Destinations

The Moorings Reopens in St. Martin, but from a New Charter Base in Marigot

By Peter Janssen on February 1, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

The Moorings and Sunsail, the world-wide charter companies, just reopened operations in St. Martin on Feb. 1, only four months after the Caribbean island was devastated by Hurricane Irma. They are now working out of a new charter base at Marina Fort-Louis in the island’s French capital of Marigot. The charter base there will have a diverse fleet including many powerboats, and more boats are expected to arrive as part of the companies’ $66.5 million investment in their Caribbean fleet after last fall’s hurricanes. Boats are available for bareboat and crewed charters, and one-way charters also are possible. Marina Fort-Louis is…

Charter a Canal Cruiser on the Thames from Le Boat, Even If You Don’t Have an Invitation to the Royal Wedding

By Peter Janssen on January 24, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

A charter boat vacation on the River Thames, rich in history, bordered by rolling pastoral countryside, English villages, pubs and even some castles, would be a treat at any time. But now Le Boat, the largest self-drive charter operation in Europe, has a special this spring. It’s called The Royal Cruise, and it can take you to Windsor Castle on May 19, for the wedding of Prince Harry and the American actress Meghan Markle. You actually can cruise on the Thames any time from Le Boat’s base in Chertsey, about 25 miles west of London and just short of Windsor…

Trent-Severn Waterway: A Unique and Unforgettable Cruising Experience Connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Huron

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

The Trent-Severn Waterway, the 240-mile-long picturesque passage that connects Lake Ontario to Lake Huron through largely pastoral farmland and little towns in southern Ontario, provides one of the most unique cruising experiences in the world. Indeed, many cruisers who complete the Great Loop say it is the highlight of their entire 5,000-plus-mile trip. The basic route for the Waterway was traveled by Samuel de Champlain in 1615; he saw it as a way to provide a trade and military advantage connecting the two big lakes. After much debate, work on the Waterway, which starts in the town of Trenton, on…

It’s a Long Way to Go, but Curacao is One of the Most Colorful Cruising Destinations

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

If you’re looking for a colorful cruising destination, think about Curacao, where the old Dutch colonial capital of Willemstad (pictured above) is rich with pastel-hued buildings and the island is dotted with beautiful beaches, coves, and coral reefs rich with marine life. And the temperatures are warm year-round, the breezes are gentle and the humidity is low. Curacao is, admittedly, a long way to go. It’s all the way down in the Caribbean, only 44 nm north of Venezuela. But it has many marinas to choose from once you’re there, including Curacao Marine, a large, full-service marina and yard in…

A Popular Boating Destination near Seattle, Poulsbo Seems a World Apart. Don’t Miss the Viking Fest

By Peter Janssen on December 31, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

Only 13 nm from Seattle, Poulsbo, Washington, is in a world of its own. First settled by Scandinavian immigrants in the 1880s because the snow-capped Olympic Mountains to the west reminded them of home, Poulsbo today is a popular boating and tourist destination known as Little Norway. It even has a Viking Fest on the third weekend in May to mark the start of the summer, complete with a parade, carnival and lots of live entertainment. For cruising boat owners, Poulsbo is not only easy to get to; it’s also an easy place to stay. It’s basically just behind Bainbridge…

For a New Cruise Off the Beaten Path, Try Norway Next Summer, a Land of Deep Fjords and Endless Daylight

By Peter Janssen on December 13, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

For a real cruise next summer, think about Norway, the high-latitude Scandinavian country with prehistoric glaciers, deep fjords, thousands of islands and about 20 hours of sunlight a day. It’s not particularly easy to get to for a recreational powerboat – you have to go across the North Sea from the UK, the Netherlands or Denmark – but once you’re there, the rewards are immense. As one captain quoted in this story from Superyacht Times says, you’ll find “silky smooth cruising grounds within the endless network of fjords, each with their own set of snow-capped mountains melting in the summer…

The Moorings Reopens in the BVI with 100 Boats Ready to Charter Right Now

By Peter Janssen on December 12, 2017 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

There’s more good news about the post-hurricane comeback in the British Virgin Islands. The Moorings and Sunsail, the power and sail charter powerhouses, just reopened their base in Road Town, Tortola, with a combined fleet of more than 100 yachts ready to go (see the picture above). In addition, the companies have invested $66.5 million to bring in more than 130 new boats that will arrive in early 2018. The people throughout the BVI have been resilient and working hard to build back after the devastating hurricanes just three months ago. Pirate’s Bight, Soggy Dollar Bar and Foxy’s are all…

One of the World’s Great Cruising Destinations, St. Barts is Making a Comeback after Irma

By Peter Janssen on November 28, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

St. Barts suffered more than a glancing blow from Hurricane Irma in early September, but it wasn’t a knockout punch. Irma did cause a lot of damage throughout the island, destroying some hotels, restaurants and even wiping out the weather station, but now St. Barts, one of the world’s great cruising and vacation destinations, is staging a comeback. This story and video from Caribbean Journal tell how resilient the island is; some hotels have already reopened (although Eden Rock and Le Toiny will be shut until 2018), and more shops and restaurants reopening every day. But St. Barts is still…

Five Favorite Anchorages in the Remote but Beautiful Broughton Islands

By Peter Janssen on November 26, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

Way above the more popular San Juans and the Canadian Gulf Islands, the Broughton Islands, on the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait in British Columbia, are an inviting (and often over-looked) cruising grounds, with remote anchorages, deep channels, sharply-creased fjords and lots of peace and quiet. Most cruisers, of course, stay farther south, but if you head up to the Broughtons, which basically are opposite Port Hardy, about two-thirds of the way up Vancouver Island, you’ll find that as the crowds thin out, the wildlife population increases; it’s not unusual to find dolphins playing next to your boat in…

A Fast Tour of the Best of Australia, from Perth to Tasmania, with Sunseeker

By Peter Janssen on November 21, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

Here’s a fast tour of the horizon if you’re ever cruising in Australia (Oz), from Rottnest Island off Perth on the Indian Ocean to the separate island of Tasmania off the southeast coast, the Barrier Reef and much more, all from the pages of Sunseeker Magazine, from Sunseeker Yachts. Our tour starts in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, a modern metropolis with skyscrapers and bustle. (When I was there some 30 years ago, it was much sleepier, reminding me of an earlier San Diego.) From there it’s an 11-mile offshore hop to Rottnest Island, filled with wildlife (don’t miss…

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