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Ports of Call and Restaurants
Oxford Maryland - Oxford
is a small town located on the Tred Avon River.
The Tred Avon is about three to four miles inside the Choptank
River on the north side. I only saw one restaurant that was actually
located on the water. I prefer to be able to tie up in front of
the restaurant since my boat has very limited storage where I can
lock up my electronics and fishing equipment if I have to walk several
blocks into town to eat. My second requirement for dinning on the
water is that any docking fees should be very inexpensive or better yet
free! My third requirement is the seafood they serve must be at least
as good as I can prepare myself.
We ate a waterfront establishment
called Schooner’s Landing. I was impressed that someone from the restaurant
met us on the dock, told us what slips we could use and then helped us
tie up the boat. If your boat is larger than 30 feet, I only saw
one slip that could accommodate you while dinning. The restaurant offered
dinning at water front tables, each with an umbrella on the deck,
or tables inside. There was also a bar located outside on the deck.
The menu consisted mostly of sandwiches with all the side trimmings.
We had the crab cakes which were excellent. I had the Maryland style
crab soup, while my wife had seafood gumbo. The gumbo was thick
and creamy, and served in a unique bowl. They had taken a large
roll, cut the top off, hollowed out the roll and poured in the
gumbo. The top of the roll was then used for a "lid". We found
the prices reasonable and the food, and service excellent.
St. Michael’s, Maryland - St. Michael's
is located on the Miles River. The Miles River is located on the
Eastern Bay, which is off of the Chesapeake. I saw at least two
restaurants located directly on the water. We happened to have
chosen to eat at one called the "Crab Claw".
This one met my requirement of free docking while dinning. They
had 5-6 slips along the side that would accommodate boats in the
18-22 foot category and docking along the front of the restaurant
for boats up to 50 feet or more. I asked our waitress if docking
was a problem on the weekends, and she said "not normally because
of the amount of space along the front of the restaurant".
The food here was typical seafood fare, including steamed crabs,
clams, and even lobster. Since we were there for lunch we decided
on the backfin crab cake sandwich. It came with cole slaw and
fries, and was very good. The tables were picnic tables with
an umbrella for shade. I liked the food, the service, and the
docking for the boat. An added advantage of visiting St. Michael’s
is that located right next door to the Crab Claw restaurant is the
St. Michael’s Maritime Museum.
You should allow time to visit the museum and especially the
screw pile design lighthouse, located on the museum property.
Crisfield, Maryland - We ate dinner
one evening and and lunch the next day at a restaurant called
The Captain’s Galley. As usual we opted for seafood. The food
here was excellent and the portions were larger that we expected.
The service was great and they do take charge cards. They
have free docking for up to two hours while eating, and can
accommodate several boats, up to 50 foot in length. This
restaurant is located on the port side as you enter the harbor
at Crisfield, right next to the city dock. We ate here on a
Saturday afternoon and had no problem getting a dock space.
Chestertown, Maryland Over the 4th of July weekend in 2004 I took another couple and cruised to Chestertown. The Chester River is one of the most beautiful rivers I have seen. There are very few houses and not too many boats. It snakes back and forth through the eastern shore farmland for about 20 miles from the entrance at Kent Island to Chestertown and in most placed is less then a mile wide. Since the river is not too wide the water remains very calm making for a very pleasant cruise. I recommend following your GPS as some of the bouys are a good distance apart. The depth of the river is 30 feet in most places as long as you stay in the channel. According to my GPS the depth rises to 3-4 feet if you get out of the main channel. We spent the night at the Chestertown Marina. It had all the basic necessities including water, fuel, electric, a ship’s stores, and showers. We ate dinner at a restaurant about 3 blocks from the marina called the Blue Heron. It is a small restaurant but the food and service was excellent. Some patrons wore a sport shirt and tie while other dressed in shirts and shorts as we did.
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This page was last updated on 7/18/04.
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