Voyage 2010: Chapter 4

02 Mar 2011, Leinster Bay in St Johns USVI, 18 21.93 N/ 064 43.35 W

Our trip from Sopers Hole to St. John's was a whopping 1.7 nm and took less than 30 minutes. We used our 'Local Boater Option' card to check in so we did not have to go to Customs at Cruz Bay. Leinster Bay is beautiful with all shades of color that the water can produce. As much of St. John's is a National Park, there is little development here. Not bad!

There are beaches everywhere here and we chose the eastern beach to land our dinghy. There were many people visiting the area by car as it was a weekend. This is one of the favorite hangouts for the locals; Leinster, Maho and Francis Bays. we will certainly explore them all or ... Is it too far?

On the next day, we decided to hike to Maho Bay and see what there is to see. Along the way, we came upon an old Danish (ca. 1730) sugar mill. The mill used wind, horse, and slave power. It would only be a couple of years after the mill was built that the slaves revolted. It took 6 months for the Danes with the help of the French to suppress the rebellion. Not a pretty part of the area's history.

Today we set sail for Maho Bay under calm conditions. This voyage was much longer as it was 3 nm away. We went through a narrow cut to enter Francis Bay and continued to Maho Bay. We saw Moony and took a mooring ball near them. This area was also beautiful but not as nice as Leinster. However, there was Maho Camp which was a eco campground that caters to the 'green' crowd. They were very friendly to the cruisers and provided rest rooms, water, a general store, and a very nice restaurant.

In fact, the restaurant was so nice we spent Happy Hour there several nights in a row. We all had a great time. However, stuff here is not very cheap. Yesterday, we all decided to hike to the sugar mill. It was a bit more crowded as the folks from Cruz Bay came to visit. Wolfgang and Bob received some old fashion bread and drink from one of the volunteers there. Quite nice.

Today, we took Mr. Frett's shuttle to Cruz Bay to do some provisioning and fun. Cruz Bay is a quaint and compact town which is by far the largest community on St. John's As we mentioned, much of the island is a National Park so development is severely restricted. The cab ride to Cruz Bay (and back) was quite an adventure as this land is quit mountainous. Still Mr. Frett got us there and back safe and sound. Tomorrow, we will head for Coral Bay which is on the eastern side of the island.

05 Mar 2011, On to Coral Bay in St Johns, 18 20.382 N/ 064 42.68 W

We left Maho Bay at 0700 for the southeastern part of the island at Coral Bay. It promised to be a place like none we had seen before. Sammy Jane was ready as she was on post on the coach roof. However, as we approached the Narrows, the seas picked up a bit and she headed for the cabin. We were going against the Trades so we left as early a we could. We managed to 'round the bend' before winds and seas picked up.

We arrived in Coral Bay around 1200 to be greeted with a lot of masts. This is not the Park so there are boats everywhere, many homes for liveaboards. We found out that 'proud' boats were owned by transients and the less than bristol vessels were local. Jule played it safe further out in the Bay. A bit more roll with a bit less worry.

Caramba! This is a scary dinghy dock. It is full, everybody has their engines up, and it is in pretty bad shape. There is a sign posted soliciting donations for the betterment of the dinghy dock. As there was no other place to go, we braved the dock and headed to shore.

Our first stop was Coral Bay Marine where we asked for local knowledge on trash, water, and restaurants. They we were very helpful there and offered to dispose of our trash. People would come and go and CBM would assist them where they could. The folks there were quite resourceful and were a resource to transients and locals alike.

This is the bus stop. You are never sure when the bus will come as bus 108 broke down yesterday. But this is the bus stop. And yes, the legs move. Pretty neat. When the bus finally came, we were admonished by one of the passengers that we were on the wrong side of the road and that we should pay NOW. Local knowledge never hurts.

They got all sorts of critters here. We had seen the goats, chickens, sheep, and iguanas but what is with the donkeys? Turns out they have feral donkeys here. Not a mean bunch unless you bother them. Capt. Bob is not bothering them. Hope they believe him.

As we were walking the area, we saw the local school boat. We did not see it in action but can only imagine how it is used in this community. There is a rather large elementary school here but we were told that the high school kids had to go to St. Thomas. Those lucky one had to catch a ferry at 0500.

Our last night in Coral Bay was spent at the Skinny Legs restaurant (we had breakfast at the Donkey Diner). This place is quite famous and is always crowded. Not sure where the people come from as this is a very small town. The waitresses are friendly and the food is good. Of course, they are St. John's prices which are a bit high.