St. Mary's River, St. Mary's, MD

Most Recent Visit: Sept. 8, 2020

This is clearly one of the most picturesque anchorages that we have visited. It is a short trip up the St. Mary's River from the Potomac. Entry into the Potomac from the Bay was uneventful and a little surprising as we have experienced some turbulent conditions in the past while crossing the Potomac entrance. We were in about 15 feet of water and the anchor held well, although weather conditions were perfect. There were only two other boats in the anchorage at the time, however there was plenty of room for more.

The anchorage is just off the historic city of St. Mary's and the St. Mary's College. The College has a boat dock and you are permitted to tie up your dinghy for a shore excursion. The small campus is very nice, however since our visit was during the COVID outbreak we did not enter any of the buildings. Apparently cruisers are able to eat in the college dining hall during non-COVID times. Adjacent to the the campus is the historic city of St. Mary's, the spot where the first Maryland settlers landed and established a state capital. There is a charge to visit the historic buildings and grounds which is payable at the gift shop on the grounds.

After a nice walk on a very pleasant early September day, we got back in the tender, headed back to the boat and spent some time cooling off in the refreshing river waters.