Destinations

Explore Indonesia’s Vast Archipelago on Boutique Luxury Yachts

By George Day on August 22, 2024 Cruising Life, Destinations

Now here is something different for adventurous travelers, a boutique-style charter on mini-cruise vessels in Indonesia. The outfit is called Rascal Voyages and they have two vessels Rascal and Rebel, each with five cabins, that will take you to the most pristine islands, reefs and beaches on the planet. Indonesia is a vast country made up of thousands of islands. It is also one of the world’s most populous countries but most of the people live on Java and very few live on the outer islands where there is no infrastructure, no airports and no bridges. The only way to…

A Local’s Guide to Newport, RI at Boat Show Time

By George Day on August 22, 2024 Cruising Life, Destinations

The Newport International Boat Show is only three weeks away with the kick-off on Thursday September 12. There are many reasons for coming to Newport for the show. It is the largest in-the-water show in the Northeast and features a broad selection of both sail and powerboats. Plus, acres of tents house hundreds of marine vendors of all types, many of whom offer great show discounts on their products and services. If you are coming to the show, you are also coming to the City by the Sea that is considered the sailing capital of America and has a new…

The Best Online Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast

By George Day on July 11, 2024 Cruising Life, Destinations

The Cruising Club of America is a private, not-for-profit organization that has a membership of experienced cruisers and sailors, both power and sail. For CCA members and many like-minded adventurous cruisers around the world, the Maine coast is hallowed ground. Maine veterans will tell you that it would take a lifetime of summer cruises to get to know all of the coast from Kennebunkport to Machias. There are hundreds of rivers, coves, harbors, islands and coastal villages to explore. Yes, there are millions of lobster pot buoys in every harbor and thorofare. Yes, fog is a regular occurrence, particularly in…

New $43.5 Million Marina for Clearwater Beach

By Peter Janssen on June 26, 2024 Destinations

Here’s some good news for anyone cruising along the Gulf coast of Florida or even on the Great Loop. The City Council of Clearwater just voted to replace the aging Clearwater Beach Marina with a new one with about 165 slips, modern amenities and a waterfront promenade. For the Clearwater Beach Marina, location is everything. It’s on Clearwater Bay, just south of the Memorial Causeway leading to the mainland and with no bridges between it and the Gulf, basically just around the corner. The ICW is on one side, and the iconic Clearwater beach is just three blocks away on…

New Luxury Marina Coming to Bahamas

By Peter Janssen on June 5, 2024 Destinations

A massive luxurious marina and resort is being developed in the Bahamas, at the southwest point of Great Abaco Island. Called Porto Habacoa, it’s meant to be a stopping point for yachts traveling from the U.S. to the Caribbean, cruising in the Bahamas, or just as a destination in its own right. The location, at the intersection of the Northwest and Northeast Providence Channels, is on the main cruising route in that part of the world. It’s about 160 nm east of Fort Lauderdale, and 50 nm north of Nassau. It’s also next to Abaco National Park, with 20,000 acres…

Russian Oligarch Building VIP Resort on Skorpios

By Peter Janssen on May 29, 2024 Destinations

A Russian oligarch is building a luxury resort and marina on Skorpios, once the famed Greek island vacation home of shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The 205-acre island on the Ionian Sea was the site of Onassis’ wedding to Jackie Kennedy on Oct. 20, 1968. Onassis had bought it in 1963 and imported 200 varieties of trees to create a lush forest, cleared a white-sand beach, and built a harbor for his 325-foot yacht Christina O. Now, Onassis, his son, Alexander, and his daughter, Christina, are all buried there. A trust representing the 24-year-old…

Chicago’s Navy Pier Adding Transient Docks

By Peter Janssen on April 10, 2024 Destinations

There’s good news for anyone cruising in the Midwest or on the Great Loop. A new five-star transient marina is scheduled to open early in the summer of 2025 on Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier. The new Navy Pier Marina will be the only all-transient marina in Chicago, and it will have 6,400 liner feet of side-to docking for boats up to 130 feet. There’s no minimum boat size, and you can stay for hourly, daily or weekly docking on a mix of floating and fixed piers. The marina will have three gangways leading to Navy Pier itself, and it’s within…

Peter Island Resort To Reopen This Fall

By Peter Janssen on March 13, 2024 Destinations

Here’s some good news for fans of the British Virgin Islands (and I think that’s just about all of us). The new and improved Peter Island Resort is scheduled to reopen officially on October 3, and will be up and running for the rest of the year and the holiday season. The original Peter Island Resort was destroyed by the hurricanes in 2017. The six-year rebuilding has resulted in a major transformation and upgrading of the resort and its facilities. Not that there was anything wrong with Peter Island to begin with. I first sailed there many, many years ago…

Palm Beach Marina: Location, Location, Location

By Peter Janssen on March 7, 2024 Destinations

If you’re going to Palm Beach for the show on your boat later this month, or simply cruising in south Florida at any other time, take a look at the freshly renovated Town of Palm Beach Marina. You’ll be impressed. Most important is its location. It’s on the Intracoastal Waterway, just across Lake Worth Lagoon from the mainland and the show venue. In the other direction, it’s within walking distance of all the boutiques, galleries, restaurants and watering holes of Worth Avenue. The iconic Breakers hotel and resort is only eight-tenths of a mile away. It’s also just north of…

U.S. Issues Warnings for Bahamas, Jamaica

By Peter Janssen on February 13, 2024 Destinations

The State Department has issued travel advisories for the Bahamas and Jamaica, warning about crime and water safety in the islands. The advisory for the Bahamas was Level 2, meaning “exercise Increased caution.” The advisory for Jamaica ratcheted up to Level 3, meaning “reconsider travel.” The top level is 4, which basically means don‘t go there. The Bahamas advisory mentioned gang-on-gang violence, but said that “violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults occurs in both tourist and non-tourist areas.” It said travelers should “be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do…

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