PropTalk Magazine

For years, many boaters believed that extended cruising required a large yacht with a large price tag. Today, that's no longer the case. Modern pocket yachts have changed what is possible on the water. Boats between 25 and 35 feet are giving couples and families the ability to spend days, weeks, or even months exploring destinations like the Chesapeake Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway, and even America's Great Loop.

You might remember a note that appeared in PropTalk’s April issue: a reader, Al Townsend, reached out to me after coming across an article on our website about a navy chief who had recently bought a 1981 trawler to liveaboard at the base in Groton, CN (proptalk.com/deltaville-chincoteague-beyond). Turns out, the boat featured in the article used to belong to Al! Pelican is a 1981 Present Trawler. Her owners have many fond memories of cruising the Chesapeake Bay.

Many years ago, when I was a relative boating rookie, I managed to be “that guy” at the boat ramp. You know who I mean: the entertainment. The knucklehead. The idiot. Yep, that was me. Don't let this happen to you... I had upgraded from a 19-foot open bow runabout to a 25-foot cuddy cabin that I kept on a trailer at the marina. This marina had a boat launch on site and you could pay for a parking spot, so you only had to tow the boat across the parking lot to splash it.

Adventure Time with the Navan C30 Just try to glance at the Navan C30 and then quickly look away—we dare ya. The visual grip of this boat is firm and unyielding, with diverging elements like a hot Euro-boat plumb bow juxtaposed against a workboat-like reverse-raked windshield. Yet at the same time each element is distinctly Navan, because that plumb bow swoops forward at its peak, and the reverse-raked windshield is curvaceous rather than being flat.

Do you realize that despite having 550 miles of shoreline, Anne Arundel County, MD, has only three public boat ramps, and only one in South County? Public water access at Discovery Village could come to an end after July 2027 if action isn't taken by Anne Arundel County. Photo courtesy of Anne Arundel County The future of public water access at Discovery Village is uncertain.

The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, estimates a total of 349 million blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay in 2026, a 46-percent increase over the estimate of 238 million crabs last year. Blue crabs counted and measured during the Winter Dredge Survey.

As discussed in our previous article, Teak Care Part 1, there are numerous ways to treat marine teak. Options range from doing literally nothing and allowing the wood to naturally weather, to investing significant time or dollars to produce a finish worthy of Wooden Boat Magazine. The effort required depends on where you wish to land on the spectrum of teak care.

The BoatUS Foundation partnered with Lynnhaven River and TowBoatUS at ports Gwynns Island and Portsmouth to remove 10 abandoned derelict vessels (ADVs) from waterways across Gloucester and Portsmouth, VA. This initiative is aimed at addressing navigational hazards and environmental impacts of ADVs on coastal Virginia waterways. The removals took place April 14–16 and are part of a broader effort to remove up to 100 ADVs in the area. An ADV removed from the Elizabeth River and crushed for disposal.

Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC) has introduced a new 24-hour outdoor digital information kiosk at the Visitors Center. Located at 26 West Street in Annapolis, between the Ellipse parking area and the side entrance to the building, the kiosk provides an additional, always-available tool for visitors and residents to discover everything the destination has to offer.

As we cruise into full-on summer, if you haven’t yet determined all your weekend Bay destinations, we offer the following tried-and-true suggestions for determining which way to point your bow. Back Creek Yacht Club boats rafted at Drum Point. Photo courtesy of BCYC Make this the summer that you explore more of the Bay. Try a new-to-you anchorage or explore a waterfront town that you’ve not yet visited. Mix up nights on the hook and at marina slips.