Reviews: Severn River - Bryant Bay

Reviews Summary

The reviews for Bryant Bay highlight it as a spacious and relatively quiet anchorage on the Severn River, offering good protection from various wind directions, except for the southeast. The water depth is favorable, with anchoring conditions described as reliable, although some reviewers noted that holding may not be as strong as in other nearby locations. The area is praised for its natural beauty, wildlife, and opportunities for kayaking, with sightings of osprey and bald eagles.

Several reviewers appreciated the clear water and lack of jellyfish, making swimming enjoyable. The anchorage is noted for its limited boat traffic and minimal tidal current, contributing to a peaceful experience. While there is shore access available at Johns Point Boat Landing, there are no nearby stores, which may be a drawback for some. Cell service is reported to be good, particularly for Verizon users.

Some reviews mention the absence of suitable locations for taking dogs ashore, and while the area is generally quiet, a few bugs were noted. Overall, Bryant Bay is recommended for those seeking a tranquil spot with ample space for anchoring and enjoying nature, though it may not be ideal for those needing easy shore access or shopping facilities.

Review for Severn River - Bryant Bay

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel, Cruising Editor on Jun 17, 2025
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Bryant Bay is an open spot on the Severn River off of Mobjack Bay. Approach is all deep water shoaling to 9+ feet MLW at the anchor icon. We dropped the hook in 9' with the anchor setting immediately and not budging through our stay. On leaving the chain came up almost clean and the anchor showed gritty sandy mud with some oyster shells as well. The anchorage is actually two separate pockets on the north side if the river, each with good protection from the west through north and around to the east. From the southeast to the south the anchorage is open to the river and there is sufficient fetch allow waves to build up. We had winds from the SE with speeds up to 30 mph in nearby thunderstorms and we did get some waves that might be uncomfortable for smaller boats. In fair weather there is room for any number of boats in the anchorage. For bad weather there is still room for four or five boats in front of Free School Creek.

The cooler winds offered some relief to the persistent heat of the last week. As the anchorage is well up the river there is little tidal current to contend with and little boat traffic, even on the weekend. There were only a few crab pots in the area and they were close in shore so they did not interfere with anchoring. The water was surprisingly clear and there were no jellyfish so we cooled off with a swim. We were not bothered by insects in the evening, perhaps because it was windy. There is shore access at the Johns Point Boat Landing and Beach (37.33318, -76.44518) about 0.5 mile from the anchorage in Free School Creek but no stores in the area. Cell service for T-Mobile was good and very good for Verizon.

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Review for Severn River - Bryant Bay

Reviewed by: David Merchberger, Slo Pace, on Jul 23, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.8'

Anchored here in early May 2021. Lots of room, but wasn't crowded when we were there. Good shelter from all quadrants except southeast. No current.

Found good place to land a dog up the cove with the no wake sign. Be sure to use the public landing and not the private one adjacent to it. Approx lat/lon :Lat: N 37° 19.917' Lon: W 076° 26.693'

Very quiet, good cell service.

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Review for Severn River - Bryant Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz on Jul 26, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Huge unspoiled Anchorage close to the Bay in the Severn. We really enjoyed this area. Lots of places to kayak with great wildlife including osprey and bald eagles. Nice homes dot the shoreline. If you head into the cove near the large no wake sign there is a little beach where you can land a kayak and right behind a small town dock for a dinghy. There were locals swimming at this little beach/cove and we did not go ashore. We spent several days kayaking and enjoyed the unspoiled nature of the area. If your looking for quiet and space, definitely a good stop with plenty of depth for all pleasure boats.

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Review for Severn River - Bryant Bay

Reviewed by: David Heinsohn, Mollie, on Jul 12, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 5.5'

This is a lovely quiet spot. If you don't need shore access and shopping it is great.

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Review for Severn River - Bryant Bay

Reviewed by: Kim on Sep 20, 2019
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 5.1'

Nice setting but no good location to take dog to shore. Holding wasn’t as good as other anchorages nearby.

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Review for Severn River - Bryant Bay

Reviewed by: Mommac, C Chele, on Sep 6, 2017
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 52'
Draft: 5.0'

Anchored farther east at 37 28 54.2N 076 25 32.2 W in 15' mud bottom, no water traffic, few houses, a few bugs. Easy anchorage in 10 knots wind

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