Virgins Part 2

Virgins Part 2  getting way behind- will post photos later

Doctors seemed to control our schedule!  While waiting for a follow up appointment, we wandered over to the British Virgins making many of the popular charter boat stops.  It seems everywhere in the BVI the ubiquitous charters flood the anchorages.  Only one night were we charter free – in White Bay behind Peter Island – only us, a cruising sailing vessel (Canadian), one mega yacht and one mega sailing vessel off in the distance.  The beach was open to visitors, but only the beach.  With no bars or restaurants – the charter boats gave this a pass.  Fortunately for the mega yacht, Steve was able to capture their runaway ski boat – this yacht carried two smaller boats – but their second boat was off with guests when the ski boat drifted away. They rewarded him with a six pack of beer and many thanks!

Along with hundreds of charters we hit the high spots –

Sopers Bay/West End to check in with the officials and pay our fees. Still a lot of hurricane damage there.

Cane Garden Bay – still recovering but lively and with a well- stocked grocery plus the Rum Distillery –

White Bay on Jost Van Dyke – to have lunch at the Soggy Dollar. They had a snapfish book of the hurricane destruction and their quick (4 month) rebuild.  The rest of the island’s recovery seemed spotty – major restaurants were up and running 18 months later, but many, many homes were ruins.

A night at the east end of JVD – on the hook for some snorkeling but never alone.

Over to Norman and lunch at the restaurant there that has been rebuilt even more upscale than before. While the food was excellent and priced like everywhere else, the drinks were the same price as the entrees.  It seems big boats drop guests for the afternoon and the restaurant makes it money on their consumption of beverages which includes the use of the beach and its amenities. The mooring field filled up by early afternoon with the charters many of whom dinked into the restaurant for dinner.  Apparently, the charters seek places where dinner can be found on shore.

We saw the same at Great Harbour on Peter and again at Cooper Island Beach Club. The Willy T a floating restaurant that used to be an old logging boat – now rebuilt after Irma as a barge is the main attraction here. It is kind of a floating Spring Break Bar – traditionally visitors enjoy their food and drink then jump off the back of the boat from the second story to cool off.

Much more up UP scale is the Cooper Island Beach Club.  This development was in excellent polish seemingly fully recovered from the ravages of 2017. The complex includes several hotel rooms and restaurants. Also, some of the best dinghy docks offered again making it easy for boaters to enjoy dinner ashore.

Provisions were less available, however. The main business here is charter boats – either power cats or sail, plus a few monohulls, and, we figured they are out to have a wonderful vacation free of catering chores like cooking.

Just a few words about charters: Much of our entertainment in these packed mooring fields came from watching the antics on charters. Picking up mooring ball lines is an art form not many charter crew members have mastered. We watched many boats make pass after pass with the boat approaching too fast and from the wrong direction while the helmsman berated his crew for missing the line. Eventually most boats did catch the line and managed to get safely tied for the night.  Once we even saw a hardy sailor approach and attempt to grab a mooring under sail. We figured he was having engine problems, and after at least three failed attempts he finally retreated to deeper water and dropped his anchor.

On the other hand, we had to respect a group of 8 to 10 folks who would be brave enough to charter a boat together. On even a 50-foot catamaran it must be cozy. There is an almost frantic energy among these folks – eager to enjoy every second of their time in the sun. Boats came equipped with blow-up flamingo floats, paddle boards, kayaks, and floating noodles to help the guests enjoy their floating vacations. Most we talked to were taking a break from the snowy North East, but some even traveled from the icy regions of the Mid West. No wonder they were out soaking up rays from dawn to dusk.  Most were respectful of the close neighbors in these crowded anchorages, but one memorable group insisted on blasting everyone with their choice of music, college songs, and raucous laughter into the wee hours. We guessed they were on a college reunion trip – reliving a wild youth – sadly at the expense of the boaters around them.

Fortunately, in spite of the packed anchorages, most nights things quieted down and fellow boaters managed to enjoy the stars without intrusions from others.

We thought this was all good entertainment until we talked to that Canadian sailing vessel over in the isolated anchorage.  Twice their bow pulpit had been damaged by charter boats. After hearing their stories, we watched the charters more carefully, only relaxing when it was clear a charter captain was in charge.

Taking a break from the frenetic charter scene in the BVI we returned to St Thomas so Steve could once again see a doctor.  Fortunately this trip brought good news – he had managed to crack his patella back in December – probably while changing out that pesky water pressure tank. It had taken numerous visits, x-rays, and blood work to reach this positive conclusion.  The alternatives were grim since at one point there was concern his new knee was infected and might need to be replaced. With this relative clean bill of health, we headed back to the BVI.

On this second pass, we made stops at the famous Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke, White Bay on Guana Cay hoping for a quiet a spot but finding yet another busy mooring field, Pusser’s Marina Cay – still recovering from Irma, and finally Leverick Bay in North Sound on Virgin Gorda.  This area was also destroyed by Irma, but the resort at Leverick Bay has largely been rebuilt and hosts a lively show for the boaters almost every night. Fortunately, we did not even have to leave the boat to enjoy the fun.

A weather window, although short and less than perfect, was appearing so we headed to Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda to check out and crossed over night to St Martin – a lumpy 100 miles but nothing to bother Teddy. The delightful treats of the French St Martin more than aided our recovery.

US and British Virgins Part 1

US and British Virgins Part 1  photos to come

Without USA waters, we left Puerto Rico and anchored off the airport in St Thomas, USVI.  This quiet spot in Brewer’s Bay is home to several boaters who work on the island. It is also convenient to Charlotte Amalie but away from the congestion of the harbor. We enjoyed several days on anchor there meeting other boaters, resupplying the boat and generally cleaning things up for our guests. (Between runs into the historic old town for touring and meals – plus a little sea glass hunting on nearby beaches!)

Before Paul and Amanda arrived, we headed over to the docks at Crown Bay which are close to the airport. While Brewer’s was the normal wet beach landing – it is much easier to schlep baggage when the boat is on a dock.  Much of the access to shore in the US Virgins has been via beach landings – this is damp and sandy at best.  However, we discovered a great dock in St Johns at the National Park Welcome Center in Cruz Bay and also in Charlotte Amalie Harbor’s Yacht Haven Grand next to the cruise ship dock – literally in the shadow of the massive ships that visit daily in the winter. Otherwise to reach terra fermi, we waded ashore – beached the dink – it had to be hauled out of the water and could not be anchored or tied to anything. Needless to say, the extra muscle power of the kids was appreciated.  When they left, we switched to beaching the kayak – a much easier vessel to haul up onto the beach! Since we had spent so long in Puerto Rico, we had not taken time to check out the options in the USVI – so with the kids we headed to the National Park on St Johns to check out what was what.  Much of this island neighbor to St Thomas is managed by the park service. (We were, however, surprised at how many small areas of private homes are encircled by the park holdings.)  While damage from the hurricanes of 2017 is still evident, much has returned to normal and the tourist business is booming. There is also an offshore marine preserve which extends the public lands here on the eastern end of the island.  We circumnavigated the island with the kids and explored on land with hikes and stops in Cruz Bay. The park controls anchoring – limiting it to preserve and protect the corals – much of them sadly damaged by the recent hurricanes.  We were happy to use their moorings which made life simple compared to dropping the hook, making sure it was set and then washing it off before departing. Since moorings are controlled by the park, we get the senior pass 50% off rate which makes them a great deal, too. 

When the kids left us, we headed over to St Croix – the largest island in the group but also the most isolated.  We traveled 40 miles south against a relentless easterly swell and were glad to finally get inside the reef in the harbor of Christiansted.  We anchored off the boardwalk for four nights and wandered this historic town. The fort was open again – thanks to the end of the US Government shutdown being lifted, but several of the other museums are not fully operational after the damages from hurricanes in 2017. The old part of town has a charming feel with softly pastel stucco buildings and narrow cobblestone streets.  The one-way system must drive people nuts, but is helps preserve the ambience of the colonial town. Must also mention the tiny sea planes that dropped from the sky next to our boat since we anchored just off the seaplane terminal.  Their arrival was generally stealth, but take off was more noticeable – Teddy took several days to realize they weren’t coming into the boat. He finally decided they were just one more entertaining facet of boating life.

Before leaving St Croix, we spent a night out at Buck Island – sadly the reef also suffered from the hurricanes, but the hike up the hill and views were worth the stop. Since special permits are needed to anchor at the island and stay overnight, we were there with only one other boat.  An interesting couple on a 50ft motor sailor with wild stories of their trip down from Florida. It was nice to see them smile and laugh about 3 to 4 days in 20-foot seas compounded by several equipment failures! Checking the weather for a return north, we took the opportunity to head back on a calm day and made much faster time with less rock and roll landing back in Salt Pond on the south side of St. Johns. While everyday Steve finds a reason or destination to dive or snorkel, the big adventure was a bus ride into the town of Grace Bay.  We had visited with the kids to try the famous Skinny Leggs restaurant, we returned by bus from Salt Pond to visit the Love Market.  The bus leaves the Salt Pond parking lot at 7 AM – this meant getting to shore and up steep trail to the parking area just after dawn.  We took the kayak to the beach before anyone else in the anchorage was awake and were in the bus shed when the bus arrived already full of people.  Salt Pond is the end of the route, but people get on we figured to avoid waiting for the bus to return?  The ride for us was only about 20 minutes, but full of twists, turns and STEEP ups and downs.  We stocked up in the market and had time for breakfast at the Pickles Deli before flagging the return bus.  Since the storms, this bus only runs from Salt Pond at 7 and 9 (we caught the 9 as it was returning)  then again twice in the late afternoon – which is why we had to get up so early.  Just this short run made us appreciate travel by boat. Visiting the grocery stores in Cruz Bay is easier – we could run the dinghy into the NPS dock or hike in on the Lind Point trail – after dragging the kayak up on the beach. Surprisingly these stores are all well stocked so no suffering here.

Steve had a date with a doctor in St Thomas so we spent a few days heading back – a memorable stop at Christmas Cove for some lunch from the Pizza Pi boat – they make pizza to order on the custom pizza kitchen boat.  Yummy as well as unique.

This time we anchored in the harbor with a view of the big boys – much entertainment is to be had watching the crowds come and go as well as the delicate ballet of docking and departures.  We were safely away from their channel but the precision and grace of the behemoths is something to behold up close. The dock at the Yacht Haven Grand was also a bonus as was the handy Pueblo Market, Kmart, and Fruit Basket. In spite of the congestion in town, this is a sweet stop!