Oct. 14, 2026 Chesapeake Fuel Stop and a New Anchorage

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2026 Sassafras Anchorage to South River Anchorage 60 miles and 6.5 hours travel time

Fuel tanks are getting lower than I like - down to 20% of capacity. Best local price is $5.99/gal across the bay at Bowley's Marina on the Middle River. Loaded up on fuel there on our way north as they were best price then at just $4.25!! Got a little wind this morning but it will settle down. Then looks like a nice day. Sunny and upper 80's. Sun is up and so is the anchor by 7:15AM. Quick washdown as it came up pretty clean. Decent anchorage. Exposed to west and north winds but since we had light SW winds all night it worked out fine.

Another colorful sunrise

We had six sailboats join us at anchor last night.
Late arrivals must be sleeping in as we head out

Fish weirs are something we need to be mindful of on the Chesapeake.
Also need to start keep a better lookout for the random crab pots.

Open waters with just a little chop crossing over to Middle River.

Crazy waterman and his loaded boat passing on Middle River.
Not sure if he ever saw us so gave him lots of room.

Took about 2-1/2 hours to get to Bowleys and another hour to load 480 gallons on board. Decent amount of travel time under the keel since our last fill-up back in Portland, Maine. Off their dock at 11:30 and trying to determine how far down the bay we wanted to go before stopping for the night. Make our way past the Patapsco River and the entrance to Baltimore but continue on. Next landmark is going under the twin Chesapeake Bay Bridges. Forecast is for winds swapping to N-NE so want a place with protection from that direction. Originally had picked a place up the West River just north of Annapolis in Whitehall Bay, but it was still too early to stop for the day. Pressed on to the South River. Entrance is marked by the iconic screw pile Thomas Point Lighthouse. Looking lovely as ever. Had not seen it on our last few transits as we were traveling along the Eastern Shore.

Approaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridges

After the first bridge was constructed linking to the eastern shore,
traffic congestion soon led to the building of the second bridge

From the water you really notice the sweeping nature of the roadbed leading to the ridge

Cargo ships anchored off the Annapolis area waiting entry to Baltimore

Some boats empty and floating high waiting for cargo or travel
instructions for their next port of call

Fully loaded bulk container. Always fun to guess what might be in its hold.

The most recognized lighthouse in Maryland. The 1875 Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse.
The only screwpile style lighthouse on the bay still in its original location

Research said there is a delightful anchorage at Harness Creek. Great protection all around, decent depths, good holding, very natural surroundings. But as we were approaching seven boats showed on AIS with another heading in. Just too crowded for us. Anchorage seems too small for all those boats. No way we could put out all the anchor chain scope we would want. Next creek up called Aberdeen Creek was a bit more exposed to the river but had good protection from the upcoming N-NE winds. Anchor down and grabs fine. Put out a little extra scope for added insurance against the 180-degree swing overnight. Had the entire anchorage to ourselves. As expected, the winds shifted in the middle of the night. Cool breeze through the open portholes woke me at 4 AM to do a check. Just a breeze outside. Nothing too strong. All good for a couple more hours sleep. Nice houses around the shoreline. Couple of docks. Overall worked out fine for our one-night stay and sets us up for a shorter cruise on Thursday to Solomons.