Browsing: Destinations

Destinations
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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…

Cruising Life
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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…

Destinations
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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…

Cruising Life
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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,…

Destinations
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New Chicago Transient Marina To Open at Iconic Navy Pier

Here’s some very good news for anyone cruising on the Great Loop or anywhere on Lake Michigan. Starting next year, a new transient marina will open on the north side of Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier, right in the heart of town, with access to all the city’s restaurants, museums, stores and parks. You can tie up there for a few hours, a few days, or even a week, and then enjoy everything that Chicago, one of the most vibrant cities in the U.S., has to offer. (Full disclosure: My very first journalism job, many years ago, was working for a…

Destinations
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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…

Destinations
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NY Times: 52 Places To Go in 2020

The New York Times just published its annual “52 Places To Go” in the coming year story, and it contains some old favorites, as well as some entirely new ones. Here are some in both categories: The Times’ Number 2: The British Virgin Islands. Still recovering from the hurricanes of 2017, the BVI are coming back. Rosewood Little Dix Bay, for example, reopened this month. Richard Branson’s private Necker Island (its Red Dock is pictured above) is on schedule to reopen by April. The Bitter End Yacht Club will open its new marina this summer, with accommodations to follow in…

Destinations
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For 2020: The 20 Best Beach Bars in the Caribbean

You may have been wondering, as you plan your next cruise or charter vacation, what are the best beach bars in the Caribbean? Even if you haven’t been concentrating on this yet, the people at Caribbean Journal have put together a list of “The 20 Best Caribbean Beach Bars to Visit in 2020,” just to get you in the mood. I may be remiss in this department, but I haven’t set foot in most of them; then again, this gives me something to aim for in the year, or years, ahead. The point is that the best bars are more…

Charter
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Island Hopping in Croatia: 5 Top Spots

Whether you’re an adventure seeker, a foodie, a history buff or just someone who wants a variety of new adventures in your next cruising or charter vacation, you’ll find all the experiences you want on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. In the past few years, the Dalmatian Coast has become increasingly popular (largely thanks to Game of Thrones), but you still can cruise easily through the islands there at your own pace and explore to your heart’s content. The Dalmatian Coast, a narrow belt on the east shore of the Adriatic Sea backed by a rugged mountain range, is the…

Destinations
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Abacos Update: Some Reopenings with More To Come

Absolutely devastated by the historic winds of Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 1, a few spots in the Great Abaco area of the Bahamas are starting to come back. Dorian, with sustained winds of 183 mph, left more than 50 people dead and destroyed almost every building in Marsh Harbour, the largest community on Great Abaco Island – homes, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, everything. Now the Leonard M. Thompson International Airport in Marsh Harbour is up and running, with Bahamas Air, Western Air and private flights. And the Abaco Inn, a 16-room villa resort just eight miles away in Hope…

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