More views of our last stop, Soper’s Hole, Tortola:

Yesterday after an hour and a half’s motoring over flat seas, we moved  from the BVIs to St John, the least developed of the American Virgins.  Yes, we have arrived on US soil (or rather in its waters) and the checking in process was easy to our relief.  St John is gorgeous and definitely our favourite island so far of all the group.  Two thirds of it is a National Park, it is so pristine and well maintained too.  We are sitting on a buoy at the moment and being America, are able to pick up wifi out here which is a novelty.  There is an exclusive resort ashore where apparently Brad and Angelina have stayed in the past!

From the mooring, we took the dinghy the mile or so into Cruz Bay, the island’s main town.   After check in, we wandered around the delightful and buzzy little place and fell in love with the feel of it, so decided to return for the evening.  Hippies, laid back locals, yachties and well heeled tourists seem to rub along happily here and the beach bars do a lively trade in drinks like “painkillers” and “bushwackers”. 

Cruz Bay; view from beach bar and street scene:

Later today we will move a few miles along the coast to sample another bay and an inland walk too if possible.  The island has lots of marked trails and some pre-Columbian petroglyphs to seek out in the hills.  It is so attractive here that we may not bother with the much more developed main island of the USVIs, St Thomas, at all but go straight on to the “Spanish Virgins” off Puerto Rico when we leave here.