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Virginia Fishing Road Trip!

Road Trip!

Head to Virginia’s most eastern coast for a fishing getaway.

By Chris Knauss – Southern Boating June 2020

Anglers seeking a diversity of fish while visiting a relatively small region can’t go wrong by trailering their boat along the Maryland and Virginia coast. With the Chesapeake Bay on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, and a fairly thin slice of land separating the two, you can bounce back and forth like a pinball finding fishing spots and adapting to changing weather patterns.

Where to Go

Start at Virginia Beach, Virginia, and head north along U.S. Route 13 or start in Ocean City, Maryland, and head south. During the summer months, the list of fish species shoaling these waters is exhaustive, but here’s a sampling: striped bass, bluefish, flounder, speckled trout, cobia, croaker, white perch, Spanish and king mackerel, black drum, red drum, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, dolphinfish, marlin, and even tarpon.

In 2018, Annapolis resident John Loe landed and released an 85-pound tarpon that he caught while fly fishing in the seaside shallows of Virginia’s eastern shore. Anglers can find huge redfish (red drum) up to 50 inches at places like Buoy 42A off Bayford, Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay. Redfish will hit 7- to 10-inch soft plastics like BKDs or Z-Mans tipped with a ¾- to 1-ounce jig head. Similar-size reds as well as striped bass and cobia also like the shoal areas near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT). Artificial reef and wreck sites off Ocean City and Virginia’s coast host flounder, bluefish, tautog, sheepshead, and triggerfish.

For tarpon, Capt. Jack Brady recommends anchoring up and soaking chunks of fresh bait on a fishfinder rig with enough weight to hold bottom. A medium-heavy rod and reel holding 20-pound braid or monofilament along with 20 feet of 50-pound test leader is a standard setup. Place a fishfinder clip over the leader and add a large barrel swivel, then attach four feet of 80-pound mono leader snelled to an 8/0 circle hook. Burtons Bay, Hog Island Bay, and Fisherman Island are all good places to look for tarpon on Virginia’s shore.

Let’s Go South

Since I tend to avoid crowds, especially nowadays, let’s skip the popular Ocean City, Maryland, fisheries this month and start this trip in Chincoteague, Virginia, and head south. That way, you’ll only need one state fishing license. But first, a bit of an overview.

White Marlin begin to cruise Gulf Stream waters off the Virginia Coast this month.

Chincoteague and the entire Virginia coast offer similar fishing opportunities with myriad inlets and inland points to target for shallow-water casting and bottom fishing, all the way until you get down to Cape Charles and the CBBT, which is even more fishable. If the weather’s cooperating, and you’ve got an ocean-worthy vessel, you can launch at an oceanside boat ramp and head to the offshore canyons for deep sea fishing. Tuna, mahi-mahi, wahoo, sharks, and white and blue marlin are found wandering along the western edge of Gulf Stream waters 50 miles off the coast. You can also leave your trailered boat in a parking lot for the day and opt for a charter with one of many experienced offshore skippers available for hire.

The wrecks and reef structures from six to 14 miles off the coast are easily accessible and hold seabass, tautog, and flounder. Closer to shore and in the inland waters, you can find flounder, bluefish, striped bass (known here as rockfish), and speckled trout. Bounce over to the Chesapeake Bay side and you’ve got seven artificial reef sites spanning the length of the peninsula that hold spot, croaker, rockfish, redfish, flounder, and more. Striped bass and speckled trout can be targeted in the grass flats.

Ideal boats to explore the inland waters and shallows are skiffs and midsize center consoles from 18 to 26 feet that allow you to glide over skinny water at times and take advantage of the many public and commercial launch ramps in the region. Take it slow and keep an eye out for shoals. A push pole can come in handy to keep quiet in the shallows and to push you off a sandbar. Wind, tide level, and current can create some dynamic conditions, so watch the weather carefully when choosing your launch site. Concrete boat ramps on the peninsula are plentiful. In Accomack County, they’re found at Annis Cove, Gargatha Landing, Greenbackville Harbor, Parkers Creek, Pitts Landing, Queen Sound, Quinby Harbor, Schooner Bay, Southside Chesconessex, and more. If you’re cruising and have a kayak, the inland bays are ideal for paddling and fishing.

The 17.6 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel offers plenty of structure that attracts fish for anglers to target.

Curtis Merritt Harbor in Chincoteague provides access to Chincoteague Bay as well as other seaside inlets and bays and the Atlantic Ocean. Blackfish Bank Artificial Reef, about six miles east of Chincoteague, was initially created with 40 armored personnel carriers and nearly 100 New York City subway cars. The harbor facility is open 24/7, so purchase the $5 temporary launch permit, valid for seven consecutive days, at the town office or at the harbor. The police department also sells permits when the town office is closed. A good place to pamper yourself after a day of casting is the Marina Bay Hotel & Suites, but there are many other options. Anchor Inn on the Chincoteague Channel allows you to tie up at its marina so you won’t need to launch every day. Capt. Bob’s Marina offers transient slips and can accommodate vessels up to 30 feet long.

Chincoteague is best known for its flounder fishing. When the flounder return from their winter hideouts, they take up new residence in the many marsh guts and channels behind the barrier islands. Flounder hunt where the depths change. Drop-off edges where bait like to hangout are where you’ll find them. Good places to drop your line are Four Mouths and Chincoteague Point. Flounder will ambush live and dead bait with shiners, minnows, and squid strips as typical offerings. Artificial lures like Gulp! swimming mullets will also catch them. Keeping a tight line and jigging off the bottom is a productive technique. Adjust your jig size from ¼ ounce to 2 ounces to hold your bait in the current. Fishing around the inlet, you might also encounter Northern kingfish which seem to prefer shrimp-, clam-, or crab-flavored Fishbites.

Wachapreague

You’re likely to find better fishing for flounder a little farther south in Wachapreague, known as the Flounder Capital of the World, our next stop. Fish the drop-offs and you’ll get some hookups. A good place to check out is the mouth of the main inlet or “off the Coast Guard Station.” Flounder from the ocean swim past there headed for the bays. The most consistent spot is “Swash Bay.” Think like a fish hunts and you’ll be successful, intercepting them as they go after baitfish in transition areas on moving tides. On a flood tide, try sunny spots over the mud shallows. Staying overnight or for a few days? You can’t go wrong with Teasers Fisherman’s Lodge. The one drawback to Wachapreague is that it’s very popular for flounder, so venture a bit farther south to Quinby and Oyster on the coast side or Onancock on the Chesapeake side. They might be a better choice as there are plenty of fish in those locations with less competition.

Cape Charles

Our final stop this trip is Cape Charles; however, there is a downside for anglers: If you don’t live there, you’ll have to leave at some point. The scenery is beautiful even if the fish are finicky, but the whole lower end of the peninsula is extremely fishing-friendly. The Cape Charles Yacht Center and The Oyster Farm at Kings Creek are fine places to tie up for cruisers. Cape Charles Town Harbor also offers transient slips. The town has many charming bed and breakfast accommodations and hotels. Kiptopeke boat ramp on the Chesapeake Bay is a good spot to put in a trailered boat for an $8 fee. The area called the “Concrete Ships,” which forms a breakwater for the boat ramp, often holds some hefty striped bass.

You can find stripers and speckled trout at the Cape Charles, Cherrystone, and Hungars Creek inlets. Casting spoons and topwater lures along marsh edges and stump fields will produce a mix of stripers and trout. Casting swimbaits, such as white Gulp mullets, will work along with drifting soft crab baits in the guts and channels for trout and red drum. Of course, there’s the 17.6-mile CBBT that offers an immense amount of fish-attracting structure and hosts an incredible amount of fish species this time of the year. And if you’ve got the time, the Virginia Beach inlets, Rudee and Lynnhaven, are also very fishable now.

Anglers looking to take the Virginia eastern coast fishing road trip featured in the June 2020 issue will find a number of accommodations along the way to regain your equilibrium and catch up on some sleep after a long day on the water.

 

Chincoteague
Anchor Inn
(757) 336-6400
anchorinnhotel.com

Best Western Chincoteague Island
(757) 336-6557
bestwestern.com

Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast
(757) 336-6148
channelbassinn.com

Comfort Suites
(757) 336-3700
choicehotels.com

Onancock The Charlotte
(757) 787-7400
thecharlotte.com

The Inn at Onancock
(757) 789-7711
innatonancock.com

Spinning Wheel Bed and Breakfast
(757) 787-7311
1890spinningwheel.com

Wachapreague

Teasers Fisherman’s Lodge
(757) 787-2346
wachapreaguesportfishing.com

Wachapreague Inn
(757) 787-2105
wachapreagueinn.com

Cape Charles

Family Lodges at Kiptopeke State Park
(757) 331-2267
virginia.org

Fig Street Inn
(757) 331-3133
figstreetinn.com

The Oyster Farm at Kings Creek
(757) 331-8660
theoysterfarmatkingscreek.com

Shore Stay Suites
(757) 331-4090
shorestaysuites.com

The Road to Recovery

The Road to Recovery

Grand Bahama and Great Abaco rebuild their lives after Hurricane Dorian.

Hurricane Dorian left a huge path of destruction in Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, but with the massive outpouring of help from donations and volunteers, many places are now up and running again. To date, Southern Boating’s GoFundMe online fundraiser has raised $18,750 that’s been dispersed equally between the Bahamas Red Cross, the Bahamas Official Hurricane Relief, and World Central Kitchen. The Bahamas is still recovering, the rebuilding continues today, and it’s never too late to help out. SouthernBoating.com/donate

Relief efforts have shown that the Bahamas community is strong and determined. Many hotels, airlines, tour operators, attractions, marinas, and restaurants resumed business on Grand Bahama and throughout the Abacos. “Though the road to recovery has been challenging, we are confident that the Abacos will be back stronger and better than ever before,” says Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation.

Joe Dargavage, managing partner of Romora Bay Resort & Marina and the de facto spokesperson for the Association of Bahamas Marinas and for yachting and boating tourism in the Bahamas, reacted immediately after the hurricane. “We helped lead a major part of the relief effort right here in Harbour Island and at Romora Bay,” he says. “We had the first eighteen center consoles based here at Romora Bay and at Eleuthera that actually went into the Abacos when no one else was even allowed.” In addition, Dargavage and Peter Maury, owner of Bay Street Marina in Nassau, started to get the message out that 95 percent of the Bahamas was still open to keep the Bahamas on track for another stellar yachting season.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 put a halt to most of the ongoing progress and the Bahamas has shut its borders, but when it’s time to reopen, resorts and marinas will, for the most part, be ready to go.

GREAT ABACO

Abaco Beach Resort is set to resume full operation with a new 200-slip, state-of-the-art marina with customs and immigration services, new fuel dock, new restaurant, upgraded guest rooms, and the return of the Hurricane Bar at Marinaville. abacobeachresort.com

Demolition and cleanup are still underway at the Treasure Cay Marina so no boats or barges are allowed entry until further notice; however, relief vessels and pleasure craft can utilize the harbor channel moorings for overnight stays. There is a mooring fee for pleasure craft that is payable at the Treasure Cay Fuel Station which is open daily from 8AM to 4PM. Vessels are allowed to offload relief items at the fuel station. treasurecay.com

Orchid Bay Marina is open seven days a week to serve fuel only with the roadside pump. Plans are in place to begin rebuilding the first of two docks, and the restaurant is open Thursday to Sunday for dinner with a limited menu. orchid-bay-marina.com

Many hotels, lodges, guest houses, and cottages are up and running throughout the islands, and the airport on Marsh Harbour has resumed flight service. The Disaster Reconstruction Authority reports that electricity will be fully restored on Abaco by May and that cleanup efforts are still ongoing.

GRAND BAHAMA

Freeport is still rebuilding, but the majority of hotels and resorts are open, as well as island attractions, dive sites, and restaurants. The airport reopened last November.

The Grand Bahama Yacht Club is open with 24-hour security, a fuel dock, laundry facilities, and a newly renovated Olympic-size swimming pool. It’s also a designated Bahamas Port of Entry. “Restaurants are open, beaches are open, tours are open, and the fishing is wonderful,” says Carolyn McCulley, whose husband is the manager of the Grand Bahama Yacht Club.

Port Lucaya Marina has power and water. All docks are open, and guests receive complimentary use of services at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club. grandbahamayachtclub.com

“Deep Water Cay and Flamingo Bay Hotel & Marina closed after Dorian and will be closed for years, if they ever reopen,” says Dargavage. “Blue Marlin Cove in West End and Running Mon are both open.”

RELIEF EFFORTS


In September 2019, World Central Kitchen went to the Bahamas to help people in need by distributing hot meals to shelters, community centers, and hospitals in Nassau, as well as communities around Freeport and Abaco. As of February, the Chef Relief Team, made up of more than 4,000 volunteers, had served more than 3 million meals in the Bahamas.

Today, WCK has established programs in Grand Bahama and Abaco to help residents begin to cook again in their homes. WCK created a voucher program for families to be able to shop at small businesses and launched a series of farmers’ markets to distribute free fresh produce for residents. These markets, which are open three times a week around Abaco, are meant to help people get the ingredients they need to feed their families.

There are so many other foundations and individuals, including yachts, cruise ships, and freighters that continue to send aid and offer their services to rebuild Grand Bahama and the Abacos for which everyone is so grateful and deserves a heartfelt thank you.

Destination Key Largo

This Key’s for You

Trailer your boat down to Key Largo to experience the island life.

By Steve Davis, Southern Boating March 2020

Key Largo is the first key that land yachts go through on their way into the Florida Keys. Key West is last and in between lie approximately 1,700 islands in the archipelago, including the Dry Tortugas. The Florida Keys is divided into five regions: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine and the Lower Keys, and Key West.

Because Key Largo is just over an hour’s drive from Miami, it’s an easy escape from the hustle and bustle of life, which isn’t hard to do when the key has one of the largest tracts of West Indian tropical hardwood hammocks in the United States, the first undersea park in the United States, and is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. By land or by sea, Key Largo is a place full of natural life to explore. Sure, there are the usual civilized stores to provision and get eclectic gifts, as well as resorts, restaurants, and bars, but it’s nature’s abundant diversity that is the real draw.

The Wild Side

Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park is a tropical paradise full of native plants, birds, wildlife, and the delicate balance of the park’s ecosystem. There are 84 protected species of plants and animals in the park and the two-mile loop Port Bougainville Trail guides bicyclists, hikers, and birders to see it all. A self-guided nature trail winds through the tropical hardwood hammock, including a native plant butterfly garden, and a half-mile paved walk has guided tours to get a feel for the park’s diversity.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park has what most people expect from a state park—tent and RV camping, showers, picnic areas with barbecues, playgrounds, and the like, but it also features an underwater and aquatic playground. Coral formations and colorful marine life welcome snorkelers and divers, while 50 miles of mangrove trails take kayakers, canoers, and paddleboarders on a wilderness adventure. Bring your boat down to launch at the park or rent one of the park’s 21-foot Release center consoles. Slips (with water, electric, and facilities) and moorings are available for overnight stays.

What’s nice for many Floridians and visitors is there are plenty of places to launch trailerable boats, which makes for an enjoyable weekend or weeklong stay. Hurricane Irma wasn’t kind to the Keys, but many resorts, large and small, are reopening after extensive remodeling and rebuilding.

Dolphin Point Villas

Dolphin Point Villas is a small, family-owned resort that showcases Florida Keys living. The property features six freestanding Caribbean-style homes consisting of six villas and four suites to accommodate a family vacation, a guys’ fishing trip (or bachelor weekend), a company retreat, a wedding, or a honeymoon.

Dolphin Point, a sandy jetty outlined by coral boulders and surrounded by water, is a perfect spot for wedding vows (or a sunrise or sunset) and can hold up to 125 guests. The beautiful waterfront lawn is big enough for a large reception, and the facing 4,235-square-foot Nautilus House features five bedrooms, each with a full bath, to sleep up to 16 guests. There’s a private pool, and the open-air pavilion on the ground level is a great place for wedding gatherings.

Located a mile from Pennekamp State Park, the resort also sports a private beach, a figure eight pool, complimentary paddleboards and kayaks, and a protected marina with a free boat launch and dockage for vessels up to 24 feet.

Another cool aspect to the resort is Dolphins Plus Bayside, a marine mammal facility where you can swim with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in an enclosed lagoon. What’s perfect is it’s right next door (and where you check in for the resort). There are a variety of programs for all ages, swimming abilities, and interaction levels, from a simple dolphin kiss to a dorsal fin ride. With so many restaurants nearby, Dolphin Point Villas is a quiet, private, clean, and comfortable place convenient to everything required when on vacation.

Baker’s Cay Resort

Hurricane Irma ravaged the Keys just as the windup to the winter season was starting in 2017. Now, resorts have come back to life, and Baker’s Cay Resort reopened last year after an 18-month closure, so, basically everything is new. Just as visiting the Florida Keys puts you into another world, Baker’s Cay takes it a step further and blends luxury with island life. As part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, the resort’s rooms and suites inspire a sense of relaxation with a modern décor and private balconies tucked in the natural flora along bayside waters.

Hilton Key Largo April 2017, photographed by Laure Joliet

Local seafood, produce, and on-site herb and fruit gardens are part of the culinary experience. The new Dock to Dish program lets guests who fish with Sea Monkey Charters bring their catch back to the resort to enjoy a specially prepared meal. Beach dining with live music and fire pits is found at Dry Rocks, with a tequila and mezcal tasting menu, and the pool bar and tiki bar help soften your day with endless water views.

For those with boats up to 45 feet, launch at Sunset Point Park and dock at the resort’s slips with fresh water and power available. Slips are $60 per night and depending on tide, the draft is four to six feet. Fuel is available at nearby Mangrove Marina or Tavernier Creek Marina.

Coconut Palm Inn

One thing about the Florida Keys is access to water. It’s everywhere, and there’s plenty of ways to enjoy it, especially by boat. If you live in South Florida, it doesn’t take long to trailer one to Key Largo, and the Coconut Palm Inn offers marina packages for those that do.

The inn overlooks Florida Bay with a private beachfront, cozy rooms and suites, lots of amenities, and a fully equipped marina, which means you can arrive by boat if you’re hopping the islands. If you’re boating on the ocean side, cut up through Tavernier Creek or Snake Creek to reach the inn. You can also trailer the boat down and launch at its ramp and take advantage of the on-site trailer parking.

Coconut Palm Inn is situated within a natural inlet with drafts around four or five feet at low tide. Two piers accommodate boats up to 25 feet long and most slips have 110V electric and freshwater hookups. Dockage is only for the inn’s guests, and there is a $30 per day fee. Nearby Mangrove Marina offers a loading dock, repairs, and fuel.

But that’s not all Coconut Palm Inn has for its guests. Besides the Old Florida charm and swaying palm trees, an outdoor heated pool, kayaks, paddleboards, and bicycles, the smoke-free resort has free Wi-Fi, charcoal barbecue grills, on-site laundry, and most rooms are bayside with a screened porch or balcony. The location is also perfect for weddings and events.

Activities

John Pennekamp State Park
(305) 451-6300
pennekamppark.com

Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
(305) 676-3777
floridastateparks.org

Dolphins Plus
(866) 860-7946
dolphinsplus.com

Lodging (call ahead for dock reservations)

Dolphin Point Villas
(305) 451-0315
dolphinpointvillas.com

Baker’s Cay Resort
(305) 852-5553
bakerscay.com

Coconut Palm Inn
(305) 852-3017
coconutpalminn.com

Learn To Scuba in the Bahamas

Learn to Scuba in the Bahamas

Sure, you can learn to scuba dive in the swimming pool at the local YMCA or at a nearby high school, but wouldn’t it be vastly better to learn in the crystal-clear waters of the Bahamas over a sugary-white sand bottom and surrounded by squadrons of tropical fish?

By Chris Caswell, Southern Boating January 2020

Learning to scuba dive is a natural for boat owners because you’re already floating above an invisible, fascinating universe beneath the waterline. Chances are you already snorkel on reefs or at least have a mask to take a look below. Wouldn’t you like a closer view?

The first beauty of learning to scuba dive in the Bahamas is that the water is benign. It’s as clear as gin, warm, and it feels like you can see for miles, so nothing is sneaking up on you. Even at wintertime’s coldest, the water remains bathtub warm at about 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and the visibility is usually at least 80 feet on most dive sites.

Second, there are dive shops on practically every street corner, all with approved diving programs, boats that run you out to interesting dive sites, and all the gear you need for rent or sale.

Third, it’s inexpensive to reach the Bahamas by plane, ferry, or by your own boat. Even if you leave your boat on the mainland, there are ample lodgings available at all price points, and many of the dive shops even put together package deals.

Last, once you get your certification, you’ll already have a feel for the Bahamas and its abundant wreck dives, wall dives, and more.

Earning your Adventure Diver certification allows you to explore wrecks, walls, do night dives, and more!

Getting Started

First and foremost, you need instruction and certification, which comes in the form of classes carefully planned and regulated by the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI).

Make sure that any course you choose is certified by PADI. Without a PADI certificate, you can’t buy or rent tanks or get tanks filled, you can’t book onto commercial dive trips, and you’re probably a danger to yourself (and others). Get certified. PADI has certified around 27 million divers over the past 50 years, and they teach the world’s most popular dive curriculum that you can tailor to fit your own preferences.

PADI Certification

The basic course starts, like any educational program, with knowledge. You can complete this part of the course online or at a PADI dive shop. The PADI eLearning program provides instructional reading and videos as well as the opportunity to take tests on your computer or tablet. You must pass the final e-test in order to start with an instructor.

The next step is confined water diving under the watchful eye of an experienced dive instructor.  This is usually in a pool linked to the dive shop, and you’ll learn the basics of dive safety and techniques in the water.

Next up are your four open-water training dives (usually over two days), again with an instructor, and this is when you’ll really experience the freedom of floating effortlessly in a mesmerizing marine environment.

You don’t have to do all your open-water dives in one place. Your PADI instructor can refer you to a school in another area for some diversity of dive training.

How Long Does it Take?

The PADI courses are based on your performance, so you move forward at your own pace, which ensures that you are both fully competent and prepared for your own adventures. PADI notes that while completion “varies by individual,” the average time to go from landlubber to certified diver takes between four and seven days for a reasonably motivated diver-to-be.

How Much?

Again, prices vary, and you should check out several dive shops for their programs in different areas of the Bahamas. PADI likes to say it costs about the same as three hours of private golf lessons, whatever that means. The online PADI e-Learning course is less than $200.

What About Gear?

For the course, you don’t need anything except a bathing suit, although most of us want our own mask, snorkel, and fins for several reasons. First, I don’t like using loaner snorkels because I know they’ve been in someone else’s mouth, and I always take my own snorkel and mask on bareboat charters for just that reason.

Second, you want your gear to be comfortable, particularly the mask (which should be watertight) and fins (if they don’t fit, you’ll get blisters).

You can, of course, buy all your own equipment from tanks to regulator to weight belts, but this is all available for rent if you don’t want to lug it around. It’s probably better to wait until you’re certified. Then you can try different gear before committing.

Where to Start?

Take a look at the PADI website (padi.com) for several good videos that will hook you on diving as well as explain how to get your PADI certification.

Then What?

You can continue past the basic course with Advanced Open Water Diver courses that open the world of Adventure Dives, which include wreck diving, night diving, deep diving, wall dives, and more. Again, the PADI website has full information as well as beautifully produced videos guaranteed to whet your appetite for diving.

Dive the Bahamas

The Bahamas are famous for wreck diving, including props for James Bond films. Check out Thunderball Grotto, just west of Staniel Cay in the Exumas which was also featured in Never Say Never Again, and the Vulcan bomber from Thunderball is still off the end of New Providence.

But that’s only a start. Current dives can carry you between islands, wall dives like Runway Wall off Nassau or the seemingly bottomless “Crater” off Andros offer spectacular sea life, and there’s a lot to explore around the abundant elkhorn and staghorn corals in French Bay off San Salvador. Check out the sunken Civil War warship off the Abacos or the supposed remains of Atlantis, the Bimini Roadway.

Wherever you go, you’ll find great diving in the Bahamas, the diving mecca of the Caribbean.  Now is the time to start enjoying what’s going on under your boat.

Ponte Vedra Inn & Club

Wanna Get Away?

Along a wide stretch of beach just south of Jacksonville, Florida, is a place to cast away and clear your soul.

By Steve Davis, Southern Boating January 2020

The last time I was in the BVI, I tucked deep behind a reef around the point from Marina Cay and Scrub Island to have a quiet, safe anchorage without the bustle of the charter fleets moored in front of the restaurants and bars on the islands. We were the only ones there because it’s a spot few realize is navigable.

The reef broke the swell and provided that soothing, repetitive sound of breaking waves as the boat gently swayed with its rhythm. It’s a soothing, somewhat secure feeling, but as a captain, there’s always a little bit of caution knowing that as peaceful as it is, something could still happen that raises the hair on your skin and requires immediate action.

What if you could take away that uneasy feeling and sit on the deck staring out over an open sea or have the wave’s rhythmic pulse lull you to sleep…without any rock and roll? A visit to Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts does just that.

When It’s Time

All of us need to have a moment when it’s time to put the world on hold and calm ourselves from within. Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts welcomes you to a retreat that allows you to reach that nirvana by doing nothing at all or letting your mind and body release its energy through a plethora of activities, relaxing at the spa, and savoring world-class cuisine.

There are two beach locations just a quick golf cart ride apart and only a 40-minute drive from Jacksonville International Airport, an easy trip for those up north with their boats wrapped and on the hard. If you’re making the passage up or down the Intracoastal Waterway and need some time off the boat to, you know, play golf or tennis, have a spa day, let someone else do the cooking, or take a long walk, St. Augustine Municipal Marina is a 45-minute drive and Palm Cove Marina is only 15 minutes away, both with transient docking and services.

Room with a View

There’s something to be said when just about all of the rooms have “oceanfront” in the description. It’s easy to understand why that soothing, “behind the reef” comfort is felt; each room has a patio or balcony that opens to the ocean. Only the Historic Inn has rooms off the beach, but each has resort, lagoon, or ocean views. The Inn opened in 1928 and showcases the grandeur of that era. Guests have the convenience of shopping and dining within steps of the elevator, and the beach is just across the street. The Inn’s Island View room overlooks the Ocean Golf Course’s 9th hole island green.

Beachfront accommodations

In addition, the resort offers 33 well-appointed, oversized suites that feature sophisticated interior design and furnishings in a variety of layouts. From the Presidential Suite to the oceanfront rooms, you’ll have the sea at your steps with the comfort of a stationary deck.

So Much to Do

Whether you stay at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club or The Lodge & Club, there are plenty of activities to keep you moving, if you so desire.

With numerous umbrellas and chaises lining the sand, laying out and doing nothing is a popular option, but even so, the wide stretch of beach goes for more than 25 miles without a break, one way, and for some, it’s hard look down the infinite beachfront and not get up for a leisurely walk. Besides, there are really nice shells to collect. If jogging is one of your disciplines, then it’s impossible not to get up and go. Playing in the water is exercise when boogie boards, surfboards, and kayaks are available, not to mention beach games, and it’s just as much fun to take one of the beach cruiser bikes for a ride.

Relax in the family pool or get some exercise in the lap pool.

It’s easy to spend all day on the beach, but with four pools at The Inn & Club and the two at The Lodge & Club, you certainly don’t have to. Each have adult-only pools and fitness/lap pools as well as areas for families, not to mention spots to grab lunch and drinks.

Speaking of fitness, both locations have fitness centers with more than 40 exercise stations that include treadmills, elliptical trainers, Stairmasters, bicycles, rowing machines, free weights, and more. There are a multitude of exercise classes as well as the best of all: steam room, sauna, and Jacuzzi tub. Personal trainers are also available.

Every morning, the resort provides each room with a newsletter that lists the day’s activities, including kids’ programs, events, fitness classes, a chef’s corner of daily delights, tide information, and descriptions of all the dining and lounge venues, shopping options, and recreation options along with times and what they offer.

The Court and the Course

Besides the beach, the pools, and the fitness centers, there’s two other games that will get your heart rate up: tennis and golf. Sure, you’ll need to walk the course to get your steps in, but being outside in the fresh air with that special “cut grass” aroma surrounded by palm trees, a cool sea breeze, and a park-like setting, golf is intended to ease the mind…assuming you don’t let wayward shots interrupt your mental calm. Don’t let the good walk spoil.

Enjoy a round of golf at the Ocean Course!

Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts has two 18-hole courses: the Lagoon Course (located on-site) and the Ocean Course (including the infamous 9th hole island green). The Lagoon Course winds through pine trees, palms, and oaks that provide narrow fairways and tight greens. The lagoons create a beautiful setting, but are in play on 11 of the 18 holes. Keep your shots straight. The Ocean Course was designed in 1928 and selected to host the Ryder Cup in 1939, but the event was canceled due to World War II. It shows the quality of the course design and has served as a site for U.S. Open qualifying rounds. It is currently going through an $8 million renovation with completion set for this fall. The course plays tough with 99 strategically placed bunkers, elevated greens, and dramatic undulations throughout the fairways, all to help provide a relaxing game, right? A complete pro shop, lessons, clinics, repair shop, practice areas, rental clubs (and shoes, in case you left them on the boat), and the 19th hole lounge and restaurant will keep your game sharp and celebrate a day better than being in an office.

If tennis is your game, the Racquet Club is an official ATP World Tour tennis club. Tomãs Gonzalez is the director of tennis and makes sure enthusiasts receive a full complement of training, instruction, and activities to make your time on the court fun. A fully stocked pro shop has all the gear you need.

There are 15 Har Tru clay courts with eight lit for night play, private teaching courts, and a full staff of USPTA and USPTR teaching professionals. The Club is known for its intense summer tennis camp, and since tennis is definitely a sport that gets your heart pumping, there’s a steam room, sauna, and Jacuzzi waiting in the locker room, or you could walk next door to The Spa.

The Spa Treatment

If you’ve never been to a spa before, you’re in for a treat at The Spa at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club—a 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that combines opulence with grandeur. High ceilings, statue fountains, a gourmet café, and gift shop set the mood for more pampering than you’ll need in one day, meaning you may have to go back. A therapeutic massage melts the stress away, and the steam room, sauna, and hot tub will defrost any up-north cold and rejuvenate your well-being. A new cryotherapy center promotes natural healing and wellness, albeit using cold temperatures. Add a facial or scrub, a purifying wrap, or treat yourself to a manicure, pedicure, or a new hairstyle. It’s all there to make you feel relaxed and refreshed.

On the Menu

Throughout the day, you have to keep your body nourished, and not just with water. Start your day at the Inn’s Gourmet Shop that offers an assortment of pastry and Starbucks coffee or just stop by for homemade ice cream later, since the Inn Dining Room serves a full breakfast menu.

Dinner on the beach!

If you’re at the beach, the Surf Deck Grille offers a variety of signature cocktails along with Florida coastal cuisine, which includes fish dishes, locally sourced vegetables and greens, and specialty pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches. The Beach Side Snack Bar also serves burgers, salads, cold-pressed juices, and more. Over at The Lodge & Club, the Barefoot Bistro is a poolside food truck with salads, sandwiches, a kids’ menu, and frozen treats.

The Golf Club Dining Room overlooks the Lagoon golf course and has an awesome menu with signature sandwiches, soups, and salads for lunch, and steaks, local seafood, and specialties for dinner on the deck along the lagoon or inside with expansive windows to gaze at the course setting.

As the sun sets, freshen up and head to the Seahorse Grille for an oceanfront, “upscale-but-casual dining and cocktail experience.” If you arrange it ahead of time, the Chef’s Table is in the kitchen with room for four to watch the chefs in action up close and personal as you’re treated to a 10-course tasting menu.

The Spa at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club’s gourmet cafe and lounging area

The tasting menu is a new twist to the Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts’ culinary lineup and may see its way as a regular in the dining rooms. It’s an innovative way to sample the chef’s culinary style with portions that are just the right size. Chef Erik Osol produced a menu for a Health and Wellness weekend that started with Seminole Pumpkin Salad and was followed by Foie Torchon and Persimmon, Steak Tartare and Chicharron, Scallop and Finger lime, Miso Seabass and Chive sauce, New York strip steak with mushrooms and cured egg yolk, and ended with Bitterweet Truffle Mousse. Each course was paired with a wine chosen by Resort Sommelier Matheson Cory that made every bite a delight to the palate.

No matter how you put it, some places have what it takes to completely get away. You don’t have to use the Wi-Fi if you don’t want to, and surprisingly, playing tennis or golf, walking the beach, getting a massage, and enjoying the fine dining will trick your mind into thinking you’ve been away for weeks. Put your life on hold, if only for a few days, and feel rested, relaxed, and ready to face reality with a smile. Ponte Vedra Inn & Club is one of those special places. pontevedra.com

Southern Charm – Explore South Carolina

Southern Charm

Create memories and take the time to experience a cruise along South Carolina’s ICW.

Written by: Bob Arrington

South Carolina may not be the longest stretch of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), but it certainly holds one of the prettiest sections. From the North Carolina border at Little River Inlet to the Savannah River at the Georgia border, the ICW runs through 235 miles of South Carolina’s most picturesque and historic treasures.

The beautiful sights of Myrtle Beach | Dori Arrington

Start the journey in one of the South’s most popular coastal towns, Myrtle Beach, where the ICW parallels the famous Grand Strand and runs adjacent to some of the area’s premier golf resorts. Myrtle Beach is also home to the notorious “Rock Pile,” a treacherous segment of the ICW feared by many first-time cruisers. The bottom along most of the ICW is sand or soft mud; however, there is a small section through Myrtle Beach with a rocky bottom and abrupt ledges that extend along the sides. None of the rocks are visible at high tide, but the ones along the edges are clearly seen at low tide. Running aground in most of the ICW is a nonevent and usually only requires waiting for high tide, or a quick tow off, before you’re on your way again. Running aground in the Rock Pile, though, is likely to damage your boat. Once you’ve been through the area, you’ll realize it’s not as frightening as it sounds. There is plenty of depth in this section as long as you stay in the middle of the channel.

Leaving Myrtle Beach, the ICW enters what many consider the most pristine natural section of the entire waterway, the Waccamaw River. The river meanders its way through ancient bald cypress forests in the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, home to black bears and bald eagles. The refuge’s undeveloped shoreline gives the passing boater the impression they have cruised back in time by thousands of years.

Photo by: Dori Arrington

Sailing through the Waccamaw brings a boater into the headwaters of Winyah Bay, where the Waccamaw joins the Sampit and Great Pee Dee rivers. It was at this confluence where early settlers established the trading post that would eventually become the port city of Georgetown. Since its founding, Georgetown has been an important part of South Carolina’s history. As a frequent world leader in the production of indigo, rice, lumber, paper, and steel, Georgetown’s economy has evolved with the times. Today, the historic district is a living time capsule of a bygone era. Live oak trees that were planted at the time of the town’s founding still shade the streets and avenues. Georgetown’s waterfront has always been a working district; fishing and industry take advantage of the river’s bounty and easy access to the ocean. The waterfront welcomes boaters today with a lively mix of history, culture, and entertainment.

Continuing south along the ICW, the waterway passes one of South Carolina’s hidden gems: the little fishing village of McClellanville. Originally formed as the Church of England’s St. James-Santee Parish in 1706, it was a diverse mix of French Huguenots and English settlers, both trading successfully with the indigenous Sewee Indians. The area lent itself to a rich agrarian economy also based on indigo, rice, and cotton, and by the mid-1700s, grand homes had been built showing the parish’s prosperity. Many are still standing and have been lovingly preserved. McClellanville may have more historic homes for a town of its size than any other in the South. Much of the town’s most interesting history is told through exhibits at the Village Museum. The displays establish a time line beginning with the villages of the Sewee Indian tribe, who inhabited the banks of Jeremy Creek. The water in Jeremy Creek is pretty shallow at low tide, so check the depths before planning your visit to see South Carolina’s largest fleet of commercial shrimp boats. The friendly folks at Leland Oil Company’s marina will be happy to help you. Some of the largest tides and swiftest currents on the Eastern Seaboard occur along the South Carolina coast; pay close attention when navigating the area.

Battery Street in the South of Broad district in historic Charleston | By: Dori Arrington

The ICW from Winyah Bay to Charleston Harbor is a combination of manmade canals and natural waterways separating the Bonneau Ferry Wildlife Management Area from the largely uninhabited coastal barrier islands. You’ll know you’re nearing Charleston when you pass the barrier island towns of Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island with its triangular black and white block lighthouse.

A very popular boating destination, Charleston is the oldest and largest city in South Carolina. Art, entertainment, food, history, architectural treasures, culture, and natural beauty combine to make Charleston a veritable feast for the senses. It is a city that draws you back again and again with each visit revealing one more layer of its charm.

Cross the Saint Helena Sound to Beaufort, in the heart of what is known as the Lowcountry, along South Carolina’s Sea Islands. Note that the Beaufort in South Carolina is pronounced “Bew-furt,” and the Beaufort in North Carolina is pronounced “Bō-furt.” You will be politely corrected in either place if you confuse them.

Photo by Dori Arrington

Beaufort was founded in 1711 as the second-oldest city in South Carolina. Its location on the navigable Beaufort River has made it a valuable deepwater port for more than 300 years. Beaufort had the mixed blessing of being one of the first cities in the South to be occupied by union troops only a few months into the Civil War. The fortunate part of that is most of the town’s structures were saved as housing for the northern army during the war. Although the local residents didn’t take to that kindly at the time, today’s residents have made the best of it by restoring many of the historic homes. As a result of this careful preservation, 300 acres of the city have been designated as a national historic landmark. The collection of antebellum architecture has drawn the attention of more than one Hollywood director with such movies as The Great Santini, The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, Forrest Gump and G.I. Jane all filmed on location. The Downtown Marina of Beaufort is under new ownership with renovations planned to welcome seasonal boaters to stop for a spell.

The last stop in South Carolina for most southbound boaters will be Hilton Head Island, originally developed by Charles E. Fraser, the son of an early island land owner. During the 1950s, Fraser saw the opportunity to build a resort community that would maintain the island’s natural beauty. His vision became Sea Pines Plantation, the first planned community and the basis for all that would follow. The first bridge was built in 1956, allowing easy access to the new resorts. This opened the island’s beaches and beauty to visitors and the future residents who enjoy the popular world-class town we know today. Numerous marinas are available to provide the visiting boater with access to some of the best golf, shopping, and dining the South has to offer.

If you give in to South Carolina’s traditional laid-back lifestyle, which encourages boaters to take their time when passing through, you will be rewarded with a very memorable experience.

Attractions Along the Way

Myrtle Beach

Marinas:
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
(843) 249-5376
myrtlebeachyachtclub.com

Barefoot Marina
(843) 390-2011
waterwayguide.com

Grande Dunes Marina
(843) 315-7777
grandedunes.com

Restaurants:
Simply Southern Smokehouse
(843) 839-1913
simplysouthernsmokehouse.com

Things to do:
The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
(843) 449-5236
thedunesclub.net

Georgetown

Marinas:
Georgetown Landing Marina
(843) 546-1776
georgetownlandingmarina.com

Harborwalk Marina
(843) 546-4250
harborwalkmarina.com

Restaurants:
River Room
(843) 527-4110
riverroomgeorgetown.com

Big Tuna Raw Bar
(843) 546-1045
bigtunarawbar.com

Things to do:
Hopsewee Plantation
(843) 546-7891
hopsewee.com

The Rice Museum
(843) 546-7423
ricemuseum.org

South Carolina Maritime Museum
(843) 520-0111
scmaritimemuseum.org

McClellanville

Marinas:
Leland Oil Company
(843) 887-3641
waterwayguide.com

Restaurants:
T.W. Graham & Co.
(843) 887-4342
twgrahamcoseafood.webs.com

Things to do:
Village Museum
(843) 887-3030
villagemuseum.com

Charleston

Marinas:
Charleston City Marina
(843) 723-5098
charlestoncitymarina.com

Charleston Harbor Marina
(843) 856-0028
charlestonharbormarina.com

Restaurants:
FIG
(843) 805-5900
eatfig.com

Husk
(843) 577-2500
huskrestaurant.com

Things to do:
Historic Charleston City Market
(843) 937-0920
thecharlestoncitymarket.com

The Charleston Museum
(843) 722-2996
charlestonmuseum.org

Beaufort

Marinas:
Downtown Marina of Beaufort
(843) 524-4422
waterwayguide.com

Port Royal Landing Marina
(843) 525-6664
portroyallandingmarina.com

Restaurants:
Saltus River Grill
(843) 379-3474
saltusrivergrill.com

Plums
(843) 525-1946
plumsrestaurant.com

Things to do:
Hunting Island State Park
(843) 838-2011
southcarolinaparks.com

Hilton Head Island

Marinas:
Harbor Town Yacht Basin at The Sea Pines Resort
(843) 363-8335
seapines.com

Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina
(866) 661-3822
sheltercovehiltonhead.com

Restaurants:
CQ’s
(843) 671-2779
cqsrestaurant.com

ELA’s on the Water
(843) 785-3030
elasgrille.com

Things to do:
Coastal Discovery Museum
(843) 689-6767
coastaldiscovery.org

Golf at Sea Pines Country Club
(843) 671-2345
seapinescountryclub.com

What’s on Your Holiday Calendar?

What’s on Your Holiday Calendar?

’Tis the season. Watch a lighted boat parade or light up your vessel and win a prize. Ask friends to come aboard to see New Year’s Eve fireworks from the water. If you’re in Key West that day, you can hoot ‘n’ holler as pirates lower their wench down the mast of the America 2.0 schooner, built in 2011.

All that said, here are some Gulf Coast events near marinas that are also worth considering:

• December 18-24: Pensacola’s Winterfest in Florida includes uplifting historic street tours on The Polar Express trolley. Along the way, you’ll greet characters from the movies The Polar Express and A Christmas Story. Meet Elfie; take a selfie. The Grinch steps on board and so does, yes, Elvis. Merry Christmas, Baby. pensacolawinterfest.org

• December 22nd: As darkness falls on New Orleans’ French Quarter, you can become part of a seasonal sing-along at Caroling in Jackson Square. This event is for all ages. Candles and song lyrics are passed around at 6:30 PM. Carolers meet carolers. Candles light candles. Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis overlooks hundreds of glowing singers and starting at 7 PM, their inspired voices sail across the Vieux Carré. experienceneworleans.com

• Through December 31st: Gulfport Harbor Lights Winter Festival on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast continues daily from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM at Jones Park next to Bert Jones Yacht Harbor. Take the walking tour or ride the free, heated trolley. The lighthouse has never looked this bright, and the lights change colors, too. gulfportharborlights.com

• December 31st: First Night St. Petersburg is a family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration spotlighting the art of performers and musicians along St. Pete’s waterfront and downtown business center on Florida’s west coast. firstnightstpete.com

By Bill AuCoin

The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort and Golf Club

Woven Through Time

Cruise over to The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort and Golf Club for some relaxing downtime.

St. Petersburg’s historic Old Northeast district is characterized by waterfront green space, brick streets, granite curbs, hexagon block sidewalks, mature trees, and lots of welcoming front porches. The neighborhood has an eclectic mix of architecture, culture, and style. A rejuvenation in the 1990s brought the district back to life after the suburban sprawl, including the long-shuttered Vinoy Hotel in 1992.

The hotel’s redesign offers a mix of contemporary and historic 1920s interiors.

The now beautifully restored Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club is nestled along the city’s waterfront with parks, recreation areas, an arboretum, the North Shore Aquatic Complex, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the St. Petersburg Museum of History. Its central location in the North Yacht Basin makes it a perfect place to spend a few days off the boat or as a base to enjoy the Tampa Bay area.

The Beginning

The story goes that in 1923, professional golfer Walter Hagen set a wager at the Beach Drive home of wealthy Pennsylvanian oil magnate Aymer Vinoy Laughner (A.V.) that if he were able to drive several balls off the face of A.V.’s pocket watch without breaking it, the millionaire would have to build a resort where they landed. Needless to say, A.V.’s watch kept working so he kept his promise. The Vinoy opened on New Year’s Eve 1925.

“The Vinoy became one of the country’s most prestigious destinations, attracting presidents (Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover), sporting greats like Babe Ruth, and Hollywood stars like Jimmy Stewart and Marilyn Monroe to its airy veranda,” says Vibeke Sansone, director of sales and marketing. “Today, you can still enjoy the gentle afternoon breeze from the comfort of a wooden rocker.”

The Marina

It’s not in the name, but the spectacular Vinoy Marina has its own bragging rights. It’s secure, protected, deep-water docks accommodate vessels up to 130 feet with long- and short-term leases.

“We have seventy-four slips which are all fixed docks here at the Vinoy,” says Lance Moyer, director of membership. “Fifty of those slips are used by our members as permanent slips under annual slip license agreements, and the remaining twenty-four are our transient slips for those wanting to come and visit the Vinoy for a few nights to a few months at a time.”

Those who cruise into the Vinoy Marina share the same benefits as guests who stay at the resort. “They have access to all of the resort amenities that include two outdoor swimming pools, state-of-the-art fitness center with locker rooms, including showers, steam, sauna and indoor whirlpools, ten Har-Tru tennis courts, eighteen-hole golf course, and multiple restaurants and bars,” says Moyer. “We even have room service delivery directly to the vessels at the marina.”

For those leasing a dock, notable marina amenities also include:
• Secure key access
• Dry-cleaning services
• Self-service laundry
• Walking distance to city activities
• Heated pools and hot tubs
• Four restaurants and bars
• Full-service day spa
• Fitness facilities
• Ice service
• 24-hour business center
• Bicycle rentals
• 3 percent discount on fuel at the city marina
• 10 percent discount at the Day Spa
• 10 percent discount on Food & Beverage

The usual dockside services are complimentary as well, such as basic cable, Wi-Fi, water, electric hookups (30/50/100 amp), pump-out facility, and trash collection. Current monthly rates for boats 60 feet and less is $23 per foot. vinoymarina.com

The Fitness

Get off the boat and move around. If you’re not touring the city, golfers will love the challenge of the Vinoy Golf Club. Its humble beginning started in 1920, as the nine-hole Coffee Pot Golf Course on Snell Island. It was sold as an 18-hole course in 1932 to D.L. Clark (of candy bar fame) for $156,000. Today, this Ron Garl-designed, 18-hole, par 71 championship course will test the best golfers.

Golfers will enjoy The Vinoy Golf Club’s championship course.

The Renaissance Vinoy Health Club keeps your cardiovascular systems running and your muscles strengthened in its state-of-the-art facility with a variety of equipment, weights, and classes, such as Pilates and water aerobics. After a tough workout, loosen up your sore muscles in the invigorating Jacuzzi, sauna, or steam room.

The Spa

Take pampering to an entirely new level at the Vinoy Salon & Day Spa. Opt for a soothing poolside massage in one of the cabanas, or relax with a glass of champagne while a professional stylist treats your hair with a complimentary deep-conditioning mask to restore hydration from damaging elements. Find your calm in a Sea Holistic Massage or a Muscle-Warming Seaweed Wrap. There are plenty of luxurious services and signature treatments available to appease everyone.

The Dining

Nourishment is key to keeping up with all the activities that surround your stay at The Vinoy. Although you can order room service while docked at the marina and avoid messing up the galley, take time away from the boat and explore The Vinoy’s inspired dining options.

Marchand’s Bar & Grill sources its provisions from local purveyors to offer farm-to-table, seasonal American fare fused with Florida and Caribbean flavors. The fine-dining restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If it’s Sunday, don’t miss the outstanding brunch that includes waffles, carved meats, and desserts. Marchand’s also has a fabulous sushi bar.

Paul’s Landing is named after the U.S. Navy surveyor William Paul, who constructed a small settlement with barracks, a short pier, and a smokehouse along the southeastern shore of the Pinellas Peninsula which is now the St. Petersburg downtown waterfront. After his stint in the Navy, he returned to grow oranges and smoke and cure meat. It’s the citrus, smoke, and seafood that is the essence of the restaurant. Delicious local seafood and international dishes along with incredible views of the marina make Paul’s Landing a favorite spot.

The Veranda Café is a perfect choice if you’re on the go. Stop by for fresh-brewed coffee, pastries, sandwiches and snacks, beer and wine, and even some souvenirs.

As the day settles down, relax at the Lobby Bar and Veranda Patio. Sip a fancy cocktail as you sit back in a rocker around the fire pit, nibble on sushi and small plates, and listen to live entertainment.

Members of the Vinoy Club can enjoy exclusive service for lunch and dinner (breakfast on weekends) surrounded by phenomenal golf course views at the Vinoy Club Grill.

Centrally located, The Vinoy is within walking distance of many fine restaurants along the waterfront.

The Comfort

Treat yourself to a night in one of The Vinoy’s renovated hotel suites designed from historic, 1920s grandeur to contemporary. Rooms feature plenty of “cabin space,” alluring Aveda bath products, and comfortable pillowtop mattresses to rest your weary head. Suites range from a standard guest room to the presidential tower with magnificent water or garden balcony views.

The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club offers an experience unlike any other. There’s something for everyone, from golf and tennis to Kid’s Camp to a family pool. With museums, Tropicana Field (home of Tampa Bay Rays baseball), and easy access to fishing the Gulf, it’s a destination fit for the boating lifestyle.

By Steve Davis, Southern Boating November 2019

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Push your boundaries and head east from Maine’s northern coast to discover the rugged charm of one of Nova Scotia.

It’s time to stretch your cruising boundaries to a place that is closer to the mainland than you might expect. A place where the people are friendly, the scenery is undeniably spectacular, boating facilities are expanding, and the crush of tourists has yet to fully
blossom—Canada’s Nova Scotia.

Located on Canada’s east coast across the Bay of Fundy from St. John, New Brunswick, and off the eastern Atlantic coast of Maine, Nova Scotia is nearly an island, connected by a relatively thin strip of terra firma to the mainland. Although accessible by car, plane, and ferry, it is by private boat that you’ll really get to see this wonderland up close and personal. For those with sea legs, no other approach will do.

Discover the Unknown

Dripping with history and personality, the peninsula was discovered by Italian explorer John Cabot in 1497, and Alexander Graham Bell lived, worked, and boated in the Bras d’Or Lake region. Nova Scotia is one of four original Canadian provinces (the others being Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick). But closer to Maine’s northeasternmost ports and far more expansive than you might imagine, it’s population of slightly less than 1 million is spread across a massive 21,000 square miles. With such uncrowded surroundings, you’ll find it is a terrific place to slow your pace, make new friends, and simply poke around or gunkhole in the thousands of pockets, coves, harbors, rivers, and backwaters that encircle and invade the province.

For modern-day explorers who like to adventure out on their own, this is nirvana. The possibilities really are endless, and you can tackle them at your own pace. View hundreds of miles of unaltered coastline, experience wildlife encounters with everything from whales to bald eagles, and enjoy fine dining, wineries, golfing, local culture, and incredible fishing that ranges from giant tuna to Atlantic salmon found along Cape Breton Island’s western shore. Diving, snorkeling, biking, hiking, and photography are other options as is virtually any outdoor challenge that tickles your fancy.

Size Matters

“Nova Scotia may be larger than you expect,” says Adam Langley, marine director for Develop Nova Scotia. “But make no mistake about it, everyone here is connected to the sea in one way or another. In fact, no matter where you stand in our province, you’ll never be more than 42 miles from the ocean. There are seven different regions here, each featuring its own individual flavor ranging from quaint fishing villages to our bustling capital city of Halifax, wine country, mountains, lake regions, and more. Each, however, is anchored by the sea.”

All told, Nova Scotia boasts around 4,600 miles of coastline and more than 3,800 islands plus hundreds of small communities where boatbuilding still flourishes. “Their commonality? They all welcome visitors, especially the cruising kind,” adds Langley. “And allow me to let you in on a little secret. We aren’t as far away as you think.”

Cruising Options

Indeed, with the ever-increasing range and comfort capacities of private cruising craft these days, visiting Nova Scotia makes a lot of sense. You’ll need a vessel capable of carrying out the voyage across some wide-open water, but seaworthy models in the 40- to-50-foot range as well as much larger yachts make this trip with regularity and ease. Most depart from the easternmost harbors in Maine or St. John, New Brunswick, and cut across the Bay of Fundy for a brief stay in Yarmouth before rounding the point at Cape Sable Lighthouse and heading along the southern shore to the larger and more cosmopolitan Halifax.

This port, in turn, serves as a jumping-off point to slide farther north along the eastern shore to Cape Breton Island and, the pi¨ece de resistance for visiting boaters in this stretch, the Bras d’Or Lake region. Here you’ll find North America’s biggest inland sea where waters are said to be as deep as the surrounding mountains are tall.

Make it Your Own

“We took a slightly different trek on our visit here last summer,” says Milt Baker, a repeat visitor to Nova Scotia. “Departing from Southwest Harbor, Maine, we ran about two hundred nautical miles to Lunenburg in my bluewater, forty-seven-foot Nordhavn. That’s a wonderfully scenic, old-fashioned Nova Scotia town where we enjoyed several nights before heading fifty nautical miles to Halifax with its vibrant waterfront for a week-long stay. From there, we took another overnight to the brackish waters of Bras d’Or Lake, an amazing place that you’ve just got to see.

Among other establishments, we love a small village there called Baddeck where there are a number of really good restaurants plus the Alexander Graham Bell museum, simply a fascinating, world-class center that features many of its namesake’s inventions and those of his wife, also an accomplished inventor.

“Nova Scotia really is a terrific place,” continues Baker. “It’s beautiful and friendly with clean waters, and there’s always something new or different to check out. My wife and I started coming here several years ago. We love the scenery, the atmosphere, and the culture. The people here are welcoming, friendly, and helpful. That’s turned out to be one of the primary reasons we keep coming back.”

Seasons Greetings

Summer is obviously the time you’ll want to make this trip. Nova Scotia gets mighty cold in the off-season, and you best not deal with the open Atlantic come winter. Boating season, at least the tourist one, runs from May through October with July, August, and September as prime time. There is a slight hurricane threat in September, but the big storms have missed this haven over the past few years. You can expect air temperatures of 75 to 85 degrees, moderate winds out of the southwest, and water temps in the high 50s to mid to high 70s depending on which coast you dip your tootsies into. There are some stretches where you can swim without neoprene, says Langley, of the perceived cool waters here.

“Melmerby Beach and Heather Beach on the Northumberland Strait quickly come to mind as does Bras d’Or Lake where you’ll mostly dive off the back of your boat.”

Plan Ahead

As for where to start when planning your Nova Scotia visit, the Bras d’Or Lake region is a full-fledged journey but a great first choice if you have the time. Roughly 140 nautical miles northeast of Halifax, it’s known for gentle waters that are generally fog-free—a real treat in these parts. This area, Baker’s favorite, sports beautiful anchorages, hundreds of coves and islands. Even better?  It is recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Consider staying in Halifax for a few days, then work your way east along the coast to enter Bras d’Or Lake through the canal lock at St. Peter’s. Fully provision and top-off your tanks, both fuel and water, before leaving Halifax. You won’t find much heading up to St. Peter’s Canal. The Liscombe Lodge Resort and Conference Center tucked in on the Liscombe River is the only spot to get fuel, ice, and a quick bite to eat (provisions are not available). The dock can accommodate boats up to 150 feet with a 12-foot draw.

“Don’t hurry or rush if you visit Nova Scotia,” advises Langley. “There’s just so much to see and do that no matter how long you stay, you’ll never squeeze it all into a single trip. See what you can, and enjoy it to the fullest.”

Plan an extended visit if at all possible. The No. 1 mistake visiting boaters make when heading to Nova Scotia is not scheduling enough time. In addition to distance, foul weather can keep you at the dock for a day or two at any point in the boating season. “Figure you’ll need a minimum of ten days,” says Baker. “If you can stay longer, so much the better.”

Shades of Nova Scotia

Bay of Fundy: Enjoy whale-watching and experience the highest tides in the world. There are breathtaking lookoffs and fertile lush valleys and vineyards.

Lunenburg/South Shore: This picturesque active waterfront is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunenburg is great for boatbuilding and fishing. French and English cultures intermingle in Yarmouth and Acadian Shores.

Halifax: The best of land and sea with a cosmopolitan blend of cafés, shops, galleries, restaurants, and nightlife combined with a picturesque, full-functioning harbor. The Halifax waterfront offers more than half a mile of public berth space, including 1,500 feet of floating docks. The Harbourwalk boardwalk is home to numerous restaurants, vendors, attractions, and events.

Bras d’Or Lake: Stunning highlands and vibrant Celtic culture make Cape Breton Island a paradise of rugged coastal trails, crystalline lakes, and fascinating local museums.

Eastern Shore, 100 Wild Islands: Features private, sandy beach anchorages and breathtaking nature preserves. Includes some of the best-secluded seascapes in North America. Great for wreck diving, surfing, and bike rides across gently rolling hills.

Northumberland Strait: Stunning beaches, warm ocean water, and breathtaking sunsets. Head ashore and discover the picturesque villages with rich heritage by bike, or kick up your heels to some great local music. Anchor off Melmerby Beach Provincial Park or find one of the many secluded island beaches, such as Pictou Island’s unspoiled beauty.

Just the Halifacts:

Halifax Harbour

Travel Distances to Halifax from:

  • St. John, New Brunswick 295 nautical miles
  • Boston, MA 380 nautical miles
  • Portland, ME 330 nautical miles
  • Bar Harbor, ME 275 nautical miles
  • Newport, RI 435 nautical miles

Halifax is Nova Scotia’s capital city and a popular jumping-off spot for cruising the entire southern shore, but Yarmouth is the closest Canadian port of entry for anyone coming directly from the U.S. Subtract approximately 140 nautical miles from the distances above if Yarmouth is your initial destination. The port does have some dock space as well as anchorages and is a dedicated clearance port for Canadian Border Services.

Good to Know

Most harbors in Nova Scotia have a government wharf. However, these are quite rough with docking limited or unavailable. Be safe and check ahead whenever possible. Also, note that many public slips lack electric and some might not have water or even restroom facilities. The farther you progress from the primary ports, the more you’ll need to be self-sufficient. Always carry full provisions, and be aware of the next fuel, food, and lodging possibilities.

Additional Resources

Nova Scotia Boating Guide: developns.ca/visit

Boating in Nova Scotia: novascotia.com/see-do/outdoor-activities/boating

If you’re a golfer, sign up for the Harb’r Cup at Fox Harb’r Resort on Nova Scotia’s northern coast September 3-5. Two spots are open for readers interested in this invitation-only event. Contact kimberly@kimberlyibarra.com.

Island Time in the Pacific Northwest

Island Time in the Pacific Northwest

The incredible scenery of the San Juan and Gulf islands in the Pacific Northwest creates a whole new boating adventure.

South Florida and the Caribbean offer warm waters, tropical breezes, and an occasional tiki bar to create a great boating experience, but the deeper, colder waters surrounding the pristine islands of the Pacific Northwest provide a different type of spectacular excursion. If you are looking for a new adventure, or simply ready to get out of the heat for a while a magical world of boating awaits you in the San Juan and Gulf Islands.

Isn’t it always raining there?

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t always rain in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle (37.5 inches) has less annual rainfall than Fort Lauderdale (64.2 inches) and the islands even less as they are in the shadow of the Olympic Mountains. You may still encounter rain, but it’s not as gloomy as you might think. June to September are the best months to cruise the islands because the weather is sunnier and milder; however, you can boat year-round. Temperatures in the San Juan Islands during September average in the 70s during the day and dip below 60 degrees at night.

If you are used to warmer weather, bring long pants and a jacket for the evenings, but don’t forget your swimsuit. Even though there are spots like Desolation Sound that is fed by warm springs, the water is cold—most adults I know relegate their swimming to pools and hot tubs. Dogs and kids don’t seem to mind it, and I even take a plunge on a hot day, but it’s fine for kayaking, standup paddleboarding, kitesurfing, and other aquatic activities.

What’s the wildlife like?

This area is a cruising paradise with hundreds of islands in Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands off Washington State, and the Gulf Islands off Canada’s Vancouver Island. The Strait of Juan de Fuca divides Washington from Vancouver Island and connects to the Pacific Ocean 80 miles west. The islands are protected in a large inland arm of the ocean that covers more than 6,500 square miles called the Salish Sea. Millions of gallons of water move during each tide refreshing the sea every day that reaches astounding depths of more than 2,000 feet and provide a home for myriad sea life.

Pods of endangered orca whales, sea lions, seals, porpoise, and other marine mammals frolic here. Rare sea birds, such as tufted puffins, bob on the surface. North Pacific Giant Octopus, the largest in the world, hide deep below the surface along the rocky crags and mingle among the crabs. Salmon of all types, including the mighty Chinook, aka king salmon, feed along the islands and spawn in connecting rivers. These magnificent fish historically weigh more than 100 pounds each, but most king salmon today are less than 40 pounds and provide food for resident orca whales, indigenous people, and recreational anglers.

Places to stay?

The islands are well-charted and easy to navigate with modern electronic chartplotters. There are numerous gunkholing spots and pristine anchorages, but we typically travel with our dog and prefer the amenities and convenience of the dock. The islands have hundreds of marinas and resorts from which to choose. Here is a highlight of a few key locations and activities from a recent trip aboard our Cutwater 26.

Rosario Resort & Spa

A visit to Orcas Island is not complete without a trip to Rosario Resort & Spa and its marina and historic mansion. The marina offers more than 30 slips, a fuel dock (April through October), power, and water. It has an outdoor swimming pool and restaurant, and daily spa passes are available to marina guests for a small fee. Robert Moran, then-Seattle mayor and a shipbuilder, constructed Moran Mansion between 1906-1909. Abundant wood gives it the look and feel of a ship. The mansion comprises a hotel, restaurant, spa with indoor swimming pool, and a small museum featuring original photography, ship models, and artifacts from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The highlight is the music room with its 1913 Aeolian organ featuring 1,972 pipes. Plan your dates around the presentation of music, photographs, and silent films to see and hear the organ play. rosarioresort.com

Friday Harbor

Friday Harbor is the biggest town on San Juan Island with numerous restaurants, shops and boutiques, art galleries, and museums within walking distance of the port. Washington State ferries arrive here as do Kenmore Air seaplanes. A small airport is adjacent to town which makes this town an ideal location for transferring guests. The marina has slips that accommodate boats 20 feet and longer, and the fuel dock offers some of the lowest fuel prices on the island.

In town, Rocky Bay Café is great for breakfast. Expect lines for seating, but the friendly staff and fluffy omelets with biscuits and gravy make it worth the wait. Friday’s Crabhouse, a casual outdoor venue, has nice views of the ferry dock and serves excellent seafood—flame-grilled local oysters are a favorite. Cask & Schooner has regional microbrews on tap, but its farm-to-table fare keeps customers coming back for more. Herb’s Tavern is a popular watering hole, eatery, and sports bar known for its hip ambience. Don’t miss Friday Harbor Seafood, a store on a floating dock in the marina where you can buy fresh, local seafood, such as crabs, oysters, and spot prawns. portfridayharbor.org

Roche Harbor

Roche Harbor, the most popular destination on San Juan Island, is an essential stop. This former company town-turned-resort area includes the historic Hotel De Haro, in continuous operation since 1886, cabins, condos, and other shoreside accommodations. Its marina has dock space for boats up to 150 feet in length, and amenities include fuel, power, water hookups, and a market for provisions. The seaside resort offers three waterfront restaurants, a spa, pool, bocce courts, boutiques, and artisan stands.

Roche Harbor hosts numerous boatbuilder rendezvous and has several venues available for waterfront events. Easy hiking trails take you through the lime quarries up the hill where you can view some of Canada’s beautiful sights.  The resort is close to the “whale zone” where local orcas often gather and feed. It is an ideal place to head out to see these endangered creatures either on your own boat or on a whale-watching tour. rocheharbor.com

Poet’s Cove Resort & Spa, Bedwell Harbour, Pender Island

A short trip from Roche Harbor takes you into the Gulf Islands where you can clear Canadian Customs in Bedwell Harbour. Customs officers are often on hand but, typically, the skipper calls for clearance on telephones provided at the station. Passports or enhanced driver’s licenses are required or if everyone on board has a NEXUS card, you can clear by cell phone. (When returning to the U.S., I highly recommend using the CBP app.)

Once cleared into Canada, the adjacent Poet’s Cove Resort & Spa is a great place to stay. Its marina has 110 slips for boats up to 100 feet in length, a fuel dock, power, water, ice, and laundry facilities. The resort features three restaurants, two swimming pools with hot tubs, and a convenience store with espresso stand. Its on-site oasis, Susurrus Spa, offers a variety of treatments, including facials, pedicures, and different types of massage. Spa guests can take advantage of a private hot tub and a cleansing steam cave that is carved out of rock and has a skylight, a bubbling fountain, and ledges for relaxing while steaming. The spa and steam cave are a fantastic way to unwind after a day of cruising. poetscove.com

Butchart Gardens

A Canadian National Historic Site, Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay is a series of spectacular gardens that have been thrilling visitors for 100 years. Once an abandoned rock quarry, the land was designed and cultivated by Jennie Butchart in the early 1900s, and today, guests spend hours marveling at this cornucopia of splendor. Visit in the fall to see the colors of the leaves change to red, orange, and gold.

A private dock provides boaters direct access to the gardens. Mooring buoys are available in the cove, but we chose to dinghy over from the nearby Brentwood Bay Marina using the iNavX app on a cell phone to find the gardens’ entrance. Tod Inlet is a nearby anchorage with good holding ground and a dinghy dock to a provincial park. butchartgardens.com

Montague Harbour Marina, Galiano Island

Next, we joined the Cutwater Cruise, a moving rendezvous for Cutwater owners like us sponsored by Bellingham Yacht Sales. More than 30 Cutwaters cruise together for a week through the islands. A favorite stop is Montague Harbour Marina on Galiano Island where we take over most of the docks, including multiple boats Med-moored on the face dock. After getting the boats settled, everyone goes ashore to board a converted school bus, aka “Pub Bus,” for transport to the Hummingbird Pub. Maracas, tambourines, egg shakers, and other instruments are handed out as you board, and everyone sings along as the music plays. Cymbals are mounted near the driver so he can play while he drives. At the back, seats convert to benches and people try to hula hoop in the middle as the bus lurches along the hills. The Hummingbird Pub has delicious food—try the Cajun Halibut sandwich and a beer or two before returning on the bus to the marina. montagueharbour.com; hummingbirdpub.com

Telegraph Harbour Marina, Thetis Island

Telegraph Harbour Marina on Thetis Island, a popular cruising area conveniently located between Seattle and Vancouver, is open May through September with access to shore power, bathrooms, showers, and fuel. (During the off-season, only moorage and shore power are available.) The rocky tree-lined hillside has a picnic shelter and activities like table tennis, bocce, and shuffleboard. Enjoy some fun in the water and dinghy, kayak, or paddleboard through Penelakut Cut, a shallow passage between Thetis and Penelakut islands into Telegraph Harbour. Be sure to try a cup of island-roasted Pot of Gold coffee at the marina store which also sells homemade pizzas and fantastic whole-wheat baguettes. Pre-order some and pick them up hot for a special treat. telegraphharbour.com

Ganges Harbour, Salt Spring Island

A quaint little city, Ganges Harbour on Salt Spring Island is a well-known boating destination with restaurants, shops, and art galleries within walking distance of Ganges Marina. The marina accommodates boats up to 400 feet long and offers access to shore power and fuel. Potable water is provided, but boat washing is prohibited during high season due to water restrictions. On shore, Moby’s Pub is a great place to meet some locals and enjoy a meal and drinks—try its famous duck wings. Moby’s, as well as other local hot spots, such as the Oystercatcher and the Tree House Café, have live music on some nights and spectacular views of the harbor. Don’t miss one of the city’s biggest events, the annual Fall Fair, September 14-15. This year’s theme is Crops and Crafts of Every Color. gangesmarina.com

Cruising the San Juan’s and the Canadian Gulf Islands is a wonderful way to relax and enjoy one of the world’s finest boating areas. There is something for everyone from the solitude of a star-filled anchorage to the excitement and fun of exploring a new island, including local seafood and nightlife. The dramatic scenery of the land and the sea make this trip exceptional. Majestic eagles fly overhead as graceful dolphins and whales pierce the water’s surface. If you are looking for a new boating adventure, the Pacific Northwest awaits.

By Arnie Hammerman, Southern Boating September 2019

Henderson Beach Resort

Henderson Beach Resort

At Henderson Beach Resort, located on Florida’s Emerald Coast, lie legendary white-sand beaches next to emerald-green water,and a bounty of seafood waits to be caught and prepared by a world-class Michelin chef.

There was a time when going on a fishing trip translated to camping in smelly canvas tents or roughing it in low-budget motels or old cabins. Although some still favor the nostalgia of reliving those experiences, the growing trend is to blend fishing getaways with a somewhat more comfortable or even a luxury experience— chef-prepared gourmet menus, spa treatments, high thread count linens in climate-controlled guest rooms complete with in-room Nespresso machines, fluffy robes, and room service—such as you’ll find at The Henderson Beach Resort in Destin, Florida.

Something Fishy

The Gulf of Mexico is well-known for its bounty of seafood. Commercial fishing operations are found in almost every port along the Florida Panhandle. Additionally, anglers enjoy recreational and competitive fishing both offshore and in the coastal bays and waterways.

On Florida’s Emerald Coast—the state’s northwest area named for its emerald green-colored water and favored for its fine white, sugary sand beaches—Destin began as a small fishing village with easy access to the sea’s bounty. In the mid-1950s, following a particularly fortuitous fishing excursion during the annual Destin Fishing Rodeo (started in 1948), a former Florida governor labeled it “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village” after he caught a 29-pound king mackerel.

Legendary catches still occur today both offshore and near shore, which is perhaps why Destin Harbor is home to allegedly the largest charter fishing fleet in Florida. Just nine miles offshore in federal waters, anglers can troll in depths of up to 300 feet for marlin, dolphinfish, sailfish, tuna, and wahoo as well as grouper, triggerfish, amberjack, red snapper, and bonito.

But you don’t have to go far in a large sportfishing yacht to feel the tug. A wide variety of fish species are closer to shore in 50 to 100 feet of water where light tackle is used for king mackerel, triggerfish and other species, and Choctawhatchee Bay has Spanish mackerel, cobia, speckled trout, flounder, black snapper, and pompano in less than 30 feet of water. Even non-anglers can enjoy the fishing excitement when the charter boats return to the dock and flaunt their day’s catch. Parking is plentiful, and you can walk the dock for free.

See food is Seafood

Fresh Gulf-to-table menus are not only accessible and anticipated, but they’re also celebrated. At The Henderson Beach Resort, gastronomic revelry is relished in a grand yet relaxed style all its own thanks to Executive Chef Gary Palm, whose culinary experience includes international luxury hotel brands in France, Monte Carlo, India, Korea, Indonesia, China, and a chef for foreign and U.S. presidents and other esteemed dignitaries.

Daily market fish is always on his menu at Primrose—The Henderson’s signature restaurant named for a 1920s-era seine fishing boat that’s restored and on display in the Destin History and Fishing Museum—but Chef Palm adds ever-changing flavors and local ingredients like Lemon Grass and White Wine Sauce or Blackened Grouper
with lobster essence, red radish and spring vegetables.

With such exquisite food, you may loosen your belt. Minimize bloat at the fitness center or engage in some of the many wellness offerings at The Henderson, including yoga, paddleboarding, bike adventures, kayaking, or a high-octane calorie-burner that was featured on Shark Tank called Surfset—imagine exercising on a wobbly surfboard that’s on top of bouncy rubber balls and the goal is to keep your balance without falling off. Yep, you got it.

Spa Time

If all the fishing and eating and exercise has whetted your appetite for some serious spa time, you’re in the right place. Just walk into the Salamander Spa and you’ll feel some of
your tension ease. Backlit transparent tiles in hues of the emerald sea line the walls of the hallway and create a surreal, calming effect. Fluffy robes envelop your aching muscles and sand-colored sandals cushion your feet while you relax in the Lavender Room with a flute of champagne or chilled juice.

There’s an extensive menu of treatment options, customized to address every physical concern: Himalayan Salt Suite for respiratory or skin conditions, Floatation Therapy for deep relaxation and Cryo-Therapy, a three-minute treatment to reduce inflammation and boost the immune system. Before, after or in-between treatments, treat yourself to the steam room, experiential shower or whirlpool tub with chilled cucumber slices placed on your eyelids.

Family Rules

Lest you assume The Henderson is primarily for adults, nothing could be further from the truth. Children and teens have their own customized menus at the restaurants and the
spa. The lazy river pool is a hit for all ages, and the white-sand beach invites hours of fun. Weekly activities include lip sync battles, swimming with a mermaid, family movie night,
and a fireside s’mores station for kids and grown-ups alike.

If the kids are missing Rover back home, The Henderson’s Canine Ambassadors, Dune and Ranger, show up twice daily in the Living Room; just like in your home, it’s the place
where people gather. For the artists in your group, The Henderson hosts local artists’ painting classes for individuals and families and Shardworx workshops for making art with glass.

When you stroll through The Henderson, the influence of the local art community is obvious but natural. Thirteen local artists created custom pieces to reflect the beauty of the surroundings and bring both calm and inspiration to all who enter. Displayed in the Historical Hallway and guest room corridors, historical photographs taken by the late Arturo Mennillo depict scenes in and around Destin of people sportfishing and enjoying the beach and emerald water.

Here, old images blend with new art, conversations mingle with children’s laughter, and fresh seafood fuses with imaginative and local flavors. Even if you live hundreds of miles away, this will somehow feel familiar, a place where you can just be and breathe in the salt air.

BRINGING YOUR BOAT?

Destin marinas are small but have transient docking, some with full service and others without. Call ahead for available space.

Destin Marina
Up to 30 feet, no services.
(850) 837-2470

HarborWalk Marina
Fuel, water, electric, pump-out, waterfront shopping and dining at HarborWalk Village, fishing charters, convenience store, and gift shop.
(850) 650-2400; harborwalkmarina.net

Legendary Marina
ValvTect fuel, pump-out,
service and parts, sales.
(850) 337-8200; legendarymarina.com

The Ships Chandler
Boats to 110 feet (based on space available), power and water only, boat rentals, sales, service, chandlery, no pump-out, no facilities.
(850) 837-2262; theshipschandler.com

By Liz Pasch, Southern Boating June 2019

Maine Cruising Itinerary

Maine Cruising Itinerary

Take a week to explore the coastal life from Portland to Camden with this Maine cruising itinerary.

Who wouldn’t want a chance to get a taste of cosmopolitan Portland, Maine’s mid-coast and Downeast areas, and explore its working watermen villages? Missy Johnston, owner, president and senior yacht charter specialist at Northrop-Johnson Yacht Charters Newport, recommends the following weeklong Portland to Camden Maine cruising itinerary for any sailor looking to experience all of the fantastic amenities and attractions along the coast of Maine.

Maine’s rocky, rugged coastline is resplendent with islands, coves, bays, anchorages, and wildlife (harbor seals, minke and finback whales, Atlantic puffins, and more), while its coastal towns and villages lure visitors with their working harbors, art galleries, historic theaters, and restaurants serving up fresh Maine lobster.

Capt. Brian Warner of the 86-foot, Custom Line Navetta 26 Slainte III has cruised this route multiple times and praises its natural beauty; however, he warns captains that morning fog (which usually lifts but sometimes persists throughout the day), lobster pots and rocks are a few of the challenges, and adds, “The most popular anchorages have good holding in a muddy bottom, but you need to be aware of rocks, which can sometimes hang you up.”

If you’re planning to explore on your own, Warner advises that you “read as many
area cruising guides as possible, use good charts and look out the window instead of
at your chartplotter all the time.”

DAY 1: Portland to Boothbay Harbor

Start your week at DiMillo’s Marina in the heart of Portland’s revitalized warehouse

district, Old Port. Full provisioning and marine services are available. It’s also worth spending a night or two here before your cruise to explore the area’s nightlife, microbreweries, farm/ocean-to-table restaurants, 19th, and 20th-century architecture, markets, museums, and boutique shopping.

Booth Bay Harbor is worth the trip.

A few blocks from the waterfront is the Arts District, home to the Portland Museum of Art, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House (poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s (1807-1882) childhood home) and more.

Casco Bay and its many islands border Portland to the east. After a short cruise southeast, you’ll be treated to a view of the Portland Head Light, Maine’s oldest lighthouse.

Take a turn to the northeast and continue 32 nautical miles through Casco Bay past Halfway Rock and Sequin Island before rounding the Cuckolds to head north into well-protected Boothbay Harbor. The region has a lengthy shipbuilding history, which continues today, with shipyards building luxury yachts, tugboats, modern lobster boats, and more.

Dock or moor at one of the marinas, or anchor on the west side of the harbor near Mill Cove. Then, wander around town, seeking out the perfect dinner and possibly catching a performance at the prestigious Opera House.

DAY 2: Boothbay Harbor to Monhegan Island

Classic lobster boats fill the harbors.

Today’s destination, following a 17.5-nautical mile cruise south and then east, is car-free Monhegan Island, a small, hilly, rocky island 10 miles from the nearest mainland and a longtime haven for artists. Peruse its art studios and hike some of its often steep and strenuous trails, which lead through woodlands and up to high cliffs such as Whitehead and Burnt Head. Guest moorings and anchorages are first-come, first-served. Contact
the harbormaster when you’re near the island for suggestions.

DAY 3: Monhegan Island to Tenants Harbor

Today’s stop in the Maine cruising itinerary takes you fifteen nautical miles to the northeast past Mosquito Island and back along the fingers of the Maine coast. You’ll cruise into Tenants Harbor. Moor in the harbor (contact the  Tenants Harbor Boatyard, tenantsharborboatyard.com, for a rental), then come ashore to stretch your legs and browse the village shops.

For the true art historian, catch a taxi to the Olson House in Cushing, a 30-minute country ride up through Thomaston and back south to see the colonial farmhouse that was the
subject of numerous works by American painter Andrew Wyeth, including Christina’s World (1948). Lighthouse lovers can taxi south from Tenants Harbor to Marshall Point
Lighthouse which sits on a rocky point with a long wooden runway connecting it to the house. It’s the spot where Tom Hanks ended a leg of his cross-country run in the 1994 film Forrest Gump.

DAY 4: Tenants Harbor to Vinalhaven

Vinalhaven has one of the world’s largest fleets of lobster boats.

Head out on today’s 19.5-nautical mile cruise east then northeast passing south of the Muscle Ridge islands then sail up across southern Penobscot Bay to Vinalhaven, Maine’s largest offshore island community. Carvers Harbor, on Vinalhaven’s southern end, is home to one of the world’s largest lobster fishing fleets.

Anchor or moor in the inside of the harbor, says Warner, then “relax and take in the sights of a town that doesn’t want to be found.” One such sight is Lane’s Island, a land preserve south of town, with a couple miles of trails and a few different species of birds for birdwatching.

DAY 5: Vinalhaven to Swan’s Island (via Cranberry Isles)

Venture into Maine’s Downeast, cruising 31 nautical miles east/northeast to the Cranberry Isles. The five islands are named for their low-bush cranberries and boasting views of nearby Acadia National Park’s mountains. Moor if your yacht is less than 50 feet. Or anchor in small, lobster buoy-filled Islesford Harbor on Little Cranberry Island. Definitely visit the  Islesford Historical Museum and art galleries.

Afterward, backtrack 11 nautical miles to Swan’s Island and moor along Burnt Coat  Harbor’s southwest side north of the Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse. Spend the afternoon visiting one or more of this lobstering island’s three small villages. Be sure to catch the sunset from the lighthouse on Hockamock Head. Or, take an adventure to find Fine Sand Beach.

DAY 6: Swan’s Island to Bar Harbor

Wander the scenic streets of Bar Harbor, ME.

Today, cruise 25 nautical miles northeast past the Cranberrys. Take in the rocky, forested shores of Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. Arrive in Bar Harbor, a
popular vacation destination and the gateway to the Park. After docking at Harborside Marina on Frenchman Bay, set off for a hike in the national park. Perhaps you’ll summit Cadillac Mountain on a 7.1-mile return adventure. After dinner, if you’re still awake, see a show at the 1932 Criterion Theatre.

DAY 7: Bar Harbor to Camden

Don’t stuff yourself at breakfast. The highlight today is a lunchtime lobster boil (lobster, clams, chorizo or Kielbasa, red boiling potatoes, and corn), which is a fun way to take a break on your voyage to Camden. Cruise south from Bar Harbor back around the  Cranberrys, past the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse and up through the dramatic Eggemoggin Reach. You’ll have Little Deer Isle to port and pass under the Deer Isle Bridge. Once around Eggemoggin on the northern tip of the island, head southwest to tiny Barred Island, just past Hog Island. It’s an uninhabited island split by a beach.

With a full belly, cruise 45 nautical miles through the islands of Islesboro and into West
Penobscot Bay to Camden, a harbor at the foot of the Camden Hills. (Call the Camden harbormaster for a dock in town.) Then make the most of your remaining Maine moments. Peruse the downtown shops. Maybe check out the views over Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay from the Mount Battie trail in Camden Hills State Park. Or, attend a performance at the historic Camden Opera House.

Your heart may yearn for another week of exploration on this Maine cruising itinerary. But rest assured, Camden is a picturesque place to finish, evoking a sense of the area’s rich maritime history. “In the evening,” says Johnston, “with all the wooden schooners home at the docks and on mooring balls, one can envision what a Maine harbor looked like in the 1800s.”

Charming? Absolutely.

By Kara Murphy, Southern Boating July 2019

Boating on Lake Superior

Boating on Lake Superior

Save the best for last on your Great Loop journey. Try your hand at boating on Lake Superior.

The northern segment of the Great Loop route on the U.S./Canada border encompasses four of the five Great Lakes: Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan. For some “Loopers,” however, cruising this far without exploring Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, would be like a road trip through the western U.S. without seeing the Grand Canyon; the experience would be incomplete. Here’s why you must go boating on Lake Superior.

Most Loopers plan to complete the Great Loop in a single calendar year. However, Fort Myers, Florida-based Mike and Deb Hervey added another two years and hundreds of miles to their itinerary in order to fully explore Lake Superior’s Canadian and U.S. shores. We caught up with the Herveys who, as of press time, were still on their multi-year Great Loop adventure in the Kentucky Lakes aboard Carousel, a 1999 42-foot Grand Banks Europa.

According to the Herveys and others who cruised all five of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior was an essential part of their Great Loop journey and appropriately named for many reasons. Lake Superior’s shoreline consists of three geographical categories: the Canadian shore, the Wisconsin and Michigan shore, and what’s commonly referred to as the North Shore—from the city of Duluth at the lake’s far western point to the Canadian border along the Minnesota shoreline.

Superior Loopers

To take the Lake Superior diversion, Loopers cruising from east to west will navigate in northwest Lake Huron to the St. Marys River and St. Marys Falls Canal that lead to the Soo Locks, which bypass the river’s rapids that fall over the 21-foot elevation difference between Lake Superior and the lower lakes. Recreational and tour boats use the smaller lock on the Canadian side, and commercial ships use the two large locks on the U.S. side.

The city of Sault Ste. Marie spans both sides of the U.S./Canada border, and the Herveys recommend docking at one of the marinas on the Ontario side to stock up on provisions before locking through to Lake Superior. “Once you get twenty to thirty miles north of Sault Ste. Marie on the Canadian side, there are very few harbors,” says Mike. He adds that they lost cell phone reception on the Canadian shore and even VHF reception was sketchy. “Everything is bigger, so the distance between harbors is more than what most cruisers are used to,” he says, noting that most boaters will be more comfortable cruising the U.S. shore, but for Loopers who crave the remoteness and wild beauty it offers, the raw and untamed Canadian coastline more than satisfies.

Superior Weather

Regardless of which shoreline cruisers choose to explore, the one thing they have in common is a proclivity to changing weather. Experienced boaters know that monitoring the weather before and while cruising is key to staying safe. The Herveys say this is especially true on Lake Superior where atmospheric conditions can change more rapidly than what they encountered on the other Great Lakes.

In addition to storms with rain, lightning, and high waves, it’s not uncommon for dense fog to roll in like a blanket and cover the lake, especially in June. “Weather forecasts are not as accurate as they are on the East Coast. Boaters have to keep a good eye on the weather and take with a grain of salt the wave height prediction,” says Mike, who strongly recommends utilizing resources from the Great Lakes Cruising Club. The club provides up-to-date harbor reports on more than 1,000 harbors and anchorages throughout the Great Lakes.

Superior Islands

Although it’s geographically closer to Canada and the northern Minnesota shoreline, Isle Royale National Park, an archipelago of more than 400 islands, is actually part of Michigan. The Herveys say the charts are not quite as accurate as what they experienced firsthand, but the pristine water, raw nature, and seeing the animals that come down to the water to drink while you’re at anchor is well worth the visit. Overnight boaters need a permit whether they’re at the dock or at anchor, and it’s recommended to request a permit at nps.gov prior to your arrival.

Looking for another type of National Park? Check out these National Marine Sanctuaries.

On Wisconsin’s shore, the Apostle Islands, also part of the U.S. National Park Service, offer a spectacular view both above and below the water, so slow your speed to take it all in. According to the Herveys, if boating on Lake Superior, there are very few well-protected bays for those inclined to anchor. However, the nearby town of Bayfield offers several nice marinas. Of special note is the largest of the Apostle Islands, Madeline Island, and its only town, La Pointe. The population, which increases significantly in the summer months, never loses its small-town feel. You’ll find The Madeline Island Yacht Club, a full-service marina, here. During the winter months, La Pointe’s year-round residents access the mainland via windsled across the ice. Some use a hovercraft with skis. Others drive on an ice road when the ice is thick enough to sustain the weight of vehicles.

Superior Scenery

Boating Lake Superior offers cruisers the chance to see the Aurora Borealis.

On Lake Superior, it’s nearly impossible to choose the best scenic attraction. But, most would agree that the shoreline to the west of the Apostle Islands is a strong contender. Caves cut into rocky red bluffs topped with evergreen trees line the shore. In the summer, kayakers explore the caves when the lake is calm. In winter, when the lake is frozen, hikers are treated to icicles hanging from the cave ceiling that glimmer like diamonds in the frosty light. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising, Michigan, offers a stunning landscape of beautiful sandstone cliffs. It’s a natural attraction that draws visitors every season during the year. If you carry kayaks aboard your vessel, you’ll definitely want to use them here.

Don’t miss the scenic Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, a great place to kayak.

Boating on Lake Superior offers a special visual treat. The most outstanding scenic attraction is in the night sky, where the majesty and mystery of creation shows its handiwork as if by magic. Aurora borealis, or northern lights, are strongest in the fall and winter but can appear on Lake Superior year-round. Your best chance to watch them dance across the sky is away from any city lights and late on a clear night with no moonlight. Turn off any artificial light, let your eyes adjust to the darkness, look toward the north, and wait. They are unpredictable, which is part of what’s so rewarding when they do appear. Don’t take it for granted. Witnessing this miracle of nature is a gift that most have never seen with their own eyes.

Superior Towns

Boaters enjoy this is an image of Bayfield, Wisconsin.

Bayfield, Wisconsin, is a worthy boating destination on its own. The town offers quaint shops with homemade jams and local artisan-created crafts. Shuttle buses run from the marina to Big Top Chautauqua, a big circus tent that hosts music performances. Across the lake, Grand Marais, Minnesota, is another small town worth a stop. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has many charming villages that are walkable and fun to explore, such as Copper Harbor on the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The Herveys prefer the small towns for their strong sense of history and welcoming culture. However, the larger towns have a lot to offer as well. “Marquette has a farmers market next to the marina for provisioning,” says Mike. Loopers with enough time and budget should definitely make the journey to the westernmost point on Lake Superior. Head to the port city of Duluth, Minnesota, if only to see one of the few remaining aerial lift bridges, which was built in 1905.

Take a ride on the Algoma Central Railway.

Commercial ships travel through the Duluth Ship Canal and under the bridge to the inner harbor. Canal Park has many restaurants. A favorite visitor pastime is a stroll along the canal, especially when ships enter or depart. After you’ve explored Lake Superior to your heart’s content and are on your way back to Lake Huron to resume the Loop, stop again in Sault Ste. Marie to take the one-day train ride north on the Algoma Central Railway Train Excursion. According to the Herveys, it was a highlight of their trip and a great way to see some of the Canadian countryside.

You might even say the experience was superior.

By Liz Pasch, Southern Boating August 2019

Top 5 Fishing Spots in the Southeast

Top 5 Fishing Spots in the Southeast

What’s better than a weekend boating and fishing trip? Not much in our book. Whether you like rivers and creeks, or the open ocean, the Southeast has something to offer every angler. We’ve put together a list of what we think are the top 5 fishing spots in the Southeast. Have we missed one of your favorites?

5. Louisiana Bayou, Louisiana

The Bayou is unique in that it offers anglers both freshwater and saltwater settings to fish. This region of Louisiana offers wetlands, shallows, waterways and off-shore and deep-sea fishing into the Gulf of Mexico. When it comes to freshwater fishing, Louisiana’s system of waterways is unmatched in the United States.

4. Lake Guntersville, Alabama

Lake Guntersville offers 70,000 acres of beautiful open water. This area is host to many of the top fishing tournaments including the Bassmaster fishing series. There are lots of bass in this lake and plenty of local guide services who would love to help you catch a trophy.

3. Lake Okeechobee, Florida

“The Big O” has been a bucket list lake for bass anglers for decades now. Lake Okeechobee is a lot like an enormous pond with its miles and miles of healthy grass and shallow water. The Sunshine State is the Fishing Capital for trophy bass fishing, as well as other sports fishing. Simply put, Lake Okeechobee is one of the premier fishing destinations in the world.

2. Pamlico Sound, North Carolina

With North Carolina’s mainland to the west and a string of narrow islands to the east, Pamlico Sound is the perfect breeding and feeding water for a wide variety of saltwater fish. From shallow flats to offshore fishing, the area is a haven for anglers who want a variety of options. It’s one of the best places in the world to catch mullet, sheepshead, redfish, and shark.

1. The Florida Keys, Florida

The Florida Keys are one of the most stunning, vibrant, and action-packed fishing locations in the world. The year-round warm and tropical temperatures and beautiful scenery all add to this Floridian fishing experience. With a 125mile long arc of islands to that make up the keys to explore, there’s a trophy fish for any angler. Here you’ll delight in Bonefish, Redfish, Yellowtail, Barracuda, and in the deep sea for Dolphinfish, Marlin, and other open-water predators.

Did we miss any of your favorite fishing sites? Let me know in the comments!

– Brandon Ferris

Help the Bahamas

How to help the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian

One of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded, Hurricane Dorian, has devastated the Bahamas, leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses destroyed. Here’s how you can help the relief efforts.

Relief Aid experts say there will be immediate emergency needs before the long journey of rebuilding begins.

Southern Boating created a GoFundMe as a place to reach out and support the islands and its people. As much as we’d like to load the boat and take supplies over there, the U.S. Coast Guard and other disaster relief agencies advise against it. There’s no place to stay, fuel up, or dock. The seafloor has changed and uncharted hazards exist that put boaters in danger. There are no warehousing facilities, communications are minimal, and no matter how self-sufficient we may be, the best way to help is to send money to the agencies that are already on the ground and staging massive relief efforts.

All donations will go through our GoFundMe account and be dispersed equally to the following vetted agencies, who we know will use the funds for The Bahamas relief effort.

Bahamas Red Cross Society has 200 volunteers in the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama. Shelter, food, water, medicine, and communications are the most urgent needs

Bahamas Official Hurricane Relief

World Central Kitchen, set up by the chef José Andrés, is providing food to people affected by Hurricane Dorian. Mr. Andrés and a relief team have arrived in Nassau, the capital, and have begun to identify places where they can set up kitchens on the affected islands.

Here’s a look at some aerial footage courtesy of USA Today


This is a long-term effort. It took Abaco Island many years to rebuild after Hurricane Floyd, so this site will remain active as long as it takes to get the islands and its residents back on their feet. Help us turn the tide and use your tourism dollars to rebuild so we can once again enjoy the treasures Grand Bahama and Great Abaco islands offer.
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