Cruising Chesapeake in January - advice?

[wahoo33417]

I have an opportunity to cruise through Chesapeake Bay this January (only time available). Plan is to start in Baltimore and end in New Bern, NC. Asking for help from those who know the area. Two questions:

1) What is most common sea condition in January? My Journey 258 can run comfortably in a 2' chop and by 3' I'm slowing down and counting the miles until the next port. Typically, when fronts pass through, how long will I likely be in port waiting for a better day?

2) Is it best for a boat my size to stay out of the marked, primary channel? Seems like I could avoid some big wakes and traffic by staying out of the channel, but also staying water-ward of the many areas marked for crab traps. And I'll just take my chances through the areas marked "unexploded ordnance"!

Thanks for any guidance.

Rob

 

[Jaeger Grady]

I can speak on the part from baltimore to Solomons Island as my port is Annapolis.
January/cold cold or warm its maryland and you never know what you can get. last year was mild.
no boat traffic besides waterman and duck hunters
Seas/ flat to $hi++y (1 to 3) when its rough we have short chop, no more than a day or two of bad seas

 

[ocnslr]

I have lived at the "bottom of the Bay" in the Tidewater area for over 40 years.

Have been up and down the Bay in sailboats and powerboats.

Are you "cruising"? or transiting?

If cruising, then you would be doing short trips and tucking in after a few hours, exploring various ports on your way down.

If transiting, then you leave Baltimore and make the 145nm run to Norfolk in about five or six hours. Prevailing winds in the summer are SW, but more northerly in the winter, so you should not have a head sea to contend with.

As to route in the Bay, you can do the best straight lines to minimize the distance run, which will take you from the eastern side to the western side until you get to Smith Point, then almost straight down the middle. OR, if you have a bit of wind from the east or west, you can stay closer to the windward shore to reduce the fetch and have less chop to contend with.

If you are transiting, but don't want to make the run to Norfolk in one shot, then you can look to stop in Solomons, or Deltaville.

I assume you will go inside from Norfolk to New Bern, as that is not really a good time of the year to go outside to OI or Hatteras.

Happy to provide additional info or answer specific questions. Just PM me.

Brian

 

[Marty grady 272]

Wear your long johns and watch out for the chop. The bay is wide but shallow so the waves have a very short period for their height.

 

[wahoo33417]

Jeager, Marty & Brian: Thanks for your help. I suppose I'm closer to transiting at least on the more exposed portion of the trip. If weather is good, I'll probably go up to 100 miles in a day. I'm a bit concerned about getting weathered in, so will run when I can. Taking my 78 yr. old dad on this trip and we won't push it in sloppy seas. But I also have to be back at work in two weeks!

Brian, I do have a question about the large "danger zone" on the charts generally east of Solomon's and which includes the ship channel. Chart notes make it appear as though the Navy just might blow me out of the water in this zone. My dad, who served on aircraft carriers, would be thrilled to be lit up by an F-18. Can you tell me that is unlikely - and disappoint my dad?

Assuming this Florida boy doesn't freeze to death. I hope to stop at Hampton, VA for the air & space museum. After that, it will be a more leisurely trip through the Dismal Swamp and what appear to be some boater-friendly towns on the waterways of North Carolina.

Again, thanks for your help.

Rob