The wind direction lent itself to a course for the USVI vs the BVI, so that’s where we went. It was a 12 hour sail (with some motoring) to St Johns, and we found a good spot to anchor at Klein Bay just before dark. Unfortunately, clearing in on the ROAM app was denied, so we had to go to customs in Cruz Bay the following morning. After clearing in, we headed for Great St James Bay just off of St Thomas for swims and pizza.
Christmas Cove Great St James was a delightful, clear water anchorage and mooring field. I think there were only 3 feet under the keel, so it’s not surprising the water seemed so clear! We had heard about “PI VI” which was a pizza boat moored in the bay. They offered NY style pizza with a decent crust, and if needed, they delivered! It was also a fun spot to snorkle, as there were several reefs and a wreck to check out. We got to swim with one of the two local turtles, which was a highlight of our visit.
We’ve seen turtles frequently around all the islands we’ve visited since we arrived on this side. There are also heaps of fish around, including a school of Tarpin in Cruz Bay that we noticed when we went to customs.
While we waited for weather to sort itself out, we did some walking around the hills ringing the bays of Cruz and Caneel. Weather here was grand, but we were looking for a passage to either Turks and Cacos or the Exumas/Bahamas, which was about 4 days out.
It will be a fairly speedy jaunt through the Bahamas, then we’ll head for haulout in FL, and on to Brunswick Georgia for hurricane season which officially starts June 1st..Other mates have gone South to Grenada and Trinidad as they’ll be heading across the Pacific next Spring.
Feliz cumpleaños , chica! Wishing you the best for another trip around the sun!!
Happy birthday Virginia! Everything sounds so exciting, safe travels. Hope to see you soon 🤗