For a quick Western Shore refuge, dive behind Hart-Miller Island, hugging either the southeast or west shore, as appropriate. You’ll find plenty of room in Hawk Cove and about eight feet or so.

STILL POND AND CREEK—Just three miles below the mouth of the Sassafras, also along the Bay’s Eastern Shore, you’ll find Still Pond, and beyond it, through a narrow entrance, Still Creek. If the wind is from the northeast or southwest, you can anchor outside in the lee of the appropriate shore in eight or nine feet. For better protection, thread your way through the marked entrance to Still Creek. Here you’ll find a lovely protected area with plenty of room to anchor. It gets crowded on summer weekends, but in a storm, you won’t care.

SASSAFRAS RIVER - Turner Creek, 3 ½ miles inside Grove Neck, also on the southern shore. The channel has a few interesting twists and turns, but if you follow the markers, you’ll find a charming county park, watermen’s dock and a small protected anchorage.

SASSAFRAS RIVER—If you are feeling brave, follow the charts to find the narrow entrance to well-protected Lloyd Creek, two miles upriver from Grove Neck on the south shore. Once in, sound carefully, because it shallows quickly.

ELK RIVER—Cabin John Creek,
2 ½ miles up the Elk, is the closest, but too shallow for deep-draft boats. Some claim five feet of water, but Capt. Jody has never found more than four feet.