Destinations

Meet the New Albemarle Loop: Slow Down and Enjoy North Carolina

By Peter Janssen on May 7, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

A group of North Carolina marinas and businesses has formed a new organization aimed at cruising boat owners called The Albemarle Loop, making it easier to enjoy the waterfront towns, culture and history that surround Albemarle Sound. Now you can stray away from the magenta line marking the middle of Intracoastal Waterway on most charts and explore the many rivers, creeks, coves and communities on Albemarle Sound, or take advantage of The Albemarle Loop to make it an important part of your journey. There are now 12 marinas in The Albemarle Loop program, offering free or low-cost slips, fresh water…

Hit Hard by Maria, Laid-Back but Beautiful St. Croix Has Almost Fully Recovered

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

St. Croix, the largest, and arguably the most laid-back of the U.S. Virgin Islands, has mostly recovered from Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September. As it turned out, Irma wasn’t too bad, but Maria was devasting. But that was then. Now 90 percent of the island’s businesses have reopened, power is restored, and the island’s oldest hotel, the Buccaneer, which housed relief workers for many months, is open for visitors. For visiting boaters, the St. Croix Marine Center in Gallows Bay next to Christiansted Harbor is fully functioning. It’s a full-service marina with 44 slips for boats up to 150…

Great Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center Named One of Best in the U.S.

By Peter Janssen on April 29, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re heading around the Great Loop, or simply cruising up and down the Intracoastal Waterway, you may want to schedule a stop at the facedock at the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center in North Carolina, just south of the Virginia border. It’s always been a friendly spot to rest or spend the night; indeed, about 2,000 boats stop there each year. But now it has some added cachet: Architectural Digest just named it one of the 15 most beautiful rest spots in the U.S. The state-run welcome center serves as a gateway to the Dismal Swamp State Park just across…

For a Real Charter Vacation, Try a Luxurious Crewed Cat from MarineMax in the BVI

By Peter Janssen on April 23, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

What could be better than a charter vacation in the British Virgin Islands, with some of the most beautiful, and boater-friendly, cruising grounds in the world? Well, how about a crewed charter vacation in the BVI, where someone else does the driving, the planning, the cooking and the cleaning up? Sounds good? Take a look at the MarineMax Vacations crewed charters now located at Scrub Island Resort, Spa and Marina, next to Tortola. They’ll move to their new permanent location at Nanny Cay in the fall, once construction is finished there. The rebuilt Nanny Cay, on the south side of…

Belfast, Maine: A Summer Cruising Destination with a Now-Thriving Waterfront

By Peter Janssen on April 19, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Once a major shipbuilding and commercial fishing center that fell on hard times, Belfast, Maine, is enjoying a revival that makes it an attractive cruising destination this summer if you’re heading Down East. Way up Penobscot Bay, Belfast seems a bit off the beaten track, but it’s well worth the detour. For one thing, the newly invigorated waterfront, centering around a public Harbor Walk and the thriving Front Street Shipyard, is worth a visit in itself. For another, because of its location, Belfast often gets less summer fog than many other Maine ports. Belfast dates to 1630, when it was…

For Some of the Best of Maine, Head for Prouts Neck and the New 250 Main in Rockland

By Peter Janssen on April 10, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

In case you need another reason to go to Maine, take a good look at these stories and pictures of what you can find in Prouts Neck, just below Portland, with its rocky shoreline immortalized by Winslow Homer, and then farther up the coast in Rockland, known as the art capital of Maine but now also the home of an “art hotel” created by Cabot Lyman, of Lyman-Morse boatbuilders. Here’s a great guide from The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, MA, that will have you heading Down East in a hurry. You’ll find Prouts Neck first; it’s on a peninsula in Scarborough, surrounded…

More Recovery in the BVI: Cooper Island Beach Club Reopens with Same Rum Bar, Same Views

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

The recovery in the British Virgin Islands is getting stronger. Indeed, the Cooper Island Beach Club just reopened as a result of major rebuilding since the hurricanes last fall. Cooper Island is on the Sister Island chain leading to The Baths at Virgin Gorda, and is a popular overnight (or longer) spot for people cruising or chartering in the area. There are a lot of reasons to head to the Cooper Island Beach Club. It has one of the largest rum bars in the Caribbean, with stunning sunset views; an infamous microbrewery, a beachfront restaurant, and all its rooms have…

A Quick Guide to Cruising to a Boater-Friendly Washington, DC, an Iconic Destination, Whatever Your Politics

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

If you’re cruising in the Chesapeake this spring or summer, you may want to think about taking a side trip up the Potomac to visit Washington, DC, a great cruising destination for a long weekend or even more. It may be a well-kept secret, but the nation’s capital is boater-friendly, with several new and revamped marinas, a few within walking distance of some of the most iconic sights in the world. Here’s a story I wrote not long ago for Southern Boating about cruising to Washington. Local construction has improved some of the marinas since then, but all the attractions…

The Moorings Reopens Its Charter Base in Beautiful, Historic Mallorca in the Med

By Peter Janssen on March 27, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

The good news is that The Moorings is reopening its charter operation in Palma, Mallorca, on April 1, after it has been closed for the winter. Just 50 miles off the east coast of Spain, Mallorca is surrounded by the Med’s sparkling blue waters and is dotted with secluded beaches and natural beauty. And from Palma, you can cruise through the other Balearic Islands – Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera – or just enjoy the sun and gentle breezes around Mallorca itself. Mallorca is rich in history. The Romans first occupied the island in 123 BC and founded Palma as an…

The Recovery in St. John: Cruz Bay Is Lively, Major Hotels Remain Closed, but Beaches and Vistas Are Still Beautiful

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Here’s a pretty thorough update from The New York Times on the recovery in St. John in the U.S. Virgins, six months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, reporting that major resorts are still closed and the cleanup is continuing. The story quotes a frequent visitor from Connecticut who says, “There are two ways to look at it. Some people say, ‘What a mess.’ On the other hand, you still have the beautiful views and the beautiful beaches.” Flights from the U.S. are about half of what was normal before the hurricanes, and the head of tourism says tourism is down…

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