St. John, An Underwater Paradise

We enjoyed St. John so much our first time through we had to stop again.  We checked into immigration in Cruz Bay on May 16, 2016 and stayed that night on a mooring ball in Caneel Bay.  Most of the bays in St. John are part of the U.S. National Parks and a mooring ball is required to protect the reef.  Our favorite spot is in Francis Bay, a protected bay except from the west with fantastic snorkeling.  We tried to snorkel as much as possible which was easy, all we had to do was jump in the water off the back of our boat and head towards shore.  We have a new waterproof camera and took some great pictures and videos.  We hope you will enjoy these as much as we enjoyed the beauty of this underwater paradise.   We wanted to stay longer, but a part on the refrigerator stopped working which forced us to head for St. Thomas earlier than desired.  We were able, however, to spend seven wonderful days here exploring life underwater.  We saw sea fans, huge staghorn coral, fire coral, star coral, brain coral, Christmas tree worms, pillar coral, and elkhorn coral.  There were stingrays, large parrotfish, hawksbill turtles, remoras, French angelfish, trumpetfish, triggerfish, bigeyes, schools of 1,000 jackfish and many fish we could not identify.  The reef is full of unbelievable colors and shapes making the reef a never-to-forget experience.

Turn up your speakers, there is music with the videos!

Unfortunately, the videos do not display on an iPad.

British Virgin Islands, Part IV

Our last stops in the BVI’s included Nanny Cay Marina and Sopers Hole.  We had to go to Nanny Cay Marina to discuss some options for repairs and maintenance to Silent Dream, mainly replacement of the standing rigging, polishing the fuel, and refrigeration issues.  It turns out that we need to replace our fuel tank as the walls are full of brown scum that cannot be removed.  It is after all 33 years old, the same age as our standing rigging.  We received a quote on replacing the standing rigging and rebuilding of the mast foundation.  All of this work will be done during the summer or as soon as we return in November.  We had to take a trip to Road Town to renew our immigration visa which is only good for 30 days.  After a taxi ride to town, we filled out forms and waited two hours to see an immigration officer for a five minute interview and $20.  We are now good for another 30 days!  We found a barber shop in Road Town where Chuck got the best haircut, took over an hour and cost $14, and he is very happy!  Nanny Cay Marina is a complete marina and resort with a marine store, groceries, restaurants, ice cream, laundry, marine services, haul out services, pool, beach and the best showers ever. 

Last stop was Sopers Hole to check out of the British Virgin Islands.  This is a great place with shopping, restaurants, groceries, fuel, ferry dock and a customs office.  We checked out on a Monday, but discovered it was a holiday called Whit Monday.  This means we had to pay overtime fees to check out of $13 instead of just under $1.  Next time I will check the BVI holiday calendar.  Goodbye British Virgin Islands and heading back to St. John.

British Virgin Islands, Part III

Our next stop only 12 miles away was Cane Garden Bay on the island of Tortola.  It is quite protected except for anything out of the north.  This is a popular place for cruisers and tourists with many restaurants and bars, such as Myett’s and Quitos with great happy hours, the old Arundel Rum Distillery, a great beach, laundry, and grocery shopping – everything we need and want!  Also, some of the fastest Wi-Fi we have experienced since the States.  It rained several times during our seven day stay and we filled our water tanks till they were overflowing, yes, free water!  No stay in the BVI’s would be complete without Jost Van Dyke.  There are three popular anchorages not to be missed.  Little Jost Van Dyke with Foxy’s Taboo and the Bubbly Pool, a natural “Jacuzzi” of water rushing through the rock formations and only a short half-mile walk.  Great Harbour is home to the famous “Foxy’s”, a well-known local musician providing entertainment to all tourists and locals.  Corsairs is a great restaurant with all food flown in fresh by the owner, Capt. Vinny.  Every morning a small boat will come to yours selling fresh baked goods from the local bakery and ice, of course.  Last but not least is White Bay, home of the Soggy Dollar Bar, Ivan’s Stress Free Bar, One Love Bar and Grill and the most visited beach by the tourists on Jost Van Dyke.  The beach is really beautiful, although crowded at times, so go early or stay late.  This is some of the best people watching.