Destinations

Insider’s Guide to the Best of the BVI. Keep This List!

By Peter Janssen on July 19, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

Like many cruising people, I’ve been to the British Virgin Islands many times, and I think I know my way around. Well, turns out I was just getting started. I found plenty of new places on this insider’s guide to the best of the BVI from someone who grew up and still lives there, and I can’t wait to go back to try some of them out. Here, for example, you’ll find the best anchorage, the best beach, the best watersports, the best snorkeling (at The Indians, pictured above), the best hidden gem, the best hiking trails, and the best-kept…

Great Advice for Cruising the Beautiful but Remote North Channel from a Couple in a Mainship 30

By Peter Janssen on July 5, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

It’s beautiful, but it’s also remote, with some very narrow channels and a rock-lined bottom. Still, the North Channel of Lake Huron certainly qualifies as one of the best cruising destinations for boats coming from either the United States or Canada. Stretching 160 nm across the northern shore of Lake Huron, in the Canadian province of Ontario, the North Channel is filled with beckoning anchorages, uninhabited islands, hidden beaches and just enough marinas to keep everyone on board happy. Most cruisers who’ve been there agree that navigation can be tricky. The North Channel is 20 miles across at its widest point,…

Cruising in Casco Bay: Portland and So Much More

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

On my first trips to Maine, I’d hang a left at Cape Elizabeth and head into Casco Bay, usually tying up at DiMillo’s in downtown Portland and having a great dinner at one of the city’s many new, highly acclaimed restaurants. And then, most of the time, I’d have an early breakfast at Becky’s Diner, eating with the fishermen, before heading Down East to see friends in my favorite cruising grounds of Tenants Harbor or Somes Sound. Finally, I realized what a lot of people already knew. Casco Bay is a great cruising destination in itself, dotted with islands, beaches,…

First-Hand Report about What’s Open and What’s Not on Grand Bahama Island

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

Hurricane Matthew tore through Grand Bahama Island with 140-mph winds last October, causing extensive damage to boats and marinas. But what can you expect now? Here’s a great first-hand report by Greg Allard for the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net, who visited there earlier this month. The Old Bahama Bay Marina at West End, where many cruisers from Palm Beach or the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area clear Customs, was closed for months after the hurricane, and then reopened without power. But now all the damage to docks has been repaired, and new power has been installed. The marina is in…

Pierre’s Echo Bay Lodge & Marina: A Laid-Back Gem in British Columbia

By Peter Janssen on June 20, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

Pierre’s Echo Bay Lodge & Marina may not be on your cruising radar (I have to admit I wasn’t aware of it), but from the looks of things it’s definitely worth a stop if you’re cruising up the Inside Passage to Alaska or just hanging out in Queen Charlotte Strait, British Columbia. Pierre’s, it seems, is more laid-back than your normal marina; where else can you find a wood-burning hot tub, a community fire pit and even a “canine yacht club”? In fact, Pierre’s has the usual marina facilities – a fuel dock, grocery store, inviting docks – but people…

On Watch

By Peter Janssen on June 15, 2017 Destinations, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Mackinac Island: A Laid-Back Boating Haven on the Great Lakes Little changed since 1897, when the town leaders banned automobiles (they scared the horses), Mackinac Island, at the top of Lake Huron and just around the corner from the top of Lake Michigan, is perhaps the leading summer destination in the Midwest, and certainly is one of the most picturesque in the United States. With its own marina on the historic island, and two more nearby, it’s also a major boating destination, and that’s before you count the 320 sailboats that will arrive there from Chicago at the end of…

An Insider’s Guide to the Dalmatian Islands from The Moorings

By Peter Janssen on June 7, 2017 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

Here’s an insider’s guide to the best of Croatia’s Dalmatian Islands on the east coast of the Adriatic, with a mix of cerulean blue water, fair winds, warm weather and more than a touch of history (the islands were ruled by the Republic of Venice from before Columbus’ time to 1797). You can cruise among the islands in a chartered boat, stopping to explore historic towns with medieval walls, cobblestone streets and waterfront bars; Korcula, pictured above, is the birthplace of Marco Polo and one of the oldest towns in Croatia. Or get a guide and enter blue and green…

St. Croix: The Largest, Most Historic, and Most Laid-Back of the U.S. Virgin Islands

By Peter Janssen on May 24, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

With its warm waters, white beaches and protected harbors, St. Croix has been attracting visitors ever since Columbus landed there in 1493. Unfortunately, he was almost immediately attacked by the native Kalinago, and quickly sailed away. The Dutch and English had better luck, forming settlements in 1625, but they fought with each other and subsequent European nations trying to claim the place. Indeed, no fewer than seven nations (including the Knights of Malta and Denmark) have fought for ownership of St. Croix over the years. The U.S. finally bought the island, which is about 40 nm below St. Thomas (and…

6 Gems of Anegada: Reefs, Beaches, Lobsters and, oh, Shipwrecks

By Peter Janssen on May 16, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

When Columbus first saw this low-lying coral atoll in the Caribbean Sea on his second voyage in 1493, he named it Anegada, meaning drowned island. The highest point then, and now, is only 28 feet above sea level. Anegada, about 14 miles northeast of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, now has some waterfront restaurants and beach bars, but the 15-square-mile island really hasn’t change all that much. It is still virtually surrounded by Horseshoe Reef (accounting for 300 shipwrecks), which protects miles and miles of secluded white sand beaches. One of the best, Cow Wreck Beach, is home…

A Fast Guide to the Best Bars, Marinas and Fun Spots in Key West

By Peter Janssen on May 2, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’ve ever been there, I think you have to admit that Key West is unique, a one-off, there’s nothing like it. Ernest Hemingway, for one, loved it, writing that “it’s the best place I’ve ever been, anytime, anywhere.” The southernmost point in the United States, Key West is the heart of the Conch Republic, a jumping off point for Cuba for a lot of cruisers (including me, more than a decade ago), a sportfishing mecca, and the center of parties and celebrations that go on and on – from the evening gathering at Mallory Square to catch the…

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