Day 3
Well…today is the first “ice” excursion and we decide on Cruz Bay. We are up early and enjoy breakfast in paradise at Christmas Cove. This being our first time sailing in the USVI alone, we don’t have an exact idea on how long it will take from point A to point B.
The conditions during our trip were very “lively” for a small monohull so you will not hear tales of fabulous sailing from us, sadly – but that’s okay! We had a great time and still spent only about $30 on fuel! LOL. We studied our charts and the cruising guides daily before heading out. We are so used to knowing all the landmarks and anchorage entrances simply by sight in the BVI that this was a good time to get back to really paying attention and getting the lay of the land – particularly since the long-term plan is to get our own boat down here in a year or so!

We headed over to Lind Point, just outside of Cruz Bay. This is where it is recommended to grab a mooring ball – there are about three of them there, I believe – to dinghy in to Cruz Bay for shopping, restaurants…and a populated area – LOL. We had no problem grabbing a ball. Off we headed in the dinghy – there is a dinghy dock opposite the customs dock where it is easy to tie up. There is also a dinghy on the OTHER side of the customs dock – we ended up moving there. It is right on the beach in Cruz and the High Tide bar and restaurant is right there as well. Very easy to get to with your groceries and ice – much easier then lugging everything over to the other dock if you don’t have to! We walked around the shops and restaurants and settled on High Tide as they opened at 10 a.m. and we were early 😊
Painkillers were enjoyed by all – first of the trip. We then headed up the steepish hill, past Quiet Mon and Woody’s, up to Dolphin Market to get a few necessities and the all-important ICE. We had the Yeti with us to make this easier – and to allow us to enjoy one more painkiller before heading back to the boat. We headed past Caneel to Hawksnest Bay. The plan was to do a couple of spots on the North Side and then head around to Coral Bay. We changed our minds after a VERY rolly night. Hawksnest for the day was a BEAUTIFUL spot, however. We had a couple of rafts with us from home that we blew up and paddled to shore. Enjoyed a quiet beach day, ribeyes in paradise, and got up the next morning ready to head to Lameshur Bay.

Day 4

Down South we go! Off to Little Lameshur Bay for another day of a beautiful anchorage and snorkeling.
If I can say one thing about this trip…it’s that it was a welcome change from the whole “hey, where are we going to drink today?” that the BVI was starting to feel like. We could just meander around. There was no pressure of “we’ve GOT to get HERE today!” It really made this trip a relaxing, no pressure experience….well….except for the aforementioned…ICE. LOL. If we end up on a boat without an icemaker next time? We will bring down the $99 countertop icemaker from Home Depot! LOL. Hopefully next time means our own boat….but that’s a whole other Oprah. The other thing we have decided, after experiencing some decent-sized seas on this trip? Is that we will need a pro crew to help us bring our 38 Irwin from Florida to St. Thomas. There is no way we have the experience to do that alone.
The South Side is exactly what everyone promised – quiet, pristine, pretty snorkeling – though I have to say there is still plenty of bleached coral from Irma – the good thing is? You can SEE it coming back – that was very encouraging. Very pretty new growth going on. It will likely come back faster here due to no sewage heading out of charter boats. Holding tanks here, folks! Tonight we had cheeseburgers in paradise and it was wonderful.

Day 5

Breakfast/Lunch stop planned at Saltpond Bay on the way to Rick and Christine’s “driveway” in Coral Bay. We were determined to get to Lime Out and experience the floating taco bar.
Saltpond was absolutely STUNNING. Not a place to spend the night during the kind of weather we were having, but a great place for a quick stop. We managed to grab one of the five balls that are there and had a couple hours of snorkeling and just relaxing and taking in the atmosphere.
We were in the water with our gear on EVERY DAY. I cannot remember the last time I did that in the BVI.
We headed to Coral Bay and the much-anticipated Lime Out!
More to come!