Reed Creek

Most Recent Visit: August 31, 2024

This can be a tricky anchorage to get into, but once in you are well protected from the east, south and west, and depending on where you drop the hook, from the north as well. It is a very nice trip up the Chester River. Right after Langford Creek, hang a right to get to Reed Creek. There is very little traffic in this beautiful cove, mostly due to the fact that many don't want to take the chance going through the hairpin turn inlet. If you decide to venture in, you will be rewarded with a quiet night in 7 to 10 feet of water. There seems to be a shallow spot about a hundred yards or so before you reach the red buoy.  Near low tide the depth gauge was reading as low as 7 feet. We made it through fine, but deep-draft vessels may need to take extra precaution or plan on entering at high tide.

In early August of 2021 we saw a number of jellyfish, but I still got out on the paddle board and we sat in the tubes for a while to cool off. On an earlier October trip the jellyfish were around as well, but we found that the water was not really warm enough to jump in. In late August of 2024 there were very few jellyfish and we were comfortable getting in the water. There don't seem to be any good spots to land the dinghy, so you will likely be on board for your whole stay.

There are a few houses around the cove, and you may hear some dogs barking or lawnmowers running. It normally has been quiet during our stays. We had previously encountered a few boats anchored in the creek and an occasional crab boat was working his lines. On the most recent trip, a club of approximately 15 sailboats were rafted and congregated together. They were enjoying themselves, but not overly loud.  Be prepared to wash down the anchor as you bring it up. The bottom is very muddy.

There is good protection from winds. The only problem may be a blow from the north that may create some fetch if you anchor on the southern side. If that is the prediction, you may want to consider anchoring nearer the northern shore. On past trips we set the 44 lb. Delta anchor out with about 55 feet of chain in 7-8 feet of water. Probably more than needed on a calm night and resulted in an extended retrieval time as I like to wash my chain and anchor down thoroughly as I bring it up. I prefer to keep the chain locker as clean as possible. As said before, it is very muddy here and it sticks to the chain and anchor. With the new boat, we deployed a 77 lb. Ultra Anchor with 73' of chain and bridle with a 9 foot depth. It was more than enough on a very calm night, however we did experience a fast passing storm on previous trip. I always prepare for the worst case scenario.

We only had one bar of ATT service, but that was sufficient for phone calls and browsing the internet. It would not be sufficient for any heavy internet work. There was no TV reception at all, but the stargazing was very good.

This is one of our favorite anchorages as it doesn't seem to be as popular and crowded as many others. I'm sure that the lack of a good landing for the dinghy to allow for pet relief is a factor.