Through last night, this morning and into the afternoon the winds remained light so we either just motored or motored sailed with the headsail up. The true wind as just 3 to 4 knots but since it was off our port bow, the apparent wind was 5 to 7 knots. It takes 6 knots of apparent wind to kept our sail full so at times we were able to fly the headsail.

The beauty of the situation was that we were not in any hurry since we had been asked by Steve, the Green Cay Marina manager in St. Croix, not to arrive before 1400. Thus, with one engine on at low RPMs, we ghosted across the 95 nm of ocean that lay between Sint Maarten and St. Croix.

During the night the stars were out in full glory as it was a moonless night. The Southern Cross floated across the southern sky, parked in the Milky Way. We have seen the Southern Cross many, many times before; tonight, however, was one of the best viewings we have had because the sky was so clear and the night so black.

Along the way we passed numerous cruise ships making passage for St Kitts. First, they would appear on the horizon as just a glow of soft light; but as we approached each one would get brighter and brighter and as we passed within a mile of each other, they would be lit up like a Christmas tree. We passed 5 or 6 of these behemoths, each being over a 1000 feet long.

When dawn broke, the eastern point of St. Croix appeared in the distance and its northern shore spread out before us as we sailed through the morning and into the early afternoon. It is actually a fairly long island, measuring over 19 nm from east to west and about 6 nm from north to south.

We snaked our way around reefs that fringe the island and made our way into Green Cay Marina. We were met by Steve as he instructed us to tie up at his fuel dock. The dock where we will be tied up to during our stay was still being used by another boat. That boat had delayed its departure until tomorrow.

Once tied up I made my way to the marina office to clear into the US and was greeted by our blog friend, Rick, just as he arrived in his pickup truck. We both entered the marina office and while there, Steve called Customs and Immigration and, over the phone, the formalities were taken care of. It was the easiest clearance I have ever experienced. We are now good to go throughout the US Virgin Islands!

Once done with clearance, Rick and I walked to Leu Cat and Rick was introduced to Mary Margaret. It was like old home week. We both took to Rick like a long-lost friend. He was so friendly and warm.

He had brought with him our mail that we had forwarded to hold for us. Within the mail he brought were my new crocks. Once those were slipped on we headed down the dock so Rick could give us a tour of his 38-foot power cat. He once had a Lagoon 500 but he and his partner, Bret, have since opted for engines instead of sail. They love it and it is a thing of beauty.

We next piled into Rick's pickup truck and headed east to where he and Bret live. When we arrived, we were at a beautiful large ranch house that overlooks the north shore of the island, including Buck Island. Buck Island is a National Monument and is famous for its underway sea life.

We were greeted by Brent and instantly were made to feel at home. Their house is large, open and spectacular with views of the ocean starring at us from every room. After a tour of their house we were next shown the guest cottage where we will be staying. It is a charming and very comfortable house with its own view of the ocean and the well landscaped grounds that are dotted with mahogany trees. It is paradise found!

Rick and Bret then took us to their favorite local eatery for dinner: Blue Water Terrace. Once again we had a wonderful view of the north of the island. The menu was amazing as were the various dishes we ordered. I could not resist the huge rib eye steak, smothered with sautéed mushrooms, onions and then covered with gorgonzola cheese. The beef was so large that I don't think I was able to eat half of it. However, I now know what is waiting for me for breakfast!

Mary Margaret had ordered a platter of fried calamari for the table which was tender, sweet and delicious. By the time we worked our way through with our main course, we were just too full for dessert but decided to punish ourselves by sharing a carrot cake that kept with the local tradition of being eye popping large but oh so good.

By the time we were done, we rolled away from the table and gave good bye hugs and waves to the very warm staff and owners.

Tomorrow, after moving our boat to its dock, Rick will be giving us a tour of the island. He and Bret are also making reservations for dinner in town at their favorite restaurant. It specialized in Thai cuisine. I can tell our diet days are over for a while...