Yacht club membership now has even more privileges.

By Marty Richardson

Teresa Scott MYC Photo

Times are tough and current economic conditions cause mariners to seek ways to “boat smarter,” plan trips to maximize fuel efficiency, gunkhole more often and search for reasonable docking options. Surprisingly, many Florida cruisers have found that yacht club membership can help hold down boating costs.

Here’s how it works. There are 36 Florida yacht clubs that comprise a group known as the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs (FCYC). Any active cruiser who belongs to one of these FCYC member clubs receives the first night dockage free (that’s right, free) at each club, once every 30 days. Tom Smith, 2012 FCYC Secretary and member of Marathon Yacht Club, notes, “The Council is so interested in encouraging our members to visit member clubs that we sponsor an annual contest with awards going to the members who visit the most clubs.”

Members of each club are provided with the FCYC’s Guide to the Clubs by Land and Water in printed and CD formats. This handy and comprehensive reference includes nautical chart reproductions of club locations and approaches by water, nearby anchorages, radio contact information, directions for those arriving by car, distances to shopping and dining establishments, as well as services offered by each club and hours of operation. FCYC members enjoy dining, social and facilities privileges at any of these clubs; many have swimming pools, health and fitness clubs, tennis courts, golf, loaner bicycles, cable TV hookups, Wi-Fi, fuel and pumpouts.

After the first free night of dockage, additional nights can be booked at reduced rates. Charges for dockside power, restaurant, bar and fueling (where available) will be billed to the cruiser’s home club. A few clubs have limitations on draft, lengths of boats accommodated, and number of guest slips, so it’s important to call the individual club dockmaster in advance for reservations.

The Council was founded in 1961 by 13 yacht clubs on the west coast of Florida, and they celebrated 50 years in operation just last year. The FCYC sponsors interclub cruises for member boats along both Florida coasts and the Bahamas, and organizes professional cruises for members to exciting locations like Monte Carlo, Greece, Denmark, Germany, the Panama Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Active in water-oriented organizations such as the National Boating Federation and the Florida Ports and Water Resources Association, the Council also supports the interests of its boating members in legislative matters.

Now you know what a bargain and pleasure FCYC membership can be. So, if you’re not already a member of a participating club, join up and put these (and other) member clubs on your cruising plan. Check the FCYC website at floridacouncilofyachtclubs.com for further information.

A Few Noteworty FCYC Member Clubs:

Marathon, the Heart of the Keys Marathon Yacht Club (MYC), in Marathon on Vaca Key, is one of the most popular clubs among FCYC cruisers, and just celebrated its 60th year in operation. In the heart of the Florida Keys, it’s noted for its friendly, casual atmosphere and spectacular sunsets across beautiful Florida Bay.

MYC is famous for the Friday bring-your-own-entrée outdoor cookout, complete with live entertainment. Try the club’s Happy Hour Sunday, with free hot dogs (bring a dish to pass) and half-priced drinks, or Tuesday’s Blue Plate Specials with an all-you-can-eat ice cream sundae bar. Check out the monthly Raw Bar and Prime Rib nights, or the weekly Wednesday Burgers at the Bar night. Members enjoy many boating rendezvous (Key West and Islamorada are favorite destinations), plus an annual bus trip to February’s Miami International Boat Show. The club also sponsors a popular quarterly fishing derby.

MYC is just across the isthmus from Vaca Key’s famous Boot Key Harbor mooring field and is convenient to a number of private marinas that offer all the services cruisers may need. While there, keep the family busy at the many area attractions, including Crane Point Museum and Nature Center, and the Turtle Hospital which rescues and rehabilitates sea turtles. Mark your calendar for March 10-11, when the city hosts the annual Marathon Seafood Festival. This family-friendly event has been held for over 30 years and features fresh, locally-caught Keys seafood at amazing prices. Just dock at the MYC, walk across Highway A1A, and you’re there.

Bird Key, boating paradise

Bird Key Yacht Club (BKYC), in Sarasota, has an outdoor pool, tennis courts and a fully-equipped health club. The clubhouse sports a new main entrance and lobby and while inside, choose from three dining rooms. I recommend the Compass Bar where you can take part in Wednesday night’s Happy Hour accompanied by Pub Fare featuring small plates at small prices. There are a dozen items to choose from, like crispy calamari, Ahi tuna, soft shell jumbo crab, Margarita-grilled flatbread pizza or Black Angus sliders. Don’t miss Friday’s TGIF halfprice drinks and make sure to try a Manhattan or martini, served in an individual iced mini-carafe. While at BKYC, explore Sarasota’s attractions. Two miles west of the club is the luxury shopping district at St. Armand’s Circle. Downtown Sarasota is about two miles in the opposite direction, across the Ringling Bridge. Just a cab ride away is the John and Mable Ringling Museum, possibly the Ringling’s greatest legacy to the area, with a world-class art collection and of course, the circus exhibit.

All new Isles Yacht Club

Isles Yacht Club (IYC), in Punta Gorda, has a warm and welcoming hospitality committee which delivers homemade cookies to visiting FCYC member boats, along with the offer of a free ride to the grocery or liquor store. Member Ray Starsman, FCYC’s 2012 Vice Commodore, notes that the IYC’s heated swimming pool, fitness center and tennis courts help mitigate the caloric effects of the Club’s renowned clam chowder. Arguably the best in Florida, it’s on the menu in their fine dining room or casual Commodore’s Grille in their post-Hurricane Charley state-of-the-art clubhouse.

Not far from IYC you can visit Fishermen’s Village, a waterfront mall and full-service, 97-slip yacht basin with themed boutiques, day spa and salon, casual dining and entertainment. If you haven’t had enough boating, catch a sightseeing or sunset cruise departing from the village docks. Nearby, historic Punta Gorda exemplifies a quaint waterside Florida town, with restored period homes. While there, make sure to visit the many boutiques and restaurants. On the third Thursday of each month, gallery walks are the evening’s entertainment, with art exhibits, live music and fine food.

Future issues of Southern Boating will feature additional FCYC member clubs. Wherever you decide to dock, make sure to visit the individual club websites to check monthly calendars for special events and features. Happy club-hopping!

Cruising to the Dry Tortugas

By Buddy Ward

0810 hours. I sipped my morning coffee and looked around for traffic. At the starboard bridge wing control, I slowly maneuvered away from the dock, turned around and eased out of Key West Bight Marina as a gentle easterly breeze lifted the remnants of the previous night’s Mallory Square revelries and delivered them through my port side window. Windows closed, and all clear of the land, I returned to the captain’s chair, scanned my instrumentation and surroundings, turned southwest and throttled up to begin threading my way through the parade of boats in the harbor.

The spray danced off the gleaming white hulls as I moved the throttles forward and the big ocean-going catamaran lifted up and charged into a following sea. The sweet sea breeze steadily increased as we neared 25 knots, our regular cruising speed. We were clear and away and bound for the Dry Tortugas. The bridge from which I operated the vessel looked like it was straight out of Star Trek. It was modern, immaculate and well-equipped. I finished my coffee, set the autopilot and settled into the two-hour passage to the “Gateway to the Gulf” and some of the most pristine beaches it has ever been my privilege to experience.

Dry Tortugas National Park encompasses about 64,000 acres some 70 miles west of Key West. There are seven islands now. Garden Key, one of the largest, has a fort built upon it that is now owned and maintained by the National Park Service. The great brick fortification, consisting of about 16 million bricks, and built in the mid-1800s, played a significant role in the War Between the States was used as a prison for a time, and still stands guard at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico.

Interestingly, Fort Jefferson’s most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, the very Dr. Mudd who is so closely associated with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Mudd graduated Baltimore Medical College (now known as the University of Maryland) in 1856. Mudd first met the Presidential-assassin, John Wilkes Booth, a year prior to the shooting, during a discussion regarding the sale of a horse. A month later, Mudd shared drinks with Booth and two others in Booth’s hotel room.

After the assassination, Booth had broken his leg and sought out Mudd for medical treatment, and stayed with Mudd until the next day. For his unknowingly aiding and abetting Booth, Mudd was eventually arrested for conspiracy and harboring Booth. A trial was held and after a string of testimonies, Mudd was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment at Fort Jefferson. Throughout his imprisonment, Mudd’s wife had been petitioning President Andrew Johnson to have her husband released from prison. As it turned out, Mudd’s incarceration was short-lived due to his heroic action and leadership during the yellow fever epidemic on the island in 1867. Due to his efforts in helping the sick, Mudd was finally granted a pardon in 1869, signed by Andrew Johnson himself in front of Mudd’s wife. He was officially released the following March.

“Off to our starboard side, that circle of islands is called the Marquesas Keys …” The naturalist was on the microphone regaling 100 eager passengers with his local knowledge as the rest of the crew served breakfast and readied the snorkel gear. We were approaching the wreck site of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha—a Spanish treasure galleon—and one of Mel Fisher’s salvage boats was already working the area. The galleon, along with her sister ship, the Santa Margarita, was lost in a hurricane in 1622 and discovered after years of searching by Fisher’s crew. The hull of the Atocha and the “mother lode” of treasure was estimated to be worth over 500 million dollars. They are still finding treasure today in the quest for the 400 million dollars more in riches said to have been stored in the sterncastle of the ship when it was lost.

I turned off the autopilot and adjusted my course slightly to the north. We were nearing Half Moon Shoals and the show was just beginning. You have never lived until you have taken a 100-foot catamaran over a 15-foot shoal at 25 knots. The water there is as clear as an aquarium. The passengers lined the rail hoping for a glimpse of the beloved turtles. From my perch in the wheelhouse I could see they would not be disappointed.

Turtles are prolific here in the spring and summer months and are quite often on the surface. There are greens and loggerheads; once I even saw a rare leatherback. The turtles were joined on the trip by dolphins and sharks and rays. During some seasons, jellyfish—known as “moon jellies”— decorate the waters for as far as you can see providing a feast for the turtles. As quickly as the bottom appeared, it vanished. We had crossed the shoals and entered the deep waters of Rebecca Channel. We were now 14 miles from Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas. One of the passengers visiting the wheelhouse asked how we were able to find it every day. I showed it to her on the radar and told her that she’d be able to see it about nine miles out.

From the surface of the sea the great brick walls of the fort began to rise. Above it, big black frigate birds circled, pointing the way. We climbed up onto the shallow water of the Dry Tortugas as we entered the National Park. Sea life was everywhere, as well as more types of birds than you can imagine, as this place is in the middle of the migratory routes between the mainland and Central and South America. I throttled back and transited the channel around the fort to prepare for docking. On the south side of the fort is a wellprotected anchorage with vessels of all types. Some go there as an intended destination, while others go because it’s a great rest stop on the way to Mexico and beyond.

There is no fuel on the island and, in fact, there are no stores, water, ice or services of any kind, so anyone who ventures here needs to be prepared. The park is also well outside of radio and cell phone range. The reward, however, is some of the most fantastic fishing, diving and scenery I have ever experienced. Approaching the dock, we had to wait just a minute as a sportfisherman cleared our space. The ferry takes precedence over private vessels but most people simply anchor up and dinghy onto the beach. Fifteen minutes later we were safely tied up, welcomed by the cacophony of gulls and sooty terns.

After the passengers disembarked, excitedly anticipating their day of touring the fort and swimming the pristine waters, I grabbed my fins and mask and walked the moat wall around to the north side of the fort. The light sea breeze filled my senses and made me feel alive. I entered the cool water that lay in stark contrast to the humid air. The noisy world of tourists and generators and birds vanished as I slipped below the surface. To the east lay the remnants of an old coal pier where the larger fish played. To the west, the beauty and wonder of the moat wall. A school of brightly-striped black, white and yellow sergeant major fish marched in formation in defense of the fort. I swam west, following the school past a large grouping of mangrove snapper. A pair of parrotfish in their hues of pink and green moved in and out of the coral in a coordinated dance. A petite damselfish caught my attention and I moved in for a closer look. The brave little fish, half-purple and half-yellow, charged out toward me in an attempt to defend her small rock. She was saved – I needed a breath. Traveling along the beautiful and delicate corals and fans I looked outward toward the soft white sand and the gently darkening shades of blue.

A boxfish left an isolated bump of brain coral and swam quickly toward the wall. He passed me quickly and frantically without a hint that he knew I was there. He was late and dove down a hole. For just a second, I was tempted to follow.

Two large, stately tarpon cruised effortlessly by on their way to the swim beach that lay ahead on the west side of the fort. My quiet isolation was about to end. Many of the tourists congregated at the swim beach to watch the show. A group of tarpon had corralled a school of small silvery baitfish locally known as “mohua” into the shallow waters. The small fish were wondrous. You could swim into the tightly packed cloud of them and never touch a one, so quickly and deftly did they glide just beyond reach. While they had no problem escaping humans, the tarpon were another matter. With complete abandon, the hundred pound-plus fish would charge out of the depths and crash into the tight concentration of silversides. People stood in awe taking pictures of five-foot-long fish swimming just inches from their legs.

I looked at my watch. There was just enough time for one last adventure. Just off the southwest corner of the fort in slightly deeper water lay the remains of a small old cannon. The old girl lay protected with large barracudas and giant goliath groupers standing guard. When I first found it, I tried to lift it out of the sand but it was impossibly buried. I started to tell someone about it, but changed my mind and decided to leave it be. So every day I would end my visit to this other world with a visit to my cannon. It took an extra effort for me to dive that deep and I could only linger for a second or two, but I needed to touch it. Holding her, I held onto the past and all the people who had passed this way. Moments from now I would return to the world. I would again be the captain with all the responsibilities and perks that come with the position. But just for that moment, I became one of many who touched that cannon on their passage through this place.

On the boat and dressed, refreshed in body and mind, the crew and I greeted the passengers back aboard, enjoying the excited chatter about their adventures. We said our goodbyes to the park rangers who live there. The crew cast off lines and we worked our way through the anchored boats. A group of bird-watchers shyly asked if it was possible to get close enough to Hospital Key to see the nesting grounds of the booby birds. I maneuvered the boat to within about 20 yards and slowed enough for the naturalist to answer their questions amid the sound of many cameras clicking away. A few minutes later it was time to go. The return trip was more subdued – some people read, some played cards, many slept. We were headed for home, leaving in our wake the beaches, the fort, the pristine waters and the setting sun of the Dry Tortugas, arriving in Key West just in time for everyone to celebrate the sunset.

Islamorada is a sparkling jewel in the string of

gems that comprise the Florida Keys.

By L.J. Wallace, Jr.

If you have never been to the Florida Keys, you are truly missing out on one of the most fascinating and beautiful places in the U.S. And nestled within the upper reaches of this string of delightful islands, you’ll find several that comprise Islamorada, “Village of Islands.” Islamorada has a reputation for being the “Sportfishing Capital of the World” and for two good reasons: it is said to have a larger fishing fleet per square mile than anywhere else in the world; and you can troll the deep waters offshore in the morning and be casting in the shallow flats of the ‘backcountry’ in the afternoon. But there’s so much more to this fishing paradise than just wetting a line, donning some scuba gear for a plunge down to the reef or paddling a kayak around the mangroves.

Islamorada stretches between Mile Markers (MM) 90 and 72 on storied State Highway A1A which terminates in Key West at MM- 0. It is comprised of six islands including Plantation Key, Windley Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key and the offshore islands of Indian Key and Lignumvitae Key, all situated between the saltwater wilderness of Everglades National Park to the north, and North America’s only coral barrier reef and the deep blue waters of the Florida Straits to the south.

Around the turn of the 19th Century, the area was home to the pioneering Pinder family who lived aboard their schooner, Island Home. Around this time, Henry Flagler was building his railroad through the Keys and track had already been laid in the area. However, the train would only stop at named towns and so the Spanish translation for Island Home—Islamorada— was adopted. However, as Islamorada Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Judy Hull explained, “Exactly how our village got its name is still a somewhat controversial subject. Some say it’s named after the Pinder’s boat, while others will tell you that the word Islamorada is Old Spanish for Purple Isles or Village of Islands.” At any rate, in 1908 the new Islamorada train station and Post Office opened for business.

As with much of the Florida Keys, it was a docile few decades until the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 ripped through the island chain. Packing winds exceeding 200 miles per hour, the storm created turbulent seas that sent a 17-foot storm surge directly across the Keys, killing hundreds of WWI veterans working on the railroad, as well as local residents. Two years later, after the railroad ties and other debris were removed, a Hurricane monument was erected at MM-81 in Islamorada.

Fast forward to 1997. After spending its entire history as an unincorporated portion of Monroe County, on December 31st of that year, the village was incorporated. Founded in the mid-1940’s, the 42- acre Plantation Yacht Harbor Resort on Islamorada had seen better days and doing something about it was item number one for the newly installed Village Council. Although controversial, the decision was made to purchase the property and build it into a public facility. This was the beginning of Founder’s Park and PYH Marina (MM-87 bayside). “The Gem and centerpiece of our village,” is the way Director of Parks and Recreation/Public Works, John Sutter, describes it.

Construction started soon after the land was acquired and the first order of business was to tear down all the old buildings except the restaurant which became Islamorada’s first government building. But since then, the property has become “built-out” as Sutter says. It began with the athletic facilities, then a beach, then an Olympicsized pool, tennis and basketball courts, dog park (in fact, for those of you who prefer to travel with your dog, the friendly and relaxed attitude on Islamorada means that many businesses, both lodgings and restaurants, are extremely dog-friendly), golf ball hitting area, skate park, fishing jetty, marina and most recently, an open-air amphitheater. “Yea, you could say it’s a big draw,” Sutter added, tongue-in-cheekily.

Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3, brings the 20th Annual Florida Keys Island Fest, billed as “Islamorada Chamber’s best event yet!” From 10AM-5PM both days, artists, musicians and much more  will transform the park into a fun-filled family destination. New to this year’s event is the All-American Road Vintage Cruisers Car Show, featuring pre-1975 cars, trucks, motorcycles and rat rods. In addition, an array of talented musicians will also take part, appealing to music lovers of all genres, from blues to reggae. “The Florida Keys have always been known as a mecca for the performing arts, and Island Fest is the best place to experience that first hand,” says Judy. “We’re really quite lucky to have so many gifted people sharing their talents with us.” Saturday’s culinary event features a tantalizing smoked-fish dip contest, and on Sunday, don’t miss the popular “Taste of the Islands,” a delicious competition showcasing the dishes of many local restaurants. And the ever-popular “IslaMarauder” Rum Punch Contest returns as well.

It’s refreshing to see the government spend taxpayer money on a project which, in the end, everyone agrees was money well spent. “It’s because of the cohesiveness of the Chamber, the government and the businesses of our village that it all came together so successfully,” states Judy. And indeed, the park provides not only a source of recreation for Islamorada residents, but it’s also becoming an economic engine of sorts. By offering so many facilities and activities not otherwise found in the Keys, people come from far and wide and while there, spend money in the local community.

Strolling around Islamorada and chatting with the folks you quickly learn that many of them have relocated or established a winter residence here from the north. This injection of Yankee blood is likely what has had a lot to do with the Renaissance that’s occurring in Islamorada. Judy related, “We believe we have the most diverse and best dining in all the Keys.” There’s Restaurant 88, which President George H.W. Bush has frequented, or Morada Bay and its monthly Full Moon Party. But it’s not all about dining when it comes to food. “There’s just so many places to find a tasty treat,” shared frequent visitor from Long Beach Island, New Jersey, Zach Kerzner. “The Islamorada bakery has the best scones anywhere.” Kerzner went on to sum up his feelings about the Village of Islands. “Islamorada is the hot spot of the Middle Keys, maybe all the Keys. There’s just something intangible about the place; it’s happening and classy.” Interestingly, research by the Chamber also indicates that a large percentage of visitors to Islamorada—particularly shorter-term and weekend—hail from southern Florida itself. Islamorada has also seen a surge as a “Destination Wedding” location.

As far as where to stay, you have a lot to choose from. If you’ve arrived by, or trailered your boat but want to keep it safe and convenient in a dry stack, there’s Snake Creek Marina (snakecreekmarinakeys.com),or for larger vessels, Plantation Yacht Harbor within Founders Park. For those flying in or arriving by car, it may be hard to decide just where to lay your head down. At the high end is what many consider to be the crown jewel of the Keys, the oceanfront Cheeca Lodge & Spa, complete with a golf course. Even if you don’t check in, it’s worth a visit to the elegant sportfishing-themed bar. If you’ve come by boat but want to spend your nights in a bed, not a bunk, then Islander Bayside Townhomes & Boatslips (islanderbayside.com) might be just the place for you with their magnificent views of the Gulf. Located on the southern tip of the islands you will find Bud N’ Mary’s Fishing Marina. Established in 1944 and home to over 40 legendary fishing captains and guides, it is the oldest and largest fishing fleet in the Florida Keys fishing industry. In addition to landside hotel accommodations at Bud N’ Mary’s, they have a pair of beautiful, custom-designed houseboats available for short- and longterm rental as well. If you arrive via a boat, dockage is available right next to them.

Islamorada has so much to offer and is so accessible, especially to those residing in the southeast, willing to make the drive, that it should be on everyone’s short-list of “must see” destinations. Islamorada Chamber of Commerce MM- 83.2; 305-664-4503; 800-FAB-KEYS; email: info@islamoradachamber.com; islamoradachamber.com

Story and Photos By Capt. Mike Holmes

A line of sportfishing boats at a concrete dock at Bridge Harbor.

Freeport  Texas has been my homeport for over 30 years. It hasn’t changed all that much in awhile, but for those who call it home or count themselves as frequent visitors, it doesn’t have to. As the largest port city on the Texas coast between Galveston and Corpus Christi, Freeport has more of an industrial base than most of its sister cities. From the petro-chemical plants to the offshore oil industry, the Bryan Mound Strategic Petroleum Reserve salt dome storage site to the shrimping industry, Freeport has long enjoyed a bustling economy.
Since Freeport is one of the few major port cities on the Texas coast not located on or near a major bay system, it is more closely linked to the open Gulf. The original point of Gulf access for shipping was the Brazos River outlet, and even before the War Between the States, cotton has been barged downstream from far inland to be loaded on ships at Velasco, as the area was known then. Since those early days, the original river outlet was cut off from the main stream because the port harbor⎯with a jettied channel leading into the Gulf and a new outlet canal⎯was cut through the beach to convey the river flow. Locals refer to these points as the “New” and “Old” Brazos river channels. The ICW crosses both streams and is protected from the current of the New River by a lock system maintained and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The proximity to deep water has always made Freeport one of the Gulf’s more prominent ports for fishermen seeking both red snapper and blue water gladiators like marlin and tuna. The run to the 100-fathom curve is approximately 65nm from the Freeport farewell buoy, as opposed to nearly 100nm out of Galveston. Natural “rock” bottom formations and vessels sunk over the decades provide habitat for red snapper and grouper, and the many offshore oil rigs scattered from just off the beach to 200 miles offshore attract both bottom and surface dwelling species. It is as close to the Flower Gardens reef system from Freeport as from Galveston, which has led to several large dive boat operations locating there. “Head-boats,” or “party-boats” carrying large groups of fishermen (mostly seeking red snapper) were a big part of Freeport’s economy until recent changes in Federal fishing regulations, coupled with rising fuel prices, badly hurt the industry. But area marinas still hold a large fleet of sportfishing yachts, both private and for-hire, equipped for both billfish and smaller game fish like dolphin and wahoo. Fishermen with trailerable boats come from all over Texas to launch here, many staying much closer to land to target king mackerel and cobia, as well as other pelagic species.
Cruising mariners who pass through Freeport—as well as those seeking a more permanent berth for their vessel—will find more marina options than they did in the past. Where once Bridge Harbor Yacht Club on the ICW was the home of upscale boat owners⎯with its condos, pool, tennis courts, ship’s store, club and restaurant (while the few other marinas were more of a place to just park boats)—several new marinas and additions to existing ones that came largely after Hurricane Ike roared through the area in 2008, add both capacity and variety to Freeport’s boating scene.
The all-new Surfside Marina (surfside-marina.com) has both wet and dry slips and a full ships store. The Gulf Coast Marina (gulfcoastmarina.com) just on the east side of the tall Surfside Bridge, is a dry storage facility with a large forklift capable of handling the largest of outboard boats, and sells fuel and bait as well. There is also a waterfront restaurant on the property. Both of these businesses are on the south side of the ICW and require crossing via the Surfside Bridge.
Bridge Harbor (bhycfreeport.com) is still the elite marina and a popular stop for transient boats due to its close proximity to “the ditch” and the jetties. A full service marina, it has a repair yard and fuel dock as well as the amenities listed above, although the restaurant may not be in operation at this time.
Kirby Marina (kirbymarina.com) is located well up Oyster Creek, and though it has fewer amenities and is a longer run from the Gulf, some prefer its added protection from storms, along with the slightly more laid back atmosphere. In recent years this marina has almost doubled in size due to the addition of docks dedicated solely to large outboard and stern-drive powered boats hanging in heavy-duty lifts. Dos Amigos Boat Works (979-239-2940) is just down the creek from Kirby, and is a full-service yard offering everything from routine maintenance to custom repowering, fiberglass repair and aluminum tower work. Jim’s Services (979-233-0270), next door to Kirby’s, does bottom jobs and haul-outs for do-it-yourselfers, as well as repairs and is even the local TowBoatUS base.
Another option for boats and their owners is the new Freeport Municipal Marina (freeport.tx.us), located in the main harbor and behind the floodgate that protects shrimpboats and crewboats. Although there is no repair yard or fuel at this time, the new floating docks accommodate boats up to 60 feet, and there is also a dry stack building. Opened just in the last year, plans are for a ship’s store and other facilities, and this location has perhaps the best storm protection potential in the area.
What Freeport is NOT, is a raucous resort town in the strictest sense. There are good eateries and some nightspots along the beach and many canal subdivisions, but most people who live here or frequent the area prefer the quieter atmosphere.This is a mellower sort of boat town, in other words, not a bustling tourist town.

By Carol Bareuther

Yacht Haven Grande, one of the main marinas on St. Thomas, offers a welcoming glow at night.

The 31-square-mile Leeward Island of St. Thomas has much to offer. I’m sure the pirates⎯who arrived shortly after the Dutch West India Company planted its flag in 1657—as well as modern day sailors, sports fishermen and superyacht cruisers—would agree. Today, this U.S. Virgin Island boasts everything from fine-dining restaurants, duty-free shops and over a dozen white sand beaches, to full-service marinas and boat yards, provisioning and parts, crewed and bareboat charters, sports fishing and daysail excursions, as well as world-class fishing tournaments and internationally-recognized sailing regattas. Is it any wonder why, after cruising here from New Jersey in 1986, I’ve never left?
If you arrive by boat, Customs and Immigration is located in the island’s capital of Charlotte Amalie. This red-roofed town is full of Danish-era charm and is a central location if you’re interested in nightlife, upscale dining and shopping. It’s also less than a 10-minute ride from the Cyril E. King Airport where major carriers depart daily on direct flights to New York, Miami and Atlanta. You can dock on the waterfront (although there are no facilities there) but some alternatives are the 46-slip Island Global Yachting (IGY)-owned Yacht Haven Grande megayacht marina to the east of the harbor, or two miles westward at the 99-slip Crown Bay Marina.
Charlotte Amalie’s Main Street is famous for its duty-free shopping. Diamonds, gold jewelry, Rolex watches, locally-made Cruzan Rum and island art are sold in plush, air-conditioned stores. The sense of history here is awesome. Those retailers sit along the same brick-and-stone lined alleyways where tobacco, sugar and rum were offloaded from sailing ships centuries ago. Two blocks north of Main Street sits the second oldest synagogue in the Western hemisphere, Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim, a National Historic Landmark, the 1680-built Fort Christian which lies next to Vendor’s Plaza (think T-shirts and other souvenirs); and the stone towers of Bluebeard’s Castle and Blackbeard’s Castle rising up over town as two major attractions. You can find upscale shops outside of the hustle-and-bustle of town at the main cruiseship dock in Havensight, situated a mile from downtown. There are also many name-brand stores and waterfront restaurants next door at Yacht Haven Grande.

This property is the home base of the Virgin Islands Charteryacht League (VICL). Over 100 daysail, sport fishing, dive and term charter yachts belong to the VICL and collectively contribute to what the non-profit organization estimates to be some $80 million annually into the local economy. The VICL fleet includes power and sailing monohulls, multihulls and a handful of megayachts. This makes for a nice mix over the very catamaran-oriented British Virgin Islands’ (BVI) fleet.
The nearby BVIs are an integral part of a week-long charter from St. Thomas. However, many yachts do opt to stop at Great St. James Island off St. Thomas’ East End the first night. The placid anchorage there at Christmas Cove is only a two to three hour upwind run from Charlotte Amalie.
You can also charter a bareboat from Caribbean Yacht Owners Association (CYOA). Located in the quaint Frenchtown section of Charlotte Amalie, the nearly 20-vessel fleet includes everything from a 39-foot Beneteau to a 49-foot Fountaine Pajot cat, plus a couple of trawlers. Frenchtown is also home to the local commercial fishing fleet and the 18-foot-long pastel-painted open wooden boats lined up in a row harborside are very picturesque. The CYOA docks are adjacent to where private yachts can tie up as well. The late newscaster and avid cruiser, Walter Cronkite, would dock his 48-foot Sunward Wynte here in the winters. It’s an ideal spot to embark on a week-long charter to Puerto Rico’s offshore islands of Culebra and Vieques. These small, barely populated islands are a half day’s sail away and have excellent anchorages (no marinas), laidback bars and restaurants, and cool sights like a glowing phosphorescent bay.
But it’s the East End that’s the real nautical hub of St. Thomas. This is due in large part to line-of-sight proximity to the BVIs. The Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club (VIGFC) and St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC) were founded out here in 1963 and 1964, respectively. Today, the VIGFC’s clubhouse in Red Hook, which sits right behind the Carey Chen-painted life-size replica of a blue marlin, is the place anglers meet weekly and for the Club’s four major annual tournaments. It’s also the sign-up spot for the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (known locally as ‘The Boy Scout Tournament’) which takes place each year over the August full moon. Juno Beach, Florida angler Sam Jennings’ 59-foot Revenge won Best Boat this summer with 11 blue marlin released in four days of fishing off the North Drop, indicating that St. Thomas remains a hot spot for blue marlin.
The STYC on Cowpet Bay is a small club by stateside standards but with a lot of clout on the world’s competitive sailing stage. Not only has it produced Olympic, America’s Cup and top-ranked match race sailors, but the younger generation shows an equal proclivity for bringing home hardware from regattas around the world. STYC welcomes visiting sailors and it’s the home of the International Rolex Regatta as well as the Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta. In addition, STYC members host the annual Carlos Aguilar Match Race held each December in the Charlotte Amalie Harbor.
The East End settlement of Red Hook has grown into a nearly self-contained community. You’ll find banks, postal service, hardware, chandleries, bars and restaurants, as well as excellent provisioning at the Marina Market, located across from the Ferry Dock and the American Yacht Harbor. The charter sports fishing fleet, dive operators and daysail yachts can be found here as well. Come for a charter, stay at the Ritz-Carlton, rent a villa or condo, or dock at the 105-slip IGY American Yacht Harbor Marina.
You’re bound to love it here as much as I do. After all, St. Thomas has all the allure of an exotic tropical destination but with the safety, security and familiarity of the U.S. flag.

By Nancy Birnbaum

Marina at Marigot Bay Photo

Every winter, the islands of the Caribbean welcome visitors from the cooler climates and extend their warm embrace to those seeking to relax and renew. New resorts abound and some of the familiar properties boast new additions. For those visiting by boat, there’s plenty to take in. Here are just a few…

Spotlight-St. Maarten
The St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) has launched Spotlight-St. Maarten, a month long event focusing on education, recreation and discounts for tourists, locals and those visiting by yacht. The event kicks off with live entertainment and fireworks on St. Maarten’s Day, Friday, November 11th (11/11/11!), and will include leisure events, sporting activities and training seminars.The festivities run through Sunday, December 18th, when the final weekend will be celebrated with private VIP events, as well as free concerts open to everyone. The Spotlight-St. Maarten calendar is available on the event’s website (smmta.com), where you will also find a complete list of discounts that will be offered throughout the event, including deals at marinas, chandleries, service centers, hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and more.
Sporting activities during the month will include a sailing regatta, fishing tournament, tennis tournament, golf tournament and paddleboard races. Events will take place mostly on St. Maarten, but the SMMTA will also be spotlighting French St. Martin and the surrounding islands of St. Barts, Anguilla and Saba as the beauty and diversity of these destinations is a major part of what makes St. Maarten a truly unique yachting destination.

IGY marinas
With yachting destinations spanning the Americas, IGY (Island Global Yachting) has redefined the luxury marina experience. Founded in 2005, IGY focuses on acquiring, managing and servicing luxury-yacht marinas and lifestyle destinations. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, IGY also has offices in New York, New York and St. Thomas, USVI. IGY marinas operate under the signature Yacht Haven Grande collection and the IGY series brands, and IGY’s network of properties is setting new standards for service and quality in nautical tourism throughout the world. The company now offers an unprecedented collection of 12 marinas in the Caribbean, Pacific and the Americas, all catering to a variety of vessel types including sportfishers, cruisers, sailing and motor yachts, as well as being exclusive home ports for some of the world’s largest megayachts. According to Cuthbert Didier, Director of Yachting (St. Lucia), “The goal is to develop a national policy for the yachting sector in the country while strategically fostering its growth. To do this, the relevant legislation and regulations must be put in place.” (Read about recent changes affecting visiting yachts in our Caribbean Currents column on page 26.) igymarinas.com

Marigot Bay, St. Lucia
New for this winter, The Marina at Marigot Bay offers a fully serviced deep-draft berth at 21 feet deep with 125-amp power, water, CATV, WiFi and on-berth fueling. The berth is large enough for yachts to a maximum size of 170 feet. In addition, named after the Jimmy Buffet song, “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere” a new Sport Bar and Café in the Marina Village has opened. Finally, clearance charges have been reduced for 2012, combined with a package of other measures approved by government to simplify yacht clearance and transit. marigotbaymarina.com

Dominican Republic
Gianfranco Fini & Piero Giacosa—two Italian gentlemen with roots as designers and visionaries—had a dream they took half way around the world to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean and a country called the Dominican Republic. There they met with the owners of the fabulous Casa de Campo resort.
Located at Lat.18° 23.9’N. / Lon. 68° 54.2′W, their amazing dream became a reality. Where the Chavon River meets the Caribbean Sea at the water’s edge of a 7,000 acre resort, there is now a chic new community and ‘Paradise Found’ for sailors and power cruisers alike, a true tropical gem on the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. Its unique collection of facilities and impeccable service by a warm Dominican staff are treasured by people of all ages who come from around the world.
Inspired by the old seaside villages of the Mediterranean but equipped with all the most modern services, Casa de Campo Marina boasts colorful residential architecture. There are 105 units including villas and townhouse-type apartments, many with a private pier. In the Calle Barlovento, beside the residential apartments, there are numerous shops to satisfy any need, including the lovely Piazza Portofino with its many choices in restaurants, pizzerias, ice cream shops and cafés. Piazza Portofino is also the place to experience the island nightlife and is the natural backdrop for shows, sports and cultural events.
The Yacht Club at the center of the Marina (though it is a private club) is an architectural gem with striking lounges, a stunning bar, winding staircase, and open upper and lower ocean view terraces. The Yacht Club has hundreds of boats for its sailing school, along with international teachers from Costa Smeralda Yacht Club in Italy. casadecampo.com.do/marina-casa-de-campo

Pusser’s Marina Cay
If positive reviews by enthusiastic travelers aren’t enough to sway you, consider that there are few places like Marina Cay. Charles Tobias, owner of Pusser’s, purchased Marina Cay, then set about building a very small and intimate resort, gift shop and another Pusser’s Restaurant on this charming, eight-acre island. The flower-covered island is ringed by a soft, white sand beach, all nestled in a sheltered, emerald green lagoon whose shallow waters are always calm and warm. It is the ideal place to enjoy the colorful sea life that inhabits the coral reef and the lagoon. Those looking for a quiet, land-based vacation will find Pusser’s villas and hotel rooms very accommodating. TripAdvisor’s reviews read like a best seller: “The view was to die for”… “Beautiful seclusion, for as long as you can take that!”… “Our own private island paradise that doesn’t break the bank.” And last but not least, “The most amazing little piece of heaven.”
For cruisers visiting Marina Cay, there are several mooring buoys available, so stop in at Pusser’s for lunch or dinner. There’s an extensive menu which includes seafood and Caribbean specialties, as well as familiar North American fare. You may also top off your fresh water tank and ice box at the marina. pussers.com

St. Kitts
There’s news of a new development currently under construction in Little Salt Pond, Christophe Harbour in St. Kitts. Work on the 300-acre harbor began in January 2010, excavating the basin to a 20-foot depth. When dredging is completed, a channel will be opened to Ballast Bay. The developers hope to then break ground on the bulkhead and docks by the end of this year. Plans include dockage for megayachts up to 250 feet as well as shops, cafés and homes.

Jamaica
The Errol Flynn Marina, host to the Port Antonio Marlin Tournament, is located on the northeast corner of the Caribbean Island of Jamaica. It was made famous by movie star Errol Flynn who bought this private island, built his beautiful island hut and invited guests from his boat or seaplane that he moored in the harbor. But he lost the island in one night of gambling!
Anglers from all over the world strive to catch the biggest marlin at Jamaica’s thrilling Port Antonio Blue Marlin Tournament since marlin which prowl the areas waters can grow up to an impressive and rather daunting 16 feet in length. Guests arriving via boat have access to services such as water, electricity, 24-hour security, stern-to dockage, cable TV hook-up, Internet access, pump out at each berth, showers/laundry and a swimming pool. The marina can accommodate vessels up to 350 feet (106 m) and a maximum draught of 24 feet (9.1 m), and the shipyard has a 100-ton Travelift. There’s even a helicopter pad for those with big boat toys. Coordinates are Lat. 18°10.7′N / Lon. 76°27.3’W. errolflynnmarina.com

Discover the last remnants of Old Florida in
the cruiser-friendly waters on the West Coast

By Beth Adams-Smith

Cruising into Gasparilla Marina, on the mainland in Placida; the region’s largest full-service facility and action-central for sport fishing.

As a respite from the condo canyons lining most of Florida’s West Coast, there is a stretch of open air where rampant development has yielded to miles of sugar white sand picketed by palms and intermittent stands of Australian pines. A bit of what we imagine as ‘Old Florida’ remains on the barrier islands near the mouth of Charlotte Harbor.
For decades the condos spread north from Ft. Myers and south from Tampa and Sarasota, but fortunately they didn’t quite meet. Centered on Gasparilla Island’s Boca Grande village, this laid-back, lightly developed triangle is perfect for a week’s cruise. From the Gulf the Boca Grande Channel—one of the deepest natural inlets in the state—cuts across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GICW) between Cayo Costa Island to the south and Gasparilla Island to the north and straight ahead lies 20-mile long Charlotte Harbor.
Take a sharp turn north along the mangrove studded side of Gasparilla Island and follow the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to Boca Grande Bayou where you’ll find two small, near-town marinas: Boca Grande Marina and the Gasparilla Inn Marina. Bikes and golf carts rule on this island so if you don’t bring along a fold-up you can rent one to start exploring this charmingly white-washed rendition of Old Florida.
Today’s well-heeled Boca Grande owes its existence to phosphate and tarpon. Spurred on by the need  for a better way to deliver phosphate rock  from the banks of the Peace River  to the schooners  arriving  in Port Boca Grande,  a railroad was constructed  in 1907. For 50 years it delivered phosphate—loading 200-300 ships annually—to a state of the art pier on the island’s southern end. But the train also delivered adventurers and sportsmen.

Attracted by the discovery of world-class tarpon fishing, wealthy northerners (J.P. Morgan, Henry DuPont and resort and railroad baron, Henry Plant, to name a few) flocked to the island. Some made camp in the Gasparilla Inn which was built in 1911 and remains one of the top-rated resorts on the West Coast. Many of these gilt-edged names brought their families and built winter homes; several generations later those families are still here. The original homes and bungalows have been carefully preserved and new construction is discreet. “The Gasparilla Act,” a 1980 Florida law, clamped down on development, specifying building height as well as population density.
As the “Tarpon Capital of the World,” fishing continues to be one of the island’s biggest draws with over 70 charter captains belonging to the Boca Grande Fishing Guides Association. According to Cappy Joiner, long-time President of the BGFGA, the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament will return in May 2012 with prizes totaling nearly $100,000. The BGFGA has long been a champion of sustainable catch-and-release, returning hooked tarpon to the Gulf unharmed.
When the Gasparilla Island causeway bridge to the mainland was built in 1958, it killed the railroad which is now part of Florida’s growing network of Rails-to-Trails bike and golf cart paths. Today, the old in-town train depot hosts the Loose Caboose, a fun, kid-friendly restaurant with an expansive dining patio. It’s surrounded by the two-square-block village populated with chic shops like Vera Bradley and Lilly Pulitzer and a half dozen eateries along with two fishing outfitters. There’s even the well-supplied Hudson’s Grocery, complete with a pink 1930s gas pump out front.
On the National Register of Historic Places, Whidden’s Marina and Maritime Museum is a lone vestige of the real, un-sanitized Old Florida.  Founded by Sam Whidden in 1926 as a marina/dance hall/restaurant, it’s still run by the Whidden family and sells gas, live bait and tackle, and plays host to a dozen charter captains. Decades of “treasures” surround the ramshackle building and inside, a small room displays a quirky jumble of artifacts from Boca Grande’s big game fishing history. Plus, the kids will get a real charge from the goats and pigs penned at the landside entrance.
For a half-day outing, try biking south to the Boca Grande Lighthouse, a working light and museum surrounded by gorgeous beaches.  Constructed in 1890 overlooking Boca Grande Pass, it’s now the centerpiece of the Gasparilla Island State Recreation Area. On the way, stop off at South Beach Bar & Grille, the only feet-in-the-sand restaurant on the island. Back in town check out the extraordinary amenities at the Community Center—once the island’s school—as well as the Art Alliance, Boca Grande Historical Society & Museum, and Royal Palm Players if you’re in the mood for some theater.
Once you’ve exhausted the possibilities on Gasparilla Island and Boca Grande, expand your exploration of the region. Just south of Boca Grande Pass is seven mile long Cayo Costa Island. Once home to a fishing ranch and a Navy quarantine station it’s now a Florida State Park with miles of pristine beaches for swimming, surf casting or beachcombing. You’ll find rental cabins, a ferry to Bokeelia Island, some concessions and slips for yachts up to 50 feet (6-foot draft), or anchor out in Pelican Bay and dinghy in. A tram crosses the 600-yard island or you can rent bikes to explore the six miles of hiking/biking trails. Book a reservation with Tropic Star of Pine Island (also a ferry company), where you can also rent kayaks.
A bit further south in Pine Island Sound, tucked between Cayo Costa and private Useppa Island, Cabbage Key is a 100-acre, car-free idyllic step back in time. Some say the unpretentious Cabbage Key Inn, cottages and famous 1930s-era restaurant—where their walls are papered with dollar bills—was the muse for Jimmy Buffet’s song ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise,’ but it’s the stone crabs that are the real stars. Old screened porches (shaded by Royal Poincianas, Cuban laurels and banyans) look out across 25 slips that can accommodate yachts up to 100 feet. The complex, built by the son of novelist and playwright Mary Roberts Rinehart, sits 38 feet above MLLW on an ancient Calusa Indian mound, the highest point along the coast. The barrier islands’ last remaining wooden water tower tops out at 60 feet, promising panoramic views for all who make the climb. The beauty of Cabbage Key is that there’s not much else to do—except watch the lumbering Gopher Tortoises and pods of dolphins… and to eat.
Exploring Charlotte Harbor, one of the least heralded cruising grounds on the Gulf Coast, could be a week’s cruise in and of itself. For a short foray, head up the southern shore to enormous Burnt Store Marina which offers an inviting set of resort-style amenities: a heated pool, tennis courts, a golf course and a fitness center. Hike the nearby trails or fish with a member of the Burnt Store Flats Fishing Guides Association.  Or push on to another piece of historic Florida and visit quaint, eclectic Punta Gorda at the mouth of the Peace River, now totally recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Charley in 2004. Dock right downtown at the state-of-the-art Laishley Park Municipal Marina and mooring field, or less than a mile away at Fisherman’s Village. It’s a colorful, funky complex sporting 36 shops, 6 eateries, Center Stage entertainment venue, rental villas and a marina with a heated pool, clay tennis courts and a large barbecue area. The two-and-a-half mile Harborwalk winds through three parks and both marinas. Ask about the village’s innovative bicycle program, offering free use of bikes from several locations around town. Kids love running through the interactive fountain and adults swoon over the eclectic restaurant and gallery scene.
What little is left of Old Florida has been preserved on these islands and in Charlotte Harbor.  But when you look at the old photographs, read personal accounts at the Boca Grande Historical Society or thumb through Mary Kaye Steven’s recent “Lee County Islands”—or listen to Cappy Joiner reminiscing about his boyhood years on Gasparilla Island—reality seeps into our “cleaned-up” vision of Old Florida. And with that, we resent (just a little less) the compromises wrought by encroaching civilization…and air conditioning.

Headed up the Potomac? Don’t miss Alexandria
—a sweet respite on the way to Washington

The Seaport Center gives visitors a taste of maritime Alexandria.

While trekking up and down Chesapeake Bay many cruisers explore only what is closest to their route. In so doing they miss out on an interesting trip up the historic Potomac River to our nation’s capital. There are many reasons for this, like the 10 mile wide mouth of the river with only low-lying points on either bank not drawing attention, or the 95 mile trip upriver. But for those who do venture into the Potomac the reward is at the end with Washington, D.C. on the east bank and Alexandria, Virginia opposite—a bustling metropolis across from a colonial port city.
Navigation on the Potomac is well-marked but the mouth of the river is notorious for squalls and rough-going with opposing winds and tides. I’ve sailed through there in 6-foot short, choppy seas.  On a benign day, however, it’s the entrance to a cruising ground almost as varied as the entire Chesapeake itself.
The lower river has great places to explore, such as the St. Mary’s River on the Maryland side and the Yeocomico River on the Virginia side. Many boats don’t venture any further, but if they sail on past Mount Vernon and Fort Washington, the river will showcase some of our national nautical heritage.

Most boats head for the Washington, D.C. marinas to be close to the historic sites. It’s exciting to have your own floating home in the nation’s capital but for me, with commuting traffic close by and hordes of tourists wandering around, it’s just too hectic.
Directly across the river is Alexandria, Virginia, or to be more specific, Old Town Alexandria, an oasis of old homes and wonderful tree-lined streets to wander. Yes, there are tourists, but they seem to move at a more leisurely pace than those across the river.
Alexandria’s origins began when members of the Ohio Company of Virginia sought to open trade further westward and chose a tobacco warehouse close to the end of navigable waters for their trading port. A young surveyor at the time, George Washington actually helped lay out the town which finally incorporated in 1779. In 1791, the town was ceded to the Federal Government to become part of the District of Columbia, then given back to Virginia in 1846.
Alexandria was home to a huge slave market, sending more than 1,000 slaves yearly to the Natchez, Mississippi and New Orleans markets. Consequently, less than a month after the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor started the Civil War, Union forces seized the city, making it the longest-occupied territory of the conflict. The occupation—combined with the surrender to British forces in the War of 1812 to avoid being burned—made it possible for today’s visitors to see more than 4,200 buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The City Marina is at the foot of King Street, the main thoroughfare, and stretches from Cameron Street to Founder’s Park, with a wide pedestrian plaza lined with shops and restaurants. Both overnight slips and short-term docking spaces are available but reservations are only taken for the overnight slips.  Each slip has one 30-amp electrical connection and a water hose bib. The T-heads with 50-amp electric are available for boats over 40 feet. Restroom and shower facilities are available as well. Tour boats and water taxis also use the marina. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/marina, email city.marina@alexandriava.gov or call 703.838.4265.
Start your visit by walking up King Street to the Alexandria Visitors Center, located in the Ramsay House, for general information, maps and a Key to the City Pass which has special offers and admission to nine historic sites.  Included are Gadsby’s Tavern Museum where George Washington always celebrated his birthday, and the Carlyle House, a Georgian Palladian manor house built in 1753 where you’ll get a glimpse of family life in the 1700s.
Interesting shops and eating establishments are scattered along the cobblestone streets, as befits a seaport attracting traders with global goods. Over 100 shops are there to explore, some nationally-known, but many indigenous ones as well, like Why Not?, a purveyor of toys, books and other treasures for 40 years now. Step into The Spice and Tea Exchange and you’ll think a ship from the Far East just arrived as you inhale the exotic aromas from around the world.
Even restaurants have longevity here and many with outside dining permit your dog to join you as long as it’s on a leash. I was pleasantly surprised that some favorites from my grad school days are still around, including the Warehouse, the Wharf and il Porto. Granted, the menus have changed a bit but the food is still good and the atmosphere relaxing.
The arts play a big part in Old Town life.  At the head of the docks sits the 1918-built factory that manufactured torpedos.  It was used as a military storage facility after World War II, then in 1969 it was purchased  by the City of Alexandria, remaining empty until 1974 when it was reopened as the Torpedo Factory Art Center. If you visit, take time to wander the three floors and mingle with nearly 100 artists in open studios and galleries. The building is also home to the Art League School and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum.
Another form of art is showcased at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation (ASF) and its floating Seaport Center, a unique building crafted by ASF staff and volunteers.  The focus of ASF is to reach at-risk students through building wooden boats, helping them earn their GED and training them for careers in carpentry. Several of the 12-foot skiffs completed by the students are usually on display.
There are several transit options for getting around town. A free trolley operates on King Street from the Metro Station to the waterfront. The Metro rail system provides access to the District and its suburbs while Virginia Red Top cabs are available for longer journeys and provisioning at the Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Balducci’s or Whole Foods Market. The water taxi takes you across the river to Georgetown or to National Harbor to catch say, a baseball game.
If you need to exercise more than simply strolling around town, Alexandria is one of AAA’s “10 Most Walkable Cities” offering miles of trails for running, walking or biking.  In particular, the Mount Vernon Trail covers 18.5 miles along the Potomac from Washington’s home to Theodore Roosevelt Island. Bike rentals are available in Old Town as well.
If you’d rather dock in the midst of the trails and greenery, head a little further north to the Washington Sailing Marina on Daingerfield Island. The entryway is marked but don’t stray too close toward the Reagan National Airport runway as it tends to shoal.  Slips are in a sheltered cove and most include water and 30-amp electric. Alongside dockage is available for boats over 35 feet. Keep in mind this is a sailing marina!
The marina also has a 15-ton travel lift and yard service available, as well as a small ship’s store, a restaurant, and boat and bike rentals.  For more information, go to washingtonsailingmarina.com or call 703.548.9027.  Perhaps the real reason more boats don’t sail up the Potomac River is that most skippers fear that their entire boating season could be taken up exploring just that area!

A visit to this centuries-old Bay settlement combines historical pursuits with modern-day pastimes.

Cruising into Solomons Island, Maryland, you quickly realize that mariners are extremely welcome. Hundreds of docked boats define the island’s Narrows and Back Creek thoroughfares. Signs welcoming transient cruisers with posted VHF channel numbers take the guessing game out of where to dock. The island offers traditional Chesapeake Bay hospitality and places it within walking distance of your berth.
Originally called Bourne’s Island in the 1600s, then Somervell’s Island in the 1700s, it became known as Solomons Island in the 1800s after Isaac Solomons local oyster-packing facilities. It’s now usually referred to as simply “Solomons.” Shipyards originally developed here to support the island’s fishing fleet and the famed “bugeye” sailing crafts were built here in the 19th century. The deep, protected harbor has been a busy marine center ever since.
In the War of 1812, Commodore Joshua Barney’s flotilla sailed from Solomons to attack British vessels on the Chesapeake. Today, mariners can still see our nation’s defense in action while entering the mouth of the Patuxent River and heading towards the island. The Patuxent River Naval Air Station is located on the port side, most evident due to the white shrouded hangars that host the pilot school and the formations of helicopters and jets testing their wings overhead. While the aircraft can be noisy, in stark contrast to the typically tranquil setting of the island, the aerial show can be entertaining and won’t disturb your sleep—orders are, no flights after 10 p.m.

To the starboard side at the mouth of the Patuxent is a red buoy that is the former site of the Drum Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse, one of three surviving Chesapeake Bay screw-pile lights, was moved in 1975 and is now the landmark structure of the Calvert Marine Museum and perhaps of Solomons itself. The museum is within walking, biking, and dinghy distance of the many marinas on Back Creek.
While maritime museums are usually peaceful and informative places, one unique and entertaining aspect of this museum is that it regularly hosts top-name music groups on weekends during the summer. This summer’s lineup includes ZZ Top and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts on August 21. You can find complete museum information and a ticket purchase link at calvertmarinemuseum.com.
On the port side, on the barb of the hook of land at the entrance to the marinas, is the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL), part of the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science. Its pump house and research pier extends 750 feet into the Patuxent. Scientists and students at the facility are working to solve nutrient loading issues in the Bay as well as other worldwide problems. The CBL visitor’s center is open Tuesday through Sunday until September 4th, then returns to a Friday-through-Sunday schedule until December 4th. Laboratory tours are offered to the public on Wednesday and Friday afternoons at 2 p.m. and usually take about an hour.
Mariners entering Solomons will see uninhabited Molly’s Leg Island at the intersection of the three main bodies of water, which are, from port to starboard: the Narrows, Back Creek and Mill Creek. Once eroaded away, the current Molly’s Leg Island was re-created to absorb wave action originating from as far away as Maryland’s Eastern Shore, about 12 nautical miles across the Bay.
In the cove to the left of the island you’ll find another one of the island’s top attractions, the Tiki Bar. The bar and restaurant are a popular weekend destination for “go-fast” boat poker runs and the partying set. Docking at the Tiki Bar is 50 cents per foot without power and water, $1 a foot for both. Farther down the Narrows, tamer restaurants with docking available include DiGiovanni’s, Catamarans, and Stoney’s Seafood House where the crab cakes are excellent. All their front doors open onto Solomons Island Road, on the thin strip of land—the island proper—bordering the Patuxent and the only paved link to the mainland. A modern, well-maintained river walk runs along the river, offering maritime vistas and lovers’ sunsets.
Solomons Yachting Center and Calvert Marina grace both sides of the entrance to Back Creek, which also includes Zahniser’s Yachting Center, Spring Cove Marina and Beacon Marina, all full-service marinas. Waterfront dining can be found at the Zahniser’s Dry Dock Restaurant, the Captain’s Table, and Four Winds Café.
The expansive Calvert Marina offers 450 slips with a mean water level of 10 feet and includes Washburn’s Boat Yard, also a full-service repair facility. Between 1942 and 1945, the 120-acre site that is now Calvert Marina was part of our nation’s first amphibious training base. During those war years, as many as 67,698 military officers and enlisted men lived and trained there for beach landings overseas.
If you are looking to anchor, about a half-mile up Back Creek near the maritime museum is a small anchorage, but it’s frequently crowded on the weekends. More likely, better anchorage spots with deep protected water can be found up into Mill Creek and in St. John’s Creek. These spots offer quiet settings within a motorized dinghy run to the attractions on the island.
Virtually any need can be satisfied within a short distance while docked at Solomons. The mainland offers modern stores and services within walking distance, or certainly a short biking distance. The nearby Patuxent Plaza includes West Marine, a post office, a pharmacy, a gourmet grocery, 7-Eleven, an urgent care facility, a sandwich shop, Chinese food, and more.
Also worth visiting while on Solomons is nearby Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, a Smithsonian-affiliated forrested sculpture park where creations of notable sculptors such as Antonio Tobias Mendez, Barbara Hepworth, Robert Engman, Jean Arp, and Kenneth Snelson are on exhibit. Most sculptures are on loan from the National Gallery of Art or the Hirshhorn Museum. The center is both a family-friendly place with educational activities for children and a thought-provoking place to view world-class art (past exhibits include such greats as Picasso, Matisse and Miró). Appropriately, in a traffic circle outside the Arts Building stands a bronze fountain sculpture depicting a Chesapeake Bay waterman standing in a boat while holding oyster-harvesting tongs

“Port A” enjoys a reputation for great fishing, birding and other nature adventures.s.

There are five “Port” cities on the lower Texas coast—Port Lavaca, Port O’Connor, Port Mansfield, Port Aransas, and Port Isabel. Only Port Aransas is on the Gulf of Mexico, while the others are all on the mainland side of their bay system, protected by a barrier island. Port Aransas is the largest of these “Port” cities, and offers the most attractions for visitors, whether they come by car, plane or boat.
Considered the “Fishing Capital of Texas,” Port Aransas is located on the very northernmost tip of Mustang Island, which is basically the northern end of the Padre Islands, as only a small cut and a two-lane bridge separate Mustang and North Padre. Port Aransas is reached via ferry from the town of Aransas Pass on the mainland, or via the causeway from Corpus Christi. By water, skippers come in from the Gulf through Aransas Pass, cruise down the ICW, or cross Corpus Christi Bay.

Port Aransas has a municipal marina (cityofportaransas.org), several private docks, and a few neighboring private marinas, like Island Moorings (islandmooringsmarina.net) on the Laguna Madre side of Mustang Island, which offer slips and amenities to visiting boats.  The Corpus/Port Aransas/Padre Island area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas, or indeed, the western Gulf. The beaches are beautiful and stretch uninterrupted for many miles; and the water is normally clear and green, both in the bays and the surf. Fishing, surfing, birdwatching and just hanging on the beach bring winter visitors, while easy Gulf access and a deep-water bay attract both sailors and power cruisers year-round. The Texas State Aquarium is just up the road, and Corpus Christi has a very nice art museum and a natural history museum that focuses on the immediate area. The municipal marina at Corpus lies just across Corpus Christi Bay.
Spaniard Alonso Alvarez de Pineda mapped five passes on the Texas coast in 1519, including what is today known as Aransas Pass, and it was “re-discovered” in 1720 by French explorer Jean de Béranger. The name Aranzasus Pass was given to the cut between St. Joe and Mustang Islands in 1739 by the Spanish governor because it was the Gulf access for Fort Aranzasus. The named was changed to Aransas on a map made by a Captain Monroe of the ship Amos Wright in 1833.
The Aransas Pass lighthouse was built in 1857, and later became known as the Lydia Ann Channel Light. It was of major importance during the Civil War, when the Confederate forces removed the lens from the light and hid it in the marshes behind the Island to thwart Union ships trying to enter the channel to Corpus. The light was decommissioned in 1952, after nearly a century of service, when a major channel shift left it sitting a mile from the actual Pass.
One major attraction of the area is the Aransas Wildlife Refuge, where the endangered whooping cranes return to winter each year. The cranes have fostered a local industry, with boat and foot tours available through the refuge for those hoping to catch a glimpse of them. They are huge birds, standing as much as four feet tall, which made them easy targets for market hunters who shot them for their feathers in the past. The refuge also has many other forms of bird and wildlife, including whitetail deer and feral hogs.
Fishing was and remains a major attraction for “Port A”, and it was once one of the most popular tarpon fishing spots in the world. Many of the anglers visiting in search of tarpon stayed at the Tarpon Inn. The hotel was built in 1886 out of lumber salvaged from Civil War barracks to house workers building the south jetty protecting the Pass. When the work was finished the building stayed on as a commercial hotel. Destroyed in the 1916 hurricane, it was rebuilt using pilings set in concrete that went all the way to the roof to withstand future storms—which mostly it has done.
Two walls in the hotel are covered with tarpon scales signed by the angler who caught the fish, as it was common to keep a scale as a “trophy” and release the tarpon even in those early days. Among the notable guests who have stayed there were President Franklin Roosevelt, when he came to fish for tarpon in 1937; Duncan Hines of the cake mix family, who was there on his honeymoon; actress Hedy Lamarr; circus lion tamer Clyde Beatty; evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson; boxer-turned-actor Victor McLaglen; Dallas Cowboys legendary defensive tackle Bob Lilly, and physicist Edward Teller. In 1979 Tarpon Inn was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Texas historic landmark.
Although it has changed ownership many times over the years, and gone through periods when it was closed and inactive, the Tarpon Inn is now open to the public, including the hotel restaurant, “Roosevelt’s” (for more information, visit thetarponinn.com or call 361-749-5555 or 800-365-6784).
Tarpon, of course, are not the only fish around “Port A”; the Laguna Madre and connecting bays teem with speckled trout, redfish and flounder, while offshore waters offer anything from red snapper to marlin and tuna. This area has also long been the mecca for Texas shark fishermen who fish off the jetties, off Bob Hall Pier on North Padre, or from the surf, as well as from private vessels and charter boats. The Port Aransas Boatman’s Association is the largest and most active charter boat operator organization in Texas, and is actively affiliated with the National Charterboat Operator’s Association.
The distance to the deep water of the 100-fathom curve is much less from Port Aransas than from Galveston, or even Freeport, making it a popular jumping off point for deep-water anglers. A sort of trade-off, however, is the typically choppy seas off this stretch of coast. More than once I have been advised by knowledgeable boat repair folks not to buy a used boat out of Port Aransas because it likely will be fairly beaten up.
Most modern boats have little trouble with the waters on this part of the Texas coast, if operated prudently, however. That was not always the case in the early part of the last century, when boats were not what they are today. In 1915, Charles Frederick Farley and his sons started building the Farley Boats locally. Designed with a high bow, low freeboard and a low cabin for fishing access-much like a modern walkaround cuddy cabin—they performed much better in the rough chop, and became very popular with charter captains. When President Roosevelt came down to tarpon-fish, he brought a 35-foot boat of his own from the East Coast and hired Barney Farley to guide him. One of the area’s most competent fishermen, Barney quickly judged the Eastern boat lacking, and took the president out on his Farley Boat to ultimately catch his tarpon. Today, Farley Boats are being used as planters throughout the city as a reminder of those days of glory. Barney Farley’s book, Fishing Yesterday’s Gulf Coast, available from Amazon.com, contains a lot of details about his days of tarpon fishing in Farley Boats, and his experiences fishing with President Roosevelt.
Today’s visitors to Port Aransas enjoy great dining, comfortable accommodations, fun nightlife, fantastic beaches and beautiful water for fishing or cruising. “Port A” makes an excellent destination in itself, or a prime layover location for cruises up and down the Texas coast. Winters are mild and summers are, well, Gulf Coast Summers. The seafood is fresh, and the community very friendly—with a definite coastal attitude and a beach town demeanor.