Gwynn Island - Piankatank River
Last visit: 4/8/2024
If you are looking for an anchorage near Fishing Bay, but the winds are coming from a southerly direction, this may be your better choice. We anchored in about 11 feet of water, but we were in the midst of many crab pot markers. They were spaced far enough apart that we weren't concerned. If you have concerns, you can anchor a little further out in about 15-18 feet. We set out over 80 feet of chain with our 77# Ultra anchor and did not move all night. Winds were light from the S and SW.
Being a powerboat, we made this anchorage from Coinjock in just over 8 hours, but that included taking on fuel at Fishing Bay Marina a short distance away. Access from the Bay is very easy, however we had to negotiate through many crab trap markers coming from the south. When we left and headed north, we did not encounter any crab traps at all.
Last visit: 4/8/2024
If you are looking for an anchorage near Fishing Bay, but the winds are coming from a southerly direction, this may be your better choice. We anchored in about 11 feet of water, but we were in the midst of many crab pot markers. They were spaced far enough apart that we weren't concerned. If you have concerns, you can anchor a little further out in about 15-18 feet. We set out over 80 feet of chain with our 77# Ultra anchor and did not move all night. Winds were light from the S and SW.
Being a powerboat, we made this anchorage from Coinjock in just over 8 hours, but that included taking on fuel at Fishing Bay Marina a short distance away. Access from the Bay is very easy, however we had to negotiate through many crab trap markers coming from the south. When we left and headed north, we did not encounter any crab traps at all.
It is a large anchorage and on this night there were two other boats, but they were quite a distance away. There is certainly room for many more boats, providing you watch for the crab traps. It was very quiet and only a couple of boats went by creating minimum wakes. You can see the Bay from the anchorage, but we had no swell or wave action to contend with. The situation would likely be different in winds coming from any northerly directions., There are plenty of lights from houses along the shoreline and you can hear the occasional dog barking. We had three bars of ATT cell service, but not much in the way of television reception. Sunrise and sunset were beautiful from this location.
The anchor came up absolutely clean in the morning, a welcome relief from the typical Chesapeake mud, and it was a straight shot out to the Bay for a northerly route. We had very nice conditions on this visit and would be hard-pressed to guess the comfort level in poor weather.
