Sunday on the Lower Potomac River - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Trips and Rendezvous
  Sunday on the Lower Potomac River

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Sunday on the Lower Potomac River

kamie posted 09-27-2004 10:37 PM ET (US)
On Sunday it was a party on the lower Potomac, 60 miles down river from Washington DC. Henry with his Nantucket, Kevin with the 19 Outrage and my 18 Outrage were out on the water. Our suprise guest was Scott from Whalertowne as well as asorted family members. We spend the day running around the river and the afternoon fishing in one of the creeks. Didn't get anything large enough to bring home but had tons of fun.
kamie.homeip.net/evenstar/html/prwc_09-26-2004.html
jimh posted 09-28-2004 08:29 AM ET (US)
Kamie--Thanks for the photo-album. It is always fun to see pictures of Boston Whalers. We find that one of the joys of boating with our friends and their Boston Whalers is to see the other boats running alongside.
Here is my favorite picture from your album:
http://kamie.homeip.net/evenstar/assets/images/db_images/db_000_00311.jpg
It shows a young man at the helm of a classic 18 Outrage (and powered by a classic two-stroke), as his father supervises. The boat looks great, and it is running is perfect trim.
I can still recall a trip my father and I took in 1963 when I got to drive the boat at the age of twelve. I am sure that young man will remember this experience, too.
erik selis posted 09-28-2004 08:55 AM ET (US)
Nice pictures Kamie. I always love to look at Boston Whaler photo's.
Looks like the little fellow that Jim is refering to is having a whale of a time.
Erik
Camuyano posted 09-28-2004 11:05 AM ET (US)
Kamie:
Where exactly on the river were you guys? I'm in Dahlgren just below the Nice bridge. I've heard that there are good places to hang out further down river (such as St. Clements Island) but haven't been able to get that far yet. We normally cross over to the Maryland side and have dinner at Capt. Billy's or Robertson's. They have a nice pier and there's a small beach nearby. There's always a lot boats there on the weekends.
I've also been meaning to trailer up to Northern VA and cruise the Potomac around DC, see the sights from the river and maybe tie up in Georgetown or Alexandria for dinner or lunch. My brother in law says that it is safe to park at the public ramp in Arlington near National Airport. I wanted to do it this fall before it gets too cold but I don't know if I'll have time.
Imanuel
kamie posted 09-28-2004 04:55 PM ET (US)
Imanuel,
We are down near St Clements Island. We have slips at Coltons Point Marina on St Patricks Creek. It's a wonderful area. You should come down some time. If you want to cruse the north section of the river, put in at Pohick Bay park on the Virginia side or Mattawoman Creek on the MD side. From there you can go north to DC which is about an hour cruse or south toward Mallows Bay to see the Ghost Ships.
kgregg posted 09-29-2004 09:15 AM ET (US)
>It shows a young man at the helm of a classic 18
>Outrage (and powered by a classic two-stroke),
JimH-
That's my 8 yr old son Levi at the helm and me by his side. He was determined to drive the boat. As there was little traffic, wake, waves, etc. I let him steer (in straight line only) while I manned the throttles. He was thrilled to do this. I liked Kamie's pics so much that I put two of them on my Whaler page... http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kevingregg/whaler/ Kevin
Marlin posted 09-29-2004 01:08 PM ET (US)
Imanuel,
In the upper tidal Potomac, Pohick Bay Regional Park is a pretty good launch point. This is where I keep my 160 Dauntless. There is a nice double ramp that can fit a total of 6-8 boats (though most people just use the area adjacent to the dock), and there's usually ample parking except for the occasional bass tournament. The PWCs have their own launch ramp, which improves things quite a bit, but there is still ample "entertainment" at the ramps during summer weekends. Unfortunately the ramps have a very shallow angle, and at low tide it can be difficult to get the trailer into more than 18" or so of water; bigger boats need not apply at low tide. Launch fee is $8, and you will have to pay an extra $7 if you're not from a Northern VA member county/city. The park prohibits alcohol.
A few miles north of Pohick is Belle Haven Marina, with one very narrow, very short ramp that's almost completely unusable at low tide. The next stop to the north is Gravelly Point Park just north of National Airport, where you'll find two decent ramps with lots of parking, lots of people, and lots of traffic, but if you're looking to tour Washington from the water, you're pretty much right in the thick of things there. It's amazing how low the incoming airliners pass overhead - you can count rivets.
A few miles south of Pohick is Occoquon Regional Park offers a smaller but decent ramp well up the Occoquon River. Same fees as Pohick, but you'll have 30+ minutes of no-wake zone to get to the Potomac. A few miles further south is Leesylvania State Park, with excellent ramps and a breakwater. Fees are $8 for the launch and $4 for entry.
The upper Potomac is quite scenic, with Mount Vernon and several parks available, and a few interesting creeks to explore. While boating traffic seems heavier than in the lower Potomac, the area is rich in wildlife and waterfowl, and it's getting to be an unusual day when I don't see some bald eagles. If you'll be boating north of the Woodrow Wilson bridge, be sure to honor the large no-wake zones and be prepared for a chat with the USCG.
C'mon up, you'll have a great time.
-Bob
kamie posted 09-29-2004 01:23 PM ET (US)
I second what Bob said about lots of boat traffic on the upper Potomac. It is one of the reasons I move from the Occoquan down to St. Mary's County in MD. I was at Occoquan Harbor Marina where on a weekend day there is a continuous line of boats heading for the river. At Coltons point, the only line of boats is usually the three whalers going out on a Saturday or Sunday.
The most boats I have seen in one spot on around St Clements Island was the 4 or 5 boats that surrounded us, total 8 boats because they probably though we were actually catching fish. The picture of Levi was taken as we returned up river from a 20 minute one way run where we were the only boats around.

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Sunday on the Lower Potomac River
kamie	posted 09-27-2004 10:37 PM ET (US) On Sunday it was a party on the lower Potomac, 60 miles down river from Washington DC. Henry with his Nantucket, Kevin with the 19 Outrage and my 18 Outrage were out on the water. Our suprise guest was Scott from Whalertowne as well as asorted family members. We spend the day running around the river and the afternoon fishing in one of the creeks. Didn't get anything large enough to bring home but had tons of fun. kamie.homeip.net/evenstar/html/prwc_09-26-2004.html
jimh	posted 09-28-2004 08:29 AM ET (US) Kamie--Thanks for the photo-album. It is always fun to see pictures of Boston Whalers. We find that one of the joys of boating with our friends and their Boston Whalers is to see the other boats running alongside. Here is my favorite picture from your album: http://kamie.homeip.net/evenstar/assets/images/db_images/db_000_00311.jpg It shows a young man at the helm of a classic 18 Outrage (and powered by a classic two-stroke), as his father supervises. The boat looks great, and it is running is perfect trim. I can still recall a trip my father and I took in 1963 when I got to drive the boat at the age of twelve. I am sure that young man will remember this experience, too.
erik selis	posted 09-28-2004 08:55 AM ET (US) Nice pictures Kamie. I always love to look at Boston Whaler photo's. Looks like the little fellow that Jim is refering to is having a whale of a time. Erik
Camuyano	posted 09-28-2004 11:05 AM ET (US) Kamie: Where exactly on the river were you guys? I'm in Dahlgren just below the Nice bridge. I've heard that there are good places to hang out further down river (such as St. Clements Island) but haven't been able to get that far yet. We normally cross over to the Maryland side and have dinner at Capt. Billy's or Robertson's. They have a nice pier and there's a small beach nearby. There's always a lot boats there on the weekends. I've also been meaning to trailer up to Northern VA and cruise the Potomac around DC, see the sights from the river and maybe tie up in Georgetown or Alexandria for dinner or lunch. My brother in law says that it is safe to park at the public ramp in Arlington near National Airport. I wanted to do it this fall before it gets too cold but I don't know if I'll have time. Imanuel
kamie	posted 09-28-2004 04:55 PM ET (US) Imanuel, We are down near St Clements Island. We have slips at Coltons Point Marina on St Patricks Creek. It's a wonderful area. You should come down some time. If you want to cruse the north section of the river, put in at Pohick Bay park on the Virginia side or Mattawoman Creek on the MD side. From there you can go north to DC which is about an hour cruse or south toward Mallows Bay to see the Ghost Ships.
kgregg	posted 09-29-2004 09:15 AM ET (US) >It shows a young man at the helm of a classic 18 >Outrage (and powered by a classic two-stroke), JimH- That's my 8 yr old son Levi at the helm and me by his side. He was determined to drive the boat. As there was little traffic, wake, waves, etc. I let him steer (in straight line only) while I manned the throttles. He was thrilled to do this. I liked Kamie's pics so much that I put two of them on my Whaler page... http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kevingregg/whaler/ Kevin
Marlin	posted 09-29-2004 01:08 PM ET (US) Imanuel, In the upper tidal Potomac, Pohick Bay Regional Park is a pretty good launch point. This is where I keep my 160 Dauntless. There is a nice double ramp that can fit a total of 6-8 boats (though most people just use the area adjacent to the dock), and there's usually ample parking except for the occasional bass tournament. The PWCs have their own launch ramp, which improves things quite a bit, but there is still ample "entertainment" at the ramps during summer weekends. Unfortunately the ramps have a very shallow angle, and at low tide it can be difficult to get the trailer into more than 18" or so of water; bigger boats need not apply at low tide. Launch fee is $8, and you will have to pay an extra $7 if you're not from a Northern VA member county/city. The park prohibits alcohol. A few miles north of Pohick is Belle Haven Marina, with one very narrow, very short ramp that's almost completely unusable at low tide. The next stop to the north is Gravelly Point Park just north of National Airport, where you'll find two decent ramps with lots of parking, lots of people, and lots of traffic, but if you're looking to tour Washington from the water, you're pretty much right in the thick of things there. It's amazing how low the incoming airliners pass overhead - you can count rivets. A few miles south of Pohick is Occoquon Regional Park offers a smaller but decent ramp well up the Occoquon River. Same fees as Pohick, but you'll have 30+ minutes of no-wake zone to get to the Potomac. A few miles further south is Leesylvania State Park, with excellent ramps and a breakwater. Fees are $8 for the launch and $4 for entry. The upper Potomac is quite scenic, with Mount Vernon and several parks available, and a few interesting creeks to explore. While boating traffic seems heavier than in the lower Potomac, the area is rich in wildlife and waterfowl, and it's getting to be an unusual day when I don't see some bald eagles. If you'll be boating north of the Woodrow Wilson bridge, be sure to honor the large no-wake zones and be prepared for a chat with the USCG. C'mon up, you'll have a great time. -Bob
kamie	posted 09-29-2004 01:23 PM ET (US) I second what Bob said about lots of boat traffic on the upper Potomac. It is one of the reasons I move from the Occoquan down to St. Mary's County in MD. I was at Occoquan Harbor Marina where on a weekend day there is a continuous line of boats heading for the river. At Coltons point, the only line of boats is usually the three whalers going out on a Saturday or Sunday. The most boats I have seen in one spot on around St Clements Island was the 4 or 5 boats that surrounded us, total 8 boats because they probably though we were actually catching fish. The picture of Levi was taken as we returned up river from a 20 minute one way run where we were the only boats around.