Destinations

Bravada Launches Head-Turning Houseboat on Lake Powell

By Peter Janssen on February 2, 2021 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you don’t want to cruise outside the United States because of the pandemic, you might want to think about Lake Powell, on the border of Arizona and Utah, where you could enjoy all the amenities of home, plus some, offered by the new 75-foot Bravada Yachts luxury houseboat. Whether you’re on the Bravada or some other boat, at Lake Powell you won’t feel lonely. About two million people a year (in non-pandemic years) visit the lake. Basically a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River, and part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the lake is about 200 miles…

Big Plans for a Comeback at Walker’s Cay

By Peter Janssen on January 28, 2021 Destinations

Walker’s Cay, the northernmost island in the Bahamas and once the home to world-class fishing tournaments, will return to its former glory, if Carl Allen, a retired Texas businessman and avid fisherman and diver, has his way. The 100-acre island, with its airstrip, marina, hotel and cottages, has been basically empty since hurricanes swept over it in 2004. Now Allen, who’s living there on Gigi, his 164-foot Westport, just needs the Covid pandemic to end so he can return to the business of bringing it back. For Walker’s, location is everything. It’s about 105 nm from Jupiter, and 53 from…

The Moorings Opens New Charter Base in St. Thomas

By Peter Janssen on January 9, 2021 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

The Moorings is opening a new charter base in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, offering a variety of charter options for some of the most beautiful destinations in the Caribbean. Crewed charters will be available in February, The Moorings said, while bareboat sail and power charters start in March. The charters operate out of Yacht Haven Grande Marina in Charlotte Amalie, just a ten-minute drive from Cyril E. King Airport, with many direct flights from the U.S. Yacht Haven Grande (pictured below) is a luxury full-service marina, with immigration services, shopping, dining, pool, tennis courts, Wi-Fi and a business center.…

Iconic Hurricane Hole Marina To Reopen in Bahamas

By Peter Janssen on January 5, 2021 Cruising Life, Destinations

A new and improved version of the iconic Hurricane Hole Marina on Paradise Island in the Bahamas is being built now, with 6,100 linear feet of deep-water concrete docks and slips for up to 420-foot superyachts. The new marina will be renamed Hurricane Hole Superyacht Marina at Paradise Landing. It’s scheduled to open by the end of this year. Hurricane Hole, within easy walking distance of the Atlantis Resort, has been a favorite destination for yachts cruising in the Bahamas for years. The new marina is designed to offer boat owners even more, including gourmet dining, exclusive retail stores and…

Bahamas Update: What’s Open Now

By Peter Janssen on December 15, 2020 Charter, Destinations

What better way to practice some social distancing, and cruise through the pandemic, than to charter a boat in the Bahamas? Yes, there are protocols you have to follow (see the link here: http://bahamas.com/tourism-reopening), but once you’ve done that you can enjoy some of the best cruising grounds in the world. But where to go? Choices, choices. We all have our favorites. One of mine is the pink sand beach on Harbour Town, pictured above. To help us choose, the people at United Yacht Charter have put together a thorough list of the Bahamas’ highlights,…

Silent Yachts Building Solar-Powered Resort in Bahamas

By Peter Janssen on December 14, 2020 Destinations, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Silent Yachts just announced that will build a solar-powered luxury waterfront resort in Eleuthera, the Bahamas, that also will include the Austrian company’s solar-powered catamarans. The Eleuthera location will include 16 waterfront villas and eight Silent power catamarans. The first of half a dozen other Silent Resorts planned around the world, the Bahamas destination will include a beachside clubhouse, resort pool, restaurant, bar, fitness room, game room, and a spa. Construction will start in 2021. Other possible destinations include Belize, Panama, French Polynesia, Maldives, and Indonesia. “With Silent Resorts, we are creating the world’s first 100-percent solar-powered, luxury adventure cruising…

Iconic Bimini Big Game Club Opens Again

By Peter Janssen on December 2, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

The Big Game Club in Bimini just reopened, one of the most iconic cruising, fishing and diving destinations in the Bahamas, and reachable from South Florida in five or six hours on a trawler, or about two hours on a fast boat. Take a Magnum or an Intrepid, and you can be at the Big Game Club for a relaxed lunch and get back at your dock at Turnberry or Fisher Island long before evening cocktails. (Although all the Big Game Club’s facilities – the marina, restaurants and resort – are now open, you have to abide by the Bahamas’…

Congo and Lovango Cays with St. John in the distance US Virgin Islands

New Resort To Open on Private Island in U.S. Virgins

By Peter Janssen on November 4, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

A new resort will open next month on a private island just a ten-minute boat ride from Cruz Bay in St. John. The resort, the Lovango Resort & Beach Club, will be the first resort to open in the U.S. Virgins in 30 years. And it will have moorings and tender service if you want to arrive on your own boat. The Lovango resort is the third boutique property in the Little Gem Resorts portfolio, which already includes The Nantucket Hotel and Resort, and the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. It will open in stages over the…

BVI Set Covid-19 Protocols for Dec. 1 Reopening

By Peter Janssen on October 28, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

The British Virgin Islands, one of the best and most inviting cruising and charter destinations in the world, just announced new Covid-19 protocols for its reopening to visitors on Dec. 1. Andrew A. Fahie, the premier and minister of finance, spelled out the protocols. He said they were “tailored to allow visitors to experience a safe, luxurious vacation by deploying technology, implementing strict testing and comprehensive protocols for tourism industry operators and accommodations units.” Starting Dec. 1, you can fly into Terrance B. Lettsome Airport on Beef Island. A new welcome center can handle 90 passengers at a time. The…

Top 10 Islands in the U.S.: Conde Nast Traveler

By Peter Janssen on October 26, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

A few weeks ago, we ran a story about the five best islands in the world (except for those in the United States), as chosen by 600,000 readers of Conde Nast Traveler. Now we have the results of the ten best in the U.S., as reported in the magazine’s 33rd annual survey. See if your favorites made the cut: Number 1: Hilton Head, South Carolina (pictured above). “Remaining in the top spot, Lowcountry’s loveliest island is a world away from mainland South Carolina on the other side of the bridge. This is the kind of getaway that satisfies all travelers…

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