Like many cruising people, I’ve been to the British Virgin Islands many times, and I think I know my way around. Well, turns out I was just getting started. I found plenty of new places on this insider’s guide to the best of the BVI from someone who grew up and still lives there, and I can’t wait to go back to try some of them out. Here, for example, you’ll find the best anchorage, the best beach, the best watersports, the best snorkeling (at The Indians, pictured above), the best hidden gem, the best hiking trails, and the best-kept…
Browsing: Cruising Life
We all learn from our experiences. How to do things better, faster, safer next time. But here’s one experience we’d rather not have – a fire on a boat in a slip nearby in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened two weeks ago to Chris Sullivan, who lives aboard his powerboat in a marina in Falmouth, Mass. He works there too, so he’s very familiar with the marina, the boats and the security arrangements. The story starts with someone pounding on the side of Sullivan’s hull at 1:30 in the morning to wake him up. A…
How’s this for a shakedown cruise? The new owners of an Outer Reef 610 Motoryacht just took it from Fort Lauderdale to their home port of Newport, Rhode Island., covering 1,200 nm in five days and six hours with just two pit stops along the way. The good news: Sandana, the new boat, didn’t miss a beat along the way. As part of the shakedown, Outer Reef Captain John Dennison helped drive the boat, while the owners, Dan and Sandy, got used to their new 61-footer and all its systems. They’re shown above enjoying the view from Sandana’s Portuguese bridge…
This is a tragedy almost beyond belief. Zoe Anderson, 12, was learning how to waterski on Newfound Lake in Bridgewater, New Hampshire, where she was vacationing with her family. Her father, Sherwood Anderson; her mother, Tonya Anderson, and her 14-year-old sister were all on the boat on a family outing. The Andersons live in Highland Ranch, Colorado. At some point, Zoe fell in the water. Her father drove back to pick her up, when police say “his attention was momentarily distracted as his hat was blown from his head.” He put the boat in neutral, but it backed over Zoe,…
Tenders and RIBs are getting bigger, better and safer than ever before. They’re also getting faster and more versatile, equipped with jet drives or even wheels to carry you ashore. Some even have a head, making them much more family-friendly. But which one to choose? Sooner or later all owners of cruising boats will need a new dink or a RIB, either to carry on the main boat or perhaps just to use as a second boat for carefree fun on the water. Here’s a look at 15 new tenders and RIBs, from 9′ 2″ to 33′ long, from the…
Here’s another example of why booze and boating don’t mix. Last Saturday night, local authorities say that Dominique Effinger, 20, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was driving a 21-foot Correct Craft Ski Nautique about 30 miles an hour on nearby Lake Gage when she made a sudden “violent turn,” throwing herself and nine passengers overboard. Four of the ten suffered serious injuries, including a partial arm amputation and a fractured skull. Meanwhile, the Ski Nautique kept going, making circles in the lake, hitting a dock, even hitting the local patrol boat where Jake Carlile, a conservation officer, threw a line around…
Sam, a 12-year-old black Lab from St. Pete Beach, Florida, is one lucky dog. And his owner, Mary Doherty, is one happy lady. That’s all because Susi Herrington, a tour boat captain, rescued Sam from drowning; in fact, Herrington personally jumped overboard, grabbed Sam by the collar and swam with him to a nearby dock. Herrington works for Dolphin Landings Charter Boat Company in St. Pete, taking groups out to look for dolphins. But last week she saw something odd in the water on the Intracoastal Waterway. It was a dog in distress. She told another captain to take over…
What’s a charter or a cruise in the Virgin Islands without a an island cocktail? It’s probably safe to say that almost everyone who spends time down there has his or her own favorite drink, and favorite spot to enjoy that drink. (Of course, you could always get the recipe and mix these up on your own boat, but joining the local color on shore is at least half the fun.) Here’s a list of their five favorites from the people at Denison, ranging from the ever-popular Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke to the iconic Pina…
Beneteau is updating its popular Swift Trawler 34 this fall with a new Swift Trawler 35 after an eight-year run. The new 35 has all the features of the 34, plus upgrades inside and out, the most obvious being new twin transom doors that open out to create a massive open space from the swim platform through the cockpit into the salon. I have a very warm spot in my heart for the Beneteau Swift Trawler 34. Five years ago, I spent more than a week on one with George Sass Sr., the photographer, as we cruised 700 miles of…
The Best Revenge 5, a luxurious 60-foot Alliaura catamaran built in 2003, caught fire and sank in Falmouth Harbor on Cape Cod early this week. One of the two crew members on board was burned badly and flown to a hospital in Boston. The boat serves charter clients in New England in the summer and in the Caribbean in the winter. The fire broke out at 1:43 a.m. at MacDougall’s Marine Service marina in Falmouth. When fire crews from several upper Cape Cod communities arrived, the Best Revenge 5 was totally involved, but they were able to keep the fire…