Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, St. Katharine Docks, London & Spitsbergen, Norway
A s we prepare for another extended period of cruising we have been discussing where to go. Do we revisit old haunts or look for somewhere new? Over the years we have come to understand that for us there are no magic formulae to what make one place more desirable than another.
Early on we discovered that the people we met, both ashore and in the voyaging community, were more important than the view. As our comfort and security increased while effort decreased with better design and construction, an adrenaline factor began to creep in. The mixture of risk, environmental aesthetics and ice for us in particular is an addictive brew.
Fatu Hiva
Hence a dichotomy in our three favorite destinations. First is Hana Vave Bay on Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas, surely the most beautiful tropical anchorage we have ever visited. Our stop last year, the third in the past 40 years, showed us that the place has lost none of its allure. The pamplemousse (grapefruit) alone makes the trip worthwhile.
St. Katharine Docks
Next is St. Katharine Docks in the heart of London. This is the one bigcity location we want to cruise back to someday. It is a five-minute walk from the tube (subway), surrounded by interesting restaurants with a mix of Thames River barges, visiting yachts and locals for neighbors.
Magdelena, Spitsbergen
Finally, we could not leave out Magdelana anchorage at the top of Spitsbergen, Norway. It is exquisite, with numerous tidewater glaciers plus a relatively shallow and (by local standards) well-protected anchorage. It even has a sandy beach for landing. Throw in the odd visiting polar bear (with a great deal of care, please) and there is simply nothing like it anywhere. At 79 degrees N latitude, Magdelena is also a good jumping-off spot for visiting the ice pack. n
Steve and Linda Dashew have cruised more than 250,000 miles and visited some of the most spectacular places on the planet. They helped pioneer the genre of light-displacement, narrow bluewater sailboats with stretched-out waterlines, and their FPB passagemaking powerboats subscribe to that same paradigm.