Reviews | Waterway Guide

Review Now

These are observations from the boating community. Waterway Guide information is verified regularly and all efforts will be made to validate any new updates submitted here. Thank you for taking the time to share comments about your experience.

Waterway Guide reserves the option of editing reviews and comments for grammar, clarity and the removal of defamatory or potentially slanderous language. When appropriate, reviews are forwarded to businesses for response prior to being made public. We will make every effort to be objective and impartial when posting reviews, but do not publicize details of disputes between parties.

Thanks for your valuable feedback!

Chisman Creek

Location: Poquoson River
Mile Marker: Mile 181 Southwest
Lat / Lon: N 37° 10.917' / W 076° 24.867'
Depth: 7-10 Feet
Description:
DISCLAIMER: Before committing to an anchorage, you should confirm that the location is not governed by a regulation that may conflict with your plans. An increasing number of states and municipalities are enacting laws that define where and how long you may anchor.

4.00

(7)

4.00 out of 5 stars

Holding:

4.57

Good, Mud

Wind Protection:

4.00

Somewhat Exposed to Southeast

Current Flow:

4.57

Wake Protection:

3.14

Somewhat Exposed to Southeast

Scenic Beauty:

3.86

Ease of Shopping:

1.00

Shore Access:

1.50

Pet Friendly:

1.60

Cell Service:

4.00

WiFi:

1.00

Review for Chisman Creek

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel, Cruising Editor, Janthina, on Jun 12, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

5

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

2

Pet Friendly:

2

Cell Service:

4

Chrisman Creek is a 5 mile trip off the normal route to and from Yorktown. The channel is well marked and there was a surprising lack of crab pots on the approach. Entering Chrisman Creek the depths move down to 10 feet MLW in the marked channel. We decided to first give the anchorage icon a look. We found 9 feet MLW there and the spot looked completely off the normal route of travel. We dropped anchor, it held immediately, and did not budge during a calm night.

Chrisman Creek is well developed, with nice houses and docks covering most of the shore. The main road, Rt. 17, is far enough away so you do not hear it but the creek is pretty near Langley AFB so there are occasional jet noises. The anchorage is protected from all directions except for a small window for winds from the SE. Wind and current protection are both good. There is a dry storage marina upstream where you might be able to land a dinghy but there is no shopping nearby. Three bars for Verizon and two for T-Mobile made communication with the outside world easy.

The anchorage suffers from one problem: boat wakes. Through the afternoon we were bothered by center console outboard boats that not only did not slow down, but they felt little need to pass at a respectful distance from an anchored boat. We were also waked at 0400 and 0600 hours in the morning. Nothing dangerous, but the persistence of the problem left us with a negative opinion of what is otherwise a lovely anchorage. We will probably not return here because of this.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Chisman Creek

Reviewed by: Robert Van Patten on Oct 27, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 4.5'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

5

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

3

Pet Friendly:

3

Cell Service:

2

WiFi:

1

Great little anchorage! Quiet, protected and very little wake activity. Just stayed for one night.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Chisman Creek

Reviewed by: Ross Wiltse on Jun 8, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 2.9'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

4

Cell Service:

5

Really quiet location, a couple small fishing boats passed by respectfully. A couple locals stopped by to chat, very friendly. Holding was good mud, and good wind protection. Extremely quiet.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Chisman Creek

Reviewed by: Pete ScubaPete, Small Change, on May 10, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 43'
Draft: 3.8'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

1

Pet Friendly:

1

Cell Service:

5

WiFi:

1

Plenty of room to anchor outside of the main channel area. However on Spring and Summer weekends there will be lots of boat traffic/wakes to deal with.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Chisman Creek

Reviewed by: Pete ScubaPete, Small Change, on May 10, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 43'
Draft: 3.8'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

1

Pet Friendly:

1

Cell Service:

5

WiFi:

1

Plenty of room to anchor outside of the main channel area. However on Spring and Summer weekends there will be lots of boat traffic/wakes to deal with.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Chisman Creek

Reviewed by: Robert Kovach on Oct 7, 2019
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 5.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

1

Pet Friendly:

1

Cell Service:

4

WiFi:

1

Spent 1 night on 9-30-19. Checked wind forecast before anchoring which was from N & E, protection was good. Excellent holding real good mud. Anchored between 2 & 4 right in middle instead of 2 & 5 as I wanted to be clear of marina traffic near G5. Good OTA T.V.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Chisman Creek

Reviewed by: Noel Leeson, Amazing Grace, on Apr 30, 2019
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

5

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

1

Cell Service:

3

Wide and deep, easy entrance. Great overnight spot.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer