected marina. We had a nice lunch at a waterfront restaurant and chilled in the pool.

Huge double crab soft shell sandwich!

Day 7

The wind had subsided and it was another perfect day for cruising. We still wanted to go to Solomons Island, but we had plans to meet family at the Rod and Reel Resort in Chesapeake Beach the following day. The problem was the next day forecast called for storms and strong winds. The prudent thing was to skip Solomons and use the good weather window to go straight to Chesapeake Beach.

The Rod and Reel Resort is a waterfront hotel directly on the bay. It's a nice place and is popular for weddings and quick getaways for DC area residents. The marina has nice views and decent docks, but is somewhat exposed to the bay. 

 

 

Day 8

Our decision to arrive early was a good one. It was pouring rain, 15-20 mph winds and breakers in the channel! It would not have been a good day to travel. We spent the day relaxing and writing this blog.

Day 9

 

It was another picture-perfect day on the bay for a leisurely 18 mile cruise back to Annapolis. 

 

Our trip covered just over 300 miles. It was an incredible experience and we feel so blessed to live by the Chesapeake Bay.

 

This was also the end of our summer living on the boat in Eastport. It was bittersweet to pack up our stuff and move home. We'll be back on weekends until winter sets in.

Thanks for reading our blog and I hope you enjoyed it. 

 

Special thanks to Vicki and Barry for watching our son during this adventure.

Best

Jim, Michelle and Shiloh

Back in Annapolis.