Arriving to the first bay at the eastern edge of St John by 9:30 AM, we spied an unoccupied mooring ball. We thought it our lucky day, only to read "day mooring" on the ball. Nevertheless, we tied on and sent our arrival notification to the US Customs and Boarder Patrol via their ROAM app, which worked pretty slick. Saved to the app was information about the boat and ourselves (passport photos, global entry numbers) and our last port of call. Within 20 minutes, we were approved for arrival with no need for interview or in person appearance at customs in Cruz Bay, so we motored on to find an open overnight mooring in the Virgin Islands National Park, eventually settling into Great Lameshur Bay.

The pay station for the mooring ball was onshore (sometimes they are on a floating dock). A classic brown information board, and envelope deposit tube found everywhere in Stateside parks indicated we were back in the USA. Mooring fees are $26 per night, paid either in an envelope (old school), or happily, through a CR code connected to Recreation.gov. with credit card online, because who carries lots of $1's these days? A very pleasant park host visited in his dinghy and told and us about the Golden Age pass we could purchase at Park Headquarters reducing mooring ball fees to $13 per night.

But with guests, Margaret and Chris Keller, coming within the week, we needed to gain local knowledge so we moved on. After a quick sail we settled in Caneel Bay, brought the dinghy to the town dock, strolled main street Cruz Bay, lunched at a beach side restaurant, visited the Park Interpretive Center and found the grocery which was a short walk inland.

Maho Bay is packed with sun seekers, has a few small beach bars, places to rent kayaks and paddle boards. A small rock outcropping with some coral and lots of small fish divides the area from Francis Bay which is much more broad and quiet and we found plenty of unoccupied mooring balls to pick up the following morning. We snorkeled the far side of the bay and although there is very little coral we saw a blue eel, a very large permit jack, two very large turtles, a sting ray, along with an wide variety of small reef fish which made the swim pretty exciting in our opinion.

The area was so peaceful and protected that we stayed there until Margaret and Chris arrived and met us at the beach. Recently retired, they were game to experience a bit of our "great adventure". When Mike and I took the dinghy to the beach to pick them up though, we noticed an unusual swell was rolling in, creating small breaking waves along the beach that continued to build as we awaited their arrival. Swell is typical, but for the uninitiated, it can make the boat rock a bit (or a lot), and makes getting in and out of the dinghy a sport that requires precise timing.

With the swell becoming more pronounced overnight we moved to the boat back to Caneel Bay so our friends wouldn't get seasick onboard. Meeting at the National Park Interpretive Center on an overcast day, we decided to stay "in town" and walked the lower Lind Point Trail to Solomon Beach with a view of True North in the distance. Getting take-out barbecue we lounged on their rental deck overlooking the car ferry harbor.

Sunday arrived with just enough wind to sail to Waterlemon Cay. As we got underway, I saw something slide across the deck when we tacked and sprinted forward grabbing a piece of our plexiglass hatch before it slid off the boat and into the water. A line had caught under the small hatch forward leaving a gaping hole hole (later glued back together). But we continued on and it was worth the effort as we saw beautiful large corals, lots of fish, rays, and one small nurse shark that swam by. On the return we had a beautiful relaxed sail then enjoyed dinner "in town" at small outdoor restaurant. Enjoying ourselves we failed to pay much attention to the coming darkness, had to say a quick goodbye, scrambling to try to get to the boat before it was really dark. A rushed ending to a wonderful time catching up with longtime friends.

The next stop was to St Thomas and Crown Bay Marina to pick up neighbors Tracy and Erick who would be spending 5 days on the boat with us, a new experience for them. Before they arrived, we brought a burst paddle board to Budget Marine (6 inch seam blew open while floating in the water) still under warranty, a long taxi ride away. To return to the boat, we caught the local open air taxi "bus" and the friendly, helpful riders made sure we arrived to the correct stop. The tastiest discovery was the barbecue truck located on the grounds of the marina, Smoke Up Fusion, where we returned again and again everything is so delicious, the young couple who own it are so friendly. My favorite dish was chili lime fish with velvety smoked mac and cheese, and spicy broccoli. I think we tried the entire menu and loved everything.

Tracy and Erick had a quick tutorial of boat systems, safety equipment then settled in to relax, before we left the next day for St John and Little Lameshur Bay in very settled weather. A beautiful sandy beach frame the head of the bay while snorkeling spots ring the outer areas. Plenty of turtles surfaced and our guests were eager to try their new snorkeling gear. Right away Mike spied unusual large fish swimming just under the boat. From a photo sent to their son we were informed that they were large remora, rather pre-historic looking and usually attached to turtles. A spotted eagle ray gracefully swam by, stingrays too, and lots of typical reef fish.

Eager to show them the coral at Waterlemon Cay, the following day we had a really pleasant sail around the east side of St John and an equally exciting snorkel, viewing the nurse shark nestled in the coral. Historical ruins from a large sugar planation jut out from the hillside in the bay, so Erick and Tracy hiked the shoreline trail to investigate. Along the way, lots of goats, mongoose provided entertainment. Onward to Francis Bay the following day we again, snorkeled all our favorite spots, enjoyed sunsets and sunrises onboard, shared lots of stories. The next morning, after a quick stop at Caneel Bay for more underwater exploration we sailed slowly back to St Thomas where we would say goodbye the following day. With rising winds, they experienced slightly building seas to add to their many firsts while sailing on True North.