The Alluring St. John, USVI

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We spent two nights at American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook, St. Thomas making repairs on the generator and port engine after our 6 day crossing from Spanish Wells, Bahamas (Read about offshore passage). The generator turned out to be an easy fix. We had to blow out the fuel line and replace the fuel filter. Then it was good to go.

The port engine required mechanics and we were super lucky that one squeezed us into his schedule to diagnose and fix our problem. The issue turned out to be corroded wiring going into the engine. Salt water and air is hard on EVERYTHING! It took a while to troubleshoot and make the final determination, but once made, the technicians  quickly fixed it! This was such a relief as the marina was full and we had to leave the dock in the morning. Navigating a crowded mooring field would be so much easier with two engines!

We had taken a cab to Charlotte Amalie and checked into the USVI from the Bahamas. This process went very smoothly except it cost $66 round trip for the taxi. I can’t complain though, because the taxi waited for us at the Customs office. I am sure he did not want to make the return 30 minute trip without customers. So it was a win-win.

Saturday, April 9, 2022

John only had a few more days that he could stay with us. So we decided to head over to St. John to enjoy its beauty, as well as swim and snorkel. We had hoped to hop on down the island chain while John was here, but the weather window would not happen anytime soon.

We had never sailed the Virgin Islands during April. Thus we were quite surprised when we arrived at St. John and found the mooring fields extremely full! It was later in the day because we had to wait about an hour in Red Hook for the fuel dock to clear.

We cruised through Caneel Bay and found all the mooring balls totally full. Since most of the waters around St. John were part of a National Park, there were very few bays where boats were allowed to anchor. In Cinnamon Bay we spied an open ball and quickly scooped it up. The view from our boat was spectacular lined with white sandy beaches and lush hillsides.

For dinner we grilled a pork tenderloin and marveled at the wonderful sunset.

Sunday, April 10, 2022

The next morning, we connected shortly with Dennis on MV Cool Breezes in Maho Bay. He was also a Fort Worth Boat Club member with which another member got us connected. Since he was headed out, he let us grab his perfectly place mooring ball that was closest to the beach—score!!

Once again we were amazed how many boats were moored in the bay as well as the number of bodies on the beach. It was downright crowed!

Of course, we could understand why this idyllic bay was so popular. It was beautiful and tucked in among the hillside affording a calm area for swimming, paddle boarding and snorkeling. In addition, there were lots of turtles swimming around eating the underwater grasses.

John booked a flight home for Wednesday. So we decided we would stay in our prime location until Tuesday morning.

The Caribbean waters were calling my name. So I donned my snorkel gear and jumped into the water heading to the eastern side of the bay. This was where all the charter boats sent their folks to snorkel, but I found it a little disappointing. There was not any coral, as had been touted online, and very few fish. I know that many places around St. John were still coming back from the destructive hurricanes of 2017.

Nevertheless, the water was refreshing, and I truly enjoyed my first swim in the Caribbean Sea! Afterwards, I relaxed with an adult beverage and watched the plethora of activity around us.

Ben and John got the paddle board blown up and Ben practiced moving around on it while John also went for a snorkel. Later John tried his hand at paddle boarding. Overall, it was a wonderful day and just what I had been waiting two years to do!

For dinner we had a one pot meal with sausage, bowtie pasta and broccoli. There were showers around but they did not pass over us. So we ate outside and enjoyed the cool breezes.

Monday, April 11, 2022

We thought that maybe the beach and moorings would not be as crowded today since it was Monday. Yet as it was Easter week and spring break for many, being a weekday did not seem to make a difference.

John and I both decided to snorkel this morning to see if we could locate some turtles. John found two and spent about an hour hanging out with them. They were pretty large with several sucker fish attached to each one.

I also spied a turtle just as he began to swim. I followed him for a bit. They swim so gracefully but can speed right along.

I swam past the beach to the west side of the bay and was pleasantly surprised to find small coral trying to make a come back from the hurricane devastation. It was awesome to see these tiny corals.

There were lots of sea anemones. Some looked like waving flowers in the sea and one was lacy.

There were several schools of Permit Jacks (I think) and other fun fish to watch frolicking among the rocks and coral.

It was an exhilarating swim. Ben followed me on the paddle board/kayak. I think he wanted to be sure I didn’t over do it!

Both the guys finally got the hang of standing on the board, which was definitely a core workout!

Tonight, John grilled chicken and sausage for dinner while we watched the spectacular sunset.

It will be sad to leave this beautiful bay tomorrow, but there are so many other islands and bays to explore. Tomorrow we head over to Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas so that John can catch his flight on Wednesday, and we can check out of the country and head to the BVIs!

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