Visiting the US Virgin Islands: St. Thomas



St. Thomas Harbor: Daily cruise ship arrivals & sailboats

We have decided the sailing is definitely better in the British Virgin Islands as there are many more favorable anchorages and more islands to explore. However, Dennis has always wanted to sail into the St. Thomas harbor, so we did! He spent many vacations on St. Thomas (BS: Before Sherry) and had always been on land looking out. This time we anchored in the harbor for three nights - and looked inward!

Of course, St. Thomas is known for its duty free shopping and hundreds of jewelry stores with shopkeepers urging you to come into their shops. We watched huge cruise ships come and go daily - several each day - as they maneuvered among the sailboats that were anchored in the harbor. Personally, we chose not to anchor too close to them. It is a matter of size: when you are the little guy, don't irritate the big guy! S/V Trillium is one of those sailboats in the photo on the far right side. Certainly no challenge to the big cruise ships!

 

Magen's Bay, St. Thomas, US VI

We took a tour of the island to see how it has changed over the past twenty plus years. I got to see the other famous bays and beaches: Magen's Bay, Sapphire and Coki Beaches. We have stayed at Red Hook harbor and Secret Harbor resort so I was familiar with that area.

Dennis wants to sail into Magen's Bay next year.

Many of the bays are guarded by coral reefs and make entry very challenging. Magen's Bay in not recommended for overnight anchoring due to northerly surges. But it sure is beautiful! And I am sure we will explore there soon - when the weather is favorable.


Cemetery on St. Thomas

On our land tour, we saw a variety of living areas. The roads are narrow and very steep and winding. And they drive on the other side of the road even though it is a US territory.

Also typical of countries at or below sea level, the cemeteries are above ground. There is a very large one on St. Thomas.

Like many of the resort islands, the local people do not live as well as the tourists and vacation property owners. There are beautiful homes all over the side of the mountain with fabulous views. They may belong to some of the shop owners, but I doubt that the native islanders live in them.

We saw a community where most of them live some distance from the main harbor area. The most profitable business for the local people is driving taxis. They shuttle people from the cruise ships to the downtown and back and they are highly competitive - always trying to get you to ride in their vehicle.


Abandoned house in the harbor area

We have a couple of favorite restaurants in St. Thomas. Hook, Line & Sinker in Frenchtown has always been on the list, although this time the service of not very good. We have decided maybe we like it best when we are on land and want to eat next to the water. When we are on the water everyday, that did not seem as enchanting!

Some of the others are in Palm Passage and beyond the park. We like to browse in the vendor tents near the waterfront. You can't beat the prices on tee shirts if you looking for gifts. But you do have to put up with the vendors pushing their goods at you!

Hook, Line & Sinker in Frenchtown, St. Thomas, US VI


We enjoyed the frozen drinks at The Green House overlooking the water in the downtown area. Bushwacker is my favorite. Also a Mango Pina Colada is high on my list, too. One has to be careful of those frozen island beverages as they can really sneak up on you on a hot, sunny day!

Visiting the US Virgin Islands: St. John



One of the boats anchored in Soper's Hole, Tortola, BVI

 When you leave the British Virgin Islands, you must go to the customs office to check out. We spent a night at Soper's Hole on Tortola's West End before checking out. I found another nice market there. As you may have guessed, good food markets are hard to come by! Many people check in at the West End as it is easier than going into Road Town, BVI. Here you see a variety of vessels in Soper's Hole.

There are many multi-masted boats in the islands. They are always interesting to see - especially under sail. Some a very large and others are smaller. I can never remember which are schooners and which are ketches or yawls! And I don't know what you call those with more than three sails.

Another multi-masted beauty!

After leaving the BVI, we sailed down the Windward Passage to Caneel Bay, St. John, US VI. Since it was late in the day, we grabbed a  mooring ball for the night and then took the dingy into Cruz Bay to clear US customs the next morning. We then learned they were open until 6 PM so we could have cleared in the night before.

For US Customs you can clear in and out in the same visit but they make everyone come inside to be processed. In the British VI, only the Captain goes into customs with all of the passports, but you must clear in and out each time. The operating hours never seem to be what is printed in the guides.

Dennis at the Pay Station in Caneel Bay, St. John, US VI

The mooring balls in the US VI are only $15 per night (unless you are a Senior Citizen, then you only pay $7.50 with a special National Park Pass which you get at the National Park office in Cruz Bay). It is an honor system, however, there are "hosts" who visit your boat and welcome you. And they record the name of your boat - just in case you don't pay or stay too long.

You can stay a maximum of seven days on the same mooring ball and up to a total of 30 nights on park system balls. The cost of mooring in the BVI is $25-$30 per night. Mooring is recommended because there are fewer and fewer places to anchor due to the preservation of the coral reefs. One also gets a much better night of sleep when hanging on a mooring ball. There is no need to worry about your anchor holding or too much swing in the wind.



A visitor stopping for a rest! Or maybe for a handout!



Three quarters of St. John is national park property and the park system has a number of tours, hikes, classes, etc. We did not have time to take part in any of these as we were trying to get to St. Thomas before dark. We plan to spend more time there next year.

We had a visitor who sat on the bow for quite a while. This is a type of sea gull. You don't see the species that we have in Michigan.

After checking into the US VI, we sailed down Pillsbury Sound, around the Dogs and then west on the south side of St. Thomas.

Here's a map to help you get your bearings!

Sailing in the Atlantic to Virgin Gorda

Having lunch at Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour

After leaving Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, the shortest route to Virgin Gorda is to sail east on the Atlantic side of Tortola. It is about a 25 mile run to get to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor. And this approach involves a lot of tacking as you are always sailing into to wind. Later we learned that most charter companies suggest their sailors go the opposite way around Tortola to be able to sail with the wind on the Atlantic side. I guess we never considered that route since we like to go to Jost Van Dyke first and that puts us on the north side of Tortola. Next time we will reverse our route.

The run up to Virgin Gorda on the Atlantic side is great sailing, but the winds are stiff and waves high. It makes for a long, fast sail. Larry and Joan did not have any trouble with it, but my sister couldn't handle it. She wears the wrist band with the electric zapper on the Great Lakes and the 20-25 knot winds and high seas were too much it. So for their trip we cut in between Great and Little Camanoe Islands, around Marina Cay and then across to Virgin Gorda. It got her out of the rough waters.


The Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI



Of course, the biggest attraction on Virgin Gorda is The Baths, but we also learned that a Detroit area developer is working on a resort project at Dix Bay, just over the hill from the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour. There are several other areas to explore, including the Bitter End Yacht Club area at the north end and Leverick Bay. We did not make it to either this time - hopefully next trip.

With Vicki and Larry, we had a wonderful dinner at Chez Bamboo. There is a nice grocery store at the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour so it was great to see some good looking meat and vegetables for a change. We used our time here to rest, relax and read. It is good to have a do-nothing-day after a long sail.

Moving on to Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

Just across the water from Little Jost Van Dyke lies another lovely beach at Cane Garden Bay. This is another good beach for swimming, walking, sunning and enjoying music and drinks.

In this bay, there are a number of restaurant bars where one has a happy hour with live music each night. Then another one has live music after dinner. To keep peace in the community, the entertainment rotates through the seven establishments. So there is always fun somewhere every night of the week!

The pelicans provide great entertainment here as they spend all light hours diving for fish. I mean flying high and diving straight down into the water! It is amazing how much energy they spend just catching food to provide them energy. Talk about being on a treadmill!

The Callwood rum distillery on Tortola, BVI

Dennis and I walked through the streets of the community and found the only surviving working rum distillery on the island. They are the only ones who produce their rum from sugar cane. It has been in the Callwood family for over 200 years.

I am not a rum expert, but my Captain claims the rum that has been aged for 10 years is the smoothest he has ever had. The distillers claim you don't get a headache from it since there are no additives! I think I could get one just by having too much to drink, but I did not test the my theory!

Exploring Jost Van Dyke

Jost Van Dyke is one of the first islands you see when you say "Land ahoy!" coming from the US East Coast. It was truly a welcome sight on our eighth day at sea! We passed by Jost Van Dyke about 45 minutes before crossing the finish line for the Caribbean 1500 Rally back in November. It has now become a favorite place for us.



JVD is a smaller island, but packed with fun! First of all it is the home of the 42 year establishment called Foxy's. Good food, good drink, good times! There is a barbecue with live music on Friday and Saturday nights. And music on Thursday nights, too. If you anchor too close you will hear it into the wee hours of the morning when the last customer goes home - or gets in their dingy to head to the boat! Great Harbour is also the customs and immigration for the island so many people come ashore here.

White Bay is the best beach in the BVI



Foxy's provides evening entertainment while at White Bay just west of Great Harbour lies the most beautiful beach in these islands. The sun, sand and surf keep you "entertained" during the day. There are hammocks and beach chairs and several restaurant bars. The most famous is the Soggy Dollar Bar. It got its name from people swimming ashore for the famous Painkiller rum drink invented here.



The bay is protected by a huge coral reef so many boats cannot go ashore. We can't because we need at least 8 feet of water with no waves to bounce us up and down. Instead we go by taxi and leave S/V Trillium in the Great Harbour bay around the point. The two days we have spent in White Bay reading and relaxing were the best!



Foxy's Taboo on the east end of Jost Van Dyke

After a second overnight in Great Harbour with Vicki and Larry, we pulled out early and went to the east end of the island. There is a place on the north shore called the Bubbly Pool, but it is too dangerous to anchor on the north side due to the northeast Trade Winds. Instead, you go ashore at Foxy's Taboo (no wonder the smart island businessman located his second establishment there), then walk along the beach, climbing over coral and tree limbs to a rocky path that takes you up and over the top to the north side. As you come down the path you can hear the water crashing on the rocks below.



Hiking up and over the mountain to the Bubbly Pool


The Bubbly Pool is a relatively small area of sandy beach tucked in behind some major rocks. When the waves hit the side of the island and rush into the pool area, it fills with bubbly water and spray. There is a strong surf and surge effect as the water crashes in and rushes out. It was well worth the climb. Many people have built little structures of coral "rocks" on the ledges of the pool "walls" as offerings to the spirits.

The water between Jost Van Dyke and Little Jost Van Dyke is one large bed of coral and you cannot even go through with a dingy. Some people were kayaking in that area. You may be familiar with the beautiful Caribbean blues of the water, but you definitely need to be aware of brown water: that is coral underneath. It will destroy your dingy and dingy motor not to mention potential - actually, probable - damage to your boat if you should get onto one of the coral reefs by mistake.