With coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions loosening worldwide, yacht owners and charter guests are eager to get back out on the water. In fact, charter brokers tell us a number of clients began asking about June availability just this month. So, we started thinking ourselves about superyacht destinations we can’t wait to return to when this is over. Here are four of our favorite places. We have included helpful information if you plan to travel in the coming months, too, since some areas still have certain restrictions.
1. New England. Marine-traffic maps have shown a steady stream of megayachts pointing their bows north to towns like Newport, Rhode Island in recent weeks. Newport is a perennial favorite, but slip providers like Newport Shipyard are fielding even more inquiries than ever. It’s a result of several yachts choosing not to head to the Med this year. The state of Rhode Island and neighboring Massachusetts may begin relaxing more restrictions the first week of June, so check the Reopening Rhode Island and Reopening Massachusetts information pages for details.
2. Pacific Northwest. From Seattle to the San Juan Islands, up to Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia, and farther onward to Alaska, there’s so much to do and see in the Pacific Northwest. After all, you have upwards of 25,000 miles of coastline to explore. Some of the world’s best fishing opportunities wait, for cod, halibut, and salmon. Mother Nature never fails to deliver the wow factor, thanks to old-growth forests, snow-topped mountains, and even glaciers. Both Superyacht Northwest’s website and the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s newly launched Open for Boating website are invaluable resources for itineraries and specific safety guidelines and restrictions.
3. Bermuda. The pink sands are famous, but there’s so much more to this superyacht destination. You can swim with green turtles, snorkel amid offshore reefs, and tour historic St. George’s. And that’s just one day’s possible itinerary. Bermuda’s tourism minister recently revealed a superyacht tourism economic recovery plan, to assure inquiring owners and guests they can indeed visit the island this summer. They’ll have to quarantine onboard on arrival, but contactless shopping and provisioning are possible with a port agent’s assistance. And, if Bermuda enters the final phase of reopening while you’re there, all restrictions lift.
4. Norway. The fjords and glaciers of Norway make for some of the most extraordinary natural scenery on earth. Even though it’s hot among superyacht destinations (no pun intended), it’s not overrun. The government anticipates that much of what has been closed due to the virus will be open by mid-June. Superyacht Norway can advise on where to go and help arrange itineraries, among other things.
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