Destinations

Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend: Classic Fun

By Peter Janssen on December 6, 2022 Destinations

The Ocean Reef Club’s annual Vintage Weekend just ended, and it was the usual high-spirited mix of classic boats, cars and planes with parties, dances, costumes and a generally good time. Founded in 1993 as a private club, Ocean Reef is one of the better yachting destinations in the world. It’s not far below Miami on Key Largo, and it has a world-class marina, two golf courses, a private airport, lots of tennis courts, a spa, and a large outdoor swimming pool and beach area. There are also several restaurants and bars. I once spent the New Year’s holiday there…

Beaufort, SC: Charm on the Waterway

By Peter Janssen on November 13, 2022 Destinations

To my mind, the Low Country, the winding, tidal flats and marshlands that run through the southern part of South Carolina, is the best part of the Intracoastal Waterway. You can’t be in a hurry; there are so many S-curves that you can think you’re cruising back on yourself. But that’s the point. Everything is virtually at sea level, with an absolutely golden hue at the beginning and end of the day, so it’s easy to relax and feel peaceful about the world. Dating to 1711, Beaufort is one of the most inviting spots there. You can choose from several…

Doggersbank Cruises to Robinson Crusoe Island

By Peter Janssen on November 7, 2022 Destinations

The captain of a Doggersbank 97 explorer yacht just wrote about his trip to Robinson Crusoe Island, yes, that Robinson Crusoe Island, the one that the fictional Robinson Crusoe was stranded on in Daniel Defoe’s 1719 book that became a classic. And, it turns out, Robinson Crusoe Island is a terrific place. The island is a bit remote, about 416 miles off the coast of Chile in the South Pacific. That’s why the 18th century mariner Alexander Selkirk was stranded there for four years before he was rescued (the real back story to Defoe’s book). It is the largest in…

Cooper Island: A Bit of Paradise in the BVI

By Peter Janssen on October 25, 2022 Charter, Destinations

Cooper Island, a small island in the British Virgin Islands, seems to have it all: Location, a boutique-like resort along a sloping white beach, a mooring field for visitors, snorkeling right off your boat, and a western view for fantastic sunsets. Cooper Island is close to Tortola, home of the larger charter fleets, and to Virgin Gorda, where The Baths are on almost everyone’s charter itinerary. If you don’t have a boat, you can get there on a water taxi from Tortola. The Cooper Island Beach Club is now fully restored from the hurricanes of 2017. It’s a family-owned, eco-resort…

Mississippi River Hits Record Lows

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2022 Destinations

In normal times, Tower Rock (pictured above) serves as a landmark on the Mississippi River, about 90 miles below St. Louis. It’s 344 feet high, and it’s accessible only by boat. As of a few days ago, school children were walking out to the rock without getting their feet wet. These are not normal times. The Mississippi is running low; some 40 gauges are recording low water records all along the mighty river, according to NOAA. Barges carrying crops and cargo from America’s heartland are getting stuck and running aground in mud; the delays will cause disruption in supply chains…

The Hudson River: A Gorgeous Fall Cruise

By Peter Janssen on September 27, 2022 Destinations

For a memorable fall cruise, there are few places more beautiful than the historic and foliage-lined Hudson River. Stretching 153 miles from The Battery in New York Harbor to The Federal Lock at Troy (just above Albany) and the start of the Erie Canal, the Hudson offers a slice of Americana, everything from the adrenaline-pushing bustle of Wall Street and New York’s West Side up past majestic mountains, pastoral countrysides, the stolid buildings at the state capital in Albany, and many harbors and coves of all descriptions. And lots of history. The Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first…

Hampton, VA: A Cruisers’ Treat

By Peter Janssen on September 21, 2022 Destinations

For snowbirds heading south soon, an overnight (or longer) stay in Hampton, Virginia, offers one of the better treats on the entire trip. As the real estate people say, it’s all about location, location, location. And here, Hampton is pretty much at the top of the list. It’s almost next to Norfolk and Mile Zero of the ICW (the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami is at Mile 1,087), and it also offers a rich variety of marinas, history, museums, parks, restaurants, and things to see and do. By boat, Hampton is easy to get to. It’s a natural harbor at…

Desolation Sound: Beautiful Cruising Grounds

By Peter Janssen on August 3, 2022 Destinations

One of the premiere cruising destinations on the West Coast, Desolation Sound, despite its name, is pretty easy to get to. It’s just 93 miles above the city of Vancouver, and getting there is half the fun. For those of us starting from the Seattle area, you just head up past the San Juans, cross the border to the Canadian Gulf Islands, go past Princess Louisa Inlet, and you’ll get there. Keep Vancouver Island on your port side, mainland British Columbia to starboard. Desolation Sound is a destination in its own right, but it also serves as a gateway to…

Riva Celebrates in Venice

By Peter Janssen on June 23, 2022 Destinations

Riva, one of the most glamorous boat builders in the world, and Venice, one of the most glamorous cities in the world, seem to go together. So it seems natural that Riva just held its over-the-top 180th anniversary there, a black-tie affair with its own movie premiere, a performance at La Fenice opera house, sports stars, and even the unveiling of a new limited-edition Riva Aquarama, the “Anniversario,” on the Grand Canal in front of the Riva Lounge in the Gritti Palace. Riva was founded in 1842, when Pietro Riva, a local craftsman, started repairing fishing boats damaged in a…

Poets Cove, A Gem in the Pacific Northwest

By Peter Janssen on June 15, 2022 Destinations

Just across the border in Canada, the marina at Poets Cove Resort & Spa on South Pender Island is a little gem of a destination in the Pacific Northwest, offering peace and quiet in a luxurious setting with some of the best sunsets you’ll ever see. It’s not a surprise that the marina, with 110 slips, is the host of some boating rendezvous; indeed, Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats owners were just there. But it’s also no secret that the marina, set well into the protected end of Bedwell Harbour, is a great stopping point for anyone in the summer…

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