St. Michaels

In keeping with our vacation goal to get into new places when we needed to provision, we headed to St. Michaels—the place to arrive by boat.. St. Michaels wasn’t exactly new to me, I remember going there as a teen on our family sailboat. It was one of our first weekend trips south of the Route 50 drawbridge at Kent Narrows where we kept the boat. I don’t remember much from that visit and Peter had never been so we made it a priority stop.

Getting to St. Michaels

Waking up at anchor in Tilghman Creek, we watched the crabbers run from shore to shore, trying to decipher their system. A few days later we would see the trotlines up close, but for now we watched without grabbing the binoculars, not wanting to offend these working watermen.

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Of the few marinas listed in our guide, we decided on St. Michaels Harbour Inn Marina.  When I spoke to the dock master on the phone to reserve a slip for a flat rate of $110 a night, he told me to hail on channel 9 when we arrived in St. Michaels and to remember to say “Harbour” to distinguish them from the town dock.
Following the chart and channel markers, we motored 45 minutes before seeing the iconic Hooper Strait Lighthouse.

Arriving at the Marina

We found St. Michaels Harbour Inn Marina a good choice.  The pool and outside restaurant added to the atmosphere.  Clean bathrooms with laundry facilities are a welcome detail to any cruiser’s ear and ice an appreciated amenity.  The next morning we borrowed bikes at the front desk of the Inn which made the commute into town easy.

To do

Whether arriving by water or land, the town of St. Michaels is a tourist’s town with history surrounding it.  Walking down the main street, Talbot, you can choose among shops for tee-shirts, hats and post cards or more serious shopping in the boutiques lining the street which itself is a postcard, lined with entries in the annual poster contest.  

Top Picks: 

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is as informative as it is beautiful.  Here you can learn about the history of the bay, how the European settlers negotiated with native Americans, navigated the waters of the bay and made first attempts at mapping the area.  You’ll also learn the importance of the oyster business to bay waterman and residents.  Maritime historical novelties abound:  a boat building shed, old working boats, old pleasure boats and sea treasures like the figurehead from the schooner Freedom.  Be sure to tour the Hooper Strait Lighthouse.


The Crab Claw Restaurant which has a website but not a credit card machine (!) serves a great lunch/dinner of local seafood.  Bring your cash and your appetite here!  We started with steamed oysters served with drawn butter and Old Bay and lunch was rockfish—mine was topped with crabmeat.  All was fresh and delicious.


Please share your experiences in St. Michaels.