Three Small Ships in Newport

From left, the 'Tree of Life,' the 'When and If..' (formerly owned by General George Patton) and the 12-meter 'Heritage' lined up in Newport for the Tall Ships Challenge series visit in July.

Beauties in St. Tropez

Some of the lovely sailboats in the port of St. Tropez in May. The big event is now called the Voiles de St. Tropez -- formerly la Nioulargue -- and is sailed in the fall.

St. Tropez Harbor

Old harbor transport boats gather for a small ships festival in St. Tropez in May.

Onawa Visits Wickford

12 Meter Onawa under reefed main gave us a photo treat last week.

Onawa Heads back to Newport

She's a beauty -- she was one of six 12 Meters built for New York Yacht Club members by Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder, Germany in 1928.

St. Tropez and the Alps

Just returned from a tour of 50 villas in Provence and the St. Tropez area -- here's a sailboat in a strong breeze off the coast with the Alps in the background -- way in back!

Brandaris and the Cat Boat

The Dutch sailing barge Brandaris and a cat boat race back toward Wickford Harbor on a summer evening in 2006.

Nor'easter in Rockport

Leftover surf and foam from the recent nor'easter wash up on Rockport's granite shoreline.

Surfing Apple Bay Tortola

What a way to go surfing -- pull in on your cruising yacht, take out your board and off you go!

View from Kismet

Here are two shots of the views from another amazing Virgin Islands villa -- MAS KIS -- Kismet on St. John. The shot above shows the view of St. Thomas and below the view along the coast of St. John.

Sopers Hole on Tortola's West End

Another cruising sailor's haven -- Soper's Hole - West End - Tortola - British Virgin Islands- here's a link to an aerial photo of the harbour.

View from High Point in Tortola

Another amazing spot -- the view from up here near the West End of Tortola is fantastic -- the Virgin Islands are so beautiful!

Mahoe Bay Villas on Virgin Gorda

The Mahoe Bay villas on Virgin Gorda are in a great spot -- the beach is perfect for swimming and there is also wonderful snorkeling offshore.

Wickford High-Rises

Photo by Willi Waw.
These plastic-covered plastic boats at Wickford Shipyard look like snow-covered high-rises as they wait for their release in the spring.

The Baths on Virgin Gorda

The Baths on Virgin Gorda photo by Willie Waw.

This is one of the most popular cruising sites in the British Virgin Islands -- huge boulders are scattered in this area and it's great spot for swimming, snorkeling, and following the paths though the caves. Go in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.

Sea Smoke in Wickford

Sea Smoke in Wickford photo by Willie Waw.

Cold north winds produce sea smoke (surface fog) over relatively warm water on Narragansett Bay. The Newport Bridge is visible over Jamestown.

View from Emerald Crest

View from Emerald Crest, photo by Willie Waw.

Another beautiful day and bay on Tortola -- you can see why sailors like to navigate during the day in the islands. Looks like a great spot for anchoring and snorkeling.

View from Elysium

View from Elysium, photo by Willie Waw.

A beautiful view from the Elysium Estate on Tortola's northeast coast -- Little Bay Beach is below.

Saba Rock and Bitter End

Saba Rock and Bitter End, photo by Willie Waw.

A cruising sailor's haven and racing sailor's heaven -- North Sound and the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.

Cruising sailors come here for protected waters, great dining at Saba Rock resort (small island on the left), at Leverick Bay, and at Bitter End Yacht Club (center), and for the snorkeling along the reef toward the top of the photo.

Racing sailors come to Bitter End to participate in racing clinics and sessions such as the Pro-Am or families just vacation there and have access to many kinds of sailing vessels from windsurfers and Lasers to racer/cruisers.

This photo was taken from near Leverick Bay Resort with its many rental villas available through wimco.com.

Trunk Bay in St. John

Trunk Bay in St. John, photo by Willie Waw.

Beautiful Trunk Bay Beach on St. John, USVI. It's a wonderful swimming and snorkeling beach.

The Big Dog off Tortola

The Big Dog off Tortola, photo by Willie Waw.

I caught a shot of this big, comfortable cruising cat (named The Big Dog) from Villa Jacaranda on Tortola. This catamaran is big enough to have three groups of people in separate seating areas while underway.

December Sunrise on the Bay

December Sunrise on the Bay, photo by Willie Waw.

Another unusual sunrise over Jamestown in Narragansett Bay -- it has been a very warm December in the northeast.

Long Bay Beach

Long Bay Bch, photo by Willie Waw.

Long Bay Beach in Tortola as seen with a telephoto lens from Sunset House -- St. Thomas is in the background.

Wickford Frostbite Fleet

Wickford Frostbite Fleet, photo by Willie Waw.

Sixteen small Sea Dogs were out racing on this warm December afternoon. The races, usually sailed inside Wickford Harbor, are hosted by the WIckford Yacht Club. Since it was mild and the winds were moderate today, the fleet ventured outside the harbor to turn around the bell buoy (which is larger than the boats).

Mahoe Sunset

Mahoe Sunset, photo by Willie Waw.

This sunset shot was taken in front of the Mahoe Bay villas on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands -- Tortola is in the background. This is a perfect beach for swimming, snorkeling and relaxing.

Heather II fom Toronto

Heather II fom Toronto, photo by Willie Waw.

While on Speedy's ferry from Tortola to Virgin Gorda, we passed Heather II, a well-equipped cruising boat from Toronto.

View from Infinity

View from Infinity, photo by Willie Waw.

Here's the view from an amazing villa on St. Thomas with a view over Charlotte Amalie harbor. The villa is MA INF - Infinity -- it's a special place...

View from St. Thomas

View from St. Thomas, photo by Willie Waw.

Just back from a 10-day tour of the Virgin Islands where we visited 70 villas and hotels on St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola and Virgin Gorda -- there are so many beautiful villas and most have stunning views.

This photo shows the view from villa MA IND -- Indochine -- on St. Thomas. Link here to learn more about villas in the Caribbean and Europe.

Catfish in the Bay?

Catfish in the Bay?, photo by Willie Waw.

This is the first fishing catboat I've seen -- two sailors out on a crisp fall day cooking along under sail with fishing poles out.

They might be more fishermen than sailors since there is a huge outboard motor hanging from the transom in case they slow down below trolling speed while sailing.

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Note: I'll be going flyabout on business for almost two weeks, so the blog is officially on holiday until November 12th. I'll be visiting 60 rental villas and hotels in the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola and Virgin Gorda). Link here to find out why.... I should have a few nice shots when I return.

Endeavour in Newport

Endeavour in Newport, photo by Willie Waw.

Built in 1934, J-Class Endeavour was recently sold by former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski to pay off part of his court-ordered restitution and fines for looting the company.

Link here to learn more about the $13.1 million sale and here for more about the history of the Endeavour.