East Coast and the Bahamas

New England Board your yacht in Newport, Rhode Island, the center of yachting in New England. Explore "the City by the Sea," famous for its spectacular old mansions. click here Florida Keys The Florida Keys offer some of the finest sailing waters on the East Coast. The Keys are America's Out Islands, with the only coral reef in the continental United States. click here Bahamas Weather permitting; you can sail on the majestic Exuma Sound side of the cays which offers excellent fishing and where migrating Humpback whales often spot playing. click here

The Eastern seaboard of the United States encompasses a picturesque and historical collection of cruising destinations, from the Florida Keys, offshore to the Bahamas, or up the east coast to New England and Maine.

Everything from bone fishing to swank nightlife can be found on Florida's coast. One of the world's greatest yachting centers is located along the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale Florida, which lies about halfway between Palm Beach and Miami. This city is home base to many of the world's most luxurious mega yachts.

There are hundreds of canals and rivers in the Fort Lauderdale that provide shelter for more than 20,000 yachts that base there year round in addition to the thousands that stop there during the winter season. Some reasons for the area's popularity are because of the vast array of marine services and equipment manufacturers located in the Fort Lauderdale area, along with all the waterfront access to both shopping and dining.

A little further down the Intracoastal Waterway is Miami Beach, which is truly a unique area, made up of mostly man-made islands. Here you find hundreds of flamboyant world famous hotels, nine miles of beach, thousands of coconut palms, unlimited entertainment, and spectacular water views.

Cruising from Miami down to the Dry Tortugas you'll discover numerous sub-tropical and tropical islands lined with excellent marinas. Underwater explorers can examine an abundant amount of shipwrecks which span five centuries of history, or investigate numerous caves, cliffs, and colorful coral reefs, which of course is home to a variety of tropical fish.

Although you might be tempted to believe you have escaped to a far-off tropical island paradise, the easy comfort of the American facilities and customs serves as a pleasant reminder that the Keys are indeed a U.S. Vacation ground.

Historic old Key West is one of the high points on any cruise in the Florida Keys. It's a charming city with a colorful, if not rowdy past. It's popular with artists, writers and sport fisherman. Yachting facilities are excellent and the restaurants of Key West are famous, especially for seafood, Conch and Spanish cooking.

Just off the east coast of Florida is Bimini, which is a luring 40 nautical miles sail from Miami Beach, Florida, Bimini is a popular destination. But it's more than location that gives this island its appeal. Fishermen the world over have traveled to Bimini for first-rate big-game fishing.

A little further offshore lays the Sea of Abaco consisting of over one thousand square miles of protected cruising waters. The islands of Abacos have been described by visiting yachtsmen as a cruising paradise.

The Sea of Abaco provides some of the finest sailing/cruising conditions in the hemisphere. The small low lying islands break the swell of the Atlantic Ocean yet allow for the balmy southeasterly tradewinds. The offshore barrier reef which lays just to the east of these smaller islands and cays provides some of the finest snorkeling and diving experiences one can enjoy any place in the world.

Cruising in the Abacos is a unique experience because you're never out of sight of land and it's also where the crystal clear water with its white sand bottom is always visible.

Another popular cruising ground in the Bahamas is the Exumas, which can be reached easily by yachts based in Nassau.

If your thoughts lie with cruising along the New England coast during the summer, you'll have an opportunity to discover the historic waterfronts of such colonial places as Newport RI, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. All are great locations for a bit of history and high style shopping. The rugged coast of Maine also offers an ideal cruising ground with its stunning rocky cliffs and cooler summer weather and wonderful seafood.

The prime time for cruising in the waters of Florida & the Bahamas are the months of March through November. On the other hand the months of December through February, can be a very uncomfortable time to be there should a "Cold Front" happen come down from the north. You also need to keep in mind when planning a cruise in these areas that they can be affected by the annual Hurricane Season which is typically mid July through mid October.

Hurricanes don't just spring up, they move fairly slow. Their movements are well documented, so with the pleasant summer weather it's relatively safe to plan a charter cruise during that time of the year. But…, you'll need to keep an eye on the weather at all times, and it would be wise to purchase trip insurance should a named storm affect the immediate area you've selected cruise.

Up the east coast in New England and Maine the summer cruising season starts around mid June and can extend far into September or October. Again it would be wise to consider purchasing trip insurance because of the threat of Hurricane Season.

Although you'll see a tremendous amount of yachts cruising the areas mentioned here, there are really only small percentages of those yachts that are available for charter. This is all the more reason to call Charter Sailing, Unlimited to assist you in finding just the right yacht for your vacation of a lifetime.