Lake Anna (VA)

[davidr]

Got a mid-90's SN in the Fall, took it out for the first time over the 4 July weekend - rented a house with a boat slip at Lake Anna, had a total blast (and learned how to bypass a dead starter relay with a screwdriver). I've wanted a Nautique since I was a kid, what an awesome boat.

This weekend we're planning to return to Lake Anna for a day trip.

Any recommendations for a marina on the public ("cold") side, in particular one with a decent picnic/rest area where kids could hang out while waiting for a turn in/behind the boat?

The State Park looks like a possibility, but it does not appear to have any docks/piers...

Thanks!
-Dave

[NautiqueJeff]

You're going to Lake Anna on a weekend? You are a brave man.

I won't go near the lake on weekends. If I want to hit a lake on a weekend, I'd head down to one of the North Carolina lakes. Lake Anna is SUPER BUSY on the weekends. We've driven to the lake, put the boat in, and turned around and pulled the boat out after about five minutes before on a Saturday because it is so busy. The exception is Sunday evenings. By then most of the crazy people have left.

The state park has decent ramps, but they only have two small docks. They're also quite busy on the weekends, and you might end up waiting in line to launch your boat.

I boat out of Anna Point Marina (http://www.annapoint.com). They have a wide ramp with no waiting. They charge $7.00 to launch and park. Their ramp is kind of old and bumpy, but it isn't too bad, and the parking is very convienient.

The other option is Sturgeon Creek. They have good ramps, and really nice new docks. They probably have the best docks on the lake. We had a bad experience with the owner of Sturgeon Creek though, and will never go there again. Parking can be quite far from the docks there too.

If you're going to hit up the lake on Sunday, keep an eye out for me during the evening. I might be around.

[davidr]

Brave, or foolhardy. :-]

Thanks for the feedback - I think we'll take a look at Sturgeon Creek.

On 4 July (the holiday itself), the lake did not seem too crowded - we spent most of our time on the Anna River branch between Lumsden Flats and Big Ben Flats, the water was fairly smooth there and got even better in the late afternoon/early eve when traffic dropped off noticeably. That said, when we ventured down to High Point/Anna Point in search of a replacement starter relay the water was choppy from the Points up to about the State Park beach area. Maybe the real party was on Saturday and Sunday and people went home Monday.

[NautiqueJeff]

Sounds good. Which day are you going to be out?

[davidr]

Saturday. Coming down from the DC area, probably hit the lake late morning early afternoon... wife hopes to ski near sunset.

[NautiqueJeff]

Looks like good weather this weekend. I'm sure you'll be able to get some skiing in by the evening. Should be a good day out on the lake.

The web cam of the lake is sometimes nice to check out. It looks like it has some debris on the lens right now, but the water looks decent.

http://www.annapoint.com/webcam.htm

[davidr]

Weather was great. We put in at Sturgeon Creek Marina, that worked out nicely - thanks for the tip.

I see your point about weekend traffic - we pulled the skis out around 7pm after traffic eased off and the water smoothed out a bit. Nice day on the water in any case. Next time I might try early on a Saturday morning.

[NautiqueJeff]

Yeah, the weather was great this weekend. The lake temp is crazy warm. My boat showed 85 degrees. We went out yesterday evening, and around 7:00 things cleared out enough for some decent riding. Early mornings are usually pretty good.

[carb02san]

I saw you up there yesterday Jeff, hope you had a good set-I was riding in my friends black san. The last couple of weeks when there has been a comp going on (saturdays) we have great water from 8-11, then the tubes and jet skis come out. I have been really surprised to get that nice water on a saturday.

[NautiqueJeff]

I wondered who that was...

I actually had a pretty bad set. I was trying to get my wake configured properly. I recently obtained a massive amount of lead and I was trying to get the wake dialed in. I never did get it quite right. I'd ride for a bit, then make some changes, then ride some more. It was a fun night anyway, and once I get things the way I want them, my wake is going to be sick.

[NautiqueJeff]

Was anyone out yesterday (Monday)? I have never seen the lake so perfect. There was glass everywhere, and very few other boats out. I wish we had gotten there earlier. We got there around 3:00 and boarded until dark.

[ajdouglas]

Hey Jeff,

What part of the lake were you on? I'll be out this afternoon.

Andy

[NautiqueJeff]

We were in various places. We started out in Pigeon Run, where we encountered a Malibu driver who actually knew how to drive a proper line, then we went back to the wakeboarding flats. I hope this is the start of the boat reduction season on the lake.