10 day USVI itinerary

We are sailing only in the USVI in July and wondering about a good itinerary for 10 days.

Jay Pennington from CYOA posted a nice response to the same question in a different tread on this forum. In case you don't find it here it is:


-------------------------------
Do a Figure Eight. Up the south side of St Thomas, then the North Side of St John, back around the south side of St John then the North Side of St Thomas to Megan's Bay, back around the west of St Thomas. It is rare for us to have the kind of winds that Cwoody had is the spring and summer.

You will not be able to cover everything in a week. This list is a good start but a long way away from "Everyting".


Buck Island, St Thomas as a day stop. Turtle Cove and Shipwreck Cove. (Day Use Moorings)

Christmas Cove, Great St James A great place to spend the night, snorkel the cay in the middle of the harbor, and share a Pizza from Pizza Pi with your crew. (Some public moorings and room to anchor)

Cruz Bay, St John Moor your boat at Lind Point or off of Caneel Bay on a national park mooring. Dinghy into town to see the attractions. Dinning and Limin for every budget. Shopping from trinkets to T-shirts, Jewelry, and provisions. Everything in one funky little town. (National Park Moorings)

St John National Park The interactive Marine Resources guide. (Google this map) This has it all the mooring fields, snorkeling spots, pretty much anything you want to know about the Park.
Link to the National Park Marine Resources Interactive Map

Hawksnest Beach, St John Named for the Hawksnest Turtles that call this home. A white sandy slice of heaven. We could tell you about Mermaid’s Seat but it is a secret. (National Park Moorings)

Trunk Bay, St John One of the most photographed beaches on the planet. It really is that pretty. Check out the snorkel trail around Trunk Bay Cay. (National Park Moorings)

Trunk Bay with the Underwater Trail is a great place for beginners and anyone who wants to learn about marine life by reading the plaques along the trail. The trail follows the west side of Trunk Bay Cay for about 300 feet before making a U-turn back to the beach. The coral and fish are well represented here. The reef continues beyond to the cay's northern tip, however, do not venture past where you are in view of the lifeguards. The farther out you go, the rougher the water is. (National Park Moorings)

Cinnamon Bay, St John Hang out with the rich and famous as well as the turtles and Conch. Spectacular water views, snorkeling, and views of some of the most incredible Vacation Villas in the Caribbean. (National Park Moorings)

Francis Bay Beach and Maho Bay Beach This is a two for one deal. Two great beaches in one great anchorage. This spot pretty much comes with a turtle viewing guarantee. (National Park Moorings)

Maho Crossroads In their own words. “A minimum footprint pop-up village at Maho Beach in St. John, USVI. Enjoy the Paddle-In Tiki Bar, Love Maho Beach Boutique, and Terrapin Beach Club.” (National Park Moorings)

Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay Did we mention snorkeling? This spot can keep your whole crew in the water for hours. You can snorkel around Waterlemon Cay, Snorkle the reef along the shore or dinghy into the shallows in the mangrove area and look for juvenile fish. There are more starfish here than any other place we have ever been to. (National Park Moorings)

Coral Bay, St John The little village time forgot. Don’t come here looking for commercialized attractions it is not that kind of town. You can find art, food, and drinks. A dive shop and a floating Taco Bar. It is that kind of town. (Anchoring in the public anchorage)

Lime Out, Coral Bay Speaking of floating Taco Bars, because who doesn’t want to go to a swim-up Taco Bar with Rum Drinks? This one speaks for itself. (Anchoring)

Hurricane Hole, Coral Bay St John Made up of several day mooring areas in the National Park, this is a great place to spend the afternoon. Swim and snorkel along the mangroves on shore to see countless juvenile fish and sea life. (Day Use National Park Moorings)

Salt Pond, St John This one is a secret so do not tell anyone. There are a limited number of moorings surrounded by unlimited beauty. (National Park Moorings)

Rams Head Trail, Salt Pond, St John This hiking trail runs from the beach at Salt Pond to the top of Rams Head. Pack some water and comfortable shoes. The views are spectacular. (National Park Moorings)

Great and Little Lameshur Bays Quiet coves, snorkeling oh, and did we mention stargazing? With almost no light noise from shore due to the remote location in the park this is like taking a walk around the milky way. Make sure to put a stargazing app on your phone or tablet. It is good for hours of fun. (National Park Moorings)

Reef Bay, St John Limited to two moorings this is an advanced hike.
“By Ken Wild
Within the deep interior of the Reef Bay valley rests one of St. John’s most important clues to a lost culture from the island’s past, the petroglyphs. This captivating place is located at the base of the valley’s highest waterfall, surrounded by the island’s lush tropical vegetation. Here, mysterious faces are found carved into the fall’s blue basalt rock. A spring-fed pool beneath reflects a 20-foot wide panorama of carvings year-round with other petroglyphs visible nearby. For those who may be unfamiliar with the term petroglyph, the term petroglyph refers to rock art carvings whereas pictographs are rock art paintings. (National Park Moorings)

Red Hook, St Thomas Does your crew want to spend a little time in town? In Red Hook you can either anchor out or get a slip in the Marina for the night. Either way there are a dozen or so Bars and Restaurants. Some diverse shopping opportunities and even a Grocery Store. (Marina or Anchorage)

Magens Bay, St Thomas Take a nice downwind sail around the north shore of St Thomas. You will get to view lots of small cays like Hans Lolick on the north side on your way to Magen’s. This is a truly magical spot with a large crescent beach located between two peninsulas. Anchor in the middle or closer to shore. The pelicans are sure to put on a show. (Anchorage)

Way Out West, St Thomas As you leave Magens you can continue on your downwind sail around the west end of St Thomas. Once you have cleared the west end it is back up towards the anchorages west of Charlotte Amalia.

Brewers Bay, St Thomas The first of the western anchorages. This anchorage is tucked in by the University of the Virgin Islands. It features a large sand beach and a very protected area for swimming. (Anchorage)

Linbergh Bay, St Thomas Next up is another large sand beach. The hotel located onshore has a small beach bar and restaurant. This bay is home to lots of turtles and conchs. (Anchorage)

Druif Bay, Water Island Home of Honeymoon Beach, a great spot to waste a day snorkeling and swimming with the turtles and rays. Lime away the afternoon at a beach bar. Then have sundowners watching, wait for it the spectacular sunset to the west. (Anchorage)

pkgriff, there's so much to see in the USVI as agrimsrud and Captain Jay have reported. Great choice with CYOA - I've been so impressed with the quality of the CYOA experience: beautiful, well equipped late model boats and an incredible staff. You'll have a great time!

What are your dates? We are out of USVI in July too at CYOA!!

July 15th though the 25th with some shore time as well. This will be our first time to sail only in US waters.

What about St. Croix?

They aren't allowing charters to St. Croix or the SVI at this time. It's on the Coronavirus Page.

We will just miss you! We fly back on 7/14

Hopefully, they will allow charters in by October November timeframe.

That's kind of weird, since, as of June 1, people can fly into St. Croix. I would think that people flying in would be more of a danger to the local population than a bareboat charter..

St Croix is allowed based on our long-standing guidelines. You have to apply for permission and you need to qualified skippers on board. This is forty miles open ocean and requires a little more skill.

Jay--so the other post is wrong?

Yes, the other post is wrong. We allow CYOA boats to go to St Croix. St Croix is open for tourism like all of the USVI's. We have a separate waiver and requirements for sailing to St Croix. You have to have a minimum of four people on board, you also have to submit two sailing resumes for qualified skippers. You also have to plan your trip to leave early and arrive during daylight hours.

OK, thanks.

So you can’t have an experienced captain and 2 experienced mates? We were really hoping to sail to St. Croix!

Our insurance company requires two sailing resumes from people "qualified" to charter and four people total on board. If you contact sarah@cyoacharters.com in reservations she can send you a written copy of the requirements and waiver.

I encourage all those charter boats to read the rules and requirements from the charter company. They are there for your safety and the safety of the charter company. Those documents protect you and the charter company.

Yup ^^^^^^

They also protect the owner’s property! There is a very good reason why some charter companies (like CYOA) continue to have a great rep.

Nice itinerary from Jay!