Best anchorages and harbours in Chesapeake Bay

Back Creek, Solomons Island

Anchorage in Back Creek at Solomons Island, Maryland, the inlet off the Patuxent River where most of the town's marinas lie.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW

Cape Charles Yacht Center

Deep-water marina on Virginia's Eastern Shore, inside the dredged Cape Charles harbour at the southern tip of the Delmarva peninsula, on the bayside of the Chesapeake.

Schaefers restaurant & Canal bar

Transit marina on the north bank of the C&D Canal at Chesapeake City, Maryland, on the Intracoastal Waterway between Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay.

Onancock Wharf & Marina

Town marina at the head of Onancock Creek, about four miles up from the Chesapeake Bay, on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Town creek

Sheltered creek anchorage off Solomons Island, at the mouth of the Patuxent River in Maryland.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, S

Georgetown Yacht Basin

Full-service marina on the Sassafras River at Georgetown, on Maryland's upper Chesapeake Bay, with around 300 berths and a large boatyard.

Mobjack Bay Marina

Full-service marina on Green Mansion Cove off the North River, in Mobjack Bay on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia.

Mill Creek

Sheltered creek off the Patuxent River at Solomons, in Calvert County, Maryland, a much used anchorage on the lower Chesapeake.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, E, SW, S, SE

Regent Point Marina

Marina and boatyard on Locklies Creek, off the Rappahannock River in the lower Chesapeake Bay, at Topping, Virginia.

Backway to St. Michael

Anchorage in the Miles River off St. Michaels, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Eastern Shore. Sand and mud bottom, sheltered from most directions.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Baltimore

Anchorage on the Patapsco River off the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, on the north-western Chesapeake Bay.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW

Fairlee Creek

Well-protected creek on the upper Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, with a mud bottom and fresh water available.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Safe Harbor Zahnisers

Full-service marina and boatyard on Back Creek at Solomons, on the Patuxent River near its mouth on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Bay Bridge Marina

Full-service marina on Kent Island, just east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at Stevensville, Maryland.

Hartge Yacht Harbor

Family-run marina and boatyard on the West River off Chesapeake Bay, in Galesville, Maryland. Around 270 berths plus mooring buoys in a well-sheltered harbour.

Port Annapolis

Full-service marina and boatyard of over 250 berths on Back Creek, in the Eastport district of Annapolis, Maryland.

Spa Creek end

Anchorage at the head of Spa Creek, off downtown Annapolis on the Severn River, Maryland.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW

Sterling Creek

Quiet creek off the Severn River, one of the four rivers feeding Mobjack Bay on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Ocean Yacht Marina

Marina in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia, on the Elizabeth River about half a mile south of Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Mile Marker 0.

Great Wicomico River - Sandy Point

Anchorage off Sandy Point on the Great Wicomico River, a tidal tributary on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Mill Creek

Anchorage in Mill Creek off the Patuxent River at Solomons, Maryland, with mud holding.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Haven Harbor South

Full-service marina in a sheltered cove of Rock Hall Harbor, on the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Southwest Branch Back River

Anchorage on the Southwest Branch of the Back River, between Hampton and Poquoson in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Mud bottom.

• Sheltered NE, W, E, SW, SE

Hunts Cove

Anchorage off the Piankatank River on Virginia's Middle Peninsula, with a mud bottom and good shelter from the northern sector.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW

South Annapolis Yacht Centre

Destination marina on Spa Creek in the Eastport district of Annapolis, Maryland, with 74 annual and transient berths.

Herrington Harbor South

Resort marina of more than 600 berths on Herring Bay, on the western shore of the middle Chesapeake.

Creek Sanctuary Solomon's

Anchorage in the creeks behind Solomons, off the Patuxent River in Maryland, with a mud bottom and good shelter from the north through to the south-east.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Anchorage Marina

Large marina on the Canton waterfront of Baltimore, on the north shore of the Patapsco River.

Skipjack Cove Marina

Large marina on the Sassafras River about seven miles upriver from its mouth, at Georgetown, Maryland, with 388 berths in open slips and covered sheds.

Liberty Marina

Marina on the South River near Edgewater, Maryland, a short run from the Chesapeake Bay and close to Annapolis.