I took this photo from the road as I walked into Coral Bay proper. It is the picture of Johnson's Bay and Johnson's reef where Christa's currently swings on her mooring. In the distance you can see the east end of St John and further out you can gander at Norman's Island part of the British Virgin Islands which is on Christa itinerary someday. It is starting to sink in about how nice it will be to have the next destination just a few miles away or just over the horizon.
I have been sleeping like a rock and usually lights out just after 9pm. The moon is now going into its darker phase so I'm just starting to experience the Johnson's Bay in total darkness. With no backscatter of any sort the stars are a true delight, right in your face. Since the Virgin Islands are small and scattered the concept of a night lee doesn't really wash here. So the trades have been blowing, even at night keeping air flowing down the hatches and the wind generator producing electricity. Good thing as I have been having to run the water maker for three hours or so per day. Since leaving Salinas I've found no shower facilities to speak of ashore so I've had to shower aboard which adds to the consumption matrix. For the curious, Christa really doesn't have a decent shower per say. But I did buy one of those solar shower deals which has been working great. It is a black plastic bag that holds 4 gallons of water that heats up in the sun nicely. In the evening I hoist it from the main halyard and take a shower out on deck. Since I am surrounded by clear clean ocean sometimes I rinse in the 84 degree ocean and then rinse again with the fresh water. It can be a real scene when the boat starts rolling which gets the bag swing which complicates this picture I've painted. It would be best to have a shower partner.
I have found and others have confirmed that the U.S. Virgin Islands are really not cruiser friendly. Word on the street is that the BVI's are much more geared toward people like me. Just take Coral Bay as an example, you cannot obtain or purchase water from anywhere unless you have a car. Just this fact alone would chase off a substantial number of cruisers. Surely you could not have a congregation of cruisers in the vain of a Luperon DR. Even though Coral Bay has a substantial number of boats on the hook, all of them are based out of St John. Cruisers need to have at least some things that are close to being easily gathered. St John has no marina facility and very limited anchoring. Now there are very good reasons for this, but the net result is USVI's are not cruiser friendly. The bays along the north coast are truly breath taking and to protect the reefs no anchoring is aloud. The National Park Service has put in a number of moorings which are great. But at $15 dollars a night the majority of takers are the charter boat crowd that comes over from BVI's. Most cruisers can't afford $15 a night for any length of time and again getting back and forth to the store could cost twice as much as the mooring itself. It is what it is.
However St John may be just fine without us cruisers. Not every island should be cruiser friendly. I have noticed that the people who do come to St John on vacation and then simply never leave are very hard working for the most part. Many hold three or four jobs and are constantly manuvering to make ends meet, but they love their island home. They also love their booze and bars. Just because it is not cruiser friendly doesn't mean a cruiser can't make it here, you can, just depends on your physical condition. Most cruisers are older and simply could not sustain the demands it takes to make things work here. I have been walking 3 to 5 miles a day, sometimes with groceries and a backpack on in the heat. I like the exercise especially since it is to dangerous to run on the roads. As I get to know people I am getting more and more rides. I also use the bus, but the bus has its own issues that maybe I'll write about some other day. In the end, I do love it here whether it caters to my needs or not.
Capt Chris
