38°58′ N · 76°29′ W

Pier 6 · Since 1962

Private skippered charters

The Bay, yours alone.

A 40-foot sloop for your party alone, a skipper at the helm and a steward in the galley. Lunch, sunset or a full day on the Bay.

Guests

Up to 6

Skipper

Always aboard

Length

3 or 6 hours

Charter from

$890

Three charters

Choose your hours. The boat is yours.

The boat

Windrose, a 40-foot sloop.

Built in 2019 for day sailing: a wide cockpit for six, shade overhead, and a galley that can feed a party.

Length

40 ft

Guests

Up to 6

Crew

Skipper and steward

Cabins

Two, for changing

Shade

Bimini over the cockpit

Galley

Fridge, ice and a grill

Sound

Bluetooth, deck and saloon

Swim

Ladder and two paddleboards

A sunset charter

Three hours, minute by minute.

5:00 pm

Welcome aboard at Pier 6

Your skipper meets you on the dock, a ten-minute briefing, then a glass of something cold as the lines come off.

5:30 pm

Under sail past Eastport

Out of Spa Creek and onto the Bay; take the wheel if you want it, or leave it to the crew.

6:30 pm

Anchor in Whitehall Bay

A quiet cove for a swim or a paddleboard while the steward lays out supper on the cockpit table.

7:42 pm

The sun goes down

The best seats are on the foredeck; the skipper times the turn so the sail glows.

8:00 pm

Back at Pier 6

Lights on, an easy motor home up the creek, and the deck bar still open if the evening is not over.

The film

An evening aboard Windrose.

Play the film

2 min 48 s

Order 48 hours ahead.

Bringing your own food and drink is welcome too.

From the galley

Supper at anchor, served on deck.

Boards and plates

Chesapeake crab dip

$18

Warm, with Old Bay crackers and celery

Lobster rolls

$28

Brown butter, a toasted bun, kettle chips

The cheese and charcuterie board

$95

Maryland cheeses, cured meats, fruit; serves six

Smith Island cake

$12

Ten thin layers, chocolate fudge icing

From the bar

Champagne

$90

A bottle, on ice in the cockpit

Provence rosé

$48

A bottle

Local beer

$36

Six cans from an Annapolis brewery

Soft drinks and water

Included

As much as you like

Your crew

The skippers who take you out.

Every charter skipper is also a club instructor; every steward has run a galley at sea.

Senior skipper

Ray Donnelly

31 seasons on the Bay

Knows every lighthouse from Baltimore to the Potomac, and the story behind each one.

Skipper and instructor

Alex Ortiz

12 seasons, 400 sunset sails

Will hand you the wheel for the run home and show you how to make the boat sing.

Skipper and steward

Sam Park

8 seasons, trained chef

Runs the galley on full-day charters and the best grill on Pier 6.

For the occasion

Some evenings matter more.

Tell the dock office what you are celebrating and the crew will plan around it, from the flowers to the timing of the turn for home.

When to come

Four seasons, four skies.

Sunset times are for the middle of each season at Annapolis; the skipper sets the start so you are at anchor for it.

Sunset

7:45 pm

Spring

April and May · water 62°F

Cool evenings, fresh breeze; bring a layer.

Sunset

8:35 pm

Summer

June to August · water 80°F

Warm water for swimming, calm nights.

Sunset

6:50 pm

Autumn

September and October · water 70°F

The clearest sunsets of the year.

Sunset

5:00 pm

Winter

November to March · water 45°F

No charters; gift vouchers by post.

Charter guests

4.9

Rated 5 out of 5

From 214 charters this season.

Google

4.9 from 162 reviews

Tripadvisor

5.0 from 88 reviews

He proposed at anchor in Whitehall Bay and the crew vanished below as if they had rehearsed it. They had.

Priya and Tom · Sunset sail, June

We brought twelve clients across two charters. Alex and Sam ran it like a good restaurant: nothing asked for twice.

Grant Mercer · Client evening, August

My father sailed the Bay in the sixties. Ray let him take the wheel for an hour and he talked about nothing else for a week.

Alicia Brandt · Full day, September

Crab dip, rosé, a swim off the back and the sun going down behind the Academy. Worth every dollar.

The Okafor family · Long lunch, July

No. 0427

Gift voucher

An evening on the Bay.

For

Sunset sail, up to six

From

Pier 6, Annapolis

Valid

12 months

Gift vouchers

Give someone the Bay.

A printed card in the post or a PDF the same day, for any amount from $250 or for a whole charter. The person you give it to picks the date.

Any amount from $250, spent on any charter or sail

A whole charter the long lunch, the sunset sail or the full day

Valid for a year and moved free of charge if the weather turns

From the charter desk

Plans, packing lists and proposals.