Reviews from John Parsons (16)

Marina Review for Somers Cove Marina

Reviewed by: John Parsons , Pelican, on Jul 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

The marina is great and the staff are wonderfully helpful. Docks are in great condition, and dockhands are quickly available for ease of handling. State run marina, but they knocked themselves out to make us welcome. Cheap golf cart rentals allowed for provisioning run to Food Lion and local restaurants. Laundry facilities were clean and inexpensive. Pool was nice.

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Anchorage Review for Smith Creek Cove

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Jul 10, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Still a lovely natural anchorage across a half mile creek from the yacht club and several nice seafood restaurants. We anchored in the smaller cove just south of the anchor mark which only can accommodate a single boat, but this larger one is the same. Decent cell reception. Small sand beach (probably private, but not near any homes) for pet walks. No real services around, but great natural beauty. Good holding in 12 feet water in sand and shell.

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Anchorage Review for Ocracoke - Silver Lake

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Jun 24, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Great anchorage in the heart of historic, touristic town of Ocracoke. Great holding in sand and shell in 10 to 15 feet of water; held through a summer thunderstorm with 35 kt gusts. Shore access to the East at a small dinghy dock puts you directly in the downtown. Free golf cart shuttle around the small town provided by local shops. Check out the lighthouse and the boat tour to the abandoned village on Portsmouth Island. Locals value tourists, so really service oriented. No wakes except for some gentle rocking from ferry boats. Cool place to spend a few days.

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Anchorage Review for Lighthouse Point

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Apr 14, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Great anchorage for staging to or from Cat Island to the East. Feels remote even thogh only a few hours sail south of Rock Sound settlement. Cruise Ship Dock will open June 2024, and perhaps will affect tranquility. Hike to abandoned lighthouse was interesting walk, and views from top of cliffs on all sides made the climb worth it. Beautiful sand beach for land access, so good for pet or crew walks.

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Anchorage Review for Great Guana Cay-Fishers Bay

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Mar 21, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Good holding in sand and light turtle grass in 10 to 15 feetof clear water. There are no moorings, but watch out for the dozen remaining mooring blocks (white concrete blocks about 3 feet on a side) which are about 8 feet below low water betweenthe cell tower and the base of the bay. They were deep enough, but may foul an anchor or chain. Some wake from Sea of Abaco boats a mile away, as well as rude power boaters coming into the bar, but only daytime. Easy access through Grabbers on the beach at base of bay to the East. They didn't challenge us to dock, but we bought a beer anyhow to pay for the dock.

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Marina Review for Jensen Beach Mooring Field

Reviewed by: John Parsons , Pelican, on Jan 5, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 2

Mooring balls are fairly new and maintained annually. Martin County parks on-site staff is great. No protection from east or south winds or wave makes this very rocky (2 or 3 foot chop) half the time. Storm damage from two months ago not repaired, meaning there is no dinghy dock, shorewater, or diver access. Secured, renter-only bathrooms and laundromat work and are cleaned regularly. walking half-mile to shopping (Publix), liquor, and restaurants. Waterfront park on shore allows good pet walking, some parking and Uber pickup. Poor wifi access in mooring field.

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Anchorage Review for Bells River Entrance

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Nov 22, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Anchored outside mooring field as high wind and current prevented us from picking up a ball at night. Good holding and some wave protection from low marshes on all sides. Marina about half mile across ICW channel was very welcoming and we had full services for a nominal $4 landing fee - clean, nice showers and bath combos. Marina is on edge of neat historic town of Fernandina, well worth the walk to great restaurants and historic buildings. Stop by the visitor center at the old rail station for information and the booklet for the self-guided walking tour of historic buildings. Other than the smelly paper mills, it's a great stop.

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Anchorage Review for South Newport River- Wahoo River

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Nov 13, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Good holding in 15 feet in sand, clean anchor. Good wind protection from all sides and little traffic so no wakes. Beautiful Georgia river with little traffic or lights. Fast reversing current during 7 foot tide changes. Primitive beach allows dog access, but very muddy. Watch for deer, snakes, and wild boars on land. Limited cell service.

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Anchorage Review for Lanier Island South

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Nov 13, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Good holding in 10 feet water in sand. Low coastal islands provide little wind protection but good calm waters as local boaters seem to respect no wake zone. Dinghy to Morningstar Marina from land access for $20 to walk the dog or rideshare pickup. Little within walking distance, because this is a high-end residential area. Current is swift and 8 foot tides means you need to add another 50 feet to your anchor calculations to allow for high tide. Easy access to St Simon's inlet for ocean access.

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Anchorage Review for Severn River - Weems Creek

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Oct 5, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Quiet anchorage with good holding in mud outside the crowded Annapolis creeks. Accurate charts, so 9 to 15 feet water. Low hills provide good wind protection from up the creek and the sides, everything but the East. Small creek and tidal current. Access to a gravel boat ramp to the south of the small bridge on Tucker Street. A short walk in a nice neighborhood for dog walking, rideshare pickup, or a good bakery (Great Harvest about 3 blocks away). Not much other shopping without a half mile walk. Somewhat crowded as it is popular and the US Navy Academy has half the creek (north) filled with empty anchor balls reserved for their Navy 44s for hurricanes Patrolled by Annapolis harbormaster for abandoned boats or dumping. USNA has crew practice on the creek almost every afternoon.

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Anchorage Review for Severn River - Plum Creek

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Sep 23, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Excellent holding in 10 feet of water in smelly mud. High, wooded hills make this and nearby Valentine Creek a real hurricane hole. Pleasant neighborhood anchorage with nice houses and woods. Sandy beach on the point between Valentine and Plum allows dog walking, but looks neighborhood private, so probably no shore walking access.

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Anchorage Review for Drum Point

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Sep 10, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Great anchorage with beach access and good holding. Some wakes from passing motorboats. Wind protection from south and east, with some from other directions. Excellent holding in muddy sand, and the anchor comes up clean! Short dinghy ride to sandy river beaches and the trails of Wye Island natural management area on the tip of Drum Point. Many jellyfish in water but they are not on beaches, so no swimming from boat. Adequate cell service. Some fancy houses across the river, but otherwise natural. North on the Wye is all developed with no land access, so this is the best, for the north Wye. A great place to spend time.

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Anchorage Review for Great Wicomico River - Cockrell Creek (East)

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Aug 29, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Reedville is delightful - friendly, welcoming, interesting. Anchored in mud (smelly!) in 12 feet just north of the Reedville Market dock. Used their large dock for going ashore and were never questioned. Next door is the Woody Boater Global Headquarters, a volunteer organization for wooden boat restoration and publisherofamagazine. The entire historic area of town is a short walk from a really interesting Fisherman's Museum on the north, down to the Crazy Crab restaurant on the point. Historic homes from the 19th century line the street built when local fishermen were making fortune s on the Menhaden oil fish. The fish is still caught, but it's all corporate now at Omega Proteins. When the wind is from the South, the whole town smells of boiling fish, which may bother the visitor but not the locals. Very nice stop.

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Anchorage Review for Horseshoe Bend - St. Marys River

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Aug 29, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Great, wide anchorage very convenient to land. St. Mary's College dinghy dock (free) was open, and sailing department staff was very welcoming. Walk around campus or to the adjacent historical village gave us plenty of exercise and dog walking opportunities. Unfortunately, the bakery is closed, but the College still has a cafeteria and convenience store at campus center, a 10 min walk from dock. The bay is used by the various College aquatics programs, so expect to have swimmers, rowing crew, and sailing happening if anchored directly in front of docks - very entertaining! Not a No Wake zone, but not many local boats even on the weekend. Most of remainder of bay is natural or widely spaced houses, so quiet. Poor cell connectivity (AT&T or T Mobile). Good holding in sand and mud, and protected from all sides.

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Anchorage Review for Jackson Creek North Branch

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Aug 22, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Good holding in smelly mud. Wind and wave protection from all but the south. Surrounded by homes, with a friendly marina at hand ($5 dinghy landing fee). You can walk through the woods from the marina to the Deltaville Maritime Museum, which is nice, but mainly so you can buy a t-shirt to identify yourself as a cruiser! Adequate seafood restaurant behind Marina. Minimal wakes as most locals are polite.

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Anchorage Review for East River - Put in Creek

Reviewed by: John Parsons, Pelican, on Aug 15, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Good holding in mud with minimal wakes. Access to land by nearby boat ramp. One mile up the shallow creek is the quiet town of Matthew's, VA with restaurants and a Food Lion grocery. You will need to paddle the last 0.3 mile upriver to Matthew's due to silting. Cell service is spotty. Neighbors are quiet.

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