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Most recent visit: October 18, 2023
We had heard that the Rhode River was a nice anchorage from some other boaters at our marina, and decided to give it a try on a two night trip. It was a fairly easy trip down the Bay, past the Thomas Point Lighthouse and then a winding trip up the Rhode River. We had been told that the best place to anchor was behind the two islands, indicated as Sheephead Cove on Navionics, so that is where we headed. There is room for a number of boats, but we found that there were other good spots to anchor in front the islands. This area is very busy on holidays and weekends with all manner of boats, jet skis, water skiers and tubers, but should quiet down around dinner time. You can expect to be rocked a bit as they like to circle the islands at a good clip. Crowds gather on the sandbar between the two islands that appears at low tide, and there was a steady stream of boats "cruising" around the area. The anchorage is protected all around, but you will need to pay attention to the shallow areas. |
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There are some government dock facilities nearby, so you can expect to see the DNR Marine Police in the area. We experienced some heavy fog in the morning, but enjoyed the peaceful surroundings.........without the holiday crowd. I am sure that the anchorage is very pleasant mid-week and off-season.
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On our second trip to the Rhode River, strong winds from the south predicted, so we decided to anchor near the southern shore for a little protection.
We had two very quiet nights here with slight breeze during the day.
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We anchored in about 10 feet of water and put about 75 feet of chain out along with a new 77 lb. Ultra Anchor. This was our first overnight with this anchor as well as a new bridle set up. Both worked perfectly and gave us some confidence that we have a pretty good set up now. A few locals passed by on their boats, but the wakes were tolerable. There was only one boat in the anchorage on the first night and they left the next morning. Five additional boats came in during the day. A couple left the next morning at the same time we did.
The anchor and chain came up with the thickest mud I have ever experienced (no wonder we didn't move for the two days), and was a mess to clean off. To make matters worse, my washdown pump quit working as we were bringing up the chain. I hated to get all that mud in the anchor locker, but we had limited choices.
The entrance to the Rhode was a little bumpy with the winds coming from the south. That along with the low sun and a huge number of crab trap markers made our exit out of the river a little challenging. We had noticed the crab traps on the way in and were prepared for it, but it is definitely something that needs to be considered when using the Rhode River as an anchorage.
The anchor and chain came up with the thickest mud I have ever experienced (no wonder we didn't move for the two days), and was a mess to clean off. To make matters worse, my washdown pump quit working as we were bringing up the chain. I hated to get all that mud in the anchor locker, but we had limited choices.
The entrance to the Rhode was a little bumpy with the winds coming from the south. That along with the low sun and a huge number of crab trap markers made our exit out of the river a little challenging. We had noticed the crab traps on the way in and were prepared for it, but it is definitely something that needs to be considered when using the Rhode River as an anchorage.
