Reviews: Cambridge Creek Dock

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Cambridge Creek Dock

Cambridge, MD
Choptank River 17 miles upriver from Chesapeake

Lat / Lon: N 38° 34.337' / W 076° 04.436'

4.88

(8)

4.88 out of 5 stars

Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Rodrigo Villarreal on Aug 23, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 30'
Draft: 4.2'

Rating: 5

As others have said, this dock is well protected from all sides and free, which it's hard to improve upon. Cleats along the top of the wall are well bolted and easily hold 1/2 inch dock lines.

When I arrived on a Thursday evening in August, there were 4 other boats tied up already, so I ended up on the East most section of the dock during high tie with 6 feet depth. Even during low tied, my 4.2 draft boat never touch bottom.

Before tying up, I approached the dock slowly to survey it, and prepared my lines and fenders on the approaching side.

Access to town, as mentioned, is as easy as stepping out of your boat. It is ideal to walk the dog on the adjacent grassy area.

I used the bathrooms at the end of the circle on High Street towards the dock. They were open 24 hours without a code, and they were clean and fairly basic with no showers. It was a 6-7 minute walk.

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Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Brian Speicher, S.S. Minnow, on May 18, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.6'

Rating: 5

Stayed for 2 nights on the free wall. The concrete is intimidating but it's in good condition. The harbor is well protected from all sides. Good restaurant next to dock with live music in the afternoon. Just a couple blocks to downtown district and a bunch more restaurants and bars. Take a walk down High Street to see the historic homes and churches

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Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Customer, Changes in Attitudes, on May 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.8'

Rating: 5

Stayed on the dock on a Sunday and were the only boat there. Plenty of depth on the side closest to the restaurant. Rig your fenders carefully and the wall is no problem. Very pet friendly town and don't miss RAR Brewing.

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Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Scott A Westwood, Aphrodisiac, on May 2, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 32'
Draft: 4.3'

Rating: 4

I agree with everything Janthina said. I would add that there is a Walmart supercenter 2.4 miles away and almost anything you need in between. Food Lion Groceries, Tractor Supply and other hardware stores, Pharmacies, dollar stores, auto parts, (many Fast foods if you are in to it) and on... We ate at Portside just over the draw bridge (2 block walk) for fresh scallops the size of golf balls. Also agree that Black Water is the place for breakfast (had scrapple on menu). Nice library a block away (great place to do on line stuff in bad weather-like we had for 2 days here.) Don't let the concrete bulkhead scare you. Well worth the visit.

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Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel on Apr 24, 2023
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Turn off the Choptank River into the well-marked approach to Cambridge Creek. Follow the red marks for the entrance to the creek in no less than 12 feet mlw. The creek basin opens up on the right as you move towards the lift bridge over the creek. The free dock is in front of the Dorchester County Municipal Office Building parking lot and just west of Snappers Waterfront Café and Tiki Bar. The concrete portion occupies the middle of the dock and is over 400 feet long with medium sized cleats spaced on top of the wall every fifteen feet. Dockside depth is 9 feet mlw on the eastern half of the dock and goes down to 4 feet mlw or less on the western half. In most instances lines will come down from the dock to the boat at low tide so we used chafe guards. The tidal range is 2 feet so we arranged our fenders in "Up/Down" pairs to make sure that at least two fenders were always in contact with the bulkhead's concrete cap to keep the boat off the wall. Several obvious signs declare "72 Hour Docking Only - Strictly Enforced." The only amenities are a trash can at the east end of the dock and a couple of picnic tables. There is a fifteen foot wide grass stretch between the dock and parking lot and plenty of other places to walk a dog. There are no security measures but the parking lot is well lit at night and the Sheriff's Office is in the county building at the dock. Cell service was excellent.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and around 4pm a singer started up at Snappers Café adjacent to the free dock. Several local boats came in and tied up for drinks and dinner. The noise level from the restaurant never got uncomfortable and was finished by 10pm. We did not experience any overnight noise or other issues during our stay.

We tied up for three days to ride out severe winds and weather and spent time in the lovely town of Cambridge. There are good restaurants, breweries, bars, and cultural attractions that occupied our free time. Black Water Bakery is the place to go for breakfast. Reservations suggested. This is definitely a stop that we will make again, even if it is by car.

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Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Pat Spivey, Howzit, on Sep 11, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Free dock with great access. Negative reviews of the wall almost scared us away. Glad we tried it. We used a few extra fenders, per warnings from others, and we stayed for the maximum 72 hours. A group of the "wall" boaters met for happy hour at the picnic table where we met one of the locals, Ricky Travers. and his lovely wife who took time to share the interesting history of the town he clearly loves. Looking forward to a return trip to this lovely town.

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Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Bruce Stewart, Escape, on May 13, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

Nice free wall to tie up to. Plenty of cleats. Grass and picnic tables on site. Nice walk to old town and food. Concrete wall can be hard on lines (use chaff gaurds) and the two ends of the wall do get shallow (4' at MLL at SW end)

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Review for Cambridge Creek Dock

Reviewed by: Liz Kemper, Shingebiss, on May 26, 2019
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great free dock. No electric. It is a concrete wall and we found the best way to protect the boat was to hang our big round fenders off the dock cleats to compensate for 1-2 foot tide, so they don’t get caught under the wall at low tide. Great downtown and neighborhood of historic homes.

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