Where The Beauty Of The ICW Goes To Die - Reedy Island

May 21. 2022

Oh Henry left the Annapolis mooring field a half an hour before we did, knowing we would catch up and pass them in a short amount of time. Gord had spent a great deal of time planning our departure for this day. The current in the C&D canal is approximately 4 knots and for efficiency sake, boaters in the know, plan to run with the current and not at the times when it will flow against you. Usually we cruise at 9 knots and 1000rmp, so running against a 4 knot current would be a substantial disservice to our mileage and fuel consumption.

It was a beautiful travel day from Annapolis. We arrived at the anchorage before Oh Henry. We set the hook with ease, although the current created an optical illusion for me on the bow that seemed as though Gord was backing down on the anchor at warp speed and could pull the pulpit right off Holy Cow. I asked Gord, through the headset to slow down, and he let me know we weren't even in gear and he was just holding Holy Cow in place. I told him he should come and have a look up here when we were settled, so he could understand what I see and why it was alarming.

When we arrived at our anchorage, we weren't exactly impressed. Have you ever anchored near what appears to be a nuclear plant, in a vast area where only a few personal vessels cruise by? The majority of the traffic passing through were large commercial barges. The current continued to press on and with it, to our port side, it brought debris. And I mean debris. It was like something up ahead had opened or let go. There was a steady, dense flow of logs, sticks and large weeds. Mixed in among the organic debris were bottles, a tennis ball, fish, a tire, and even a bucket which Jaxon tried to fetch using a rope and a stick. To be honest, Gord and I would have been horrified, but not surprised, if a body floated by.

When Oh Henry arrived, they cruised close to us and Gord hollered something about the anchorage to the captain. She responded saying that she’d said it was a good holding anchorage, not a pretty one. That was an understatement. To this day, I have called this anchorage by many names, but none of them are close to its Reedy Island name on the charts. This picture is to remind us of how vast the anchorage was. It may look pretty-ish in this photo, it wasn't.

When we took the dogs to shore and neared the rocky edge for them to hop off, hundreds of tiny, flying gnat like bugs immediately took to biting Gord and me, and likely the dogs. I think a swallowed a few of them, gag. This experience at shore seemed appropriate for the overall vibe of this place.

However, one critical requirement for an anchorage is the hold, and it was solid hold for the night. When morning came and it was time to be on our way, we hauled up the anchor, which was covered in thick, grey, clay like muck. We hosed off the slimy stubborn gunk and cruised on our way, with the current, to Atlantic City.

Voyage Log

Annapolis MD to Reedy Island Anchorage travel log here.