Destinations

14 Best Bars and Watering Holes in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Don’t Miss the Frangi Fever

By Peter Janssen on September 22, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re planning a cruise south, down the Caribbean to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, you might want to plan a stop at some of the best local watering holes and beach bars listed here by AFAR. Even if you’re not going that far, it’s always fun to live a little, even vicariously. Here are some pictures and writeups of 14 of the best bars and restaurants in that part of the world. AFAR says you don’t want to miss the famous Basil’s Beach Bar on Britannia Bay in Mustique or the great bars on Bequia. The Frangipani on Bequia…

Attention Snowbirds: Plan a Stop in Historic Hampton, Virginia, on Your Way Down the ICW

By Peter Janssen on September 17, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re thinking of joining the snowbirds heading south this fall (or returning north in the spring), you also are probably thinking about stopping in the Norfolk/Hampton area along the way. After all, Norfolk is Mile Zero of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway so unless you’re cruising offshore, you’ll be there. Norfolk, of course, is the Navy’s largest base in the world, and it’s busy with military and commercial traffic. Hampton, next door, shares its rich history and offers more marinas and facilities for cruising boat owners. If you just want to start down the Waterway itself, go south 12 miles…

For Some of the Best Fall Cruising, Head North, to Canada

By Peter Janssen on September 5, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Don’t even think about putting your boat away for the season. Now that summer’s over, there’s still lots of cruising time left, when the autumnal colors can be gorgeous, the crowds thin out, and you can have more time to wander and explore at your own pace. Indeed, in many parts of the U.S., fall can be the best boating season. And this may seem counter-intuitive, but to enjoy some of the best fall boating, you need to head north, all the way to Canada. Here’s a look at some of the best cruising destinations that country has to offer.…

Some of the World’s Best Beach Bars Are Back in Business in the BVI

By Peter Janssen on September 5, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

First things first. Sure, we all know that cruising in the British Virgin Islands is one of the great pleasures available to mankind. The water’s gorgeous, the navigation’s easy, and you could spend night after night anchored off a different island or cove for a very long time. But let’s get to the serious stuff: The beach bars. At the end of the day (literally), the beach bars in the BVI (and many other places) offer a welcoming conclusion to hours spent on the water; they’re destinations in their own right, and they often can provide the more memorable moments…

St. Michaels, Maryland: A Historic Gem on the Eastern Shore, with a Great Maritime Museum and the Crab Claw

By Peter Janssen on August 28, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

The first time I went to St. Michaels, Maryland, a gem of a small (pop: 1,029), historic (dating to 1677), waterfront community on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake, was about 35 years ago with my friend and colleague, the late Dan Fales. We were delivering a Bertram 46 from Norfolk, Virginia, to Norwalk, Connecticut, and stopped for the night. Actually, we stopped so we could have a crab dinner sitting on the porch of the Crab Claw, looking out over the Miles River and the flow of boats in and out of the harbor. Over the years I’ve gone…

St. Lucia: A Charter and Cruising Jewel in the Windward Islands with a Rich Life on Shore and on the Water

By Peter Janssen on August 22, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

With The Pitons, iconic twin volcanic peaks towering some 2,000 feet above Soufriere Bay, St. Lucia is easily the most recognizable islands in the Windward chain in the Caribbean. But St. Lucia also is one of the jewels of the Windwards, just south of Martinique and north of St. Vincent, a rich and rewarding charter and cruising destination with protected harbors, golden beaches, inviting diving sites, and lush mountain rainforests beckoning with wild orchids, giant ferns and tropical birds. The 27-mile-long island has two state-of-the-art marinas. IGY Rodney Bay is in the north of St. Lucia, nestled in an inner…

To Totally Relax, Take a Le Boat Charter Through the Canals in the South of France

By Peter Janssen on August 15, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

For a different kind of charter vacation, think about an idyllic, serene and totally relaxing canal cruise in the Petite Camargue area in the south of France. Life on a 49-foot canal boat from Le Boat, with three staterooms, all with en suite heads and showers, is about as easy as it can ever can be, and watching the sun go down from the top deck, eating some local cheese and oysters and sipping some of the local rosé is pretty hard to beat. Here’s a first-person story from The Guardian about four people spending five days along the Canal du…

For a Cruise Off the Beaten Track, Here Are 19 European Islands, from Norway to the Med

By Peter Janssen on August 8, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Summer seems to be speeding by, but there’s still time for a special cruise this year, and there’s always time to plan for a special cruise in the years ahead. For something different, here’s a look at 19 often-overlooked islands in Europe, from the far north of Norway down to the Med, that could make it to your eventual bucket list, as developed by mydomaine.com. In the north, Denmark’s Faroe Islands (pictured above) are a string of volcanic islands in the North Atlantic between Norway, Iceland and the UK. They’re rocky, with jagged, steep cliffs, lots of hiking trails and…

From Harbor Cruises, Free Concerts and Pool Parties, Lots Going on at Marina del Rey This Summer

By Peter Janssen on August 1, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re cruising in Southern California for the rest of the summer, check out the schedule at Marina del Rey next to Los Angeles; there’s a lot going on. For starters, Marina del Rey is one of the largest and most attractive marinas not only on the West Coast but anywhere in the U.S., so a visit at any time is a treat. Over the years I’ve always had a great time there. But this summer the schedule includes Marina Fundays, free concerts, food on the beach, a farmer’s market and more. Throughout August and September, the Marina Fundays offer…

16 Great Cruising Destinations on the South Shore of Cape Cod and the Islands

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Some of the best cruising grounds in the U.S., if not the world, are found off the south shore of Cape Cod and the nearby islands – the Elizabeth Islands stretching southwest between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, and then Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket offshore. Here’s a look at 16 great cruising destinations there from New England Boating. You can easily cruise to two or three of them (or more) in the same day, but each one is worth a long visit in its own right. First on their list is Cuttyhunk, as it would be for mine too, not…

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