Freedom Boat Club – Annapolis, MD (@ Nautilus Point)

Maryland sets no general minimum age for operating a motorized vessel other than a personal watercraft, but an operator under 16 is never unsupervised. Under Natural Resources §8-712.2, someone under 16 must both hold a boating safety certificate and have an eligible supervisor aboard. For vessels under 11 feet, the supervisor must hold a certificate; for vessels 11 feet or longer, the supervisor must hold one and be at least 18. Someone born before July 1, 1972, may also supervise.

Personal watercraft operators must be at least 16 and carry a certificate if born on or after July 1, 1972. The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources (mgaleg.maryland.gov)

Maryland does not issue a recreational boating license, but people born on or after July 1, 1972 generally must carry a boating safety education certificate when operating a numbered or documented pleasure vessel. This includes personal watercraft, whose operators must be at least 16. Anyone under 16 operating a motorized vessel 11 feet or longer without a certificate must instead be supervised by someone 18 or older who holds a valid certificate, or who was born before the cutoff. Exemptions include commercial operators, qualifying visitors, private waters, and those born before the cutoff. Renters of motorized vessels other than personal watercraft may be issued a 10 day temporary certificate after reading a safety sheet. Maryland Natural Resources Police administers the program.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Natural Resources Police (dnr.maryland.gov)

From Annapolis, you can cruise Spa Creek, Back Creek and the Severn River, then continue onto Chesapeake Bay. Spa Creek is the downtown harbor route, with the Truxtun Park launch and a 6 mph harbor speed limit. Back Creek is used by pleasure craft and has a narrow, marked entrance with berthing facilities along the creek. Both creeks branch from the Severn, where the city identifies designated anchorages off Horn Point for a pause before heading farther out. Chesapeake Bay is the open-water choice beyond the Severn’s mouth.

Source: City of Annapolis (annapolis.gov)

From Annapolis, boaters can make day trips around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries to Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, Sandy Point State Park, Kent Narrows and St. Michaels. Thomas Point offers an on-water view of a National Historic Landmark; Sandy Point has a sandy bay beach and first-come day docking; Kent Narrows draws pleasure boaters with marinas, dock bars and crab houses; and St. Michaels is a Miles River waterfront town with museums, boutiques, restaurants and crab houses.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources (dnr.maryland.gov)