EricM26 wrote:...and live in Haymarket so I appreciate your distances. I bought my boat from a guy at the Washington Sailing Marina just south of Reagan airport. I had the rights to retain his slip. (Google: washingtonsailingmarina) Nice marina and restaurant, but significant jet noise and soot on the boat deck. I like looking at the DC skyline while sailing but there is too many sandbars (even for the M26 cause of the centerboard) and congestion.
Eric,
thanks for the tip on WSM, we've been considering it and were thinking on stopping by there tomorrow (after sailing across and up and down the Chesapeake). I do agree that the waters around DC have little to offer in comparison and we're only considering it due to the gas it takes to get out with the tow beast, if we didn't have to drop it in ourselves it might be a different story.
Haven't looked at any of the mil-based marinas as I was told after my phyical "..don't call us, we'll call you..." and they never did. Greatest respect and gratitude for those who serve.
As for the noise from Ronald Regan National, I have no problem with the sounds from the aircraft. I live under the N/S pattern from Dulles and daughter is a grad from ERAU in areo saftey and is working on her masters. It's kind of like music.
I used to keep my X at Casa Rio in Mayo. They will launch and retreve your boat for a few bucks a pop. If you have a more economical vehicle to get you to and from the marina you could probably save enough in gas costs to cover the launch fees and then some. Their storage fees are pretty resanable too.
Uncle Jim, you do have a long drive. I guess the marina in Shady Side is not much of a shorter a trip for you.
Several posters mentioned the Potomac River marinas, Washington Sailing Marina, etc. Has anyone sailed out of the Belle View Marina just south of the Wilson Bridge?
I run with a group early Saturday mornings on the Mount Vernon trail, and weekly passed by a Macgregor X on a trailer a year of so ago. How hard is it getting into and out of that ramp? (The ramp fee is pretty cheap).
Is the Potomac that difficult to sail in? I ask because the charts indicate most of the channel from Ft. Washington to Georgetown looks to be 10' or more in most places.
I have this fantasy of viewing the July 4th fireworks from the Potomac near the Memorial Bridge. Anyone try that already?
Out on Kentucky Lake last weekend and all the big Yachts and good sized motor boats were gunkholing it all wkend. They pull out of the Marinas and just head for a chosen spot a couple miles away and stay put. But the Lake was full of Sails!!! (and PWCs )
Contrary to what many would expect, I still see these large speed boats from time to time zooming by at 40 mph or more. If you think that somebody spends $100K+ for a boat then $4/gallon gas is not going to stop their fun.
In Florida mooring, slips, or other dockage is increasingly difficult to find. There is a trend to buying a slip. I have seen advertisements to purchase a slip for $100k or more.
Hi Terry would you rent your slip for a week in off season at Point Roberts ?
I have been visiting Seattle at Schilshole Bay and they just finished rebuilding there marina probably 2000 boats or more and 30ft I think is the small slips.
I do under stand a lot of folks are buying 40-50 ft sail boats for there water front property for there families and frends instead of multystory condos, so there is a need for bigger sailboat slips instead of covered slips for gas hogs crusers.
Mostly I park at home 3 blocks from the lake. I hook up to free Core of Engineers bouy's or gunkhole and enjoy .50 cents a foot at Wa state park marinas or $5.00 for there bouy's. In my city it is $4.00 for a nights stay with hookups for transiants and free after Sept.
I am out of Washington Sailing Marina for about 7 years now and find the Potomac easy to sail in an X. Here are a couple of observations:
- It is a nice marina, not cheap but considering the area it is not overpriced either. Mostly new docks and facilities after the hurricane a few years ago.
- The Potomac is polluted and not an advisable body of water to swim in so it can be tough during the July and Aug to be that hot and not want to jump in the water.
- North of the Wilson Bridge offers a very thin channel and mostly a south wind so be prepared to tack/jibe frequently when sailing.
- Washington Sailing Marina has open slips and also offers dry dockage with a new, easy to use launch ramp.
- The new Nation Harbor in MD offers a new choice of restaurants and attractions to travel to and get off the water for awhile.
- I have noticed a sharp drop off in motor boats (I also have an old 19 foot powerboat) and can pretty much pull up to the launch ramp at Reagan Airport at anytime during the weekend with no wait to launch this year.
- Watching the fire works on the 4th from the river is great! HOWEVER, in previous years, there are so many powerboats in and around DC for that event that when it ends at around 10, they all head south at the same time in the dark and at high speed. They create a dangerous situation with huge waves. I know a sailor on a 20 footer who was hit with such a large wake wave that two of his passengers were knocked over board. If you try this I recommend going no further north on the water than about the airport.
We checked out Washington Sailing marinia and found that there is an 18 month wait for a slip. The guy we were talking to about it said they don't do trailer storage for anythink over 24ft, even though there was a M sitting right in plain sight (I quess they'll take the slower blue hulls). Bell View has a 10 to 13 YEAR waiting list and there is hardly any parking and the ramp is shallow and you almost have to back into the marinia to use it. there's no way I could get the beast and the boat in, turned around, lined up and launched.
Tony, I'm at Caso Rio now, getting a parking spot from Grab Bag sailboats. It's a little cheaper than from the marinia but does not include ramp fees, Greg will launch it for us if he has the time but that's not too often. There is a slip open at just a reasonable price and it has a 10ft width. plently of room for me to get in and out of. We'll be able to take the miser instead of the beast and not have to worry about lining up in that narrow channel. It's a possiblity.
back on the subject of boating trends.I was at a boatyard tonight and got talking with the owner,he tells me new boat sales are down from 15 a year to 5.
I sailed out of Quantico Oct 18th. The wind was fantastic. All the sailboats were out and only a few motorboats. The only frustration I had was that since I was single sailing it took me over an hour to pull in the genoa. The roller furler didn't help. I tried sailing into the wind and also up the wind to no avail. Finally I was able to stuff it into my sock. Weather and schedule conflict prevented me from sailing the last two weekends, but I'm hoping to get out there this weekend. Hopefully we'll have a few more weekends to sail before winter sets in.
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