The newly opened Inn at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club on Maryland’s Kent Island offers all the pleasantries of modern, clean accommodations with a décor that’s been described as “industrial chic meets farmhouse sleek”. Docking for the inn is conveniently available at the adjacent full-service Bay Bridge Marina. If you’re looking for a fine feast, Knoxie’s Table on the first floor of the inn features fresh products from nearby farms and local waters, with seasonal specialties such as Maryland cream of crab soup and duck-fat fries. The Market at the inn offers baked goods and a breakfast and lunch menu that includes scrapple, egg and cheese biscuits and soft shell crab sandwiches.
The inn has 54 guest rooms and suites, wedding and banquet facilities, and the spa offers a soothing Himalayan salt stone massage. The club hosted President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn and their more than 300 guests this past summer in celebration of the Carters’ 70th wedding anniversary and the former President’s 70th anniversary of his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. baybeachclub.com
Get your eye patch
Organizers of the first PirateFest & Boat Show at the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department are hoping for some fine fall weather to grace their fundraising event. The event takes place November 12-13, and money raised during the show will be used to help purchase and maintain a new ambulance for the island community. The event itself is free and will feature pirate costume contests for children and adults, tours of the firehouse, regional vendors with nautical-inspired merchandise, food, and refreshments along with a boat show where you can buy or browse. 2016piratefest.com
Inlet caution
Mariners heading south this month should be aware of the changing inlet conditions along the North Carolina coast. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, shoaling conditions exist at the following inlets: Oregon, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Barden, Beaufort, Bogue, New River, Topsail, Masonboro, Carolina Beach, Lockwoods Folly, and Shallotte. Shoaling conditions increase the potential for groundings. The inlets are subject to continual and sometimes rapid environmental changes, and the aids to navigation in these inlets may not be charted or may not be marking the best water due to continually shifting shoals. Mariners are encouraged to obtain the most recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hydrographic survey information. saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Hydrographic-Surveys
Lights on the water
The Lighted Boat Parade season in Chesapeake waters gets underway with the 20th Annual Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade. This year’s parade will be from 6-8PM on Saturday, December 3rd, along the waterfront in Yorktown, Virginia. The festivities include caroling around a beach bonfire, musical performances and hot cider. Boats in the parade include motorboats, sailboats and Chesapeake deadrise working boats. It’s not too late to sign up to participate. Register by November 10th to be featured in the event program. Judges located on the Yorktown pier will consider categories such as “Wow Factor,” “Color & Light,” “Originality,” and “Spirit”. Registered parade participants can reserve an overnight stay, with limited availability at Wormley Creek Marina at no charge on Friday and/or Saturday night. The public spectator area is at Riverwalk along Yorktown Beach with additional spots at Gloucester Point and Sarah Creek. yorkcounty.gov
By Christopher Knauss, Southern Boating Magazine November 2016