Top Travel Days of 2024, Spending My 60th Birthday in Camden, Maine

I honestly loved every minute of the three-day weekend Lisa planned around my big birthday in mid-coast Maine this past August. Hanging out with 20 of my closest friends and family, we biked to Owl’s Head Lighthouse, walked the breakwater at Rockland Harbor, saw the Andrew Wyeth paintings at the Farnsworth, savored our lobster rolls overlooking the water at McLoons, and had many cocktails on the rooftop lounge of our hotel, 250 Main. But Lisa really outdid herself on my actual birthday, organizing a hike up Maiden Cliff in Camden Hills State Park and then renting a private schooner, the Schooner Olad, for some 6 glorious hours that afternoon. Our captain and crew were wonderful, gliding the century-old vessel out through the many islands that hug the shoreline. Thankfully, the weather was sublime, the waves were mellow, and we even swam when we docked at an island for our lobster feast. They cooked the crustaceans the old-fashioned way under seaweed on an open fire, and when bitten into, probably the best lobster I ever tasted! On the sail back to Camden, we savored the sunset, glass of Don Papa Rum in hand. That’s what I call a Dream Day!

Bitter End Yacht Club To Finally Reopen This Winter

Bitter End Yacht Club ReopensLast time I sailed past the Bitter End Yacht Club on the island of Virgin Gorda, it was in tatters in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Cottages were torn to pieces or upside down, capsized boats dotted the shoreline. It was February 2018 and we were sailing with our friends Amy and Josh on a 41-foot sailboat out of Tortola. For the past 4 years since Irma, it has been the sailors and boaters living aboard their boats in the British Virgin Islands that have greatly enhanced the recovery of this classic cruising ground. And what a memorable trip it is! Snorkeling in the Baths of Virgin Gorda, walking the long stretch of beach on Anegada, and sleeping under the stars at any number of serene anchorages.

Stopping at the Bitter End for drinks, dinner, or a good night’s sleep in those cottages has always been on everyone’s itinerary. Thankfully, that will happen again once Bitter End reopens in January 2022. The 64-acre grounds will be a little bit different with a new Waterfront Plaza as its central hub. Have drinks with other sailors at The Quarterdeck Marina, a two-story, open-air venue featuring an upstairs lounge and waterfront views.

If you’re hoping to charter a sailboat this coming winter in the Caribbean, please let ActiveTravels know! We have a great relationship with Horizon Yacht Charters, located in Tortola and St. Vincent and are happy to design a route for ActiveTravels clients in both the BVIs or the Grenadines.

Top Travel Days of 2020, Sailing to Anse La Roche on the Island of Carriacou

Sailing the GrenadinesSouth of St. Lucia and west of Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines are known as the world’s best cruising grounds. With a prevailing northeasterly trade wind, you can sail at a good 9 to 10 knot clip, zipping through the swells while watching the fly fish take flight. But what makes this 100-mile sail from St. Vincent to Grenada so enjoyable are the anchorages, wondrous sheltered bays ridged by the hillside and lined with often desolate crescent sand beaches. These are the sights Lisa and I, friends Amy and Josh, and our highly competent 24-year-old Captain Bry, would savor on our weeklong joint in early February. We chartered the 48-foot Andiamo Piano from Horizon Yacht Charters out of St. Vincent, the same outfitter we used two years prior when sailing the British Virgin Islands.

This is the Caribbean of yore, where you anchor and then go snorkeling with turtles near the shoreline or with the multi-colored fish at one of the most pristine reefs in this part of the world. If terra firma calls your name, you can simply swim over to the beach and walk in the sand, practically deserted except for the lone fishermen sewing his nets. At twilight, you zodiac over to the requisite beachside bar and restaurant, dig your feet in the sand, and have a stiff rum punch spiced with local nutmeg, before dining on freshly caught lobster, conch, and red snapper.

We had many memorable meals on this trip, but my favorite dinner was at Anse la Roche Bay on the Grenada island of Carriacou. After another day of fantastic sailing, we dined barefoot in the sand on a sublime stretch of secluded beach lit up by torches. We devoured our last grilled lobster of the trip and ended the night with the chef’s special potion, a shot of homemade liquor that burned my throat called “Under the Counter.” It’s no surprise that Forbes chose our trip as one of the best bucket list trips in the world.

Virtuoso Travel Week Highlights, Sail the Grenadines

Sailing GrenadinesThere has been 60 total cases of Coronavirus in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and zero deaths. No wonder music tycoon David Geffen got out of Dodge earlier this year and headed to the Grenadines on his mega-yacht. But you don’t have to be rich to savor these Caribbean islands of yesteryear. Just follow in Lisa and my wake and sail these blissful cobalt waters like we did this past February. Hire a Captain, possibly a chef, choose another couple or go with the extended family on a private catamaran and monohull. It’s no surprise that Forbes chose our trip as one of the best Bucket List trips in the world. With a pandemic at our doorstep, there’s no better time to get on your own private sailboat. ActiveTravels can set you up with Moorings or Horizon Yacht Charters, who we used in both the British Virgin Islands and the Grenadines. We’ll help with all the logistics, including flights, recommended Captains, provisions, and sailing itinerary.

10 Ways to Enjoy Acadia National Park, Including Sailing a Friendship Sloop

Sail a Friendship Sloop, Acadia National ParkIf you truly want to feel like a local on Mount Desert Island, take a day sail on a Friendship Sloop from Northeast or Southwest Harbor. Sail Acadia offers the opportunity to take a 3-hour guided sail on three Friendship Sloops, vessels that were used during the late 1800s to fish for lobsters along the Frenchman Bay shoreline. We sailed on the Helen Brooks, past the estates lining the Northeast Harbor shores. Soon we were gliding at a good 5-knot clip towards Great Cranberry Island and the many lobstermen picking up their traps. With a 6-foot keel, these sailboats can weather the strong gusts and fog often found along the Maine coast. Edged with spruce wood, the Helen Brooks is also a stylish ride. Near the beach at Manset, we spotted two porpoises gracefully arching their backs in and out of the choppy water. Then we sailed past Southwest Harbor into Somes Sound, Acadia Mountain to the left and Norumbega Mountain to the right, standing tall as gatekeepers to this long inlet. The mix of mountains, offshore islands, and granite-lined shoreline could easily entice the most jaded sailor to buy his own sloop and sail these legendary cruising grounds on a daily basis. Far too quickly, we were back on the docks of Northeast Harbor.

This entry is excerpted from my latest book, New England in a Nutshell. The book/ebook is slated to published on July 2nd and you can pre-order now at Amazon or at the independent bookstore, Northshire, located in Manchester Center, Vermont and Saratoga, New York. The ebook includes all hyperlinks to listings. The paperback includes front and back cover illustrations from Manhattan-based artist, Sarah Schechter, and a small sampling of photos from Lisa Leavitt, who accompanied me on many of my assignments, resulting in published work for the Boston Globe.

Celebrate Maine’s Bicentennial Aboard a Historic Maine Windjammer

Sailboats racingMaine will celebrate its 200th birthday in 2020 and there’s no better place to enjoy the festivities than on the mid-Maine coast in Rockland on July 3rd for the Great Schooner Race. Now’s the time to book one of the 20 schooners that are set to participate this year. They’ll be joined by additional historic vessels from throughout the region, along with members of Tall Ships America. Spectators can stand on the Rockland Breakwater with its impressive lighthouse at the end and watch dozens of windjammers enter Rockland harbor under full sail. But even more exciting is to be one of the lucky few aboard a windjammer. I’ve had the privilege of going on three memorable windjammer sails with both my dad and my daughter and I can say without hesitation that it’s the best way to savor Maine’s picturesque coast. Prices for Race Week start at $1000 per person, including all meals, accommodations, activities and participation in the Great Schooner Race during your week-long (or shorter) cruise.

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Top 5 Dream Days of 2018, Sailing to Anegada in the BVIs

My barometer for an authentic travel experience is one that plants you squarely in the present where your mind can’t drift to other thoughts and worries. This was certainly the case aboard the 41-foot Island Karma last February when we made the crossing from Virgin Gorda to the remote British Virgin Island of Anegada. Sailing at a speed over 8 knots, the boat was on its side, heeling over in the blustery tradewinds. But under the competent helm of my friend, Josh, and the watchful eye of our Captain, "Boss," I never panicked. With the occasional splash aboard to keep me alert and very much alive, I was relishing the adventure at hand. After 2 hours, we finally reached this sliver of land lined by sparkling white beaches and surrounded by the most spectacular turquoise waters I’ve seen since diving in French Polynesia. We pulled up to a mooring, motored the dinghy to land, and caught an open-air taxi to dreamy Cow Wreck Beach, passing rambling goats and cows along the way. We arrived at a long stretch of desolate sand and a small beachfront bar, planted our bums in Adirondack chairs, took out our books, and started to read. Ahh, sun, sand, sea, sky, serenity. 

 
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Volvo Ocean Sailing Race Returns to Newport in May

The Volvo Ocean Race, the world’s premiere ocean sailing race that began back in 1973 as the Whitbread Round-the-World Race, returns to Newport May 8-20. The 2014-15 edition of the race attracted over 125,000 fans during the 12-day stopover in Newport and quickly became one of the biggest sporting events of the year in New England. This year’s Race Village opens on May 8th and is a free, family-friendly event that features music, interactive displays, food and, of course, viewing the state-of-the-art racing yachts. The in-port race takes place May 19th before the competitors sail off on their next leg to Cardiff, Wales. Come join the festivities in Newport, a town known for welcoming sailors, having hosted the America’s Cup for over 50 years. 

 
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Sail the BVIs

We had considered canceling our sailing trip to the BVIs earlier this month, but were grateful we pushed ahead. Classic sailing bars like Foxy’s (where we watched the Super Bowl), Soggy Dollar, Pirates on Norman Island, and Setting Point Reef Hotel on Anegada (known for their classic lobster dinner) were all open and grateful for our business. Taxi drivers, servers, and store owners all thanked us for coming so they can continue to work. Yet, everywhere you look, you find devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Upon arrival in Tortola, boats were capsized in the harbor, roofs were ripped off houses, and locals were driving cars with broken windows. The horrific aftermath of Irma would follow us throughout the trip—classic resorts like Bitter End and Peter Island in tatters, large tankers beached, homes destroyed wherever you looked. That’s why it’s important for sailors and boaters to return and thankfully they did. Over the next 2 years, it will be the sailors who can live aboard their boats that will greatly enhance the recovery of this classic cruising ground. 
 
We chose to rent a 41-foot monohull from the Tortola sailing charter, Horizon Yacht Charters. We also made the wise move of hiring a Captain, “Boss,” a 51-year old grandfather of 4 who grew up on Tortola sailing boats and ferries for a living when he wasn’t tending to his goats and sheep. Boss exuded an heir of confidence and calm aboard Island Karma, even during 27-knot winds in the open sea, when the rain and swells left us soaked. We would spend the week sailing to Jost Von Dyke, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada, which was worth the long sail over. We savored the chance to dine barefoot on lobster and conch fritters and making our way to both beaches on the island, Cow Wreck and the equally enticing Loblolly, stopping to see a large flock of flamingoes in the distance. We ended with stops at Cooper Island and Peter Island, before one last Dark and Stormy on Norman Island. A memorable trip that we’re happy to recreate for ActiveTravels clients upon request. 
 
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This Summer, Book a Maine Windjammer Sail

With early spring weather in Boston this week, I’m already thinking of booking another windjammer sail in Maine this summer. A question I’m always asked is where does a travel writer/advisor go for downtime? For me, I’ll jump on one of these historic schooners any chance I get. Two summers ago, I made the wise choice to sail on the Schooner Mary Day with my daughter, Melanie, before she left for her first year of college at Indiana University. We had a glorious trip dining on all the lobster we could stomach on a deserted island off the mid-Maine coast, spotting harbor porpoises, lonely lighthouses, and making new friends around the country as we hoisted sails and sucked in as much salty air as necessary. This comes on the heels of two memorable sails aboard the Grace Bailey with my dad and his wife Ginny. A memory I won’t soon forget is my father taking the wheel of the Grace Bailey and sailing for a good hour or two. 

 
Do yourself a favor and book a sail. It’s the best way to see the rugged shoreline and tall timbers of the Maine coast. New themed cruises include a watercolor workshop aboard the American Eagle and bar craft and cocktail making aboard Ladona. Back by popular demand: Beer and Bluegrass (Ladona), Foodie Cruises (Stephen Taber), Kayaking Tours (Lewis R. French), Wine Tasting (Stephen Taber, Angelique), and Knitting (Isaac H. Evans). Prices start at $525 for a 2-night cruise. 3-day trips range from $595 to $1,428; 6-day cruises from $935 to $1,938. Average price per night is $220 per person, including all meals, lodging, and activities like the signature all-you-can-eat lobster feast. For more information contact the Maine Windjammer Association.