Cape Charles Town Harbor, Cape Charles, VA
Last Visit: Nov. 16, 2023
We had been wanting to visit Cape Charles for a number of years, but never quite made it. We decided to make it one of our stops on the trip south in the fall of 2023. The first thing you notice as you near Cape Charles, are the many big ships in the anchorage waiting to go to their next port of call. Most of them looked empty as we went by. The entrance to Cape Charles starts south of the harbor and doglegs into the harbor. There are some shallow areas to the north of the channel, but the south side appears to have some good depth. You make a sharp right turn into the harbor channel and immediately notice the large plant on your starboard side that is a part of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel expansion project. The town is over to port as is the marina. The boatyard part of the marina is ahead on the port.
We headed to the fuel dock first and had an easy time tying up and getting our fuel. While there, we noticed the variety of vessels in the port, including Coast Guard, Pilot boats and commercial fishing vessels. With the recreational boats and the tug-barge combinations at the plant, this is an eclectic maritime center.
The marina has nice floating docks with all the necessary hookups. We did not use the pumpout system on this stop, but it was at the fuel dock. There is a restaurant at the marina, but we did not use that either. The bathhouse was a little spartan and a fair distance from our slip.
The town is about 200 yards behind the restaurant and easily reached by a walking path. You can see the remnants of the railroad that is an important part of the Cape Charles history. There are a number of restaurants in the town and quite a few shops. It seems to be an active artist community.
I think the marina is a little overpriced for what it offers. There are no real amenities that warrant the cost of the slip. Fuel prices were reasonable at the time we were there. The marina was comfortable, but we could hear the plant which is a 24 hour operation. The pilot boats were also active around the clock.
If you are looking for a small but active harbor experience, this is the place to go.
Last Visit: Nov. 16, 2023
We had been wanting to visit Cape Charles for a number of years, but never quite made it. We decided to make it one of our stops on the trip south in the fall of 2023. The first thing you notice as you near Cape Charles, are the many big ships in the anchorage waiting to go to their next port of call. Most of them looked empty as we went by. The entrance to Cape Charles starts south of the harbor and doglegs into the harbor. There are some shallow areas to the north of the channel, but the south side appears to have some good depth. You make a sharp right turn into the harbor channel and immediately notice the large plant on your starboard side that is a part of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel expansion project. The town is over to port as is the marina. The boatyard part of the marina is ahead on the port.
We headed to the fuel dock first and had an easy time tying up and getting our fuel. While there, we noticed the variety of vessels in the port, including Coast Guard, Pilot boats and commercial fishing vessels. With the recreational boats and the tug-barge combinations at the plant, this is an eclectic maritime center.
The marina has nice floating docks with all the necessary hookups. We did not use the pumpout system on this stop, but it was at the fuel dock. There is a restaurant at the marina, but we did not use that either. The bathhouse was a little spartan and a fair distance from our slip.
The town is about 200 yards behind the restaurant and easily reached by a walking path. You can see the remnants of the railroad that is an important part of the Cape Charles history. There are a number of restaurants in the town and quite a few shops. It seems to be an active artist community.
I think the marina is a little overpriced for what it offers. There are no real amenities that warrant the cost of the slip. Fuel prices were reasonable at the time we were there. The marina was comfortable, but we could hear the plant which is a 24 hour operation. The pilot boats were also active around the clock.
If you are looking for a small but active harbor experience, this is the place to go.
