Cheri and Tom, we agree with you about the Choptank. One of our favorite places is Edgar Cove just off Broad Creek. When entering pass R4 and continue to G5 and then turn slightly to starboard and follow the greens. Edgar Cove is on the left. There is a shallow point that comes out from starboard as you enter but other than that the water is generally 7-8 ft. Good protection from wind and waves Usually not much going on as it is off the beaten path. An occasional power boat might go down the creek but it is far enough that it is a minor distraction and no crab pots.It is about 3 miles by water to St Michaels from there and we often kayak that. Obviously much faster by dinghy. One time we were anchored up San Domingo Creek and crabbers picked up our anchor and moved us farther up the creek because we were apparently anchored where they wanted to crab. In Edgar Cove the sky is beautifull at night because there is little light pollution to diminsh the stars. One of the better places to view that we have found.

Tom, It's been a while since i've ben on the IPOYA site and just saw your question about equipment. We are pretty light on electronics with only a Garmin 76csx handheld chartplotter, and GPS integrated DSC VHS radio. I do use an Ipad for weather and daily updates. I always build a document of currents and tides of wheareaver I'm going before leaving. I can send you a copy if you drop me an email. as for saftey equipmet we use Spot to track our location and emergency beacon to the Coast Guard. We tow our dingy and it serves as our lift raft. A Mustang hydrostatic inflatable life vest/harness, teather and jacklines ran over the starbord side of the cabin.

Wye River - We got to the Wye River late in the day and chose to anchor in Shaw Bay for convenience. This is a large cove with 20' depth and good holding with a muddy bottom. There are houses (big ones!) along the shore but it was a quiet spot for us on the weekend of 11-25-11. We really wanted seclusion though so we moved upstream the next day, motoring up the eastern branch of the Wye. This is a twisty-windy river but it has plenty of depth with 30' to 40' in most parts. Once you get past the entrance to the river there are few markers but all that's really needed is to stay centered in the river and watch the charts. Of course, I won't tell ya where we ran aground. We passed a number of tempting spots, including Dividing Creek and Granary Creek, but continued on looking for "the perfect spot". We found it just beyond Pickering Creek. Around the next bend is a nice unnamed cove with about 10' depth and good holding. All around the shore is tree lined with fields seen in the distance. The only house in sight is about a 1/2 mile further upstream, very nice looking estate, but we never saw a single light from it. We had this place all to ourselves. Being well into Fall we did have plenty of Canadian Geese around and we saw some Bald Eagles here too. This is a beautiful area with plenty of good anchorages. Dividing Creek looked to me like it would make a perfect "hurricane hole". I'm pretty sure we'll be going back here again many times. It's an easy 4.5 hour sail from Herrington Harbour, probably about the same from Annapolis. Check out the pictures in the group album "Wye River".

Trippe Creek - Located about halfway down the river along it's eastern shore. After passing G1 at the entrance to the creek head 040 towards Snug Harbor to clear the shoaling just east of the marker. Halfway in turn to 080 and stay centered in the water off Deepwater Point. Once past the point you find yourself in a large tree-lined cove with 8' to 10' depth and good holding for the anchor. This is a well protected, beautiful anchorage with tree lined shores and the occasional McMansion. We were in a group of 14 boats and there was plenty of room for more without feeling crowded. In fact we were all down in the corner called Pirates Cove and I never had the feeling of being bunched up. It's a nice spot, quiet and secluded. There are no services back in here but you can get everything you need just down the river in Oxford. Definitely worth a visit.

Hudson Creek, Casson Point - Out in the river go halfway between G7 and G9 before turning north for G1 inside the entrance to the creek. As you pass G1 the channel bends around to the left and opens up behind Casson Point before turning north again past R2. We chose to anchor in the cove here and found 10' depth with mud bottom and good holding for the anchor. The long narrow peninsula forming Casson Point provides good protection for this anchorage, keeping the water calm but allowing the breeze to blow through. We were here in the middle of the week in early June and had this anchorage all to ourselves but during other visits have seen this spot packed with boats on weekends. For the time we were there it was quiet and secluded, swimming was great. Tom

Cockrell Creek - To avoid the shallows on either side (1' - 2' deep) you want to line up R6 out in the middle of the river with G1 just inside the creek entrance. Stay to the left as you cruise into the industrial area. There's a lot of traffic on the water here but it quiets down once you get further back. Head for the tall smoke stack where the creek bends around to the right past the Menhaden packing plant. Once you pass the stack and then the ruins of an old brick packing plant, the creek opens up in several directions. The town of Reedville is in the center and located out on the end of the penninsula you'll find the Crazy Crab restaurant (good food) with a small marina supplying full services and a very laid back operation. Look for the red roof. This is a great place to stop and see the town, which is well worth the visit. There are a number of fine old homes, many of them Victorian, lining Main Street. A short walk down the road, next to the church is the Fisherman's museum. Here you'll find excellent information on the history of the area and a very good explanation of the fishing industry. There's also a number of excellent scale model displays, ship models and a large model railroad layout based on the area. Out back are several restored wooden work boats. In it's early days, 1880's, Reedville had the highest per capita income in the USA and it shows in the many beautiful homes lining the creek and the streets of the town. Many are in excellent condition, several are B+B's. We didn't get any further into town than the museum but we thoroughly enjoyed what we saw. The people were very friendly and eager to talk about the history of their town. It's a beautiful town and well worth the visit but beware of the stink from the packing plant. The day we were there the wind blew from the south and there was no escaping the strong stench unless you stayed inside. We had hoped it was a temporary thing and spent the night at the marina but with the next morning came temperatures in the high 90's and that putrid smell. Not a good combination. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.