Destinations

Why Not a Month?

by Lou Deutsch, Posted January 11, 2010

For the past few years we have chartered monohulls and catamarans in the Caribbean for the usual week or, sometimes, 10 days. We savored every moment of those brief charters, but invariably felt pressed for time and regretfully passed by anchorages we knew would be more perfect than all the rest. If only we had two weeks, or better yet, a whole month, we could ease into our vacation, explore

Caribbean for Newbies

by Sail Staff, Posted January 7, 2010

The question came up every year: “Whadya think about chartering in the Caribbean?” And every year the answer was the same: “Nah.”My wife, Jennifer, and I sail our Caliber 38, Catamount, in the northern latitudes, on the fresh waters of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. The idea of chartering in the Caribbean raised many different questions: Isn’t everything so close you don’t really

Decisions, Decisions

by Amy Ullrich, Posted January 7, 2010

"If I were on my boat, I wouldn’t go out today,” says Harry from the wheel. Of course he wouldn’t. Harry and Lyn Wey—friends, neighbors and lifelong sailors—keep their boat in Maine, where even a tiny splash could freeze you in the winter. Harry, who is on his first Virgin Islands charter, hasn’t quite tuned in to the essential facts of Caribbean sailing: any splash will be as warm as bathwater

Reef your bareboat budget

by Sail Staff, Posted July 23, 2009

Are you contemplating a Caribbean bareboat charter, but concerned about the cost? Here’s how you can blow those worries off the chart with just a few simple tricks.Most charter companies have tempting deals that offer full or partial meal provisioning. If you choose not to take advantage of these, you will save money by not paying for items that you don’t use. We recently met a couple who,

America's lonely virgin

by David Schmidt, Posted July 9, 2009

Would you like fresh banana in your smoothie?” asked the woman at the roadside smoothie shop, nestled in the higher elevations of St. Croix’s rainforest area. “It’s sweeter with banana.”I readily agreed, and Mark Jones, my tour guide, and I strolled through the establishment’s collection of native fauna. Mark explained that the smoothies take a little while to prepare, as the woman had to

Sailing Dalmatia

by Sail Staff, Posted April 17, 2009

In the book by Chris Santella, Fifty Places To Sail Before You Die, he and Jon Wilson describe Croatia as a “hidden gem.” Their description was so appealing that we decided to go and see for ourselves. We were joined by our regular racing crew, Dave Usechak and Steve Gaudette.The four of us arrived at Marina Kremik, just north of Split, Croatia in late April.

Hole in the wall

by Duncan Gould, Posted April 6, 2009

From a mile out you see nothing but a sheer rock wall, 150 feet high and running both ways for miles. Run up to the north a bit and a sliver of a crack appears—the Hole in the Wall, one of Langkawi, Malaysia’s hidden jewels. Once you’ve butted through the tidal outflow, a view like a Chinese landscape opens. Mangroves line the shorelines, and limestone cliffs climb 500 feet

Sailing Turkey's Turquoise Coast

by Amy Ullrich, Posted March 12, 2009

Blue Voyages along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey were the brainchild of either Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli, a writer, or Bedri Rahmi Eybo˘glu, a painter and poet; Bedri Rahmi has a bay named for him, so perhaps he’s the one. Both found themselves in the area for one reason or another and encouraged their friends to visit. The friends publicized the beauties of the coast and the lives

Charter in the San Juans

by Robby Robinson, Posted March 9, 2009

"It really was warmer last week (last month/yesterday).”We heard that refrain throughout our brief week’s cruise. Wherever the warmth was, we missed it. Chartering in mid-August in the San Juan Islands, the storied archipelago of the Pacific Northwest, we weren’t prepared to don multiple layers, burrow in sleeping bags, and crank up our in-cabin heater every morning.

Summer Vacations: Cruising French Polynesia

by Amy Ullrich, Posted March 9, 2009

The first Europeans to come to French Polynesia were Spanish and Portuguese explorers, in the early 17th century. They were followed by a Dutchman, Le Maire; the British; the Frenchman Bougainville, in 1768, who at least gave his name to a plant; and Captain Cook in 1769 (to observe the transit of Venus), 1772, and 1779. It seems fair to say that they were all overwhelmed by