Megayachts owners now have a place to dock at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. The Cape Charles (Virginia) Yacht Center—specifically designed to accommodate yachts more than 79 feet long—is open for business. The location along the Mid-Atlantic offers a deep, secure harbor with quick ocean access. It’s a welcome addition to the coast, with limited dockage between Florida and New England for large yachts in need of service or repairs. The proximity to the ocean is certainly convenient and offers a pleasant destination on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
The yacht center includes a marina, a 120-acre maintenance and storage area, a fuel station, and a 75-ton boat lift with a 300-ton lift in the design phase. The marina features 2,000 feet of dockage, 3-phase 480-amp power, pump-out facilities, and an 18-foot channel 12 miles from the Atlantic. The yacht center is a member of the U.S. Superyacht Association (USSA), and plans are in the works to ensure that yachts can clear customs in Cape Charles.
Crab nachos at Occoquan
Cruising mariners have another fine restaurant to visit on Chesapeake Bay. Chef Troy Clayton has opened The Landing Restaurant and Waterfront Bar at Occoquan Harbor Marina, located on a tributary of the Potomac River. Clayton, along with marina owners Dick Lynn and Richard and Lisa Krauss, have invested close to $1 million in renovations to create a Florentine-inspired space with indoor and outdoor covered and uncovered decks that seat 70, and a “front porch” area with lounge seating for an additional 70 guests. Inside, a formal dining room accommodates 60 people, while a private dining room holds an additional 50 diners. The restaurant also boasts a 50-seat, nautical-themed indoor bar. The menu offers traditional surf and turf dishes like calamari, crab cakes, lobster risotto, and thick steaks, as well as unique potato and crab nachos.
Lower tournament entry fee
The MidAtlantic billfishing tournament returns to Atlantic waters between Cape May, New Jersey, and Ocean City, Maryland, August 17-22. Known as the “richest marlin and tuna tournament in the world,” last year’s payout in prize winnings totaled $1,808,910. Organizers have lowered this year’s entry fee from $6,000 to $2,500 to make the tournament more accessible. The fee includes event admission and covers the costs for a crew of six for all dinners, drinks and entertainment for the week. The new fee structure splits the hospitality and other tournament costs out from the prize money, which will now be derived strictly from calcutta entries. All of the overall calcuttas will still have white marlin, blue marlin and tuna components. Last year, Sean O’Donell’s crew from Cape May won the blue marlin division and $236,522 by reeling in a 441-pounder aboard Got Game. ma500.com
By Christopher Knauss, Southern Boating August 2014