What to Know Before You Tie Up for the Weekend At National Harbor

Planning summary. This is a trip-planning rundown for boaters within a short run who want to tie up, eat well and sleep aboard. I have stuck to what the marina operator and the government publish, and where something is not published I say so rather than guess. A guess about depth or price is worth exactly nothing to you.

Where it is. National Harbor Marina sits along the Potomac River in Smoots Bay. It is on the Potomac River, in the Chesapeake Bay region. The marina address is 168 National Plaza, National Harbor, Maryland 20745. The facility is managed by Latitude Marinas.

Waypoint. A street address is not a navigational fix, and I agree with anyone who says a boating write-up should hand you a latitude and longitude for the entrance. Published coordinates were not in the material I am working from, so I am not going to print a position I cannot source, because a bad waypoint is worse than no waypoint. Ask the office for the entrance position when you call to book, write it down, and plot it against your own chart before you leave the slip at home.

Approach. Here is the honest part: controlling depth, channel marks and any shoaling detail were not published in the material I have, so there are no numbers from me. Call the office before you commit to an arrival plan and ask specifically about depth at your draft and where they want you to come alongside. My own habit with any first-time stop is to arrive with plenty of daylight in hand and to sort the details out on the radio well before I need them, not at the last minute.

Booking a slip. Transient slips can be booked through Dockwa or directly by phone. The office number is (301) 749-1582. Slips can accommodate vessels from 35 to 130 feet in length. If your boat sits under that published range, do not assume either way, just ask; that is a one-minute phone call that saves a wasted afternoon. Annual slip inquiries are handled by email at nationalharbor@latitudemarinas.com.

Hours and radio. Marina hours are daily from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The marina monitors VHF channels 16 and 72. I would time an arrival well inside those posted hours, and if you are running late, say so on the radio or by phone while turning around is still an option. Dock hand coverage outside the posted hours was not published, so treat a late arrival as something to arrange in advance rather than something to assume.

Fees. The marina publishes rates, and all rates are subject to change on holidays and special events. I am not reproducing figures here, because holiday and event pricing is exactly the situation where a stale number burns you. Ask for a quote for your length and your dates when you call, and ask whether electricity is billed separately.

Fuel. The marina sells fuel and publishes fuel rates. There is a fuel dock on site. Jet ski fueling is available at the fuel dock. The marina is also listed with water activity amenities. Fuel pricing moves constantly, so confirm it by phone the morning you need it rather than budgeting off anything you read anywhere, including here.

Amenities. Amenities include private showers, laundry facilities, a boater's lounge, and walkable access to more than 40 restaurants and bars. The marina features gated security, a fuel dock, showers, laundry, and electricity. Private showers and a lounge are not too shabby for a weekend stop, and personally I rate a stop largely on whether I can walk to dinner and walk back without a car, a cab or a shuttle schedule.

Why go. The walkable dining count is the headline in what the operator publishes, with more than 40 restaurants and bars within walking distance. Beyond food and drink, specific attractions, ticketed venues, event calendars and shopping were not covered in the published material I have, so I would call and ask what is on that weekend instead of trusting a secondhand list. The general contact address and phone number are 165 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745 and 877.628.5427.

The part most people forget. If you plan to continue upriver toward the capital, there is a security zone regime to understand before you leave. Security Zone 1 covers Potomac River waters bounded to the north by the Francis Scott Key (US-29) Bridge at mile 113. Security Zone 2 covers the Anacostia River from shoreline to shoreline, bounded to the north by the John Philip Sousa (Pennsylvania Avenue) Bridge at mile 2.9, and includes the waters of the Washington Channel. During the enforcement period, entry into or remaining within the zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port or his designated representative. All vessels underway within the zone should plan to have departed the regulated area by the time enforcement begins. Public vessels and vessels already at berth when the zone is implemented do not have to depart.

Staying current on it. The Coast Guard plans to provide notification of the enforcement period via the Local Notice to Mariners and marine information broadcasts. If the zone need not be enforced for the full duration, a Broadcast Notice to Mariners may be used to suspend enforcement and grant general permission to enter. Boaters seeking permission to transit the zone can contact the Captain of the Port Maryland-National Capital Region at (410) 576-2693 or on VHF-FM channel 16. Coast Guard vessels enforcing the zone can be contacted on VHF-FM channel 16. My advice is to check the notices the night before and again the morning of, and to build the day so that an unexpected enforcement period costs you a lunch stop, not your whole plan.

State requirements. Maryland has a boating safety education requirement and lists three ways to obtain a boating certificate. A rental vessel safety information sheet is required reading for anyone renting a motorized vessel, other than a personal watercraft (PWC), on Maryland waters if they were born on or after July 1, 1972. After the renter reads the sheet, the rental company issues a 10 day temporary boating safety certificate stating the document was read and understood. Also worth knowing before a guest does it out of habit: bow riding is illegal in Maryland.

Reading worth doing in advance. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers a guide to safe and responsible recreational boating in Maryland covering the state's recreational boating requirements. Maryland also publishes an equipment checklist for Maryland vessels intended to be kept with that State Requirements publication. Maryland provides safety information specific to boating on the Upper Potomac River. The department is located at 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401. I would run the equipment checklist the week before, not the morning of, etc…

Summary. Between the published slip range, the fuel dock, the showers and laundry, and a walkable restaurant count that size, this reads to me like a straightforward and genuinely pleasant weekend stop for anyone within a short run. Three things to settle before you go: the entrance waypoint and depth for your draft, the actual rate for your dates, and whether the security zone is being enforced while you are out. Sort those and the rest of the trip is just deciding where to eat.