Cruz Bay is open for entry of private vessels. Short 1 hr motorsail directly from Sopers Hole, but you could certainly take a fewl hour sail if you did a reach to Jost Van Dyke, back to Great Thatch then north around Great Tobago then to Cruz Bay.

You can anchor (3 hr time limit) in the small bay at the north side of Cruz Bay (the so-called Creek), then dinghy to the National Park Service dock. It's a 100 yd walk to the C&I trailer. Alternatively, grab an overnight mooring ball at Lind Pt and then dinghy to the NPS dock. Cruz Bay is your best option for dining ashore. There are many dining options within a few hundreds walk from the NPS dinghy dock. Lots of very nice shops and restaurants at the nearby Mongoose Junction. Great food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and drinks at Cruz Bay Landing overlooking the main plaza in Cruz Bay near the ferry dock.

There are many wonderful quiet harbours around St John with great beaches, including Francis, Maho and Leinster bays on north shore (Maho has a beach bar) and the more remote Salt Pond Bay and Little and Great Lameshur bays on the south shore.

From Leinster Bay you have a short hike to the Annaberg plantation ruins. From the day mooring at Genti Bay on the south shore, there is a great hike past a 19th century sugar mill to the Petroglyph rock carvings that predate Columbus by many centuries. From Salt Pond Bay there's a great hike to the scenic Ram Head peninsula.

The south shore is an excellent jumping off place for some more exciting sailing into the Caribbean to test your boat and gear.