Best anchorages and harbours in Chesapeake Bay

Acton Cove

Anchorage on Spa Creek in the Eastport neighbourhood of Annapolis, Maryland, sand bottom, sheltered from most directions but open to the east.

• Sheltered N, NE, S, SW, W, NW

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

Bay Bridge Marina

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

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.

Cedar point

Anchorage near Cedar Point on the Yeocomico River, a tidal tributary of the lower Potomac in the Northern Neck of Virginia.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, SW, S, SE

Cambridge roadstead

Open roadstead anchorage on the Choptank River off Cambridge, Maryland, near the mouth of Cambridge Creek.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Claiborne

Open anchorage off the village of Claiborne, on the point dividing Eastern Bay from the Miles River in Talbot County, Maryland.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW, W

Donovans Pier

Anchorage off the Donovans Pier shore on the South River, at Edgewater in Maryland, within the wider Chesapeake Bay.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, W, NW

East River and Put In Creek

Anchorage in the East River, a tributary of Mobjack Bay in Mathews County, Virginia, with Put In Creek branching off at its head.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S

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

Galloway Creek

Anchorage on the north shore of Middle River at Bowleys Quarters, upper Chesapeake Bay, about nine miles north of Baltimore.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SE

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.

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

Harness Creek

Sheltered anchorage in Harness Creek off the South River, about 3 miles south-west of Annapolis, Maryland.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, SE

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.

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

Inner Worton Creek

Anchorage in the inner basin of Worton Creek on Maryland's Eastern Shore, about 1.5 miles inside the Chesapeake Bay north of Rock Hall.

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

Jackson Creek West

Protected anchorage in the western branch of Jackson Creek at Deltaville, Virginia, off the Piankatank River near Chesapeake Bay.

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

Mallard Point Anchorage

Anchorage on the Maryland Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, near the mouth of the Chester River, set on a sand bottom with all-round shelter.

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

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

Onancock Wharf & Marina

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

Redhouse Cove

Anchorage in a cove of the Magothy River by Gibson Island, on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW, W, NW

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.

Sarah Creek

Sheltered creek opening off the York River at Gloucester Point, Virginia, opposite Yorktown on the Chesapeake Bay.

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

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.

Selby Bay

Anchorage off the South River on the Chesapeake Bay, about 5 miles south of Annapolis in Maryland. Mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW

Sellman Creek

Anchorage in Sellman Creek, a tidal creek of the Rhode River in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, with a mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW

South Creek

Anchorage at the mouth of South Creek on the West River near Galesville, Maryland, with a mud bottom and shelter on all sides.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

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

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