St John

3/16/12
St John, USVI
18 21.60 N 64 44.9 W

A short hop took us to Christmas Cove on St James Island.  I was glad to be away from the thousands of tourists and the infrastructure that comes with a ship port – the anchorage was rolly mainly because of passing traffic.  Ne'r Do Well is with us and the other two boats, Caribbean Souls and Spirit will catch up tomorrow.  Christmas Cove is beautiful – not many boats and the beach is deserted.  In order to reach the US Virgin Island of St John we have to negotiate Current Cut, as the name suggests the current runs at 4 knots in either direction depending on tide – and of course there is rocks !!  Both ourselves and Ne'r Do Well waited until Caribbean Souls and Spirit caught up to us the following morning then sat safely at anchor watching them bounce and roll through Current Cut – after seeing their safe arrival at the other end we weighed anchor and followed.

Our first stop in St John was Caneel Bay – a few minutes dinghy ride from the popular Cruz Bay which supports the largest town on the island and a very full anchorage.  Exploring this colourful town was fun – we found the ice cream shop and a great bakery – unfortunately all at high prices.

The following day we motored around the corner to Francis Bay.  Watermelon Bay/ Maho bay is a bay within the Francis Bay area – simply beautiful.  Wonderful snorkelling off the boat, lots of walks for the hearty, we explored a hotel at one end of the bay – I suppose you would call it “eco-tourist”:  accommodation as the huts were made of undressed rough sawn wood and canvas top and sides – the table was a picnic style with attached seats and the bed looked very rustic @ $120 per night !!  The restaurant was spectacular – a rough wooden structure high up on the hill overlooking the bay – simply beautiful.  There was a resident glass blower and potter to assist the tourists to lighten their wallets.

The next day the four boats took their dinghies around the corner to the Annaberg sugar mill.  It always amazes me how people 100's of years ago managed to build such strong structures – I often consider the difficult task of  lifting the boulders great heights.  One more night in paradise then off to check out the British Virgin Islands.