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| We’re off!!! A fresh breeze blows us steadily towards Cruz Bay, St. John. Nervous? You bet – but we’ve looked forward to this moment for so long it’s almost hard to believe that the adventure has finally begun. It’s a 35 mile, seven hour sail across this part of the Caribbean Sea, from St. Croix to St. John. | |
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In the old days, we would be busy plotting
our course and taking a noon bearing with a handheld sextant to
determine our position – today it’s as simple as looking at the
GPS and reading off the information. Time
goes slowly when you’re sailing at 5-6 knots, but that’s only one
of the great things about traveling under sail.
There is time to drink in the beauty of the sapphire blue sea,
to slow down and begin to shed the hustle and bustle of landlocked
life. Face it, everyone dreams of “getting away from it all,” but there is always something in the way – jobs, family, commitments, bills to pay…. Here is the best piece of advice we can offer – do it NOW! Don’t stop to think about the “what ifs”, just grab the hand of the one that you love, take a deep breath and go for it. Life is way too short, and the beauty to be found in this world much too grand for you not to experience first hand for yourself. |
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Ok, back to the story. Cruz Bay is our first stop in St. John. It is “island central” for all things that anyone might need – information, rental cars, restaurants, and shopping. Located on the western end of the island, it’s where the ferryboats from St. Thomas dock and where visiting boaters check in with US Customs. Although much of St. John is a National Park, you can find everything you need for a comfortable stay right in Cruz Bay, just a short walk from the ferry dock. We drop the hook onto the sandy bottom of the bay, and take MiniMAJA (our dinghy) in to shore. |
| Wow, for a
small town, Cruz Bay is hopping!!
It’s busy and the ferryboats are full of excited visitors
trying to see all the sites in the first five minutes.
Joyce and I head for the National Park office to gather
information on the various mooring locations, snorkeling sites and
hiking trails around St. John.
While there, we join up with a group of hikers getting an
orientation lecture from a Park Ranger. Information in hand, we sail back out of Cruz Bay heading north past the wonderful resort of Caneel Bay, to Hawksnest Bay. We pick up a mooring ball, then quickly don snorkel gear for the first of many wonderful hours floating in crystal clear water over some of the best snorkeling sites in the Virgin Islands. Schools of brightly colored tropical fish hover over the reef, seemingly mindless to the two large visitors floating overhead. We spend the night lying on the deck of MAJA, transfixed by the beauty of the stars above us. It’s dark in St. John, so stargazing is quite rewarding. |
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| So much of
the island is undeveloped that even while driving along the
roadways, you’ll find yourself alone and deep in a forest. The
same holds true for the many isolated bays found along the shoreline
of St. John. Once
secured to your mooring ball, you feel like one of the early
explorers seeing the shoreline for the first time. An important note - use the mooring balls provided by the
Park Service to prevent damage to the coral reef that can occur when
anchoring. Almost every
bay around St. John has mooring balls installed for boaters and at
this time there is no charge for the use of the mooring system. We’ve made plans to visit as many bays along the coast of St. John as time allows, but in no particular hurry. Sailing between the bays is easy – most anchorages are only a mile or so apart and the passages are protected by the close proximity of nearby islands. Who knows what the future may hold for these amatuear sailors. That is what so wonderful about sailing in the Virgin Islands- your just not sure what the next day might hold- but it will always be a wonderful suprise. So again- don't as when, where, how or why- just take advantage of the opportunity and live your life. |
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Great
News! U.S. Citizens do NOT need a passport to travel
to the U.S. Virgin Islands! (St. John, St. Croix & St. Thomas) |
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