Browsing: Destinations

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Florida Keys Open to Visitors on June 1

The Florida Keys will open to visitors on June 1, after being closed for almost two months to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The checkpoints on the access roads in the upper Keys will be lifted; the roads had been blocked off since late March to anyone who did not live or work there. The Keys are a major cruising destination, for people cruising on the Great Loop and for people who simply want to enjoy some of the best boating, fishing, diving, and most exotic locales, in the continental United States. Marinas that had been closed are now scheduled…

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Details for New Protocols for Yachts, Charters, in the Bahamas

Here’s a good look at what the new protocols mean for boats and charters in the Bahamas, now and for this summer, from Denison Yacht Sales. Take a look: A breakdown of the Bahamas State Of Emergency and new protocol for yachts, boats, and charters in light of the coronavirus If your boat is currently in Bahamian Waters, or you had plans to shelter in the Bahamas with your vessel, you will need to take action in light of the new protocols set in place for COVID-19. The Commonwealth of The Bahamas issued a statement on April 14, 2020 stating…

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Miami-Dade Opens Marinas: Lines Form

People couldn’t wait to get back on their boats when Miami-Dade opened up parks and marinas there last week, after being closed for six weeks because of COVID-19. The pent-up demand was so great that people camped out next to their vehicles on Friday night, waiting for the 6 a.m. Saturday opening at Blackpoint Marina in South Dade. Police had to direct traffic there (see the picture at top) as hundreds of cars and trucks trailering boats lined up, waiting to get in. The marina has four launch ramps, and police let in ten cars at a time. But by…

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Trouble in Paradise: Cruisers Overwhelm USVI

So many cruising boats have headed to the U.S. Virgin Islands recently because of the COVID-19 pandemic that they have caused worries about overloading the finite resources on the islands there. At this time of year, there usually about 270 boats moored or anchored in the USVI – St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, and Water Island. Now there are about 600. The problem is that many ports have closed across the Caribbean to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The USVI, subject to U.S. laws, at first welcomed cruisers. On March 27, Gov. Albert Bryan, Jr., said the islands…

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Bahamas Announces New Protocols for Boating There

Bahamas Government Protocols for Boating in The Bahamas April 2020 April 14, 2020 Updated 4/17/20 The Government of The Bahamas has released official COVID-19 related protocols for foreign and local boats that are currently in the waters of The Bahamas. The Bahamas Safe Passage Home and Sea Quarantine has been established by the Association of Bahamas Marinas as an orderly way to help boats either remain moored or leave Bahamian waters safely while minimizing the risk of spreading the virus throughout the islands. The program will be in effect until normal border travel is restored.  Please note that our program…

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New Marina Opens in the Breathtaking Maldives

While most of us are trapped at home during the current crisis, it’s helpful to remember that there are some incredibly beautiful places in the world, waiting for us when all this is over. Consider, for example, the newly opened Yacht Marina at Crossroads in the Maldives. The Maldives are a chain of 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean, about 620 miles from India and southwest of Sri Lanka. They’re rich with marine life, including 187 species of coral, 1,100 species of fish, 21 species of whales and dolphins, and five species of sea turtles. And gorgeous waters and beaches.…

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Eastport, Maine: All the Way Down East

If you’re cruising Down East this summer, you might want to think about heading all the way Down East, to Eastport, Maine. It’s as far as you can go in the United States, just across the bay from New Brunswick, Canada, and near the top of the Bay of Fundy, with its powerful currents and 23-feet tidal range. But if you want to experience real cruising, away from the crowds, where you can travel for hours without seeing another vessel, it’s the place to go. You won’t see many people either; Eastport’s population is only about 1,300, but you probably…

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Seven Best Beach Bars in Antigua, from The Moorings

Antigua is one of my favorite destinations in the world. Great beaches, warm breezes, friendly people, and lots to do, on land and on the water. One of the best things to do on land is to head for the nearest beach bar. Here, from the people at The Moorings, is a list of their top seven beach bars there. You and I may have others, but at least this is a start. Take a look: Situated in the heart of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands, opportunities for exhilarating blue water sailing in steady trade winds have attracted sailors to Nelson’s…

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Green Turtle Marina, Resort Reopen in the Abacos

Here’s some good news from the Abacos. The popular but definitely laid-back Green Turtle Club Resort and Marina is up and running. It opened on March 1 with its full-service marina, restaurant, bar, eight rooms and two two-bedroom villas. Other villas are scheduled to be ready before summer. Green Turtle, on Green Turtle Cay, is a treat. I stayed there a few years ago when Billy Black, the photographer, and I were delivering a new Maine Cat P-47 to Hope Town, and I can’t wait to go back. Hurricane Dorian devastated the place last September, when it swept over the…

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Large New Steelpointe Marina Opens in Bridgeport, CT

Here’s some good news for anyone cruising up or down Long Island Sound this year. The new Steelpointe Harbor Marina, with 200 slips on floating concrete docks, is open in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Steelpointe offers a new overnight (or longer) destination for anyone heading to or from New York, Mystic, Newport, the islands or farther Down East, and it has all the amenities to make a visit comfortable. The driving force behind Steelpointe is its location. It’s part of a $1 billion, 55-acre waterfront development in Bridgeport. A super-sized Bass Pro Shop opened there in 2016, and now there’s a Starbucks,…

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