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Finding A Chesapeake Marina That Meets Your Needs

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By Larry Brooks


Chesapeake Bay is an inland waterway off the Atlantic coast of the states of Maryland and Virginia. It covers an area of nearly 65,000 square miles and acts as a reservoir for more than 150 rivers and streams. The estuary is 200 miles in length and just under three miles wide at its narrowest. Its 12,000 miles of shoreline are serviced several dozen Chesapeake Marina. An area of huge ecological importance and outstanding natural beauty, the bay has been immortalized in Tom Clancy's book, Patriot Games, published in 1987 and in the 2012 eco-horror flick, The Bay.

The estuary has several distinct regions, all of which are well catered by mooring facilities. South to north, these are the mouth of the bay, lower and upper eastern shores, mid peninsula and northern neck of the bay in Virginia, southern and central Maryland, and the head of the bay. The various marinas offer a wide range of amenities, including accommodation and boat servicing facilities. Many cater specifically for families.

Sea nettles, or jellyfish, are capable of delivering painful stings to unwary swimmers. They make their home on the U. S. East coast, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. For some reason, they are massively plentiful in Chesapeake Bay. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) runs a map on its website. It forecasts where there are likely to be blooms. They tend to colonize the tributaries in the central bay. Nettle-free marinas are quick to point this feature out in their literature.

Bohemia Bay, for example, is located at the head of the bay. It has a lighted entrance channel with a lighthouse and a jetty. It has a private beach that the proprietors boast is jellyfish-free. There are two swimming pools, one dedicated to children and a larger one. The club lounge has a free wifi and swap library. Other amenities include a service yard with factory-trained mechanics and facilities for pumping out holding tanks.

South of Bohemia Bay and accessible by state highway 301, the marina at Skipjack Cove handles 365 slips that can accommodate ships as long as 150 feet. In addition to a full service restaurant, athletic courts, and large swimming pool, there are bath and shower facilities and a laundromat.

Some marinas are family-oriented and this is reflected in their sales blurbs. Many of these have swimming pools, sports facilities, picnic areas, and stores. Others are more geared to tending to the needs of the boats in addition to those of the humans.

Chesapeake Bay caters directly to the boats that make family holidays possible, too! Halfway between Baltimore and Philadelphia at the headwaters of the estuary is a massive, full-service marina, complete with 40-ton travel lift and not one but, two 22-ton forklifts, a state-of-the-art high and dry boatel, and certified service departments for several boat manufacturers. There are 200 slips, both fixed and floating.

The climate in Chesapeake Bay is classified as humid subtropical. During the vacation season, this translates to hot and humid. Winters are mild to cold. The last time the surface of the bay froze over was in the winter of 1976/77. The bay has an average depth of seven yards, although 25% is only two yards deep.




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