Mooring fields North of Baltimore in Chesapeake?

[marktun]

Folks,

Greetings from a new member. My wife and I are close to purchasing our first vessel, a Beneteau 36s7, and are considering our mooring/slip options in the area between Essex, MD and Baltimore. This is our first vessel, and we expect primarily weekend use (we live 3 hrs north in PA).

In seeking moorings or slips for the 2009 season, our primary considerations are cost & security. Small marinas we've checked have priced us around $3,000-4,000/yr for wet slips, plus outhaul/launch/wash for a vessel of this size.

I know that in other areas friends of ours simply have their boats in a mooring field, often with launch service included (no dingy yet with our boat) and I am looking for suggestions as to where we might find similar services and what we should expect to pay.

Just getting my wife to agree to buy the boat was a huge win, so the mooring/dockage has got to be reasonable! :0

Because of the commute to the boat, we won't consider locations south of Baltimore but would mind being nearby.

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

With best wishes,

Mark

[Auspicious]

Many PA residents keep their boats on the Eastern Shore to reduce traffic and cost. Consider Worton Creek and Rock Hall, for example.

[marktun]

Thanks for the quick reply, Auspicious. We hadn't considered the Eastern shore, but according to Google Maps those locations increase our commute time by about 1/2 hr. We are 1/2 hr south of Wilkes-Barre, PA to give you a frame of reference. Of course, actual commuting is often different from what the maps suggest.

Thanks again and looking for other comments as well,

Mark

[speciald@ocens.]

You might want to look at the Maryland Yacht Club. The membership is not expensive and it is closer to the Bay than the marinas up the river in Baltimore. I believe the slips are cheaper. On the other hand, there is a lot more to do offthe boat in the Inner Harbor.

[Pblais]

I would not go by distance as much as drive time to the boat. On weekends the issues mount up quickly in and around the Bay. If you can get to Wilmington, DE easily then the eastern shore can be an easier trip. Crossing by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge would of course add a lot of time and would not be at all fun. Were the trip a little easier then maybe the extra length might be easier to handle. Times you get on Mapquest or Google really are not realistic for weekend traffic. Any trip on Hwy 95 is a crap shoot and should be avoided.

[marktun]

Thank you SpecialD, I will check out the MDYC as one option. And Paul, point taken. We have friends who keep their vessel at the Maryland Marina in Essex, avoid 95 completely, and it's about 3 hr 10 minutes for them. Wilmington, DE would normally take us through 95 so we'll look at other alternatives for now.