Buck Island

Anastasia
Phil May and Andrea Twigg
Thu 26 Feb 2015 23:11
17:47.2N 64:37.7W
 
Buck Island is a small nature reserve just a few miles north of St Croix.  You can anchor at the island provided you have a (free) permit from the US National Park Service.  Permits take a few days to come through, so you should apply for one as soon as you arrive in St Croix.
 
The anchorage is next to a sandy beach, tucked in beside the reef.  A beautiful spot, worth the effort of getting the permit, although it can be noisy at the weekend when the locals turn out to party. 
 
There is a nice walk across the island, up to a lookout point where you get a good view of the barrier reef.
 
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Buck Island, looking north from the eastern end of St Croix
 
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View of the beach from the anchorage
 
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The barrier reef from the lookout point
 
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The Turks Cap cactus is native to the Virgin Islands and apparently has delicious pink fruit (alas we didn’t find out until later)
 
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Racing the schooner Roseway back from Buck Island