How Cruisers Stay on Course – Knowledge is Power

Wowie! What a blast we just had cruising the Tennessee River! Spectacular fall colors, wide-open waters and a 90-foot lock to keep a little challenge in our spirit. When the GPS hiccuped, we traced our route on the paper charts close at hand. Our next adventure has us zooming out into the Atlantic from Charleston Read More

Georgia BBQ Sauce – What Makes it So Special?

July is peach season in Georgia, and I was on high alert, scanning the side of the road for wooden fruit stands. I saw the hand-painted yellow sign with ketchup-red colored RIBS scrawled across it, but I quickly dismissed it as not my target. My eyes darted the to other side of the road to Read More

Top 12 Southern Boating Destinations

Marinalife asked. Boaters answered. And so we listened. After many submissions from our Marinalife members — we selected the top 12 southern boating destinations. With the summer in your wake and temperatures cooling in the north, there’s no better time to pick up anchor and head south to these excellent destinations. 1. ORIENTAL, North Carolina Read More

Open for Business! Port City Marina on the Cape Fear River

Boat Show Season Come visit Marinalife at the following shows: United States Powerboat Show Annapolis, Md. – October 15 to 18 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – November 5 to 9 St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show St. Petersburg, Fla. – December 3 to 6 Marinalife Moves ? Literally! Marinalife moved to Read More

Go Back in Time in Beaufort, South Carolina

Beaufort, as in “beautiful,” is just as its name is pronounced. The Low Country, Sea Islands of South Carolina hold a rich colorful part of our nation’s past, and Beaufort is a living museum full of that history. Beaufort was founded in 1711 and is the second oldest city in South Carolina, the oldest being Read More

Chartering in the BVI’s

March 7, 2015 – Tortola, BVI We arrived at Hodges Creek Marina, the MarineMax Charter base, an easy 15 minutes from Tortola’s Beef Island Airport, to board our MarineMax 480 Powercat. This was our first experience chartering a powerboat — we’d always chartered sailboats in the past. Our plan was to stay on the powercat Read More

Cruising with Pets – Top Five Favorite Ports

Since Sophie and Bailey made their first appearance on the cover of Marinalife’s Summer 2014 issue, several members have wanted to know a little more about them. We talked their owners, Bob & Dori Arrington, into letting us follow them on their winter adventure. These two Portuguese Water Dogs are no strangers to sea travel, having Read More

Cruising the Bahamas: Compass Cay

Compass Cay is just one of the 360 small islands that make up the Exumas in the Bahamas. It’s also our little paradise, our favorite destination with our 66-foot offshore Happy Heart during the months of July and August. We cruise to and from Compass Cay on weeklong trips, bringing family and friends along for each visit. From the moment of Read More

Cruising The ICW -From Hilton Head, SC to West Palm Beach, FL

This is my fourth annual north-to-south repositioning for the winter season from Charleston, South Carolina, to Bahia Mar Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While I enjoy the ease of cruising the ocean on my 58-foot Ocean Alexander, Lady Gigi, this year I wanted us to slow it down and take our time by cruising the ICW as much Read More

Enjoying Charleston’s Southern Charm

When Charles II was restored to the throne of England in 1660, he thanked some of his loyal friends by giving them land in America. In return, they recognized this gift by dubbing the land Charles Towne. The young city was the first settlement in the Province of Carolina and found itself under frequent attacks from Read More