Gibson Island

Most recent visit: August 2 & 3, 2023
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The Gibson Island anchorage goes by a number of different names, but many boaters just refer to it as the horse farm. From the anchorage you can look out on to an expansive pasture leading up the hill to a large house and barns. You will usually find many horses grazing in the pasture.

Depths in the anchorage run 8 to 10 feet and the holding is usually good. We did have trouble once setting our anchor and eventually moved to an anchorage off of Dobbins Island.

The anchorage is off the Magothy River. After passing the iconic Baltimore Light and taking the channel into the Magothy at 6 knots, you navigate to starboard, pass Dobbins Island on your port and begin another 6 knot passage around the bend to starboard. This will lead you to the large anchorage area with room for many boats. The horse farm will be on your port side and an undeveloped shoreline will be too starboard.

We have had many pleasant overnight stays here as well as day trips. Weekdays are less crowded than weekends. It is great for swimming, sitting in the tubes and doing some paddleboarding. The water is usually calm and flat. Unfortunately, we have had a few less pleasant experiences when the locals come out to waterski around the anchorage. It is usually around dinner time and has made cooking out on the grill a little challenging. The last time this happened there had to be 15 boats in the anchorage, and everyone was getting rocked!