Dear Board:
My wife finally caved in and let me buy a boat but I need some advice on where to dock it. I live in Northern Virginia (Arlington) and am confused about whether to put it on the Potomac which is more convenient to home or the Chesapeake which is a farther drive but a more attractive sailing ground.
Anybody in the area have any experience sailing in the Potomac? The boat is a CD25. Thanks.
Potomac vs. Chesapeake
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Bruce Barber
Re: Potomac vs. Chesapeake
Dan,
The Potomac is indeed nearer, and if all you plan is limited day-sailing, may be acceptable to you, but to get some decent sailing room you should get downstream to Occoquan at least, and preferably south of the 301 bridge, where the river widens out, and that becomes as much trouble to drive to as the closer points on the Chesapeake. I'd recommend looking in the Bay's West River (Rhode River, South River) area -- for me in Annandale that's a 50-minute drive -- where you'll find the whole mid-Bay available to you. Once there, you'll not think "Potomac" again!
Bruce Barber
25D Nancy Dawson
Shady Side, MD
bruce.barber@att.net
The Potomac is indeed nearer, and if all you plan is limited day-sailing, may be acceptable to you, but to get some decent sailing room you should get downstream to Occoquan at least, and preferably south of the 301 bridge, where the river widens out, and that becomes as much trouble to drive to as the closer points on the Chesapeake. I'd recommend looking in the Bay's West River (Rhode River, South River) area -- for me in Annandale that's a 50-minute drive -- where you'll find the whole mid-Bay available to you. Once there, you'll not think "Potomac" again!
Bruce Barber
25D Nancy Dawson
Shady Side, MD
bruce.barber@att.net
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Bob Dane
Re: Potomac vs. Chesapeake
Dan,
I too just received "permission" to buy a boat...also a CD25, 1979.
Because this is my first year with it I decided to put her at Ft. Washington Marina, just the other side of the Woodrow Wilson bridge about 10 minutes down 210. I live in Alexandria so the drive is only about 20 minutes or so.
The Potomac is fine with 15 to 20 knot winds...and we have had a few of those days however they mostly occur in Spring and Fall. No question that the Chesapeake offers more wind and wider passage-making. And perhaps, next year I will move it.
e-mail me if you want to visit Ft. Washington. And I'll give you more pros and cons.
movieshow1@aol.com
I too just received "permission" to buy a boat...also a CD25, 1979.
Because this is my first year with it I decided to put her at Ft. Washington Marina, just the other side of the Woodrow Wilson bridge about 10 minutes down 210. I live in Alexandria so the drive is only about 20 minutes or so.
The Potomac is fine with 15 to 20 knot winds...and we have had a few of those days however they mostly occur in Spring and Fall. No question that the Chesapeake offers more wind and wider passage-making. And perhaps, next year I will move it.
e-mail me if you want to visit Ft. Washington. And I'll give you more pros and cons.
movieshow1@aol.com
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Brett Miller
Re: Potomac vs. Chesapeake
Dan,
I bought a CD25 about 7 years ago. The boat was located at the Washington Sailing Marina (near National) at the time. It was early Spring when I purchased her and, although I planned all along to take her to the Bay, I had the chance for a few sails on the river. Frankly, a couple of sails was enough and then the novelty wore off quickly. The river does widen down towards Ft. Washington, but in terms of overall bang for the buck, the Bay is a no-brainer and worth every minute of the drive.
Brett
bimesq@hotmail.com
I bought a CD25 about 7 years ago. The boat was located at the Washington Sailing Marina (near National) at the time. It was early Spring when I purchased her and, although I planned all along to take her to the Bay, I had the chance for a few sails on the river. Frankly, a couple of sails was enough and then the novelty wore off quickly. The river does widen down towards Ft. Washington, but in terms of overall bang for the buck, the Bay is a no-brainer and worth every minute of the drive.
Brett
Dan wrote: Dear Board:
My wife finally caved in and let me buy a boat but I need some advice on where to dock it. I live in Northern Virginia (Arlington) and am confused about whether to put it on the Potomac which is more convenient to home or the Chesapeake which is a farther drive but a more attractive sailing ground.
Anybody in the area have any experience sailing in the Potomac? The boat is a CD25. Thanks.
bimesq@hotmail.com
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Will W.
Re: Potomac vs. Chesapeake
I have a friend who kept his powerboat at Fort Washington. His advise was do not leave anything on board that you want to keep. He is much happier wiht the Gangplank Marina on Maine Ave.
I live in Silver Spring and sail from Breezy Point Marina. This is in the south end of Chesapeake Beach. It takes about an hour to drive there but it is right on the bay, so no long motoring before raising sails. The drive is a bit long but the price is right. $1,200.00 for the year in a slip without electric.
Besides that, if you stay in D.C. you will miss out on the biggest benefit of sailing IMHO. That is, GETTING OUT OF DC. I don't know about south of FT WASH to the mouth of the Potowmac. I'm sure there are a number of Marina's in this stretch but once you get south of P.G county you may as well just drive east to the Bay.
Then there is the lovely water quality. I swore off the Potomac last year(used to water ski) when a person died of an infection after falling in the river. I know that people swim in it with some regularity, but until DC goes ahead and rebuilds the storm drain system so that it does not comingle with the sewer system and drain into Rock And Tiber Creeks before emptying into the Potomac, I will be swimming and sailing elsewhere. This does not even take into account the heavily polluted Shenandoa River which empties into the Potomac only 50 miles form here. They say it is safe now. You can officially eat 1 (yes one) fish per month caught anywhere norht of Ft. Washington. Without suffering from the ill effects of the toxins in the river. Sorry but this is not my idea of safe or clean. Ft. Washington; if you don,t know already, is only a few miles south (downriver) of DC's largest Dump site and home of their extremely filthy impound lot. Blue Plains is often detectable by smell form Ft. Washington.
Don't get me wrong here. My mother in law lives in FT.Washington and it is a beautiful heighborhood. Plus it is the only neighborhood close to DC with deep water docking. I just don't want to be in the marina there.
Good Luck
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
willwheatley@starpower.net
I live in Silver Spring and sail from Breezy Point Marina. This is in the south end of Chesapeake Beach. It takes about an hour to drive there but it is right on the bay, so no long motoring before raising sails. The drive is a bit long but the price is right. $1,200.00 for the year in a slip without electric.
Besides that, if you stay in D.C. you will miss out on the biggest benefit of sailing IMHO. That is, GETTING OUT OF DC. I don't know about south of FT WASH to the mouth of the Potowmac. I'm sure there are a number of Marina's in this stretch but once you get south of P.G county you may as well just drive east to the Bay.
Then there is the lovely water quality. I swore off the Potomac last year(used to water ski) when a person died of an infection after falling in the river. I know that people swim in it with some regularity, but until DC goes ahead and rebuilds the storm drain system so that it does not comingle with the sewer system and drain into Rock And Tiber Creeks before emptying into the Potomac, I will be swimming and sailing elsewhere. This does not even take into account the heavily polluted Shenandoa River which empties into the Potomac only 50 miles form here. They say it is safe now. You can officially eat 1 (yes one) fish per month caught anywhere norht of Ft. Washington. Without suffering from the ill effects of the toxins in the river. Sorry but this is not my idea of safe or clean. Ft. Washington; if you don,t know already, is only a few miles south (downriver) of DC's largest Dump site and home of their extremely filthy impound lot. Blue Plains is often detectable by smell form Ft. Washington.
Don't get me wrong here. My mother in law lives in FT.Washington and it is a beautiful heighborhood. Plus it is the only neighborhood close to DC with deep water docking. I just don't want to be in the marina there.
Good Luck
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
Bob Dane wrote: Dan,
I too just received "permission" to buy a boat...also a CD25, 1979.
Because this is my first year with it I decided to put her at Ft. Washington Marina, just the other side of the Woodrow Wilson bridge about 10 minutes down 210. I live in Alexandria so the drive is only about 20 minutes or so.
The Potomac is fine with 15 to 20 knot winds...and we have had a few of those days however they mostly occur in Spring and Fall. No question that the Chesapeake offers more wind and wider passage-making. And perhaps, next year I will move it.
e-mail me if you want to visit Ft. Washington. And I'll give you more pros and cons.
willwheatley@starpower.net
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Ken Coit
So Tasty and Expeditious!
Maybe that was something else....
I'm glad that you can now eat one fish a month from the Potomac, but I remember a few years ago people saying that you really needed to have shots (for hepatitis?) before diving in the area around DC. Could swimming or sailing be much safer?
I've known of liveaboards who moved from the Chesapeake to the DC marina, but they were more interested in daily commuting to their jobs than boating on the river. As retirees, they live in SC and boat into the Bahamas, neither the Potomac or the Chesapeake.
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit, ND7N
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
I'm glad that you can now eat one fish a month from the Potomac, but I remember a few years ago people saying that you really needed to have shots (for hepatitis?) before diving in the area around DC. Could swimming or sailing be much safer?
I've known of liveaboards who moved from the Chesapeake to the DC marina, but they were more interested in daily commuting to their jobs than boating on the river. As retirees, they live in SC and boat into the Bahamas, neither the Potomac or the Chesapeake.
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit, ND7N
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
Will W. wrote: I have a friend who kept his powerboat at Fort Washington. His advise was do not leave anything on board that you want to keep. He is much happier wiht the Gangplank Marina on Maine Ave.
I live in Silver Spring and sail from Breezy Point Marina. This is in the south end of Chesapeake Beach. It takes about an hour to drive there but it is right on the bay, so no long motoring before raising sails. The drive is a bit long but the price is right. $1,200.00 for the year in a slip without electric.
Besides that, if you stay in D.C. you will miss out on the biggest benefit of sailing IMHO. That is, GETTING OUT OF DC. I don't know about south of FT WASH to the mouth of the Potowmac. I'm sure there are a number of Marina's in this stretch but once you get south of P.G county you may as well just drive east to the Bay.
Then there is the lovely water quality. I swore off the Potomac last year(used to water ski) when a person died of an infection after falling in the river. I know that people swim in it with some regularity, but until DC goes ahead and rebuilds the storm drain system so that it does not comingle with the sewer system and drain into Rock And Tiber Creeks before emptying into the Potomac, I will be swimming and sailing elsewhere. This does not even take into account the heavily polluted Shenandoa River which empties into the Potomac only 50 miles form here. They say it is safe now. You can officially eat 1 (yes one) fish per month caught anywhere norht of Ft. Washington. Without suffering from the ill effects of the toxins in the river. Sorry but this is not my idea of safe or clean. Ft. Washington; if you don,t know already, is only a few miles south (downriver) of DC's largest Dump site and home of their extremely filthy impound lot. Blue Plains is often detectable by smell form Ft. Washington.
Don't get me wrong here. My mother in law lives in FT.Washington and it is a beautiful heighborhood. Plus it is the only neighborhood close to DC with deep water docking. I just don't want to be in the marina there.
Good Luck
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
Bob Dane wrote: Dan,
I too just received "permission" to buy a boat...also a CD25, 1979.
Because this is my first year with it I decided to put her at Ft. Washington Marina, just the other side of the Woodrow Wilson bridge about 10 minutes down 210. I live in Alexandria so the drive is only about 20 minutes or so.
The Potomac is fine with 15 to 20 knot winds...and we have had a few of those days however they mostly occur in Spring and Fall. No question that the Chesapeake offers more wind and wider passage-making. And perhaps, next year I will move it.
e-mail me if you want to visit Ft. Washington. And I'll give you more pros and cons.
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
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Will W.
Blue Plains Discharge
The Following is a passage from a mailer I received from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation discussing the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant which I forgot to mention. "The Blue Plains discharge is the equivalent of a medium-sized Chesapeake River."
So in other words there is a river of waste in the middle of our river. They go on in the mailer to say that things are and have improved greatly at Blue Plains. In fact they say it is the best one on the bay, handling 15% of the population of the bay daily with 370 million gallons a day of treated waste discharced (sounds better than dumped) into the river.
I'm glad things are better and I will continue to support the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. However This still does not make FT. Wasington attractive to me.
Will
willwheatley@starpower.net
So in other words there is a river of waste in the middle of our river. They go on in the mailer to say that things are and have improved greatly at Blue Plains. In fact they say it is the best one on the bay, handling 15% of the population of the bay daily with 370 million gallons a day of treated waste discharced (sounds better than dumped) into the river.
I'm glad things are better and I will continue to support the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. However This still does not make FT. Wasington attractive to me.
Will
Will W. wrote: I have a friend who kept his powerboat at Fort Washington. His advise was do not leave anything on board that you want to keep. He is much happier wiht the Gangplank Marina on Maine Ave.
I live in Silver Spring and sail from Breezy Point Marina. This is in the south end of Chesapeake Beach. It takes about an hour to drive there but it is right on the bay, so no long motoring before raising sails. The drive is a bit long but the price is right. $1,200.00 for the year in a slip without electric.
Besides that, if you stay in D.C. you will miss out on the biggest benefit of sailing IMHO. That is, GETTING OUT OF DC. I don't know about south of FT WASH to the mouth of the Potowmac. I'm sure there are a number of Marina's in this stretch but once you get south of P.G county you may as well just drive east to the Bay.
Then there is the lovely water quality. I swore off the Potomac last year(used to water ski) when a person died of an infection after falling in the river. I know that people swim in it with some regularity, but until DC goes ahead and rebuilds the storm drain system so that it does not comingle with the sewer system and drain into Rock And Tiber Creeks before emptying into the Potomac, I will be swimming and sailing elsewhere. This does not even take into account the heavily polluted Shenandoa River which empties into the Potomac only 50 miles form here. They say it is safe now. You can officially eat 1 (yes one) fish per month caught anywhere norht of Ft. Washington. Without suffering from the ill effects of the toxins in the river. Sorry but this is not my idea of safe or clean. Ft. Washington; if you don,t know already, is only a few miles south (downriver) of DC's largest Dump site and home of their extremely filthy impound lot. Blue Plains is often detectable by smell form Ft. Washington.
Don't get me wrong here. My mother in law lives in FT.Washington and it is a beautiful heighborhood. Plus it is the only neighborhood close to DC with deep water docking. I just don't want to be in the marina there.
Good Luck
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
Bob Dane wrote: Dan,
I too just received "permission" to buy a boat...also a CD25, 1979.
Because this is my first year with it I decided to put her at Ft. Washington Marina, just the other side of the Woodrow Wilson bridge about 10 minutes down 210. I live in Alexandria so the drive is only about 20 minutes or so.
The Potomac is fine with 15 to 20 knot winds...and we have had a few of those days however they mostly occur in Spring and Fall. No question that the Chesapeake offers more wind and wider passage-making. And perhaps, next year I will move it.
e-mail me if you want to visit Ft. Washington. And I'll give you more pros and cons.
willwheatley@starpower.net
-
Peter Guerrero
Re: Potomac vs. Chesapeake
The consensus seems to be the Chesapeake wins hands down. I agree. Three years ago I bought a Typhoon and debated where to put it (I live in Arlington). I looked at Fort Washington, the Washington Sailing Marina, and Belle Haven. Of the three, I would choose Belle Haven but it has a very long waiting list and the NPS, in its wisdom, is seeking to close it down because the birders don't like its proximity to Belle Haven marsh (don't get me wrong, I like birds but I also like boats and think they are compatible). But, more to the point, I finally decided on Herrington Harbor North. It's 35 minutes from Arlington/Alexdandria/DC and you don't even have to take the Wilson Bridge. Take 395 to S. Capitol St. to Suitland Pkwy to Pennsylvania Avenue to Deale, MD. In all, there are 5 traffic lights between you and the Chesapeake. The marina has won environmental awards and has great amenities.
pfguerrero@aol.com
Dan wrote: Dear Board:
My wife finally caved in and let me buy a boat but I need some advice on where to dock it. I live in Northern Virginia (Arlington) and am confused about whether to put it on the Potomac which is more convenient to home or the Chesapeake which is a farther drive but a more attractive sailing ground.
Anybody in the area have any experience sailing in the Potomac? The boat is a CD25. Thanks.
pfguerrero@aol.com