Spanish Virgins to US Virgins
10 April 2015 | St Thomas USVI
Andy / Sunny and Hot
We arrived in Salinas, a beautifully protected anchorage, for what was supposed to be a day stop. We ended up spending 3 days here enjoying the very quaint community and taking advantage of the proximity to good grocery shopping to get supplies. When we left Salinas our destination was only 20 miles east along the south coast at Puerto Patillas. We arrived early, having left at 6:00am to beat the increasing winds. Just before entering the anchorage we all had a conversation on the radio about the latest forecast. Current conditions were still favourable and the wind and seas were supposed to increase the next day. This would make our crossing to Vieques tougher. We decided to skip Puerto Patillas and head for the Spanish Virgin Island of Vieques right away. You would think we would have learned not to trust weather forecasters by now but no. We rounded the south eastern tip of Puerto Rico and struggled against 18kt head winds and 6 foot seas, instead of the 5kt head winds with 2 foot seas they had just announced. This resulted in a 12 hour day but despite being tired and beat up we were glad to be in Vieques.
We anchored in Puerto Real near Esparenza. The anchorage here is a bit rolly but we managed to sleep all night. On arrival we had been met by a local that gave us some good advice on where to anchor for the most protection. The following day we had some boat chores to complete and Judy took a quick trip ashore to do some exploring. At noon we weighed anchor and headed a little up the coast to Puerto Ferro. This is a beautifully protected little harbour and is uninhabited so we had a nice quiet night. The following morning we left early again to beat the winds and arrived at Ensanada Honda, another uninhabited and quiet anchorage. The south coast of Vieques is subject to a SE swell so you really have to choose your anchorages carefully.
It was now time to move on so we had another early departure to move the remainder of our eastern push and rounded the point of Vieques. At this point we turned north for Culebra. With 20 kts on the beam and both sails reefed we crossed the last 10 miles in 90 minutes averaging 7.3kts. We sailed into Ensenada Honda harbour under full sail and anchored just east of the Dinghy Dock Restaurant. Culebra is the nicest of the islands in the Spanish Virgins. However, we arrived there on Easter Weekend and the entire Puerto Rican Navy (AKA the power boaters) were out in full force. There was another anchorage in Culebrita that we wanted to check out but apparently it was worse (according to friends on facebook) so we stayed put for 3 days. The town is small and relies heavily on tourism and boaters so the mood is light. The Dinghy Dock Restaurant actually has their own dingy dock and it is hard to find a spot to tie up. They offer good food at a reasonable price, cold drinks and free wifi. Everything a cruiser needs.
On the downside of this visit, At Last had to anchor under sail as their motor would not start after they entered the harbour. With some help from other cruisers that Dave had already helped solve some problems, he was able to disassemble his engine completely and discovered a bent piston rod. His options were to have us tow him out of the harbour and sail to St Thomas for repairs, or stay put and see if he could source parts locally. Insisting that we move on, we once again left At Last behind for engine work and continued on the St Thomas with Amelia.
We were a bit anxious to get to St Thomas as Paul and Daniella from Play to Live (whom we met in Halifax a year ago) were there and planning a trip to Cuba. We had been hoping to cross paths and were happy to have to opportunity. On arrival Paul and Dani met us in their dinghy and sailed the rest of the way in with us and we promptly got down to the business of “arrival drinks”. After a couple of drinks we were all invited over to Play to Live for some of Dani’s famous Italian cooking.
Another reason for our rush to get to the USVI’s came the next day. Leaving at 7:30 we sailed from St Thomas to Maho Bay in St John. Here we arrived just in time to celebrate a birthday party. And not just any birthday party, but the Captain of Banyan! Banyan has been a boat that we have followed since they left Halifax and have been such a great source of inspiration and knowledge. We have long awaited the day when we could catch up to them and to happen on Dave’s birthday was just perfect. We met them a little while later on the beach and were introduced to their friends, who are now our friends as well. What a great bunch! After supper we were invited over to Banyan for snacks, drinks and of course, birthday cake. We had decided to spend a couple of days with Banyan and the next day, after a long hike, we enjoyed our first lessons on the card game “Wizard”. Yes that’s right, we are no longer Wizard virgins and cannot wait for the next game.
The next morning we were invited over for coffee before we all moved off in different directions once again. Banyan went on to explore the south coast of St John and we went back to St Thomas for supplies and another meal with Paul and Dani. We moved over to Brewers Bay and enjoyed a BBQ on Jacob’s Ladder. All this time At Last is still in Culebra waiting for parts. If necessary, we will sail back and help with the repairs, but for now we will continue exploring the USVI’s. Amelia has not yet been to St John and tomorrow that’s where we head. There are so many nice coves and beaches that you could spend a lot of time there. The island is all national park though so no anchoring, however the mooring balls are only $15 per night.
Of special note in this entry is that for the first time we truly feel we have arrived. Up until this point the cruisers we have met are travelling west, north, or are just local. St John marked the first time we were anchored with other boats heading for Grenada just like us. We now feel like we are among people that are part of a group that we hope to join.