Thursday, March 28

Browsing: Destinations

The recovery in the British Virgin Islands is getting stronger. Indeed, the Cooper Island Beach Club just reopened as a result of major rebuilding since the hurricanes last fall. Cooper Island is on the Sister Island chain leading to The Baths at Virgin Gorda, and is a popular overnight (or longer) spot for people cruising or chartering in the area. There are a lot of reasons to head to the Cooper Island Beach Club. It has one of the largest rum bars in the Caribbean, with stunning sunset views; an infamous microbrewery, a beachfront restaurant, and all its rooms have…

If you’re cruising in the Chesapeake this spring or summer, you may want to think about taking a side trip up the Potomac to visit Washington, DC, a great cruising destination for a long weekend or even more. It may be a well-kept secret, but the nation’s capital is boater-friendly, with several new and revamped marinas, a few within walking distance of some of the most iconic sights in the world. Here’s a story I wrote not long ago for Southern Boating about cruising to Washington. Local construction has improved some of the marinas since then, but all the attractions…

The good news is that The Moorings is reopening its charter operation in Palma, Mallorca, on April 1, after it has been closed for the winter. Just 50 miles off the east coast of Spain, Mallorca is surrounded by the Med’s sparkling blue waters and is dotted with secluded beaches and natural beauty. And from Palma, you can cruise through the other Balearic Islands – Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera – or just enjoy the sun and gentle breezes around Mallorca itself. Mallorca is rich in history. The Romans first occupied the island in 123 BC and founded Palma as an…

Here’s a pretty thorough update from The New York Times on the recovery in St. John in the U.S. Virgins, six months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, reporting that major resorts are still closed and the cleanup is continuing. The story quotes a frequent visitor from Connecticut who says, “There are two ways to look at it. Some people say, ‘What a mess.’ On the other hand, you still have the beautiful views and the beautiful beaches.” Flights from the U.S. are about half of what was normal before the hurricanes, and the head of tourism says tourism is down…

One of the major boating meccas of the Pacific Northwest, Anacortes, Washington, about half-way between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, is both a great place to start a cruise as well as a destination in its own right. On the northern tip of Fidalgo Island, Anacortes provides a straight shot over to the San Juan Islands to the west, and is a favorite spot for cruising people, whale watching and kayaking. Its huge (950 slip), newly refreshed Cap Sante Marina, operated by the port, has at least 150 transient slips, and is only a two-block walk from the colorful downtown area,…

Easter Island, some 2,200 miles off of Chile in the South Pacific, has been on the bucket list for a lot of serious blue-water cruisers for many years. The main attraction (other than getting there) is the mystery surrounding the 1,100 monumental statues, built from the 13th to 16th centuries, of human figures with oversized heads, resting on enormous stone pedestals. How did they get there? And what happened to the people who built them? Now, a new report from UNESCO says that rising sea levels and erosion around the island threaten many of the statues, burial grounds and other…

Some of the best cruising in the U.S. is on the Chesapeake, and some of the best waterfront towns, in my opinion, are along its shore. It seems too obvious to mention Annapolis, except that I’m happy every time I go there, by land or by sea. And then there’s the trifecta of Oxford, Cambridge and St. Michaels across the bay on the Eastern Shore; all three are also cruising meccas, and they’re all filled with history, charm, and (unfortunately) a lot of summer visitors. But what about the other small towns on the Chesapeake that also are cruising destinations,…

A charming little town (population: 5,000) on the north shore of Albemarle Sound, just west of the Intracoastal Waterway (and the Great Dismal Swamp Canal), Edenton, North Carolina, is often overlooked by cruisers heading north or south. That’s a shame. Edenton is picturesque with a lovely waterfront area and gracious Georgian homes dating back centuries. Forbes.com once called Edenton “one of America’s prettiest towns.” And this year Edenton is celebrating its 350th anniversary, with a year-long series of festivals and special events. Edenton actually traces its history back to 1658, when explorers from the Jamestown Colony found its natural harbor.…

Virginia Key, the site of the Miami International Boat Show since 2016, is also the site of a local dispute, pitting developers against some local officials who want more public access and environmental sensitivity. The one thing everybody agrees on is that the 1,000-acre key on the Rickenbacker Causeway offers beautiful views of Biscayne Bay and the downtown Miami skyline. Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz says Virginia Key should be Miami’s version of New York’s Central Park. And the key’s master plan seemed to be heading in that direction. But the city already has allocated $750,000 to design a mooring…

The Moorings and Sunsail, the world-wide charter companies, just reopened operations in St. Martin on Feb. 1, only four months after the Caribbean island was devastated by Hurricane Irma. They are now working out of a new charter base at Marina Fort-Louis in the island’s French capital of Marigot. The charter base there will have a diverse fleet including many powerboats, and more boats are expected to arrive as part of the companies’ $66.5 million investment in their Caribbean fleet after last fall’s hurricanes. Boats are available for bareboat and crewed charters, and one-way charters also are possible. Marina Fort-Louis is…

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