Browsing: Miami

Destinations
By

Miami: Beyond the Show

For years and years, Miami has been one of the most vibrant, lively and warm of all American cities, with people coming from all over the world for its culture, water, beaches and, in the middle of February, the boat show. But Miami is a great place to visit at any time. For cruising boat owners, it’s a destination in its own right or a waypoint on the Great Loop or the starting point of a cruise to the Bahamas,  Caribbean or the Keys. Miami’s wide choice of restaurants will make you want to stay a while. For a waterfront…

Cruising Life
By

Art Basel Miami: Showcase for Creative Boats

Miami being Miami, yachts and high-end boats of various sizes and shapes were a big part of the scene at Art Basel Miami Beach last week. The Miami art week, one of the mainstays of the global art market, had been cancelled last year because of the pandemic, but this year crowds of art enthusiasts crowded the area’s galleries, restaurants and exhibition halls to celebrate the reopening this year. And the art world had much to celebrate. Picasso’s Mousquetaire et Femme a la Fleur sold for $20 million; an Ad Reinhardt abstract for $7 million. Sunreef Yachts, the luxury Polish…

Cruising Life
By

New Proposal: 20-Foot Seawall To Protect Miami

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has written the draft of a new proposal calling for a $6 billion, 20-foot-high wall in downtown Miami to protect it from storm surges and rising sea levels. Most of the wall would be inland, separating neighborhoods, but a one-mile stretch would be built in front of the financial section along Brickell Blvd. The proposal is still in its early stages, and any construction is at least five years off. But the idea of a massive sea wall cutting across Biscayne Bay has already drawn some criticism. “The $40 billion in assets you’re trying…

Destinations
By

After the Shows, What To Do in Miami

One of the most vibrant, lively and warm of all American cities, Miami has long been a magnet for people from all over the world. The draw: A combination of the culture, the water, the beaches and, in the middle of February, the boat shows. But Miami is always a great place to visit at any time, particularly for cruising boat owners. It’s a great destination in its own right or as a stopover on the Great Loop, a starting point for a cruise down to the Keys or over to the Bahamas. Whether you’re heading to Miami for the…

Cruising Life
By

Controversy Grows Over Lighting on Government Cut Jetties After Recent Crash

The controversy is growing about lighting on the jetties marking Government Cut in Miami after a crash last week killed three people and seriously injured a fourth when their 32-foot center console hit the north jetty at 9:20 at night. The two jetties marking the entrance to the cut are not lighted, although they are clearly marked on charts. After the latest crash, Fabiola Santiago wrote an opinion story in the Miami Herald with the headline, How Many More Boaters Must Die Before We Properly Light Treacherous Government Cut? “This is a story of deaths foretold,” she wrote. The crash last…

Miami Boat Show
By

Miami Boat and Yacht Shows Preview (Say Goodbye to Miami Beach), Plus 39 Reviews of New Cruising Boats

The big news about the big Miami boat shows next month is that the Miami Yacht Show, which had been up on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach for the past 30 years, is moving to downtown Miami. The traffic problems on Collins, and the show’s distance from the large Miami International Boat Show down on Virginia Key, were just too much. This year the yacht show will open at its new location on Biscayne Bay, at One Herald Plaza, between the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways, with a brand new look and layout; it also will be at Sea Isle Marina…

On Watch
By

Miami Boat and Yacht Shows Preview (Say Goodbye to Miami Beach), Plus 39 Reviews of New Cruising Boats

The big news about the big Miami boat shows next month is that the Miami Yacht Show, which had been up on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach for the past 30 years, is moving to downtown Miami. The traffic problems on Collins, and the show’s distance from the large Miami International Boat Show down on Virginia Key, were just too much. This year the yacht show will open at its new location on Biscayne Bay, at One Herald Plaza, between the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways, with a brand new look and layout; it also will be at the Sea Isle…

Cruising Life
By

Site of the Miami Boat Show, Virginia Key Also Is the Center of a Local Dispute

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…

Cruising Life
By

Once Overlooked, the Miami River Waterfront Now is Hot with $50 Million Condos and a $229 Seafood Special

If you’re going to Miami any time soon, for the boat show or otherwise, you might want to check out the new boom of upscale waterfront restaurants, condos and retail stores along the Miami River, an area that was getting pretty seedy not long ago. But things change, and now “the Miami River is hot,” as one real estate broker told The New York Times. Indeed, the Miami River downtown, just above the booming Brickell area, no longer looks like a Miami Vice outtake. It used to be filled with decrepit vessels, small bait-and-tackle shops and nefarious dealings. In 1985,…

Cruising Life
By

Biscayne Bay National Park: A Multi-Colored Treasure Full of Reefs, Aquatic Life and Maybe Even Pirate’s Bounty

A lot of the time, it seems, we cruise to Miami and Biscayne Bay on our way to somewhere else – the Keys, say, or the Bahamas. That’s a shame, because there’s a lot to do right there. Take a look at Biscayne Bay National Park, for example, that’s alive with fish and aquatic wildlife and is the home of vast, multi-colored coral reefs. Then, when you’re off the boat, you’ll still have Miami, Miami Beach and Coconut Grove, just to mention a few highlights, at your beck and call. On the water, the Biscayne Bay park is one of…