Chesapeake waterfront compound for family retreat -- Pool, boat dock

Martins Point is a late 18th Century home located on Maryland's historic Eastern Shore and sited on a secluded finger of land, surrounded by water on three sides – a place to unwind, immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay and reconnect with family and friends. The house and adjacent cottages include 8 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms and can accommodate 16 guests (we only rent the entire compound and do not rent cottages or rooms separately). Furnishings reflect our family's taste: an appreciation of the farm's rural, colonial origins offset by a love of antiques and oriental rugs. The pool and front lawn open on a favorite anchorage of Maryland sailors who frequently come and go during summer months. Great Blue Herons, bald eagles and ospreys drift by daily. Our dock can accommodate boats with up to 4 ft draft. The cove in front of the house, sheltered from weather on 4 sides, will accommodate larger boats at anchor -- bottom is 12 feet deep at mean low tide – and offers a wide, wave-free area to explore. Our O'Day sailboat, kayaks, windsurfer and outboard skiff are also available for rental if you don't have a boat and would like to get out on the water. Crabbing and fishing from the dock are favorite summer pastimes. The property includes over two miles of walks along the shore of the Choptank River and La Trappe Creek. Our long sand spit at the mouth of La Trappe Creek offers a beach to sunbathe and wade. Quiet roads nearby offer great opportunities for biking. During fall and winter thousands of Canada geese and ducks winter in the coves and fields around the house. We've watched geese for many years but have never lost our love of watching them cup their wings as they come in to land. The surrounding towns have a lot to offer. Easton, Oxford and St. Michael's are all within easy distance and sport good seafood restaurants, great antiquing and interesting shops. In St Michael's, the Chesapeake Maritime Museum is always worth a visit. The area hosts a number of events and festivals including the St. Michaels Antique Boat Show, St. Michaels Oyster Fest, Easton Waterfowl Festival, Easton Plein Air Art Festival and Chesapeake Film Festival among others. In the fall, the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to see a profusion of wildlife -- more geese and ducks than you can imagine. The trip there will also take you through one of the last undeveloped areas of the Eastern Shore. La Trappe Creek and the nearby Choptank River are fun to explore by boat and include several historic homes including Hampden (oldest house in Talbot County), Beauvoir, Compton, Boston and The Wilderness, all built during the early colonial era. At the tip of Martins Point, an early 19th-century dugout canoe was found buried and is thought to have been built by slaves for use in the Underground Railroad. It is now a centerpiece of the Frederick Douglas Museum in Baltimore. Martins Point is located near Trappe, Maryland, less than two hour's drive from Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Drive time from Baltimore Washington International airport is 90 minutes. Keywords: Chesapeake, Eastern Shore, Talbot County, Oxford, St Michaels, Easton, Cambridge, Trappe, Royal Oak, waterfront, swimming pool, dock, beach, sail, kayak, bicycle, birding, boating, fishing, crabbing