In 1607, Captain John Smith sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and obviously liked what he saw: "no place is more convenient for pleasure, profit and man's sustenance," he wrote in his journal. Almost four hundred years later, it can be said that view of the Chesapeake hasn't changed much.

With 3,000 miles of shoreline, 170 miles from it's most northern point (near the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal) to the Atlantic Ocean in the south, and fed by 48 rivers (with more than 100 tributaries), the Chesapeake is the largest estuary in the western hemisphere. The mix of fresh water from the northern rivers and the ocean's salt water from the south provides an eco-system unlike any other. Depending on the time of year, fish usually living in salt water (bluefish, flounder, red drum to name a few) migrate north into the brakish middle bay waters offering sport fishermen a lot of action. In the north, the Chesapeake is a little more than three miles across. Where it meets the Atlantic in the south, the bay spans more than 23 miles.

The Chesapeake Bay is best known for its population of blue crabs. In every town along the shoreline, there's a crab house to be found. If you've never had the opportunity to sit at a table covered with brown paper and pick apart steamed blue crabs with Old Bay Seasoning and vinegar and butter and cold beer, then this alone is an experience not to be missed. The downside of the blue crab popularity, however, is of primary importance to the trailer boater. Every summer, the Chesapeake is dotted with crab pots, plastic and cork markers indicating the presence of a crab trap on the bottom. They are, literally, anywhere-- especially near harbor channels. A crab pot line wrapped around a prop can cause serious damage, especially if the crab trap is pulled to the surface and slammed into the hull. Be on the lookout for crabpots when cruising the Chesapeake in the summer.

The towns spread throughout the Chesapeake have a history as colorful as their names. We'll take you to a few of them right now:

St. Michaels James Michener lived here while researching and writing his best-selling book Chesapeake. It is the town noted for fooling the British navy during the war of 1812. Tipped off that an assault was going to take place on the St. Michael's shipbuilding facilities, residents gathered at night and hoisted lanterns into trees and into masts. The British ships came in and let loose with a barrage of cannon fire at the town's lights and, aside from one house being hit, missed the village altogether. Today St. Michaels is filled with a variety of shops (try Flamingo Flats for hot sauces), B&B's (Laura Ashley owns one here), campgrounds, restaurants and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum where the 1879 Hooper Strait lighthouse can be toured, guns used for waterfowl are on display and a skipjack used for oyster harvesting can be seen.

Oxford English ships used the port of Oxford as a place to load tobacco grown on nearby plantations for export to England. A ferry crosses the Tred Avon River between Oxford and the main road to St. Michaels.

Crisfield This is the Crab Capital of the World and, as if to prove the point, its water tower has a crab on it. Every summer Crisfield is host to the Crab Festival complete with a crab derby and is a must-do for anyone with political ambition or who wants to stay in office. There is a ferry boat going to the nearby islands of Smith and Tangier from Crisfield but the trip can easily be made in a trailer boat if the winds aren't screaming through Pokomoke Sound as they sometimes do. The four-lane boat ramp is located next to the Coast Guard Station and provides easy access to the Chesapeake. The harbor is busy during the summer as a result of Somers Cove Marina, tour boats to the islands and commercial fishing.

Solomons Island Boaters traversing the Intercoastal Waterway, gunkholers and cruisers all stop in Solomons Island for rest, fuel and supplies. This is a great port for boat watching. You will see 100-foot yachts at anchor, sailboats that have just crossed the Atlantic and a variety of classic Trumpys and Chris Craft. The launch ramps are at the foot of the bridge crossing the Patuxent River and you will find ample parking, easy access and no long lines. Across the river from Solomons Island is the Patuxent Naval Air Station. You will see, and hear, a variety of aircraft being tested along the 25-miles of Chesapeake shoreline encompassed by the facility.

Chesapeake Beach Fishing Creek opens into the Chesapeake about a quarter mile from the launch ramp. There are four lanes with plenty of parking and a variety of stores nearby. This area is being developed into a walking trail with picnic grounds. Just offshore are prime fishing grounds for rockfish. The Chesapeake is ten miles across at this point so the trailer boater can easily reach the Eastern Shore (Maryland and Virginia make up the Chesapeake side of the Eastern Shore. On the Atlantic side, Delaware is also included, hence the name "Delmarva peninsula").

Deale Located about seven miles north of Chesapeake Beach in Herring Bay, Deale has a boat ramp with limited parking. Turn into the entrance of Shipwright Harbor and you'll see the ramp. There are two creeks (Rockhold and Tracy's) which come together to make the main channel to the bay. Look for Skippers Pier which is a waterside crab house (you can dock and have lunch or dinner) and there are gas pumps available as well.

Annapolis It calls itself the "Sailing Capital of the World" and that's because there are a lot of sailboats moored and in slips. In October Annapolis is host to the National Sailboat Show followed one week later by the National Powerboat Show. There is a single public ramp on Spa Creek in Truxton Park. The best ramp, however, is found at Sandy Point State Park located at the western span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There are more than 20 lanes with ample parking. Like Solomons, Annapolis is a great place for boat watching. On summer weekends, "Ego Alley" is filled with powerboats and sailboats showing off their price tags. This is the home of the Naval Academy and daily tours are available.

Baltimore This is one of the country's busiest sea ports with hundreds of new cars being unloaded every day at numerous terminals. But Baltimore is also a center of history; Francis Scott Key wrote a well-known song while watching a naval battle between British and American at Fort McHenry in 1814, H.L. Mencken wrote for the Baltimore Sun, Edgar Allen Poe lived here and is buried in a small cemetery in town. Baltimore's Inner Harbor is used as an example of how redevelopment can bring economic life back to a city. The U.S.S. Constellation is moored here. Built in 1854, it was the last all-sail naval ship put into service. Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles overlooks the harbor (but unlike PACNET Stadium on San Francisco Bay, it is too far from the water to for powerboats to field home runs). Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods; Fells Point is where the TV series Homocide was filmed and Little Italy is nearby with a full range of restaurants. The National Aquarium is on the waterfront of the Inner Harbor. Trailer boaters will find as many as seven separate boat ramps along Baltimore's Patapsco River.

Cambridge This seaport town is on the Choptank River that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Next to the route 50 bridge crossing the Choptank is the old highway bridge which has been made into a fishing pier. Cambridge is Annie Oakley's hometown and was the scene of Harriet Tubman's underground railroad used to transport slaves from the south to the north during the Civil War. Today this waterfront town is the site of a new Hyatt Regency being built along the Choptank. Trailer boaters will find the city boat ramp just off Maryland Avenue. Look for the signs which will be pointing toward the river. There is lots of parking and a pair of well protected lanes.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel This 17-mile span above and below the mouth of the Chesapeake connects Virginia's Eastern Shore with Norfolk and Hampton Roads.

A few Chesapeake Bay Ramps on the western shore:

Sandy Point State Park near the Bay Bridge (410-974-2149) and Truxton Park on Spa Creek in Annapolis (410-263-7958).

Fairwinds Marina on the Magothy River (410-974-0758) and Ferry Point Marina at the mouth of Mill and Dividing creeks (410-544-6368). Farther south at the South River, you can launch from Oak Grove Marina (410-266-6696), Pier Seven Marina (410-956-2288) and Turkey Point Marina (410-798-1369).

In Shady Side, try Backyard Boats in (410-867-4800) or in Deale, Deale Marina (301-261-9200).

In Chesapeake Beach you can launch into the Bay at Fishing Creek Landings (301-855-3572) or just down the road at Breezy Point Marina (301-855-9894).

Bill's Boat Rental at Broomes Island (410-586-3599) or at the DNR ramp at Hallowing Point 410-260-8186).

Solomons Island Boat Ramp (at the base of the Gov. Thomas Johnson Bridge) 410-326-8383.

Note: There are TowBoatUS facilities throughout the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Deale, Baltimore, Solomons Island, Crisfield, St. Michaels, Northeast, Chesapeake City, georgetown, Middle River, Tolchester, Mayo, Pt. Lookout, Drayden, Chesapeake, Hampton Roads, Smith Point, Grimstead and Poquoson.