Whiskey and Water
You pull into a slip as the evening light fades from the sky. Tired and perhaps a bit salty, you wash down the boat, find the dockmaster’s office, and purchase a few bags of cubes before heading into town for a nightcap. Seeking out a libation is a time-honored way to celebrate a successful (or otherwise) day of cruising.
But this raises the question, what quantifies a great waterfront bar? Is it an upscale joint where you can enjoy a martini while savoring the view of the nearby infinity pool? Or is it a dimly lit pub with a sticky, penny-covered bartop where watermen gather to swap stories of the way things used to be?
The answer to that question of course varies from person to person, which is why our editors, with help from our Facebook followers (their contributions are here as well) have included here a wide array of establishments in our inaugural edition of the Power & Motoryacht list of Best Waterfront Bars, which begins on the next page. Comb through our list and plan your next cruise accordingly. If you have a favorite that we missed, let us know in the comments below.
The Oar
My fondness for The Oar, a restaurant/bar overlooking Block Island’s Great Salt Pond began when I was just a kid (don’t judge my family too harshly). I would spend countless hours climbing the boulder-lined shoreline while my parents, perched at the bar above, enjoyed its signature mudslide. Good times all around. Now that I cruise to Block on my own boat, I get to enjoy the panoramic view and lobster rolls, washed down with a mudslide of my own. The decorated oars left by generations of cruisers can be admired for hours. And even though my family’s oar has moved from a spot of prominence to the rafters, it reinforces that feeling of nostalgia. If you visit Block and see a grown man climbing the rocks with a mudslide in hand, be sure to stop me and say “Hi.”
–Daniel Harding Jr.
Schooner’s Landing
I have a confession: I’m a fan of the so-called “dive-bar.” Perhaps it’s because as a writer I enjoy meeting interesting characters, but I’ll take a tepid beer with an old salt over a mojito in a swanky city bar any day. If you’re like me and value character, I recommend stopping by Schooner’s Landing in Oxford, Maryland. It’s not a dive in the true sense; it’s clean and serves the freshest dock-to-table seafood you’ll find, but it’s also where a dwindling number of watermen go after cleaning their haul. If you’re ever in the area be sure to stop in for a stiff drink and a tall tale about “the good ol’ days” on the Chesapeake. –Daniel Harding Jr.
Big Game Club
Sitting behind the long bar at Bimini’s Big Game Club, it’s hard to not let your mind wander back to the mid 1930s, a time when Ernest Hemingway frequented the island and, in-between benders and brawls, penned his next novel.
Since the legendary days of Hemingway, this bar on the shore of the “Big Game Fishing Capital of the World” has welcomed legendary anglers from around the globe. Looking to hear a good fishing story? Look no further than the Big Game Club. –Daniel Harding Jr.
Scrub Island Resort and Marina
Sporting stunning vistas and multi-tier infinity pools, Scrub Island Resort, Spa and Marina is the stuff that postcards hope to grow up to be. Walk just a few feet from your slip and enjoy world-class snorkeling. When you’re done swimming don’t bother drying off, continue another couple yards and doggy paddle across the pool to the swim-up bar where you can contemplate the question: Is there a better way to relax? (The answer is no.) –Daniel Harding Jr.
Pusser’s Landing
Nestled into the west corner of Tortola, BVI, is Pusser’s Landing. Besides a full menu and all the rum you’ve come to expect from a Caribbean bar, the main thing Pusser’s has going for it is its location. And by that I mean it’s located directly across the harbor from the Customs Dock. So pick up a mooring, grab your passport, fill out those monotonous forms, and head over to Pusser’s. You’re officially on island time. –Daniel Harding Jr.
Joss Café and Sushi Bar
If Annapolis really is a drinking town with a sailing problem as is sometimes noted, boaters generally have no trouble finding plenty of spots to wet their whistles. But after a day on the water, it’s often my appetite that’s whet instead. And while crab is king in Annapolis, I’d rather wander up Main Street a couple of blocks and belly up to the bar—the sushi bar, that is.
Joss Café and Sushi Bar isn’t a big secret—in fact pretty much everyone I know who’s spent any time in town raves about it. Sit at the sushi bar, have a sake, and choose wisely from your menu card.
As the line of sushi chefs in traditional garb focuses on their work, the owner cuts fish along with them, and occasionally bellows, “Irisshaimase,” the traditional greeting of welcome in Japanese, to which the line grunts a response.
Great theatre and excellent food: What more could you need?
–Jason Y. Wood
Paradise Cove Beach Cafe
One of the more, call it adventurous, bar experiences I’ve had was at Paradise Cove Beach Cafe in Malibu. It’s on the beach facing the Pacific Ocean so it has no dock. And that’s where the adventure comes in.
The last time I was there I pulled up with Indy car driver Townsend Bell and we dropped the hook off his Beneteau Barracuda about 150 yards offshore (it was calm that day), threw our stuff in a drybag, and then dove in and swam our way to the beach. Bell called it his “Navy SEAL’s breakfast.” I just called it fun. And a little spooky. That water is dark, and cold, and kelpy, and maybe just a little sharky.
Once you hit the beach, remember to watch out for a sneaky shorebreak that comes out of nowhere. Then head inside and keep your eyes peeled; it’s possible the person sitting down the bar commands twelve to fifteen million per movie. It’s just that kind of place. But the menu is simple, the portions are heaping, and the drinks are strong.
Just do me a favor, if you’re going to have a few pops at the bar, bring along some PFDs for the swim back. And maybe a can of shark repellent. I don’t want that on my conscience.
–Kevin Koenig
Battello
I don’t know if you’ve heard about the renaissance taking place in parts of Jersey—particularly in Hoboken and Jersey City—but there’s a “New” New Jersey movement happening. And it’s got nothing to do with Springsteen, mobsters, or boardwalk ferris wheels. The sweet part of Jersey is now operating as a de facto sixth borough of New York City, with art galleries, cocktail bars, and high-end restaurants popping up almost overnight.
One of the spots at the forefront of the movement is Jersey City’s Battello—which means “boat” in Italian. The restaurant is located at the full-service Newport Marina, and offers free docking for boat under 40 feet if you plan on eating (they can accommodate much larger boats as well). The rustic yet elegant loft space is a favorite for weddings thanks to its unbeatable view of the New York City skyline. But the semi-enclosed bar is also the perfect spot to have a cocktail on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And I don’t mean cocktail in the general sense. Battello is a serious cocktail bar, with bartenders who’ve actually earned the title of mixologist, and who can whip up a drink that you’ve never had before but will instantly fall in love with. My wife likes the Shipwrecked—that’s Hendricks gin, strawberries, basil, lime, and agave. Me, I’m not that fancy, I stick to beer and whiskey. But I still enjoy the view. –Kevin Koenig
Southport Raw Bar
Don’t groan. I can hear you groaning and I want you to stop it. This is my spot when I’m in Lauderdale. I eat there after a good percentage of boat tests are finished, something I probably shouldn’t divulge considering the way some of these guys react to my stories. Maybe I’ll start sitting in the corner with my back to two walls to keep an eye on the doorway. Either way, I’ll order my usual: the conch chowder and the mahi caesar, paired with the coldest pint of whatever I feel like. The food here shouldn’t be this good—or at least the soup and the salad shouldn’t. I ordered that combo the first time I went there when my career was two weeks old and I’ve never gotten anything else since. Never needed to. It’s been home away from home on more business trips than I can recall. And for that I’ll always be grateful.–Kevin Koenig
Readers’ Top 20
While we editors have saddled up to our fair share of waterfront bars, we asked our Facebook followers—a salty and social group indeed—for their favorite nautical watering holes. The 20 most popular responses below whetted our thirst to get out cruising again as soon as possible; we hope it has the same effect on you.
Nippers (Great Guana Cay, Bahamas)—Tyler Morgan
Caribbean Club (Key Largo, FL): Where millionaires and fish heads belly up to an unpretentious bar with amazing views. Bogart and Bacall filmed the movie Key Largo here. That certainly adds a little something to the place. —Stan Morse
Calhoun’s Tiki Hut (Lenoir City, TN) at mile marker 602 on the Tennessee River. —Billy Kilgore
Prime (Huntington, NY) —John Turner
Sharky’s on the pier (Venice, FL) on the pier and Marina Jack (Sarasota, FL) —Claudia Brooks
Mannini Red’s (Charleston, SC) on Shem Creek —Renee Roark
Tides Tavern (Gig Harbor, WA) —Michael “Doc” Dockery
Aquidneck Lobster Bar (Newport, RI) —Chip Leakas
Bootleggers (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) and BlueWater Waterfront Grill (Wrightsville Beach, NC) —Chris Pollard
Square Grouper (Jupiter, FL) is a stateside classic. —Lee Wright
Schooner’s Landing (Oxford, MD) —Morgan Lyons
Guidry Doc’s Oyster Bar (Valparaiso, FL) Where’s that you ask? Come see us in the “Vail of Paradise”! —Kathryn Hulin
Soggy Dollar Bar (Jost Van Dyke, BVI). No landlubbers please. Their Painkiller is a lifesaver! The atmosphere and view are quite enjoyable. —Tom Coletta
O’Learys (Sarasota, FL) —Michael Winn
The Loading Dock (Grafton, IL) at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers —Michael Allway
Lorelei (Islamorada, FL) —Norm Bekoff
You have to experience The Little Bar (Goodland, FL) —Rhonda Walker
Barnacle Bud’s (Milwaukee, WI) —Michael Bush
