Washington D.C. by boat

[Blue Crabber]

Hey folks!

We are going to be staying in Colonial Beach Va. on the Potomac River for a week for vacation this year. While there, I would really like to take the boat into Washington D.C. for the day. Thought we might stop by Mount Vernon for a little bit as well.

So, I am looking for advice from anyone who might have made some or all of this trip before.

The rough plan will be to go during the middle of the week if we have a nice calm day. The boat is in my signature, its a 20' open bow boat. I have a depth finder, handheld gps, fixed and handheld VHF radios onboard.

Is there anywhere we can dock the boat and go check out some of the attractions for the day? Maybe a marina near downtown that we could use the buses or something like that. I guess I would be looking for a Marina that would have a transient slip for the day.

Any areas that I should definitely check out while I am there, or should steer clear of?

I am just now starting to look at the charts, etc. so all info would be extremely helpful!

Thanks!

 

[JimKW]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

This was 20 years ago or more, so I'm not sure this is still doable or not. But we would enter the Potomac at Dumfries, VA and drive up to DC. We would go right by Ft. Belvoir which had docks and Mt. Vernon. We would go into Georgetown and dock there. Then we would walk into Georgetown and and have a nice lunch then return.

What was really neat was seeing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and then going under it as the Washington Monument came into view and as you would keep going you would see the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, the Lincolm Memorial and Watergage before entering the Georgetown area. You can not go any further than Georgetown because the Potomac get real shallow at that point. Like I said I have no idea if you can still do this or not.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Well, it's 72 miles from Colonial Beach to Georgetown by water.

The river at that point is 2-3 miles wide and can have very heavy tides, especially if your anywhere around a full moon. Throw in the usual afternoon thunderstorm and the trip in a 20' open bow boat becomes a very long and very slow ordeal.

If you want to see DC by boat, I would suggest you haul the boat up to Gravelly Point in Arlington. Not far from National Airport and just a short run to the monuments at that point.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Gentleman, thank you for your repsones.

Dingbat - I have considered that possibility as well. To be honest, it will probably be a last minute decision based on weater and water conditions. I will be prepared for the 70+ mile run, but may end up doing a shorter version.

So Georgetown is the limit then. Any good marnias where I could rent a transient slip for the day and actally head downtown for a few hours then?

Thanks again!

 

[arks]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Dingbat - I have considered that possibility as well. To be honest, it will probably be a last minute decision based on weater and water conditions. I will be prepared for the 70+ mile run, but may end up doing a shorter version.

Brandon-
I've worked in DC on and off for many years but have never boated there. Dingbat makes a good point about launching close to town. The Gravelly Point ramp is pretty nice and makes it easy to tour the metro area by water. It's literally at the north end of Reagan National Airport.
http://novawrfc.org/directions/Gravelly.html
Here's a shot of a DUKW approaching Gravelly Point ramp. Notice the airport:

And here's a shot of how LOW the planes come over. YIKES!

BTW- the CG keeps a very close watch of the river around DC, so pay attention to restricted areas and boating laws.

So Georgetown is the limit then. Any good marnias where I could rent a transient slip for the day and actally head downtown for a few hours then?

I don't know much about it, but Washington Marina is VERY close to downtown and looks like an interesting place when I drive by.
http://www.washingtonmarina.com/docks.asp
Whatever you decide, have a good time!

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

BTW- the CG keeps a very close watch of the river around DC, so pay attention to restricted areas and boating laws.

Thanks, for the tip. I have been studying the maps for this exact reason!

I don't know much about it, but Washington Marina is VERY close to downtown and looks like an interesting place when I drive by. Whatever you decide, have a good time!

Funny that you mentioned it, as I was online looking at Marinas last night and kept coming back to that one as a nice option.

Whatever you decide, have a good time!

You can be sure of that!! We always do.

Thanks for the tips Rob!! Hope that you get to enjoy some time on the water this holiday weekend.

 

[nola mike]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Keep us updated if you do it. I'm 5 mi east of CB and have been considering a similar trip.

 

[whitecrystal1]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

I've taken a trip up there a couple times even took my boat all the way down the Potomac to the Bay once, which was a nice 3 hour ride with some neat scenery This was before my current boat, which was a Regal 2150LSC LOA 20'10" with no problems at all. But just be sure watch the forecast and you should be fine. Plus during the week versus the weekend there is a lot less boat traffic which is always nice.

When you get to the Wilson bridge be prepared for a 1 mile no wake and I believe the next one is again at the Memorial bridge all the way around to the Key Bridge. I've always been told to stay in the channel once you cross the Wilson bridge into DC, it is narrow and the water does get shallow in areas. I've never tested this to see how true it is lol just letting you know. Like I said I've been a couple times. And it does get extra hot idling in the no wake zones so if there is a cooler day in your forecast pick that one

Good luck with your trip If the weather is good you should be fine

 

[Billdc]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Brandon,
Have you checked out the guide to cruising the C Bay? I remember seeing a nice section in there regarding DC. I had family that lived around there and they mentioned a fish market at the docks just south of the Mall (she claimed the best fish sandwichs ever). Going by boat has to be easier than going by car.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Well, we made it in to Washington D.C. by boat today and it was amazing!!!! We had a great time and everything went perfectly.

I will update with pics very soon!

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Finally, the pictures!!!

We decided to attempt the trip to Washington D.C. by boat from our cottage. It was approximately 70 miles by the water. I thought about trailering closer to the city as previously mentioned, but decided the long boat ride would be fun.

I had been watching the the forecast all week and decided that Wednesday would be the day to try it. Called Washington Marina and secured a slip for the day. (They did require a copy of my insurance for the boat though, probably normal for any marina, but this was the first time I had ever docked at one before.)

We left the dock around 8 am and arrived at the marina around 11am, a 3 hour tour. We saw lots of neat homes and sights along the way. Anyway, here are the pics, I will narrate as I go, so enjoy!

Route 301 bridge, we started our journey from Colonial Beach, about 10 miles below this bridge. It was our first major landmark on the trip.

The bridge in our wake, I always love shots like this.

This is Quantico, the military base. I decided not to get to close so we wouldn't become target practice.

These powerlines are the next landmark that you will come across on the 70 mile journey to our Nations Capital.

Some neat homes along the river.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Next we came across Mount Vernon. This was George Washington's home on the Potomac River. The boat in the pictures does tours on the River from the house. You can also dock at the wharf for $2 per foot of your boats overall length. We just snapped a few pics from the boat as we only had so much time in a day.

In this picture, you can see the boat, a bald eagle flying and Mount Vernon!

After passing Mount Vernon, the next major landmark before DC is the I-95 bridge. Here it is out in the distance over our bow rail.

And as we got closer to it:

Starting right before the bridge, a no-wake zone starts and continues until you are past Alexandria. It did get a little hot through this area, but there was a lot of neat things to look at.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

The town of Alexandria. It looked like there were some good restaurants to eat at along here, but we didn't try any. The no-wake zone continues until you are past this city.

After passing under the bridge you could start to see the skyline of Washington D.C.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

We stayed at the Washington Marina which was back the Washington Channel. We passed several marinas on our way in as ours was at the back of the channel and the closet to all the sites. The following are pictures of some neat boat on our way in.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

This is Washington Marina where we rented a Transient Slip for the day. The were very nice people and all the gates were key card access, so we knew that the marina would be safe. We arrived about 3 house after we had left the dock. The water wasn't to bad, only had to slow down a few times for a more comfortable ride.

"Nauti Fun" in her slip for the day

After the boat was safely tied up and we were all checked in, we head to see as much as we could in a short time. Everything was really close to the marina so it worked out really well. First, we went to the Holocaust Museum. It was very educational. My wife and her 2 sisters that were with us for the day.

Next was the Washington Monument

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

and then the World War II monument

Next, we were off to see the Lincoln Memorial

And then there was the Korean War Memorial:

And the Vietnam Memorial

And the U.S. Navy Memorial

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

And a few more things we say along the way. The bureau of printing and engraving:

Fords Theatre, where President Lincoln was shot:

And the National Archives building, where the Declaration of Independence and other documents are kept.

and the White House!

My wife and I and the "National Mall" looking at the Capital Dome

Us again, but in front of the WWII Memorial with the Washington Monument behind us

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

My wife and I back with the boat "Nauti Fun" in the slip at the Marina.

We had an awesome time and really enjoyed it. It was alot to do in a day, but we squeezed in as much as possible. The boat ran great the entire time and my wife was an excellent First Mate reading the charts and pointing me in the right direction. I even got my 2 sisters to drive the boat some for the first time on the way back. They had a great time.

Seeing all the Monuments and Memorials sure did give me a new perspective for all those that have served our country over the years. My hat goes off to you with my deepest appreciation for the sacrifices you and your loved ones have made to this great country! God bless you!

$50 Transient Slip Fee
$145 Fuel for the boat
12 hour day

PRICELESS

 

[JimKW]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Wow. That brings back some really cool memories of when we used to do that about 25 years ago. We would start out at about your halfway point in Dumfries. Makes me think about towing the boat down there and doing it again.

From where you stopped on into Georgetown is pretty cool too. You go under the Lincoln Memorial Bridge before entering the Georgetown area. Sounds like you made great time. There were times when half that distance would have taken me three hours if the water was rough. I really enjoyed the pictures.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Washington D.C. by boat

Wow. That brings back some really cool memories of when we used to do that about 25 years ago. We would start out at about your halfway point in Dumfries. Makes me think about towing the boat down there and doing it again.

From where you stopped on into Georgetown is pretty cool too. You go under the Lincoln Memorial Bridge before entering the Georgetown area. Sounds like you made great time. There were times when half that distance would have taken me three hours if the water was rough. I really enjoyed the pictures.

Thanks Jim!

We did have a great time and had excellent weather for it. I was able to cruise around 35 mph the whole way back as the water was almost glass the entire way. Dock to Dock, 2.5 hours!

The way up took about 3 hours as I slowed for some rougher water and big wakes.

I purposefully tried to pick the best day as I didn't want anything to go wrong and discourage my wife from doing another trip like it again!

I was hoping to go up towards Georgetown too. However, we didn't do it before docking and we got back to late to cruise around before heading out. I wanted to make it back before dark.

But overall, we had a great time and everything went well. Glad that you enjoyed the pics!