They’ve been called backyard vacations but, whatever you call them, this is an idea catching on not just for conventional getaways, but for bareboat charters as well. Close-to-home charters are appealing for many reasons.
Bareboating means that your boat is supplied without captain or crew: you handle everything from anchoring to cooking, and the choice is up to you where to go. Bareboat chartering in your own country means no language barrier. Well, except for parts of the Deep South and Maine, anyway. You already understand the money, and your credit cards are welcome as well. And when it comes to provisioning your adventure, it’s hard to beat the discount warehouses near all the charter bases. If you’re driving from home, you can even bring your favorite provisions.
We’ve picked four great close-to-home charter destinations that not only offer a variety of charter companies, but an eclectic range of weather and scenery as well. In several of our choices, you can imagine you’re sailing between the forested hillsides of a Norwegian fjord. Prefer traditional palm trees? White sand beaches? Tropical fish for your snorkeling and empty islands for exploring? All these and more are available without leaving North America.
Chesapeake Bay
Though it stretches only about 200 miles into the states of Maryland and Virginia from the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay has a serrated shoreline of more than 11,000 miles. There are somewhere around 500 harbors, plus uncountable coves, villages and islands to explore in a region that time passed by. The Chesapeake Bay is, by any standards, a playground for boaters!
Annapolis is the pride of the bay and an important crossroads since the 18th century when it was called the “Paris of America”. Visitors enjoy a variety of treats: fresh oysters on the city docks, the small shops along Main St., and the old homes dating back to the 1700s that are painted in bright nautical colors.
Sail across to the eastern shore to visit St. Michael’s, a pre-Revolutionary town with a pretty waterfront, where you can overnight in the fine harbor of Oxford or, if it’s quiet you’re seeking, drop a hook in the protected harbor of Gibson Island. Smith Island is a time warp to another era. Just 12 miles offshore, it has existed for three centuries on commercial fishing, and it is still populated by watermen. The most unusual feature, however, is that the locals still speak in a remnant of Elizabethan-Cornwall English left by the early English settlers.
You won’t find any waterfront bars or pubs (this is a “dry” island, so bring your own) in Ewell, the primary village, but you can find wonderful preserves and legendary crab cakes in the 1920s-era Driftwood General Store. Don’t miss a chance to try a piece of Smith Island cake, either: these multi-layered specialties melt in your mouth. And if you leave without sampling the famed blue crabs at the Bayside Inn, well, blame yourself. Enjoy them steamed with a peppery sauce and washed down with plenty of icy beer.
Keep a careful eye on the charts. Locals say there are two kinds of skippers on the Chesapeake Bay: those who have run aground and those who are about to.
The good news is the bottom is mostly soft mud or sand so you can usually slide free easily. Keep a sharp lookout: the Chesapeake Bay is a minefield of lobster pots. Fabulous food, numerous anchorages and marinas, spectacular scenery, and mild weather: no wonder the Chesapeake Bay is a bareboating paradise.
New England
The coastline and islands of New England are rich in maritime history. Pilgrims and whaling ships plied these waters, and the area is marked by picturesque harbors and a sophisticated charm.
Start in Newport with its long yachting history, bustling harbor, Colonial streets and “summer home” mansions of Wall Street barons. The home of America’s Cup for decades, boaters can explore historic Bannister’s Wharf, have a drink at The Candy Store (a watering hole for Cup crews), or savor a bowl of legendary chowder at The Black Pearl.
Just 12nm offshore is Block Island, where you can rent a bike to explore. Don’t leave before the boat from Aldo’s Bakery makes the rounds through the anchorage or you’ll miss some fabulous goodies.
Old sailors call Maine “Down East”, and you’ll step back to when lobster fishing and boatbuilding were traditions. Don’t miss Damariscotta oysters, spend a week sampling the harbors and tiny villages of Penobscot Bay, or enjoy Southwest Harbor and pretend you’re in Norway, with the deepest fjord in Maine.
Great Lakes
If you slept through Geo 101, the Great Lakes are five lakes along the Canadian border and the delight for boaters is they are freshwater: no rinsing off salt! Each lake has ample charter companies and quaint little towns, beaches, national forests and sand dunes. Mackinac Island (mack-in-awe) has great fudge and bicycles to ride off the calories (no cars allowed!). With 35,000 islands, it would take you 95 years to visit one a day. The Great Lakes are, pun intended, a Great Destination!
Florida
Like Rodney Dangerfield, Florida “gets no respect”, at least from locals who overlook its delights. Florida has all the delights of the Caribbean: warm winds blowing palm trees, fine beaches, and mild weather when the rest of America is looking for snow shovels.
The Florida Keys stretch 130 miles, with a barrier reef for protection from Atlantic swells and superb snorkeling and diving. Biscayne Bay, close to the metropolis of Miami, has so many getaways that you’ll think you’re miles from civilization. Captiva and Sanibel have quiet anchorages on Pine Island Sound, and the pub on Cabbage Cay claims to have inspired Jimmy Buffett to write “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. You decide.
Remember, deep water is blue, shallow is pale, and don’t go where birds are standing. The delights of Florida lure skippers year after year to new explorations, and you have multiple great charter companies from which to choose both power or sail.
With so many choices, all within driving range from Tampa, it’s no surprise that backyard vacations are delighting and intriguing skippers. Even better, you won’t have to shake off the effects of jet lag!
Chris Caswell is an award-winning writer and the former editor of several yachting magazines. He has appeared on Oprah as a boating lifestyle expert and hosted the Marine Voyager series on the Speed Channel.
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