US Virgin Islands
Moonbeam
David and Lynn Wilkie
Fri 25 Mar 2011 12:33
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18.20.241N 064.55.737W
Sunday early morning we managed to update our
Mailasail software but then as the weather was poor everyone else in the
anchorage obviously went on line and as we were a way from the router we lost
our signal. The weather brightened but still the wind stayed strong but we
headed out of Gorda Sound and headed down Francis Drake Channel where we were
overtaken by a superyacht and a kite surfer!
  Supposedly Cilla Black has a motor yacht out here
and I imagine that it might have been her boat "Blind Date" ( ? ) that steamed
in front of us creating an excessive wash!
A couple of the anchorages we considered were full
so we headed to Key Bay on the south side of Peter Island where we had a quiet
night at anchor.
Monday afternoon we headed for Soper's Hole at the
west end of the BVI's and then we checked out and headed for Waterlemon Bay on
St.John's on the USVI's.
  Entrance to Soper's Hole
  Waterlemon
Bay
Perhaps they should do this at AYC?
Here there are National Park moorings which
cost 15$ a night and you put your money in a cash box on a floating raft! In
many places anchoring is discouraged but there are moorings provided to protect
the coral and seabed.
  At Anchor Waterlemon Bay looking over to the
BVI
Thursday we headed to Cruz Bay and checked into the
USVIs, christening our American Visas!
  Cruz Bay , St Johns
USVI
Outside a church in St
Johns!
St.John's has gone for minimalist eco tourism and
the island appears fairly unspoilt but it is still tourist orientated. Then we
headed for a popular anchorage called Christmas Cove which has had moorings
installed but they are free! The water is clear and the snorkelling good and I
saw Rays,trunkfish, stoplight parrotfish,yellowtail snapper,squid as well
as a 4ft Barracuda while I was scrubbing the weed off the bottom of the boat.
  Christmas
Cove
Approaching Charlotte Amalie
  After a morning of boat jobs on Wednesday we headed
for Charlotte Amalie on St.Thomas where we anchored in the harbour next to Terry
and Debbie aboard "Wings" who had been our neighbours for a month in La Gomera
so we enjoyed a meal out with them ashore in the town. We had recently seen
Chris and Erin from "Barefeet" who were also in La Gomera so it has been a bit
of a reunion!
An amusing note about the USVIs is that although it
is definitelt American and the cars are all left hand drive they actually drive
on the left too!
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