Are public overnight mooring balls available anywhere near Coral Bay?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I don't think there are, but there should be room to anchor.

Nope. You can anchor in Coral Bay. The National Park Mooring Guide has the no anchor regions marked out. The west side of Coral Bay can be exposed to weather and we've seen boats on the rocks at Sanders Bay after a squall. Hansen Bay on the East End is protected, but its a long dinghy ride to "downtown" Coral Bay. There are moorings on the south side of St. John.

http://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/upload/MooringGuide.pdf

Cheers, RickG

Thanks to you both. We can/could anchor, but we tend to prefer overnights on a ball is all...I understand those aren't necessarily any better than anchoring, just our preference...

On a related discussion, could you suggest some favorite things to do on St. John for our group. We will certainly spend some time in Cruz bay, and I want to grab a drink/tshirt at Woody's, guessing initially that we owould likely moor at Mahoe/cinnamon/francis or somewhere near.

Some of us like hikes, some don't, some like shopping some don't, some like photo ops, etc., but our crew all enjoy drinks and good food...I think a visit to Coral would be nice, it looks like you can even hike there from Watermelon.

All suggestions/comments welcome.

The petraglyph's on the south side are pretty cool. Planning on hiking them in November. We'll also be overnighting on the anchor at Coral Bay. Holding was good when we were there in July.

Salt Pond bay is nice as are some of the other spots on the south side.

Yes, you can hike from Leinster to Coral Bay. We have done it to have a burger at Skinny's. Sure you can go to Cruz Bay. Otherwise, grilling on the boat and enjoying the quiet beauty of the national park is the best option. That you can do at Maho or Leinster. Cinnamon is best for a day trip.

The hike from Waterlemon to Coral Bay is a real hike. Bring plenty of water and wear shoes that can deal with some uneven ground. The trails are lightly maintained. Check the map, if you take the Brown Bay spur you'll end up east of Coral Bay.

http://www.seestjohn.com/ has hundreds of attractions. The St. John Off the Beaten Path app on itunes has a version of these attractions from Gerald Singer's book.

Cruz Bay is my favorite water side village out of all of the VIs. It has 20+ restaurants and bars, many shops and is walkable.

Cheers, RickG

We sailed around the south side of St John on our 2012 trip...anchored in the very southwest corner of Coral Bay (not down to Sanders Bay) It was a little rolly - I didn't want to anchor among the many 'permanent' boats up in the Bay proper as some are on "moorings" and will swing differently than an anchored boat - and honestly there were some with questionable ground tackle. We did enjoy our return to Coral Bay after several years visiting only the north side of St John

There are some NPS moorings available on the South side of STJ at the Lameshurs and Salt Pond Bays.Too far for a dinghy ride -but If you are on a VERY relaxed schedule you can walk up to the road from Salt Pond and hitch a ride into Coral Bay during the day - and Concordia eco resort has a shuttle that is sometimes available if you call.

Great input, very appreciative.

How about car/suv/jeep rental options? Suspect Cruz bay would be the pick-up/drop-off, but maybe there are other options?

maybe you could drop someone off at Cruz Bay, rent a car and meet you at Salt Pond.

That's sort of what I was thinking, at least pick up the rental and have it meet the boat wherever we decide to moor...

during our recent trip to BVI (June 2014) I really enjoyed having the freedom of a rental car on Virgin Gorda and Anegada, and the savings, of both money and time, was significant in moving around 7-9 people.

A truck with bench seats in the back is ideal for moving 8 people around Anegada in a cost-effective manner.

To reserve, call Dean Wheatley: 284-495-9677

Anegada? I they are going to St.John