Synopses & Reviews
More than 200 miles long and 40 miles wide at its broadest, the Chesapeake Bay is the largest inland tidal body of water on the Atlantic seaboard. Sheltered from the Atlantic swells and resplendent with natural wonders, historical attractions, and more than a few cosmopolitan delights, it is also a cruiser's paradise.
A major part of the Chesapeake's charm derives from the numerous creeks, coves and inlets--gunkholes, in Chesapeake parlance--dotting its more than 3,000-mile shoreline. The difficulty of finding and entering many of these secluded hideaways discourages less adventuresome cruisers--or at least it used to.
Since 1990, Cruising the Chesapeake has been the guide of choice for sailors seeking to avoid the beaten path. No other guide to the region offers such complete, detailed coverage of virtually every point of interest on the Bay--from the secluded east fork of Langford Creek to the bustling hearts of Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk. Nor does any other guide feature such an engaging, heartfelt evocation of the Bay, its shores, history, wildlife, and people.
Drawing upon his 30 years of experience cruising the Bay, as well as the latest navigational information, Bill Shellenberger tells you how to approach each spot covered, where to anchor, and what sort of dockage facilities and provisions are available there. He also fills you in on what has happened there in the past and what there is to see and do there now.
This third edition of the classic guide has been expanded to include an extensive section on the harbors of the mid-Atlantic coast from New York to Virginia, as well as the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River from Cape May to Trenton. It also now includes
- A cruise planner with suggested itineraries for cruises of various length, supported by navigation charts
- Aerial photos of key anchorages and tricky passages
- A catalog of GPS coordinates
- Updated information on piloting and shoreside facilities
A comprehensive cruise planner and navigation guide and a vivid celebration of one of North America's natural treasures, Cruising the Chesapeake is a book no Chesapeake boater will want to be without.
Gunkhole: A shallow cove of channel nearly unnavigable because of mud, rocks, or vegetation.
Gunkholer: A species of boater that is inexorably drawn to gunkholes in search of seclusion, adventure, wildlife--or just by an ungovernable urge to see what's around the next bend. Gunkholers are readily identified by their lack of concern at running aground and their well-thumbed copies of Crusing the Chesapeake: A Gunkholer's Guide.
"A copy [of this guide] should be in the hands of the fleet captains of every yacht club as well as in the library of every cruising yachtsman. . . . It should be consulted each step of a cruise in much the same manner one checks his charts before getting underway."--Eastern-Southeast Boating
"Shellenberger has perfected the art of gunkholing. . . . An excellent book for both those who enjoy weekend cruises and those who merely want to know more about Chesapeake Bay."--Daily Press (Newport News, VA)
"With more than 3,000 miles of shoreline, the Chesapeake Bay offers a treasury of cruising spots. Shellenberger's book provides the key to unlock it."--The Virginian-Pilot
"An 'insider's' look at the hundreds of places cruisers and weekend boaters love to hole up in. . . . It is also a loving portrait of the bay, its history, its people, its wildlife, and its environment."--The Mariner
"A truly monumental guide."--Sunday Capital (Annapolis, MD)
Synopsis
More than 200 miles long and 40 miles wide at its broadest, the Chesapeake Bay is the largest inland tidal body of water on the Atlantic seaboard. Sheltered from the Atlantic swells and resplendent with natural wonders, historical attractions, and more than a few cosmopolitan delights, it is also a cruiser's paradise.
A major part of the Chesapeake's charm derives from the numerous creeks, coves and inlets--gunkholes, in Chesapeake parlance--dotting its more than 3,000-mile shoreline. The difficulty of finding and entering many of these secluded hideaways discourages less adventuresome cruisers--or at least it used to.
Since 1990, Cruising the Chesapeake has been the guide of choice for sailors seeking to avoid the beaten path. No other guide to the region offers such complete, detailed coverage of virtually every point of interest on the Bay--from the secluded east fork of Langford Creek to the bustling hearts of Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk. Nor does any other guide feature such an engaging, heartfelt evocation of the Bay, its shores, history, wildlife, and people.
Drawing upon his 30 years of experience cruising the Bay, as well as the latest navigational information, Bill Shellenberger tells you how to approach each spot covered, where to anchor, and what sort of dockage facilities and provisions are available there. He also fills you in on what has happened there in the past and what there is to see and do there now.
This third edition of the classic guide has been expanded to include an extensive section on the harbors of the mid-Atlantic coast from New York to Virginia, as well as the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River from Cape May to Trenton. It also now includes
- A cruise planner with suggested itineraries for cruises of various length, supported by navigation charts
- Aerial photos of key anchorages and tricky passages
- A catalog of GPS coordinates
- Updated information on piloting and shoreside facilities
A comprehensive cruise planner and navigation guide and a vivid celebration of one of North America's natural treasures, Cruising the Chesapeake is a book no Chesapeake boater will want to be without.
Gunkhole: A shallow cove of channel nearly unnavigable because of mud, rocks, or vegetation.
Gunkholer: A species of boater that is inexorably drawn to gunkholes in search of seclusion, adventure, wildlife--or just by an ungovernable urge to see what's around the next bend. Gunkholers are readily identified by their lack of concern at running aground and their well-thumbed copies of Crusing the Chesapeake: A Gunkholer's Guide.
"A copy [of this guide] should be in the hands of the fleet captains of every yacht club as well as in the library of every cruising yachtsman. . . . It should be consulted each step of a cruise in much the same manner one checks his charts before getting underway."--Eastern-Southeast Boating
"Shellenberger has perfected the art of gunkholing. . . . An excellent book for both those who enjoy weekend cruises and those who merely want to know more about Chesapeake Bay."--Daily Press (Newport News, VA)
"With more than 3,000 miles of shoreline, the Chesapeake Bay offers a treasury of cruising spots. Shellenberger's book provides the key to unlock it."--The Virginian-Pilot
"An 'insider's' look at the hundreds of places cruisers and weekend boaters love to hole up in. . . . It is also a loving portrait of the bay, its history, its people, its wildlife, and its environment."--The Mariner
"A truly monumental guide."--Sunday Capital (Annapolis, MD)
Synopsis
Acclaimed as the ultimate guide to uncrowded anchorages, Cruising the Chesapeake is the reference of choice among sailors and powerboaters seeking to avoid the beaten path. This new Third Edition has been expanded to include coverage of the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, including Delaware Bay. Readers get: - A cruise planner for short or long itineraries - An expansive catalog of GPS coordinates - Major updates to all piloting and shoreside facilities
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 426) and index.
About the Author
William H. Shellenberger has cruised the Chesapeake Bay with his family for more than a quarter century and has made the study of its numerous gunkholes his life's work. He's been into nearly every one of them, run aground finding shortcuts you can take and the ones you can't, and found the spots where you can hide from the crowds or become part of them. Most any weekend from early spring to late fall, Bill and his family can be found nosing their Westerly Berwick up yet another unexplored creek or inlet, their Tibetan Terriers pointing out a likely place to land.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments Preface How to Use This Book The Regions Anchorages Ratings Sketch Maps Caveat Yachtsman Introduction A Bit about the Chesapeake Navigating the Bay Atlantic Coastal Region and Approaches to the Chesapeake Hazards to Navigation General Hazards An Abbreviated Chesapeake Romance Shellfishing Fishing Suggested Cruises Northern Chesapeake Bay Central Chesapeake Bay Southern Chesapeake Bay Harbors of the Chesapeake Bay Region 1: Head of Bay to Pooles Island Eastern Shore Elk River Sassafras River Howell Point to Fairlee Creek Western Shore Northeast River Susquehanna River Spesutie Island to Pooles Island Region 2: Pooles Island to Bay Bridges Eastern Shore Tolchester Beach, Swan Creek, and Rock Hall Chester River Western Shore Gunpowder River Seneca Creek, Middle River, and Back River Patapsco River Magothy River Region 3: Bay Bridges to Little Choptank River Eastern Shore Kent Island (Bay Side) Eastern Bay Poplar Island Narrows and Poplar Harbor Choptank River Little Choptank River Western Shore Whitehall Bay Severn River Fishing Creek South River Rhode River and West River Herring Bay to Plum Point Region 4: Little Choptank River to Potomac River Eastern Shore Honga River Fishing Bay Nanticoke River Wicomico River Deal Island Manokin River Big Annemessex River Little Annemessex River Smith Island Tangier Island Western Shore Plum Point to Patuxent River Patuxent River St. Jerome Creek Region 5: Potomac River Mouth of Potomac to Port Tobacco River Lower Potomac River St. Marys River Coan River Yeocomico River Herring Creek Lower Machodoc Creek Nomini Bay and Creek Currioman Bay Breton and St. Clements Bays Wicomico River Popes Creek Mattox and Monroe Creeks Upper Machodoc Creek Port Tobacco River to Washington Port Tobacco River Nanjemoy Creek Potomac Creek Aquia and Quantico Creeks Upper Potomac River Washington, D.C. Region 6: Potomac River to Wolf Trap Light Eastern Shore Pocomoke Sound Chesconessex Creek to Hungars Creek Western Shore Little Wicomico River Great Wicomico River Mill Creek to Fleets Bay Rappahannock River Piankatank River Region 7: Wolf Trap Light to Cape Henry Eastern Shore Cape Charles Harbor, Kings Creek, and Cherrystone Inlet Kiptopeke Beach Cape Charles Channel Western Shore Horn Harbor Mobjack Bay York River Back Creek to Salt Ponds Hampton Roads Elizabeth River (Norfolk and Portsmouth) James River Upper James River to Richmond Hampton Roads to Chesapeake Bay Bridges Cape Henry The Atlantic Coast and the Delaware Bay and River Region 8: City Island to Sandy Hook City Island to New York Harbor Upper Bay Gravesend Bay to Jamaica Bay Western Lower Bay Region 9: Sandy Hook to Cape May Region 10: Delaware Bay and River Delaware Bay Delaware River Region 11: Delmarva Peninsula Wachapreague Inlet to Cape Charles Chesapeake Bay Entrance Appendices 1. VHF-FM Channels 2. U.S. Coast Guard Marine Information and Coastal Weather Broadcasts 3. Useful Waypoints 4. Partial Listing of Charter Services on the Chesapeake 5. Dockside Sewage Pumpout Facilities 6. Bibliography Index