As Cheryl, Jack, JoAnne and I set off from Coral Harbor to complete our circumnavigation of St. John, we went around the horn from Hurricane Hole, where, when heading west, is a great little cove called Salt Pond Bay. Only 4 moorings and we got the closet one in. This is heaven. It is a small bay with great snorkeling, a beautiful beach and of all surprises, a first class hotel restaurant on the bluff above the beach.
There are great trails leading up from the beach. The Park Rangers keep them clean and marked… marked for campers, that is, not boaters. You know…those little rock piles and occasional rock arrows. We fumbled around with a few trips back and forth on the same trail, fell into a cactus (only a small wound) and somehow ended up at the restaurant on the bluff overlooking Comocean where Cheryl took this great photo.
The snorkeling was really good on the east side of the harbor. All four of us saw some brilliant fish. There was no real current and the depths varied along the shore. The coral was good and the snorkelers from the beach were really enjoying themselves. You can find turtles in the bay.
The next day, we took off a moderate clip with Jack and Cheryl at the helm. We hugged the coast to enjoy the view of the various harbors. The trip around the end of St. John gave us a clear passage back to St. Thomas.
We concluded their visit at Crown Bay Marina. They are a great group running the Marina, friendly and very hospitable. They could use a hot water heater for the showers, but everything is very clean. We then went to a super fish restaurant in the Frenchman’s area of St Thomas called Hook, Line and Sinker. Seating required a wait, but it was well worth it!
Jack and Cheryl spent plenty of time at the helm, proved their boat knowledge was up to speed and most importantly came with the new shower drainage pump and installed it! They subsequently indicated they are ready for the Moorings and booked their tenth anniversary on a 42 footer in Bora Bora.