St Johns

Last few days have been fairly relaxed.  We moved from Charlotte Amalie across to St Johns and picked up a mooring off a spot called Caneel Bay.  Originally we had intended going into the main town here called Cruz Bay but the depth in the harbour was a bit tight at 3m so we moved around the corner to Caneel Bay.  

The whole island of St Johns is basically a national park and to conserve the marine environment moorings have been installed at all the bays around the island.  Its a really great system.  You just sail in and pick up the mooring and it costs you $15 per night.  It saves anchor damage to the seabed and also gives you a secure anchorage for the night.  The National Parks manage the whole system pretty efficiently.  The moorings are for vessels up to 60ft and we are just eligible as the 60ft is measured on deck.

We were in a holding pattern waiting for Claire and Peter to arrive and so spent a couple of nights around Caneel Bay and then moved to another bay just a few miles away called Hawksnest Bay for two more nights.  Hawksnest Bay is a picture perfect Caribbean bay.  There are a couple of pristine beaches fringed with curving palm trees set against steep wooded hillsides which provide protection against the trades.  At both sides of the entrance to the bay are rocky headlands.  Just off the beaches and the entrances are reefs and the water is crystal clear.

Most of our time here has been spent trying to get Sam to complete his test number 80 and then on the reefs and playing with the kids on the beach.  The reefs have spectacular coral and lots of fish.  Its really fun snorkeling with the kids.  Sam is in his element and shows no fear at all.  Calley is a bit more hesitant but normally we can get her in if we swim alongside her holding her hand and you can hear her squealing with excitement when we see the fish.  There are also lots of turtles in the bay which you can see either from the boat or in the water.

Cruz Bay, St Johns

On Wednesday we were due to shift back around to Caneel Bay in order to pick up Claire and Peter and before we left Scott and the kids went ashore to one of the beaches for a play.  There was a wedding going on at the beach and at one point the celebrant came up to Scott on the beach and asked if he would mind being a witness as they were one short.  Scott duly obliged of course.

Peter and Claire arrived on Wednesday afternoon after a series of travel arrangements.  They had flown from New York to San Juan and then picked up an inter island flight into Beef Island in Tortolla in the BVI’s.  They then had to taxi across Tortolla to West End clear out of the BVI’s and board a ferry to Cruz Bay and clear back into the US.  We were all waiting at the Cruz Bay dock and met them around 5 o’clock in the afternoon.  Everything went well apart from one of their bags had not made it to San Juan.  Getting it back now is a major logistical challenge given that there is no airport on St Johns.  Peter has spent all of today trying to locate and is currently back in the BVI’s trying to find it.  Unfortunately the critical supplies like Vegimite and Tim Tams are in that bag although Nic did get her new computer which Pete and Claire had brought from New York.

Kids waiting for Claire and Peter

Its great to see Pete and Claire again.  They were last with us in Maine which seems like a lifetime ago.  We will let them settle in and then have a look around St Johns before heading down to St Croix which is about 40NM away but south so we should have a reach there and back.

Boat seems to be behaving itself although jury is still out on the watermaker.  Think we will have to splurge for a new one sooner rather than later and its a pretty expensive item although the main problem is time.  Also still haven’t got around to fixing the dingy but that could be another expensive replacement. 

PS - Must apologise to people regarding comms.  Still have not figured out good internet access here and may not until the BVI’s.  We log on when we can get ashore.