A Summer/Fall Cruise to Saint Michaels, Maryland
For our first cruise in eight years we chose to sail to Saint Michaels, one of our favorite destinations on the Chesapeake Bay. This cruise was almost ten years to the date from our shakedown cruise of October 2016! The 25 mile trip from our mooring on the West River took us six hours. Normally we would do it five but growth on the hull and propeller together with some head winds slowed us down a little.
It took four trips from home to load Rosalind with the inflatable dinghy, outboard, food, clothes, paddle boards, and bags of ancillary stuff. After dropping the mooring pendant, we brought Rosalind to the dock, added 50 gallons of fresh water to our main tank, and headed out.
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| Rosalind at the start of the cruise, with dinghy and outboard onboard |
Motoring down the West River, the wind picked up and as soon as the wind angle allowed, we rolled out the full mainsail. By the time we got to the mouth of the river we had different conditions from what had been forecast. The direction was spot on but the intensity was not. With a fetch of over 10 miles, the wind had built up a short chop that was amplified by the shallows around the river entrance. Rounding the Green 1 day marker we had steep 3 foot waves and the Chesapeake Bay was covered with white caps. On a few occasions we heard a little whistling of the wind in the rigging. After turning SE, we partially unfurled the jib, shut off the motor and plowed through the chop, close hauled. With full main and partly furled jib, we sailed beautifully at 4.5 to 5 knots.
It took us a little over an hour to sail across the Chesapeake Bay and enter the Eastern Bay. We motor sailed for an hour with the mainsail before furling the main and, with the wind on the nose, slowly motored to the mouth of the Miles River. Another hour of motor sailing, with the jib, got us to Saint Michaels.
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| Sailing from the West River to Saint Michaels, Maryland |
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| Saint Michaels can be reached by boat, from the Miles River or from San Domingo Creek |
Being a holiday weekend and the end of summer, there were about 50 boats at anchor. We anchored in 18 feet of water, three-quarters of a mile from the harbor entrance. We had made it to one of our favorite destinations on the Chesapeake!
We arrived on Saturday afternoon and stayed in Saint Michaels until Tuesday morning. After arriving we launched the dinghy, put on the motor and got to shore, taking the last available spot at the public dinghy dock. Saint Michaels was packed and water taxis, center consoles, and tour boats were milling around the harbor. We did a very short walk, had a great dinner in town, and returned to Rosalind. We had been up since 4 am so we switched on the anchor light and turned in early.
Over the next two days we went to shore a total of six times. We walked around town, walked the parks, and did a 4 mile walk to the nearest supermarket. Saint Michaels is a wonderful small town with lots to offer. The town has a fascinating history, is nicely set up for walking with shaded streets and attractive historic buildings, and has great restaurants and coffee shops. We feel it’s one of the best destinations on the Chesapeake Bay.
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| At Honeymoon Bridge in Saint Michaels |
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| Hollis Park and Honeymoon Bridge |
On Sunday the town was buzzing with tourists that had arrived by car or by boat. Monday, the Labor Day holiday, was departure day for most boaters and there was a procession of boats clearing out of town. By Monday evening there were only three sailboats and one trawler at anchor and the marinas were empty. The town had transitioned in just a few hours. Monday evening several restaurants were closed and the town had been transformed. While the holiday bustle was fun to experience, we loved this other side of Saint Michaels and it really felt that we were now sharing the town with the locals. The pace was different, calmer, but the town did not feel deserted.
At the almost empty dinghy dock we met Alan and Michelle, two fellow cruising sailors, and chatted for a while. They were on one of the other two sailboats at anchor. We motored out of the harbor with our dinghies as dusk was settling in. The sun had set and the wind had gone to bed for the night. Some of the summer heat was gone and there was a small hint of coolness in the air. It had been a great evening.
The next morning we brought the outboard and dinghy onboard and by 8 am we were on our way back to the West River. The return trip also took six hours and we motored or motorsailed as the winds were almost on the nose for most of the way back. It had been a memorable shakedown cruise and we enjoyed being part of the Saint Michaels summer to fall transformation.
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| Historic buildings from the 1600s adjacent to Muskrat Park |
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| San Domingo Creek, the other way to get to Saint Michaels |
