Turner Creek

Can you keep a secret?   Some anchorages, like some fishing grounds, are best kept close-to-the-vest and only shared with close friends or family.  This anchorage is one of those secrets.   While most boats choose to anchor just outside the creek; for those in the know a quite, well protected anchorage is offered inside Turner Creek.

Located on the southern shore of the Sassafras River, this family favorite offers beautiful scenery, fresh water with no sea nettles, abundant fishing and wild-life.  We frequently see blue heron’s, nesting eagles and turtles.

The adjacent Turner Creek State Park offers a public dock and launch, a dining pavilion with picnic tables and grills, and 147 acres of trails, woods and fields.  This is a great place to let the dogs run after a long sail.  While overnight docking is not permitted, it is permissible to tie-up to the bulk-head for a brief period and there is plenty of room to land the dingy.  The dock is frequently the temporary port for the Rock Hall crabbing fleet while they crab the upper reaches of the bay.

The western and southern shores of the creek are almost totally covered with emerging Lilly-pads.  (light green shaded areas in satellite photo)  These are protected both as a plant and a habitat.  Destroying or taking a small boat into the Lilly-pads is prohibited. However, fishing from the fringes always yields excellent results.

To enter Turner Creek:

• From Green “5” off Ordinary Pt, head approximately 175 deg.  You will see a number of docks on the southern shore.  (follow the red line in the picture
• Head for the second cluster of dock from the right.  Until approximately 200 ft off the dock.   This will keep a large sandbar to your starboard.
• When 200ft or so off the dock, turn to starboard (approx 75 to 90 degrees)
• You should see the first of three privately maintained green markers.  The depth will be thinnest during this leg at about 7ft.
• Keep the small beach to starboard and the marker to port. Once in the channel, the water should be at least 12 ft. right up to shore.  I have seen deep keeled sailboats pull their bow right-up on the beach.
• Keep the green markers to port and the fish-traps to starboard while turning to port (follow red line).
• Keep the cliffs to starboard and look for the holes in the cliff where the birds have made nests.
• You will see two or three private moorings made from old tires and painted white.  Once past the last one, turn slightly again to port.  The Park and dock will be on your starboard and the anchorage ahead.
• Once inside there are several private mooring balls but still enough room for at least 12 to 15 boats to individually anchor, more if rafted. At the 2007 Kid’s Raft-up, we had seven boats rafted just off the park dock.  The depth range is 6 to 9 feet within the blue outline. The bottom is sand and Chesapeake Bay mud with pretty good holding.

Six of the seven boats at the Kid’s Raft-up: LtoR  S/Vs Starlite, Annie Eileen, Padozary, Tomorrow Came, Champagne, Sena Nuff.

If you asked any of Padozary’s crew to list their favorite anchorages, Turners Creek would always be in the top three.  Now that you know our secret, Please keep it to yourself!

S/V  PADOZARY

Paul, Dottie, Zachary, Ryan Borchardt