USVI in Nov

So we're moving Tortuga to USVI again in Nov because we've had this trip planned since Jan and couldn't move the dates. It will be similar to the one we did in Aug in that we'll be picking up additional crew 2 days in. The difference is we'll be there longer, 12 days this time so we can be a little more flexible.

What I'm wondering this time:
Someone earlier mentioned a car/van day rental when we arrive. What was the grocery stop that was suggested and who was the rental company? I'm concerned about a vehicle holding 6 passengers, luggage and then a weeks worth of provisions.

Are there mooring balls in Frenchtown for a short stop? I was toying with picking up crew there and spending the night off of Water Island? If we do that, is there a market nearby for fill in provisioning or ice?

From a sailing point of view, are there stops on St Thomas we should make of point of seeing? Last time we pretty much spent every night off of St John. I don't believe any of the crew is really interested in Charlotte Amalie shopping.

Last trip we did every night dinner aboard. We'd consider a couple land based dinners if the restaurant had outdoor seating. Nothing fancy just decent view, food and drinks to get off the boat. Any suggestions?

Last time to the Annaberg ruins and the petroglyphs. Any other, light to moderate hikes anyone really loved?

Thanks for reading thru this and of course thanks for any guidance.

Dave

A rental car for 6, + luggage and provisions -- no need to do that all in one trip, send 1 or 2 people on the provision run.Maybe CostUless was the provisioning mentioned? good for large crew and long charters especially on beverages by the case. Plenty of smaller ,reasonable size packaging on food and meats.
Call CYOA for Frenchtown mooring info - plenty of great restaurant choices in Frenchtown, not much on Water Island, Pueblo near Crown Bay Marina is a worthwhile provisioning option.
Maybe call Island Yachts for mooring in Red Hook.
Magens Bay - Brewers Bay - Buck Island - Christmas Cove - Vessup Bay[Red Hook] are all worth considering in STT. You may not be interested in shopping but the restaurants in Frenchtown, Yacht Haven Grand or Havensight are all accessible from the Charlotte Amalie harbor and a dinghy. Red Hook has good dining choices, and provisioning at Moes, The Benner BayLagoon has Independent Boatyard --and Carigas for dining and Foodtown for provisioning.
There are some nice moorings in the Pillsbury sound islands in reasonable settled weather.
The Hike from Leinster Bay up to the ruins or farther is a good one, Cinnamon Bay is a nice one, Ameica Hill is a good one , Rams Head from salt Pond is awesome, the trails out of Lameshur are very nice too.

Feet, Fins and Four Wheel Drive by Pam Gaffin is the Answer to exploring STJ - available used - ISBN 978-0-9631060-9-4

We use Paradise Rental Car (http://www.pdiseinc.com/). It’s $100 for a mini van. They’ll meet you at the airport and retrieve the vehicle from the marina when you are done with it.

So I think for the pick up of additional crew we've decided on anchoring at Water Island and sending a small landing party to Crown Bay Marina to pick up two people. The cruising guide mentions a dinghy dock to port.

My question is, will the new crew need someone to let them in? I remember in Red Hook, AYH required a key or for someone there to open the gate. Is there some place specific we should tell them to go so that we make sure we meet up ok? I'm pretty sure just saying "meet us at Crown Bay Marina" might not be specific enough.

Any thoughts?

Dave

No the dinghy area is directly adjacent the parking area.

Meet us at Tickles - works great for all involved timing wise. Meet us at the dinghy dock works fine too!.

Best part is the taxi stand is right on the dinghy dock, can’t miss it

Looking for recomendations for a good captain to move boat from BVI to USVI. How is that working out?
Thanks

Anyone who knows how to MOTOR a boat could get you where you want in a few hours.

Did you go to the petroglyphs by boat?

You can hike to the petroglyphs or take the National Park Service boat tour, when it is running again. The hike is better from Lameshur Bay but can also be done by hiking down from Centerline Road and then back up

We head down tomorrow and are using Roan from T/T Tender Too. He really did a great job the first time getting Tortuga back and forth on time and in great shape. Highly recommend him.

I went on the NAtional parks tour which we hiked down to the water and went by the petroglyphs. we met in cruz bay and took a bus. not sure it is running right now with the covid restrictions. returned by boat and getting us out to the boat was difficult and rough. Not sure if it was the weather or the bay.....

It's an easy 1 mile hike from Genti/Reed Bay to the Petroglyphs. There are two day use moorings. Note that the bay is exposed and gets rolly with SE to S swell.

We hiked there last week and the falls and stream had lots of water. I see most visitors simply hike to the first waterfall to see the Petroglyphs then turn around. There is a short steep trail to the left of the 'Petroglyphs' waterfall that takes you to the top of this falls and leads to a upper waterfall that is larger and more impressive.