Destinations

The 5 Best Islands in Maine; Plan Your Cruise Now

By Peter Janssen on July 16, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

The iconic, rocky coast of Maine, filled with finger-like peninsulas, hidden coves and welcoming harbors, is one of the great treats awaiting cruising boat owners. And then there are the islands. Here’s a look at five of Maine’s most beautiful islands from New England Today. If you’re cruising Down East this summer, you’ll want to visit at least some of them, if not all. My personal favorite is Monhegan, pictured above, a small (one square mile) outpost about ten miles off the coast at Port Clyde, which is a great destination in its own right. And it has a fairly…

Port Washington, NY: Think Gatsby, Plus Great Marinas and Waterfront Dining

By Peter Janssen on July 11, 2018 Destinations

Here’s a story I wrote a while ago for Southern Boating, about Port Washington, New York, one of the best boating destinations on the East Coast. It has great marinas, waterfront restaurants, parks, easy train and car access to New York City, and a touch of literary fame and glamour as the setting for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Here’s my review: If you’re cruising east of New York City this summer, think about a stopover at Port Washington, on Long Island’s North Shore. With its large marinas and mooring fields, waterfront restaurants and marine services, “Port,” as locals…

Looking for a New Spot in the Bahamas? Try the Beautiful Beaches of Rose Island, Four Miles from Nassau

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re cruising near Nassau in the Bahamas, you may want to head about four miles east to Rose Island, an 11-mile-long thin strip of land with some of the best beaches in the islands. Rose Island once was a pineapple plantation, but that was hundreds of years ago. Now it has no infrastructure or roads, and a shallow lagoon lies in the middle. The highest point of land is just 52 feet above sea level. Rose Island doesn’t have much in the way of civilization. What it does have, in spades, is terrific beaches. Before you get to the…

Top 40 Boating Destinations in the U.S. See if Your Favorites Are Here

By Peter Janssen on June 26, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

What are the best boating destinations in the United States? Or more precisely, what are the 40 best boating destinations in the United States? To find out, the people at Dockwa, which is, after all, a high-tech operation, crunched the numbers on their app and web site to compile a list of the most-searched-for destinations. They say this is not a ranking, where the first on the list is Number One, and the fortieth is Dead Last, but simply a listing. To my mind, there aren’t any surprises here. The list starts with Block Island, Rhode Island, and ends with…

Now You Can Charter an Aquila 44 Power Cat to Cruise Australia’s Incredible Whitsunday Islands

By Peter Janssen on June 18, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

The Whitsunday Islands, a collection of 74 largely uninhabited islands between the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef, are some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. The water is filled with coral and marine life, while the islands are speckled with white sand beaches, rainforests and hiking trails. And that’s before you get to the Aboriginal caves, fjord-like inlets, or bays overflown by colonies of butterflies. Now MarineMax Vacations has teamed up with Cumberland Charter Yachts and Luxury Yachts Whitsundays to offer the popular Aquila 44 power cat for charter in the Whitsundays…

World’s First Underwater Villa Opens This November in the Maldives

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

What is billed as the world’s first underwater villa will open at the Conrad Maldives Rangall Island Resort in November. If you’re tired of cruising on top of the water, you can book the villa, called The Muraka, and relax more than 16 feet under the water in your king-sized bedroom with a living room, bathroom and butler on call. Once there, you can enjoy the 180-degree view of marine life passing by your Japanese-designed, minimalist-inspired 193-square-foot suite. Above the surface, the villa has a much larger, 5,921-square-foot living area with another king-sized bedroom and bathroom (where the tub faces…

Porto Montenegro Emerges as Spectacular Cruising Destination in Adriatic

By Peter Janssen on June 13, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Located along the east shore of the Adriatic in some of the world’s most spectacular cruising grounds, Montenegro is rapidly becoming a favorite summer yachting and charter destination. And Porto Montenegro, with its 450 slips, upscale marina village and five-star hotel, is emerging as the host of a series of events this summer, including regattas, a fashion show, concerts, and art exhibitions. Montenegro has a long and rich history, dating to the Roman Empire, Byzantine rulers, Ottoman invaders and more recently the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and its subsequent breakup. Montenegro declared its independence in 2006, and the new government decided…

Maine’s Lobster Boat Race Season (Think 56 mph!) Starts This Saturday in Boothbay Harbor

By Peter Janssen on June 12, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

“That’s right, lobster boat racing fans and racers. The 33rdseason begins right here in Boothbay Harbor at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 16, with the Charles Begin Memorial races.” That announcement of the start of Maine’s iconic lobster boat racing season from the Boothbay Register is just one of the many reasons to head Down East this summer, but it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable. In case you’ve missed all this, a lot of Maine’s lobster boat fishermen love to soup up their vessels and race against each other in these summer festivals, which are held in ports throughout the state.…

Legendary Party Barge Willie T Will Reopen in BVI, but Now on Peter Island

By Peter Janssen on June 6, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

The good news is that Willy T, the iconic party barge in the British Virgin Islands, is coming back soon. Just don’t look for it at its old spot anchored off The Bight on Norman Island. Instead, it will be moving almost next door, to Great Harbour on Peter Island. The problem is that Willy T was seriously damaged in Hurricane Irma last September; it washed up the beach. Now it’s found a new home. Ewan Anderson, Willy T’s owner, announced the move after meeting with the local government. The necessary paperwork and permits are now being processed so…

Where To Find the Best Lobster Rolls in Maine. Yes, There’s Red’s – Plus 16 More

By Peter Janssen on June 4, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re heading Down East to Maine this summer, take this story with you. It’s a great list of the best lobster rolls you can buy in the state of Maine, stretching from the border with New Hampshire to the border with Canada. Put together by Coastal Living, the list has 17 spots where you’ll find Maine’s best lobster rolls; most are along the water, in one way or another, but all of them serve fresh lobster almost right off the lobster boat. Number one on the list is The Clam Shack in Kennebunk, which features locally caught lobsters on…

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