Here's our travelogue for this adventure in the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. No guests this time - just the two of us having fun sailing and living on our yacht Jamann on the clear blue waters of the Caribbean. It was a two week trip which means the travelogue is a bit long. So grab a cup of coffee or a beer and settle into your favorite chair. Hope you enjoy reading about the fun we had on this trip. Full size views of the photos below are included in the full Photo Gallery for this trip. You should make plans now to come on down and charter with us!
Let the fun continue!!!!
Saturday, June 12
Off on another Jamann adventure. This time just the two of us with plans to visit the US Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. John. Arrived at the Sunsail base in Road Harbor, Tortola by 3:00 but Jamann wasn’t ready yet. So off to the bar to celebrate our arrival with conk fritters and piña coladas. We were finally on board by 6:00 and settled in quickly. Then it was off to Bobby’s Market in town to get provisions for the trip. Picked up a nice ribs dinner at the market and finished the evening enjoying ribs, rice and beans in Jamann’s cockpit.
Sunday, June 13
Awakened to a beautiful Caribbean morning. While doing our boat check we found almost everything in order. There was lot of water in the bilge and an investigation by the maintenance staff discovered a leak in one of the through hull fittings which was repaired in short order. With all of the paperwork in order we headed out about 10:30AM. As we left Road Harbor we were approached by the Virgin Islands Search and Rescue boat. They asked if they could use us to practice their approaches to sailing vessels under way. So while we sailed off towards Soper’s Hole on the west end of Tortola they practiced a couple of “touch and go’s” with the instructor showing how it is done and the students giving it a try. Having assisted them with their training hopefully that’s as close as we’ll ever need to come to them.
With plenty of time on our hands we took the long route sailing towards Norman Island, going around Pelican Island and the Indians, before heading down The Narrows, the passage between St. John, US Virgin Islands (USVI) and Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI). We arrived in Soper’s Hole mid afternoon, picked up a mooring and enjoyed a late lunch, floating in the warm blue water, watching our first beautiful sunset of the trip during happy hour and enjoying dinner prepared by Chef HiHo.
Monday, June 14
After breakfast we checked out of BVI customs and immigration at 9:30 in preparation for crossing over to the USVI side. Before long we were sailing off through The Narrows again making our way to the windward passage between Durloe Cay off St. John and Lovango Island. We approached the entrance to Cruz Bay where we would have to check in to US customs and immigration but quickly realized that the harbor was quite crowded with yachts on private moorings, lots of ferry traffic and not much room to turn around. Caneel Bay is just around the point to the east. So we turned and went there to pick up a mooring. From the south west end of the mooring field it is an easy dinghy ride around the point and into Cruz Bay.
So after a nice leisurely lunch we dinghied into Cruz Bay where check in at customs and immigration went smoothly – not allowed to bring beef or pork products into the US even if only for personal consumption and had to promise the agricultural agent that we would keep the meat frozen in our freezer while in the US. We visited the National Park Service Visitor Center as most of St. John and its surrounding waters are part of the US National Park System under the protection of the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS provides public moorings in many of the anchorages around St. John which are available free for day use and $15 per night for overnight use.
We quickly returned to Jamann in Caneel Bay to spend the late afternoon relaxing and snorkeling in the warm, clear water off Honeymoon Beach and enjoying a beautiful sunset over St. Thomas during happy hour. The crescent moon and stars ushered in the night as we finished the day with one of Chef HiHo’s culinary delights for dinner.
Tuesday, June 15
Due to ferry traffic from Cruz Bay and Red Hook Caneel Bay can be a bit rolly during the day but it was quite comfortable during the night after the ferry traffic stopped. Today’s mission was to walk around and check out the Cruz Bay town. We dinghied over and tied up at the ferry dock. Although the island is owned by the US the food, language, music and heritage of the people still clearly gives the feel of being in the Caribbean as they have not been completely “Americanized”. An open air market in the small park across from the ferry dock had local artisans ready to take the money of the touristas as soon as they arrived on the island. Upscale shopping with several very nice restaurants can be found at the Mongoose Junction shopping center just up the road to the east of the ferry dock. More moderate shops and restaurants were located to the west of the ferry dock. We found the Dolphin Market at the top of the hill. The Market was well stocked (including mushrooms from Avondale, PA) but limited meat selection (typical of the Caribbean markets). Prices were reasonable, particularly as compared to the BVI. There are no boat yards or marinas in Cruz Bay. So with temperatures rising and the number of touristas increasing rapidly with each arriving ferry we decided we had seen enough and high tailed it back to Jamann for lunch. More snorkeling along the west side of the bay revealed decent coral formations, most of the usual tropical fish (parrots, butterfly, grunts, hog fish, snappers, etc.), a small enclave of garden eels and quite a few turtles. A nice relaxing afternoon with yet another stunning sunset at happy hour and finishing the day with another Chef HiHo creation for dinner.
Wednesday, June 16
It is not unusual to get a brief shower over night typically just before day break. Today, shortly after awakening a brief shower rolled over us treating us to a beautiful rainbow after passing. The rainbow arched completely across the sky allowing us to see both ends and at one point there was a double rainbow. The sun was out and the winds were up which meant it was time to go sailing. So we paid our mooring fee ($15 per night) at the pay stations (a small floating platform with a slotted box for depositing the payment envelopes and with extra NPS brochures) and took off for Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. Heading around the outside of the St. James Islands we quickly ran into very gusty winds and big seas. With Charlotte Amalie on the south side we were concerned that conditions there could be quite rough with the forecast of heavy weather on the way. We turned around and came back to pass between Great St. James and St. Thomas, a very narrow and shallow passage. In the lee of these islands conditions were more favorable as we continued sailing along the coast. Still concerned about conditions at Charlotte Amalie we decided to circle back and pick up a mooring in Christmas Cove on the leeward side of Great St. James Island where we found a quiet comfortable anchorage to enjoy the rest of the day and to spend the night. There was still time for Kathy to jump in and snorkel. Although this seemed to be a very popular snorkeling spot for the touristas Kathy wasn’t that impressed until I told her that I had seen dolphins swimming in the anchorage not far from where she was. Then later, in addition to all of the turtles we saw spotted eagle rays breeching while we were enjoying the sunset at happy hour.
Thursday, June 17
Continuing with our mission to check out the various facilities at some of the anchorages and harbors we headed off for The Lagoon which was not very far from where we were in Christmas Cove on the south east tip of St. Thomas. The cruising guide had lots of cautions about the approach to the Lagoon and the channel leading into the anchorage and marina. One caution from the cruising guide was that yachts drawing 6 feet or more should enter and exit on a high tide. As we entered the narrow channel the depth became very shallow (as had been indicated in the cruising guide) and we got very nervous when it became less than 1 meter below the keel and decided to not take the chance of grounding. So we turned around and headed back out. We’ll have to visit the Lagoon some other time when we are more sure of our depth gauge accuracy and the current tidal state. So we motored on around to the Red Hook harbor on the northeast tip of the island to check out that harbor instead.
We anchored in Muller Bay just outside the Red Hook harbor. It is a pretty area somewhat open to the prevailing winds but was quite crowded with private moorings and the harbor is quite busy with ferry traffic. After setting the anchor we took time to relax and have lunch while making sure the anchor was set. Later as we 
were considering dinghying in to the marina we noticed that we were dragging anchor in the rather stiff breeze blowing through the anchorage. After making the decision to try and reset the anchor we had difficulty with the breaker on the windlass and with the weather report predicting higher winds for the rest of the day we decided to leave the anchorage and quickly get back to a mooring in Christmas Cove again while we still had time to get there before sunset.
Friday, June 18
In addition to wanting to check out the marina in Red Hook we also wanted to check out the market there as well. The weather report was predicting that a tropical wave would be passing through the area over the weekend with rain showers beginning Friday night. (In weather terminology tropical waves are the weather system conditions that precede tropical depressions which luckily did not develop while we were there.) So we headed back around to Red Hook, set the anchor well this time and got ashore for lunch just as the first major rain shower hit. Lunch at Molly Molones (yet another Irish Caribbean pub) was quite enjoyable as we watched one of the USA team’s World Cup matches (first time we'd seen a TV in over a week). As the shower passed we headed down the street and picked up some provisions at the market which was quite nicely stocked with a very nice meat selection and good fresh produce. After getting some general information from the dock master we made it back out to Jamann so that we could move over to a more secure and more protected anchorage to wait out the oncoming heavy weather.
With the showers starting to roll in and to make time we decided to motor over to Hawksnest Bay on St. John where we would be able to ride out the tropical wave comfortably. The bay was quite beautiful with a long uncrowded sandy beach along the southern part of the bay in front of the marked off swimming area. Moored in the eastern part of the bay we had easy access to the rocky eastern shore line which Kathy was quick to jump in and snorkel along. The snorkeling was quite nice seeing a few lobsters this time. The anchorage was a bit rolly with swells coming in, again from the ferry traffic passing nearby, but things settled down nicely once the ferry traffic stopped. The serious showers associated with the tropical wave became more numerous preventing us from enjoying a sunset this evening. We still enjoyed a nice happy hour and one of Chef HiHo’s signature dinners.
Saturday, June 19 and Sunday, June 20
Rain, rain and more rain as each of three tropical wave weather systems slowly passed over us taking two days to do so. But we were still able to snorkel between/during the showers (we were going to be wet anyway). Kathy showed me where she had seen the lobsters the day before and on the same ledge the lobsters were on we found a sleeping nurse shark – decided not to bother the shark and not allowed to take the lobsters for dinner. As usual, saw some turtles and also saw some burrowing shrimp like creatures among the usual variety of sea creatures. Kathy later swam into shore for a walk along the beach. She discovered a very impressive set of facilities (bath house with changing rooms, picnic area including a pavilion, nice clean beach and trash facility) provided and maintained by the National Park Service. With not much else to do we popped the cork on a bottle of champagne (provided by Sunsail), started a marathon card game, did some reading and found a couple of other activities to keep us occupied over the two days while enjoying the passing showers, some of which were quite heavy. No sailing these two days but lots of relaxation time which was quite enjoyable aboard Jamann inspite of the weather.
Monday, June 21
Some friends were expected to arrive this weekend in St. Thomas to begin their own week long sailing charter. We were concerned about their arrival with the weather. There were hopes of connecting with them sometime during the week. With the tropical wave to our west now we headed out for some sailing even though we were planning to end up back in the same general area. On the back side of the tropical waves there were still some clouds and lingering showers but the winds were high and great for sailing. So off we went sailing through the passage between Jost Van Dyke and Tobago. We headed off shore going about 10 miles looking for dolphin. It was a nice romp in 6-8 foot waves and 15-20 knots of wind – but no dolphins. Turned around and did a reciprocal course sailing back to St. John. Staying on the north side of the island we came around the west side of Whistling Cay, sailed up into Maho Bay and picked up a mooring. With Whistling Cay and Mary’s point to the north this rather large area, a combination of Francis Bay, Little Maho Bay and Big Maho Bay was well protected with calm waters and still a nice comfortable breeze. We enjoyed snorkeling along the eastern shore of the bays where there was a rocky shoreline between the beaches of Big Maho Bay on one side and Little Maho Bay on the other side. Back on Jamann for happy hour Kathy saw yet another ray jump out of the water behind us.
Tuesday, June 22
Each day the weather improves. Still a little overcast but the sun peaks through every now and then. So we headed off for another adventure sail after breakfast. This time we sailed up along the southern coast of Jost Van Dyke, BVI, to Sandy Spit, a popular spot for charter yachties with its beautiful beach. The sailing was a bit calmer today but still quite good as the winds are starting to return to normal levels without the gusts. But the winds were still 12-18 knots which made for a fun ride. Sailed back to the US side to Trunk Bay, still on the north side of St. John and enjoyed a nice late lunch. Trunk Bay is very poplular with the touristas with its long beautiful white sand beach. In the eastern part of the bay is Trunk Cay, a small islet just off the shore and easily reachable by snorkel. Between Trunk Cay and the beach is the National Park Service Underwater Snorkel Trail. It’s in fairly shallow water and today there were lots of touristas already snorkeling there by the time we got to Trunk Bay. So we took the western most mooring which was actually in front of Jumbie Bay and snorkeled there after lunch. Along the western rocky shore we saw very healthy brain coral but not much else. Then a large southern sting ray gracefully swam under us as it occasionally stopped to search the sandy bottom for food.
Trunk Bay was quite exposed in spite of the massive Johnson’s reef to the north that we had to carefully sail around to get to the bay. So with the waves and swells rolling into the Bay we decided to motor back to the calm waters of Maho Bay for the night, just a short distance to the east. Between Trunk Bay and Maho Bay is Cinnamon Bay (or Peter Bay, depending on who’s chart you are looking at). As we motored past Cinnamon Bay we could see the beautiful hill side villas, some of which were quite large, and the beautiful white sand beach backed by lush flowering trees and bushes. There’s also a nice camp ground here as well. We picked up a mooring on the west side of Maho Bay and Kathy was quick to jump in for a late afternoon snorkel along the western shore of the bay. Shortly after her return to Jamann we saw two deer come out of the trees at the water’s edge and walk along the shore a short distance before disappearing back into the trees. There were still too many clouds to be able to see a good sunset but Chef HiHo put out a really nice appetizer for happy hour to make up for it followed by a great dinner to end the day.
Wednesday, June 23
Dinghied over to little Maho Bay and visited the store at the Maho Bay Camp grounds – way up at the top of the hill! It’s a small store but well stocked (not sure about the meat selections). The camp ground was very nice with lots of activities, including a dive shop, to choose from and canvas sided cabins tucked in the trees on the steep hill side. If you don't mind roughing it a little bit this looked like a very nice place to stay (our friend Bill Dorsey would love it).
Along the north side of St. Thomas are a string of islands and cays – Durloe, Lovang, Mingo, Grass and Thatch. For todays sailing adventure we headed off towards Tobago then turned south to sail through the middle passage between Grass and Thatch. As we approached the middle passage we could see dark clouds and rain headed towards us from the east. As we exited the passage we reefed the sails (single reef on the main and double reef on the genoa) as the rain and gustng winds over took us (25-30 knots of wind). With the sailes reefed Jamann was well balanced and sailed along nicely through the 5-6 foot seas and heavy wind. We continued sailing to the south and pulled in behind Great St. James Island once again to have lunch and wait for the stormy weather to pass to our north. We later found out that our friends who were also sailing around the USVI that week were just two mooring balls away from us. But we didn’t know what yacht they were on and they were all down below while we were there and so we didn’t know that was their yacht we saw and didn’t connect with them. After lunch the thunder stopped and the skies brightened and we headed off to sail over to Caneel Bay on St. John. After passing through the cut the winds were still blowing 20-25 knots with gust. So Capt’n HiHo called for a double reef on the sails. This re-balanced Jamann and we sailed away from Great St. James. It was slow going to windward with the current and waves against us and another light shower bearing down on us. So we first went to a single reef on the sails and 
then eventually went back to full sails to regain power and speed. After several fun tacks to windward (great upper body workout for Grey Beard) we sailed into the west end of Caneel Bay and picked up a mooring in front of the Caneel Bay Resort. After a couple of heavy showers rolled over us the skies cleared for an enjoyable late afternoon and sunset as a couple got married on the big yacht moored a short distance from us and a yacht full of touristas sailed by on a sunset booze cruise.
Thursday, June 24
From Caneel Bay we dinghied into Cruz Bay to the US customs and immigrations only to find out that we did not have to check out of the USVI to go back over to the BVI. So we quickly returned to Jamann and set sail. Always looking for a sailing adventure we sailed through the narrow passage between Durloe Cay and St. John and continued on up towards Jost Van Dyke passing Great Thatch to the west. Here the winds kicked up above 20 knots again and we put a reef in the main. We sailed up and around the north side of Great Thatch coming around and through the passage between Great and Little Thatch which lined us up perfectly to sail across The Narrows and enter Leinster Bay, our last anchorage stop on St. John. Sailed in to Leinster and picked up a mooring in the far south east section of the bay well behind Waterlemon Cay. This well protected bay is another popular spot for charter yachties and touristas but wasn’t too crowded this time of year. We arrived with plenty of time to snorkel the eastern shore of the bay around to the southern shore of Waterlemon Cay. Lots to see on this snorkel including burrowing shrimp, turtles, rays, octopus, horny hermit crabs, and lots of Cushion Sea Stars. This was probably the best snorkel of the trip as we were in the water for quite a long time. Happy hour and dinner were really enjoyable after working up a huge appetite on this snorkel. With the weather returning to normal we enjoyed another beautiful sunset to end the day.
Friday, June 25
Got up early for a hike along the shore of Leinster Bay over to the Annaberg Sugar Mill Plantation on the hillside at the western end of the bay. Wanted to get there before the touristas arrived. The history surrounding the mill and the sugar cane industry on the island is quite fascinating. You’ll definitely want to check out our photos and look this up on the internet (rather than me trying to tell the whole story here). But we also saw some interesting sites along the shore including giant termite balls, a kestrel (member of the falcon family), a little blue heron (as opposed to the great blue herons we see up north), a large frangipani caterpillar, and humming birds.
We returned to the yacht and had a quick breakfast before motoring the short distance over to Soper’s Hole on the BVI side to check in to Customs and Immigrations. A quick stop at the market for a couple of items and then we were back aboard Jamann sailing up through The Narrows and heading up the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Cooper Island. The sailing was great but was taking a good bit of time sailing to windward and we were afraid of being too late to get a mooring. So we kicked in the iron jib (sailor speak for the engine) and motored the last mile or so as the anchorage appeared pretty crowded. Luckily we were able to get one of the last available moorings in a great spot right in front of the Cooper Island Beach Club. We had a great dinner at the newly remodeled restaurant and had time to catch up with our good friends Sam and Andy who manage the restauarant and resort. Cooper Island Beach Club is a great place to stay (if you'd rather be on land instead of staying on a beautiful yacht like Jamann) - just ask our friends Kristin and Craig Haberle.
Saturday, June 26
Kathy started the day with a nice snorkel along the south east shore of Manchioneel Bay seeing lobsters in 3 different places, a spotted moray eel, a juvenile puffer fish blown up the size of a softball and a turtle so close she could pet it. Then we set sail for the Dogs – the group of small uninhabited islands at the north east end of the Sir Francis Drake Channel. It was another typical beautiful Caribbean morning with lots of sunshine and wind making for a great sail up and around West Dog island and over to the west side of Great Dog island where we picked up a mooring. We snorkeled the shore line to see blue trumpet fish, brown moray eel, and bigger fish chasing little fish as the birds picked off the little fish jumping out of the water to get away from the big fish. Towards the end of the snorkel it got a little crowded with touristas and so we headed on over to Trellis bay to spend our last night there. Unfortunately with the Full Moon Beach Party scheduled for this night all of the moorings were already taken and we ended up having to motor on around Beef Island to Fat Hog’s Bay trying to get there before sunset. Luckily there was a mooring available and it didn’t take us long to get into happy hour mood, watch our last beautiful sunset and then got treated to a full moon rising while enjoying dinner. A great way to end the trip.
Sunday, June 27
An early morning sail back down to the Sunsail base in Road Harbor. Once again, lots of great memories and lots of great photos to share with family and friends. As always, looking forward to returning for more sailing, fun and adventure – as soon as possible!!! Can't wait to be down here permanently the end of 2011!!!!
Thanks!!!!!
Thanks for taking the time to read through and survive our travelogue. Hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to check out the full photo gallery and the rest of our website. Looking forward to hosting YOU on a Jamann Sailing Adventures charter in the near future.
Arghhhh, Mateys - we'll be seein' ya later!
Capt'ns HiHo and Greybeard the Benevolent Pirate