Solomons, MD

Solomons, MD & Town Creek, Patuxent River

Solomons, MD has one of the best natural harbors on the Chesapeake Bay. With deep water well into Back and Mill Creek, the shores are lined with a number of large marinas and boat yards. While there is ample room to anchor in the creeks, the amount of boat traffic (and the lack of a speed limit in the upper reaches of Mill Creek) make this a less than desirable anchorage. However, Solomons has the most shopping facilities and restaurants on the Patuxent River within a reasonable walking distance of the shore. Therefore, if you need supplies and don't wish to take a transient slip at one of the marinas, you will want to anchor in Back Creek, either in the bight off the Marine Museum just above Zahniser's Sailing Center, or further up the creek off the Holiday Inn Motel.

Town Creek, directly across the River from Solomons at the base of the Bridge, is the former home port for Sarah at Town Creek Landing

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USGS Aerial Photograph (courtesy of terraserver-usa.com) of Town Creek with the location of the Town Creek Landing Marina shown.

On the left and below are Arial pictures of Town Creek and the Town Creek Landing Marina. These pictures were taken in 2003 by a Navy pilot friend of Scott Shaw flying out of the Pax River NAS.
Sarah is tied to the far left end of the hammer head dock.

On the right is Town Creek Landing Marina, circa 1994.

This is a view of the marina property from the dock. The house just right of center is a rental property. You can see the covered deck to the right of that, which is used by a slip holders and the renters for cookouts. The building barely visible through the foliage on the far right is the club house for the marina with a work shop, 2 washrooms (each with a shower) and a lounge area. "On any given Sunday" in the fall most slip holders congregate in the lounge to watch the Redskins game on TV before heading home from a weekend of sailing.

On the right is one of the regular Sunday afternoon crab feasts at Town Creek Landing. Clockwise from the lower left are Kai, Tim and Nancy Kirkpatrick, Scott Clapper, Joe Clapper, Carla Shaw, Kim Clapper, Sue Clapper and myself.

Photo by Scott Shaw.

This a view of Zahniser's Sailing Center in Solomons, circa 1976. Back then the one room office (far right side of picture) operated primarily on the honor system. If you needed a fastener or other piece of hardware you got what you needed from one of the drawers and left your money or a receipt on the desk. If you left a receipt it was included in your next bill from the marina. Times have changed, haven't they.