The Top 10 ICW Stops on the Southern East Coast
Sailing from North Carolina to Florida, Capt. Shane counts down the ten
ICW stops he keeps going back for.
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What boatyards can handle Catamarans in South Florida
Finding a boatyard or marina with the capability to lift a wide beam vessel can be a daunting task. The opportunities in South Florida are terrific
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Belhaven is Back!
Back in the day, Belhaven, North Carolina, was a very popular cruising stop and a destination for transient boaters. Located at the junction of the Pungo River and Pantego Creek, just eight miles north of the Pamlico River, Belhaven offered a quiet relaxing stop and a pleasant respite for boaters seeking refuge from overcrowded marinas…
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A Journey from Sailboat to Trawler
For the past three years my partner Barry Miller and I have taken the Intracoastal Waterway from Annapolis, Md., to the Bahamas on our 43-foot Irwin ketch. During those six-month cruises, I sometimes felt like I was living in a basement. We also wanted more comfort along the way. So after 60 collective years…
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Eleven TOP Yacht Shipyards
The Atlantic southeast coastline and the Gulf coast of the United States have noted steadily increasing growth in megayacht traffic over the last decade. Established businesses and new facilities have risen to meet the maintenance and repair challenges of these large boats “bow on.” For captains and owners of 150-ton vessels or greater, we present…
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Ocean Springs MS Finds New Life
Nestled on a pine and oak covered bluff overlooking the Gulf Islands of the Mississippi Sound, Ocean Springs MS is an arts and fishing community rapidly transforming into a town filled with a vibrant music and culinary scene – what many are beginning to call the Austin of coastal Mississippi. Mostly spared from the devastation…
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Caravan Stage Company – The Nautical Cirque du Soleil
Many odd vessels have been spotted transiting the ICW and the coastal waters of the South, but a truly unique sight will be plying the coastlines throughout the summer. Shipped from Europe a year ago, a 100’ Thames Barge and her theatrical troupe and crew of Europeans and North Americans are transiting the Gulf Coast…
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My Core Talent
Everyone one has a core talent—and mine is saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. I learned this in a Chicago Police station. The Irish cop was debating whether to arrest me or not. I was attempting to subtly sway his decision by saying, “Hey, gimme a break, officer! I’ll never get into the…
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Saunders Yachtworks: Building Trust Since 1959
When John Fitzgerald first joined Saunders Yachtworks in Alabama, the bulk of the company’s business was engine service, and their key clients were commercial boat operators, including tugboat skippers who were running 24/7. “Those clients lost money every hour their boats were out of the water, so our tradition was to go when the phone…
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A Wooden Boat Love Affair
When you cruise aboard a classic wooden boat, it’s somewhat like living in a room at Downton Abbey. You don’t just admire the wood from outside – the elegance and beauty envelope you. A wooden yacht moves through the water differently, it flexes differently; and the sound is completely different. On a cold day a…
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Cruising South Carolina Off The Beaten Path
You might wonder how two accomplished Minnesota sailors wound up in one of the swampier areas, cruising South Carolina aboard a 42-foot Hatteras
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Suntex Ventures Acquires York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester, Virginia
Suntex Ventures with its subsidiary Suntex Marinas, the Dallas-based owner and operator of marina properties, is pleased to announce the acquisition of York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester, VA. York River Yacht Haven is a full-service destination marina located near the mouth of the York River on the lower Chesapeake Bay, only miles from the…
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High Hopes for Belhaven NC
August 28, 1928 was a big day in the history of Belhaven, North Carolina, as the tiny town celebrated the opening of the newest section of the Inland Coastal Waterway from Norfolk, VA to Beaufort Inlet, NC. The 22-mile dredged stretch along the Pungo River completed that project, and immediately became a vital link for…
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Christmas Boat Parade Schedule
Lighted boat parades mean huddling with friends along the shore and gulping hot chocolate while watching vessels adorned with lighted palm trees and crewmembers shivering in Hawaiian shirts. The magic of the holiday season is not reserved for towns with North Pole temperature. Vessels of all shapes and sizes illuminate our waters delivering Santa from…
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Saunders Yachtworks Now Largest Boatyard on Gulf Coast
Saunders Yachtworks has opened its newest and largest facility with a 150-ton Marine Travelift on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores, Ala. The in-water boat basin with 14 slips and hard storage for over 20 boats is located on ICW mile 155. With its new Travelift, Saunders has snagged several vessels in the 50 to…
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Friends Await: Seven Seas Cruising Stations Growing
Since the first boat sailed over the horizon, sailors have shared experiences, knowledge (and a drink or two) with other sailors. That sharing of information and camaraderie was how the Seven Seas Cruising Association began more than 60 years ago and prompted the formation of its Cruising Stations program in the ‘70s. The program has…
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Georgia Liveaboard Law
Until January it was illegal to liveaboard your vessel in Georgia, at least for any amount of time. All that is changed now with the Georgia Liveaboard Law. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources worked together with GAMBA, the Georgia Marine Business Association, to change the law. It’s good for business, and money talks. Reading…
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Cruising the ICW – 1500 Miles on the Inside
Cruising the ICW 1500 Miles on the Inside Cruising the Universe that Parrallels Interstate I-95 Heading north from Beaufort, S.C., on the morning tide late in April, our 82-year-old motor yacht, Cygnus II, glides through the beautiful marshes we’ve called home over the months of what passed for winter. For me, leaving port…
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Back at the Helm
Nine years ago my wife and I sailed out of Houston with no plans to return other than to eventually empty out our 10-foot storage unit. We’d sold whatever didn’t fit in that unit or onboard our 38-foot Morgan sloop Sea Spell: condo, cars, furniture – everything gone except personal keepsakes. I’d lived on an…
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Geocaching Along the ICW
“Are there any caches in the area?†That simple question has taken my husband and me to a top of a ridge with spectacular views of the river below, into an old mine shaft in a remote part of a state park and has provided us with history lessons in cities up and down the…
