- I anchored everywhere; never paid a mooring fee. I day-used NPS moorings
at a few popular snorkeling spots on St John.
- NPR: WVGN 107.3 FM ("Car Talk" Saturday and Sunday 1 PM, "Prairie Home Companion" Saturday 7 PM and
Sunday 4 PM in winter; subtract 1 hour in summer).
- Nice classical music station: 91.3 FM.
- BBC on 1620 AM and maybe 103.5 FM, from midnight to 5 AM.
- Cheapest way to ship stuff in: US post office. UPS, DHL and FEDEX very expensive. BaxGlobal semi-expensive.
10-lb package with insurance from Philadelphia 1/2007 would be $25 through post office,
$85 through BaxGlobal, $165 through UPS.
Also: the US post office considers the USVI a domestic destination (so direct delivery and no Customs hassle);
the shipping services consider USVI an international destination (so you have to go to their
offices near the airport, pick up paperwork, take it to Customs near Crown Bay, then
back to offices near airport).
Sail sent via US post office parcel post from California took 5 weeks.
- St Thomas:
- Open-air taxi's ("safari's"): $2 to go anywhere. Look for ones with local black people aboard;
the others are cruise-ship taxis and won't stop for you, or charge more.
- Bus routes: $1 for any route, I think. No official route maps;
a somewhat-helpful route map in "This Week" tourist magazine, but (in Charlotte Amalie) the route numbers
on it don't match those on the busses. Many drivers have such a thick
accent that they can't be understood. Not allowed to take suitcases on the
bus to the airport in Charlotte Amalie. Busses very rarely seen on east end of island; much
better to take "safaris".
- Ships agent that will deliver anything to docks: Stuart Butler,
340-776-8660, www.deliveritvi.com. Oriented to big ships; probably not cheap.
- Supposedly good Perkins diesel mechanic: Hector of "VI Tecno Diesel",
Charlotte Amalie, across from SW corner of Havensight Mall, where road starts uphill and curves to right.
Building has big "VI Tecno Diesel" lettering on it; can't miss it.
Cash or check only; no credit cards.
Mailing address: PO Box 9009, 15-C, Havensight, St Thomas VI 00801, 776-3080.
- Battery shop, on a hilltop somewhere N of the airport: Caribbean Battery, 340-776-3780.
- Flying out: Spirit Airlines has cheap flights to Ft Lauderdale. Have
to become a member, for $40/year, to get best fares, but some fares are incredibly low if you
are flexible.
- Brewers Bay (NW of airport): good anchoring; beach-park but no dinghy dock; no Wi-Fi 12/2008.
- Water Island:
- Flamingo Bay:
- Lots of high-speed dinghy and skiff traffic; be careful if you swim or snorkel.
- Very nice snorkeling (great fish) around rocks at NW corner.
- Inside part is hurricane hole; I'm told 5-foot draft can get in okay.
But it's regulated; check with police before start of hurricane season.
- Honeymoon Bay / Druif Bay:
- Rolly even in E wind.
- Internet: sometimes can get a free Wi-Fi signal.
- Monday evening movie on the beach (at least in winter).
- Phillips Landing ferry dock at SW end of Elephant Bay (Providence Pt): dinghy dock,
book-exchange, phone booths. Ferry goes to Crown Bay marina; round-trip $9.
- Elephant Bay: deep and often rolly.
- Pizza Boat: VHF 68.
- Crown Bay:
- Haulover Marine, SW of bright red roofs at SW end of concrete cruise-ship docks:
- Two dinghy-docks for customer use only, but you probably could land for 30 minutes
to do other business.
- Haulover Marine's yard looks small; room for few boats.
- Yamaha and Yanmar dealer (Offshore Marine; carries Yamaha
outboards, scooters and generators); canvas/sail place; rigging/hydraulic place.
- A couple of blocks from the waterfront: electrical contractor supply house,
many auto-repair places, starter/alternator repair place, welding shop.
- Crown Bay marina, NE of concrete cruise-ship docks:
- Fuel dock: immediate right just inside entrance, very easy to get to. Call
on VHF 16 or 11 for permission to enter/exit the marina.
Use fenders; no rubber fendering on fuel dock.
Prices 3/2006: gasoline $3.20/gallon, diesel $3.11/gallon, water 14 cents/gallon.
Fuel about 20 cents/gallon more expensive than in Culebra.
In 12/2006, gasoline $3.39/gallon.
- Dinghy-dock: straight in and then on left side at end. Free, but two-hour
limit, very crowded in winter, no overnighting, says DPNR registration required.
- In the marina: very nice marine store, mail/phone place (internet $15/hour),
medium-size gourmet supermarket (very expensive). Garbage dumpster at NE end of parking/marina area.
- Shipping stuff to shipping store in the marina:
store is "Messages, Mail and More", 340-776-4324, email.
Best to use United States Postal Service Express mail: it will have a tracking number and it is more economical.
Ship to address:
Your name c/o Messages Mail & More 8168 Crown Bay Marina Suite 310 St Thomas VI 00802-5819.
Notify in advance if you will use this service and the name it will be in so that they will know to accept delivery.
Charge is $2 to $10 or so depending on size.
- Marine store in the marina: I think it's Island Marine, 776-0753.
- Electrical/alternator place: Bradford's.
A couple blocks NW from marina, past Dept of Public Works, on second floor.
Another motor-repair place on other side of same building: Omega's.
A third place, Thomas's, is somewhere near the airport.
- Kia auto-dealer with parts department: two blocks NE from marina.
- Pueblo supermarket: two blocks NE from marina. Food prices pretty high;
milk/cheese/meat/produce is in a separate area of the building; bread often bad quality.
- NAPA auto parts, and SeaChest / Ace / TrueValue hardware store: 3/4 mile NE from marina,
past Pueblo, near Esso gas station.
- Radio Shack: hard to see, in small shopping center near Pueblo but up north road towards airport.
- NAPA auto parts, and TrueValue hardware store: dinghy ashore to Tropical Shipping
dock east of Crown Bay marina, blue building; a block or two inland from there,
near Esso gas station.
- Customs: on waterfront behind SeaChest / Ace / TrueValue hardware store.
Must go through guarded entrance, and show photo ID.
- Charlotte Amalie harbor:
- Very rolly if strong winds with any S component. Wakey and rolly often in any conditions.
- Dinghy ashore to dock on west side of Coast Guard area / Emancipation Park,
or into dinghy dock on town side of Yacht Haven Grande marina.
- Seaplanes landing in the harbor near Frenchtown, and taking off down
the main channel.
- Internet: sometimes can get a free Wi-Fi signal on the boat.
Internet $2/hour at library; have to use their PC; can use flash-drive.
Internet cafe "Beans, Bytes and Web Sites" up alley next to
"Tavern on the Waterfront", which is about 3 blocks west of main park area: $9/day for Wi-Fi, or
10 cents/minute for PC/Ethernet/Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi at "Bad Ass" cafe in Yacht Haven Grande marina (but Wi-Fi signal may
be unreliable, and the few AC outlets usually are completely full).
Across street from Wendy's near Havensight; upstairs from Kainan restaurant; $5/hour for their PC,
$3/hour for laptop Ethernet; boot up laptop before getting Ethernet cable and starting
the clock running.
On second floor above Wendy's near Havensight; don't know prices.
- Tourist Info: inside gift shop across from SW corner of central park,
across from USCG / dinghy dock area.
Small info kiosk on sidewalk a couple of blocks west.
Another kiosk in Havensight Mall.
- Garbage disposal: cans on street across from USCG dock, and in Yacht Haven Grande marina.
- Library: on Main Street at International Plaza (about 5 blocks from Emancipation Park,
just short of yellow steps in sidewalk). MTWRF 9-5, Sat 10-4.
No newspapers except local daily. Some magazines. Internet $2/hour. Book-exchange racks in front lobby.
- Several small grocery stores scattered through town; bakery and market
a block or two inland from ScotiaBank, several blocks west of USCG dock.
- Yacht Haven Grande marina:
Call on VHF 10 before taking boat in to fuel dock, which is on outside, down
cruise-ship alley. No book-exchange, no internet, no marine store.
- Supermarket: Pueblo, 1 block inland (E) from Yacht Haven Grande marina.
- KMart: 2 blocks further inland (E) from Pueblo supermarket. Has food section
downstairs, including bread, dairy, lunchmeat. Pharmacy in same mall.
- Outdoor malls at cruise-ship dock: Havensight mall and Port of Sale mall:
mostly tourist stuff, but a pharmacy, couple of bookstores, banks, etc.
- Radio Shack: in Buccaneer shopping mall across street from Port of Sale mall, behind KFC.
- Starter/alternator shop and welding shop: next to Pueblo.
- Home Depot and Cost-U-Less: a couple of miles up over hills from Yacht Haven
marina on way to TuTu Mall; take an open-air (safari) taxi.
Cost-U-Less doesn't provide bags; bring your own.
Prices in Cost-U-Less about 1/2 those in Benner Bay supermarket 4/2008.
Also a PriceSmart (membership only) store
on that same road.
- Cheapest fuel: maybe Caribbean Petrol fuel truck; call John 340-643-4900.
Dock at concrete dock in front of Holiday Inn.
But fuel dock at Yacht Haven Grande marina has quite good prices 1/2009.
- Water: 20 cents/gallon at fuel dock at Yacht Haven Grande marina 1/2009.
- Blackbeard's Castle: tickets sold from 9 to 1, and main attraction seems to
be a swimming pool, although there's a garden and museum also. Great view of harbor from up there.
- Small water-taxis (don't know if they'll stop at boats): "Morning Star" and "Evening Star".
- Taxi from town to airport: $7/person plus $4 extra for luggage.
- Engine and transmission work and parts:
Hector at "VI Tecno Diesel", across street from SW corner of Havensight Mall,
where road starts uphill and curves to right. Building has big "VI Tecno Diesel" lettering on it;
can't miss it.
Cash or check only; no credit cards.
Mailing address: PO Box 9009, 15-C, Havensight, St Thomas VI 00801, 776-3080.
- Mail: post office near hospital will do General Delivery; post offices in
town and in Havensight Mall will not.
No mail-receiving store for one-time packages; Crown Bay is nearest.
Can rent PO boxes in various places: post offices, Beans Bytes and Web Sites cafe
in town, internet cafe above Kainan restaurant (across street from Wendy's near Havensight).
- Optician/optometrist: one in KMart mall, another across street from Pueblo.
- Sailmaker: Manfred Dittrich on Hassel Island. Comes in to N dinghy-dock at marina
most weekday mornings at 9:15 to pick up an assistant. 3801 Crown Bay, Suite 203, St Thomas USVI 00802.
Phone 340-774-4335, cell 340-473-6190.
- Buck Island:
Not mentioned at all in Scott's guide.
Half a dozen moorings in the bay on the SW corner, but they're usually full of
big charter boats. I think they have a morning trip and an
afternoon trip, so lunchtime (11:30 to 1:30) is a good time to get a mooring here.
Watch out for snorkelers.
Moorings are 3-hour-limit, no overnight stays.
Three more moorings off west tip of the island in exposed water; nobody on
them when I was there.
Decent snorkeling in NW corner of SW bay; didn't try other areas.
- Home Depot and Cost-U-Less: inland, halfway between downtown Charlotte Amalie and TuTu Mall.
Cost-U-Less doesn't provide bags; bring your own.
Also a PriceSmart (membership only) store on that same road. Take a safari that runs between
downtown and TuTu Mall to get to the stores; watch carefully for signs at entrance driveways to stores,
because the stores are not visible from the road.
- TuTu Mall (inland, between Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook):
KMart, Western Auto, big supermarket, post office, etc.
- The Lagoon / Benner Bay:
- Inner anchorage jammed full (and they're expanding a marina); anchor further out and dinghy in.
Outside anchorage is exposed and rough.
- To get to False Bay anchorage: I think you keep two small white buoys just
to starboard as you head in to the anchorage, but I'm told it's tricky
and there's a sharp turn, and lots of shallow water. I'm told someone got a 6.5-foot-draft
out at high tide. I'm told 4/2007 that authorities have been trying to clear out the anchorage for years.
Saw a trawler go in 5/2007: they headed W to keep red buoy about 100 feet on port side,
then when it was abeam, made a sharp port turn to pass it about 50 feet on the beam
while heading maybe SSW.
- Dinghy docks: one at E end, at Compass Marina, but there's nothing there
except a few marine businesses; isolated from the rest of "town".
Another dock at Budget Marine: after the channel markers end, keep going straight in,
past the small red Texaco sign on the left, straight towards Budget Marine sign.
Another dock at Pirate's Cove marina: turn left just before small red Texaco sign.
- Water: 15 cents/gallon at dock with very small red Texaco sign; Pirate's Cove Marina.
- Budget Marine: very nice marine store. 779-2219. MTWRFS 8:30-5:30, Sun 9-2.
- Independent Boatyard: surrounds the Budget Marine store. Doesn't monitor VHF.
- Fuel: gas station across street from Independent Boatyard has diesel;
Pirates Cove marina fuel dock is closed 3/2008; another fuel dock further west in the harbor.
- Supermarket: across street from Independent Boatyard and 1/2 block west.
- Book-exchanges: on outside of machine-shop building in Independent Boatyard,
in Pirates Cove marina,
in Patsy's Place in Compass Point marina, and in VIPYachts office in Compass Point marina.
- Perkins diesel place: in Compass Point marina.
- Outboard store: Gary's Marine Service, across street from boatyard.
Sells Tohatsu and Suzuki 4-strokes.
- Internet: free Wi-Fi in Bottoms Up bar in Independent Boatyard if you buy food/drink,
free Wi-Fi in demolished cafe at Pirate's Cove marina.
Once got a Wi-Fi signal while sitting on the porch of the marine store.
- Packages: Pirate's Cove marina will receive but not send packages; their
address is Pirate's Cove Marina, 6186 Estate Frydenhoj, St Thomas, USVI 00802-1424, 340-779-2799.
- Used oil disposal: I'm told the boatyard will take oil for about $3/gallon,
and Compass Point marina for about $1/gallon.
- VITrans bus very infrequent; hardly ever seen.
Safari taxis only run clockwise; from Benner Bay to Red Hook they go the
long way around. $2 for any trip. Westbound from boatyard, they go to TuTu Mall;
from there you can get one to downtown. Some go all the way to airport or further for same $2.
Normal taxi often will take you to Red Hook the short way for $2 if they're going anyway.
- No fishing allowed in the triangle from Red Hook to Little St James to Patricia Cay,
including all of Jersey Bay and Benner Bay.
- Nazareth Bay / Secret Harbor: very exposed to prevailing wind and swells.
And getting full of moorings.
- Cowpet Bay: full of moorings.
- Current Cut: not sure: think current flows NE when tide is high, but
it may be wind-driven more than tide-driven.
- Christmas Cove / Great St James Island: decent holding.
Often very rolly during the day, because of ferry wakes; try to get inside Fish Cay.
Didn't see any good snorkeling north of Fish Cay.
Lots of boat and dinghy traffic, and swimmers; be careful.
No fishing allowed.
- Great Bay: kind of nice. Some wakes get in. No fishing allowed.
- Red Hook Bay:
- Very rolly from ferry wakes, very exposed to normal SE wind and swells,
crowded with moorings and boats, bad holding.
- Good marine store: Island Marine, 340-775-6621.
- Internet: East End Secretarial Services in Red Hook Plaza; $10/hour for Wi-Fi or their PCs; also a
book-exchange; 340-775-5262.
- Post office agent: East End Secretarial Services in Red Hook Plaza.
- Big book-exchange in American Yacht Harbor marina.
- Water Bay / Coki Point: looks very exposed to normal SE wind and swells.
- NW end of Thatch Cay: too exposed, even in E wind and swells. Maybe tenable
in SE or S wind and swells.
- Magens Bay:
Deep until you get close in to the swimming area, then anchor in 15-25 feet in E corner of bay,
near moored small boats.
Some shallows along the SW and NE sides as you come in, but they all have lots of coral in them.
Chart says submerged cables come in, but no signs warning of anchoring restrictions.
Swells can curl in around N corner.
No dinghy-dock; was able to pull dinghy up on beach at E corner of the bay 6/2008,
but 12/2008 lifeguards made me swim dinghy out into mooring area.
Was able to paddle in the last 100 feet or so and beach the dinghy
long enough to drop off dry things (camera, book, etc) before swimming the dinghy out.
Beach is one of top ten beaches in the world as rated by National Geographic.
Entrance fee to beach is charged if entering from land.
Snack bar (expensive), clothing boutique, bar, restrooms ashore.
No fuel or water (except a water-fountain inside the snack bar building).
Garbage cans.
AC power outlets in the big picnic shelters.
Water faucets on/in the restroom buildings are salt-water.
No stores nearby.
Snorkeling: in middle of SW shore of the bay, where houses come down lowest, and maybe a bit NW from there.
Occasional very fragile Wi-Fi 6/2008. No free Wi-Fi 12/2008. Someone said there's Wi-Fi "at the bar";
they probably charge for it.
- Hull Bay:
Can't get too far in because of lots of moored skiffs and motorboats. And
starting halfway in, the bottom is all coral.
Very rolly.
Large book-exchange at Hideaways bar.
Dive shop. Beach not very good. Occasional Wi-Fi 6/2008; none 12/2008.
- SSW corner of Inner Brass Island might be a tenable anchorage; have to work around
fish-trap floats.
- Santa Maria Bay: totally open to N and NE.
- Botany Bay: beautiful place, anchored in 10-foot water, supposedly very good snorkeling, but pretty rolly.
Go N of Salt Cay and West Cay when entering/exiting; the gap at the W tip of St Thomas is full of rocks.
Strong west-setting current N of those cays.
- St John:
- Starting at Caneel Bay and running along N side to East End, it's
a National Park. $15/night whether you anchor or moor, from 5 PM to 7 AM. Must
use mooring if one is available. Can use moorings for free during the day.
- Starting at east side of Fish Bay and running along S side to Saltpond Bay, it's
a National Park. Anchoring not allowed. $15/night for mooring, from 5 PM to 7 AM.
Can use moorings for free during the day.
- VITrans busses: $1 per ride; run about 7 AM to 7 PM, about once an hour in each direction;
about 1/2 hour to ride from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay; major stops are Cruz Bay,
Health Clinic, Coral Bay, Saltpond Bay;
if not near a bus stop, just raise a hand with a dollar bill in it to flag down a bus.
- Bus routes: route map in "This Week" tourist magazine.
Looks like "10" bus runs end-to-end down middle of island, from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay to East End.
"20" bus runs from Cruz Bay along north shore to maybe Leinster Bay.
- Leinster Bay: very sheltered, popular spot, snorkeling not very interesting.
- Francis Bay: fairly rolly. Inside NP, so $15/night.
- Trunk Bay: pretty rolly. Inside NP, so $15/night. A million
tiny fish schooling around Trunk Cay 5/2006; nice snorkeling.
Most moorings are pretty far from the Cay.
- Hawksnest Bay: a little rolly. Inside NP, so $15/night. A million
tiny fish schooling along the eastern shore 5/2006.
- Durloe Channel: can be a lot of current through here.
- Caneel Bay: very rolly and wakey. Inside NP, so $15/night.
- Cruz Bay:
- Anchorage is tiny and full of moored smallish boats, with ferries roaring
in and out through a channel down the middle. Moor in Caneel Bay and dinghy into Cruz Bay.
- Dinghy dockage: best is next to Visitor's Center, which is in NE corner
behind Texaco fuel dock, N of car ferry dock. Also can dock at base of
passenger ferry dock in E-center of waterfront.
- Get NPS and town brochures at Visitor's Center.
- Customs is smaller yellow building just S of car-ferry dock,
across water from Visitor's Center. Call Cruz Bay Port Authority on VHF 16 before bringing big boat in
to dock. Probably better to dinghy in.
- Free dumpster for boat-garbage next to Customs building.
- Tourist Office across street from Customs building.
- Passenger ferry rates 3/2006: $5 one-way to Red Hook, $12 one-way to
Charlotte Amalie.
- Library: from passenger ferry dock, straight inland, past bank, past ballfield,
take right fork, large white building on a hilltop on the right side.
Internet $2/hour. Only local newspapers.
- Supermarket: at The Marketplace, another block or so past the library.
Prices very high. MTWRFSS 0730-2100.
- Pharmacy: in The Marketplace, across from supermarket.
- Hardware store: in The Marketplace, one story up from supermarket. Nice store.
- Book exchange: small one in Larry's Landing bar, in Wharfside Village.
- Connections internet/mail store: one block inland from passenger ferry dock.
Internet $10/hour.
- Bar: Woody's, with 3-6 PM happy hours with $1 mixed drinks and beers.
- Turner Bay / Enighed Pond: can't dinghy ashore here, which is a shame
because the supermarket and library are here.
- Great Cruz Bay: full of moored and anchored boats, with ferries roaring
in and out through a channel down one side.
- Chocolate Hole: looked full of anchored boats 3/2006.
- Rendezvous Bay: rolly.
- Fish Bay: nicely protected, especially if you can get into 6-foot-deep water on the E side.
Buggy at dawn and dusk, especially if it's rained recently.
- Reef Bay / Ganti Bay: ??? Inside NP; a few day moorings; no overnighting. Petroglyphs.
- Great Lameshur Bay: ??? Inside NP, so $15/night.
- Saltpond Bay: ??? Inside NP, so $15/night. Snorkeling out at Ram Head point is great.
- Coral Bay:
- Much of N side is inside NP; some day moorings; no overnighting.
- Coral Harbor:
- Full of boats (and Johnson Bay as well), but can always anchor at outer edge.
- Dinghy dock is at N end, at Coral Bay Marine, near building
with bright red peaked roof.
- Coral Bay Marine: seems to be mostly an outboard-repair business, but some supplies too.
- Skinny Legs: just inland from Coral Bay Marine; restaurant,
tourist stores, internet/mail place, book-exchange, boater's hangout. Internet $10/hour.
- Gas station: 1/3 mile W of dinghy dock. Gas about $3.10/gallon 3/2006; no diesel, but they
have a diesel tank that they're planning to install.
- Garbage: huge public dumpsters about 50 yards W of gas station.
- Groceries: Love City market, N up road across from dumpsters.
- Shopping complex: W side of harbor, with red roof, about a mile from the dinghy dock.
Well-stocked small supermarket.
- No reception of NPR on WVGN 107.3 FM.
- Round Bay / Hansen Bay: have to get pretty close to shore to find shallow water; bottom is coral.
- St Croix:
- Intermittent reception of NPR on WVGN 107.3 FM.
- Frederiksted:
- Probably best seen by bus from Christiansted.
- Not much here 4/2006 except the fort and a nice waterfront walkway.
- Fort Frederik: 1/2 block or so N of pier. $3.
- Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts: two blocks S of pier. Was gutted for renovation 4/2006.
- Library: on Strand St at Queen Cross St. Opens at 10 AM.
- Salt River Bay:
- Check your charts and guides before you go: Maptech chartkit doesn't cover it, and Scott guide
don't give GPS coordinates. Longitude approximately 64.45.380
- It's a National Park and Preserve controlled by NPS.
- Tricky entrance 4/2006. Just one small green marker; all other buoys are
dive or mooring floats outside the reefs. Inside, saw 5.2-foot water for 50 feet
or so at medium-high tide.
Enter in calm conditions.
- Plenty of room to anchor 4/2006.
- No moorings or special anchoring rules 4/2006.
- Not much of interest here; snorkeling not very good. Probably good staging point
for diving. A bit buggy.
- Christiansted:
- Navigation:
- Entrance channel has sharp turns and a fork; follow chart carefully.
- Anchorage area S and SW of Protestant Cay extremely crowded 4/2006. Seaplane base
SW of the Cay uses water W of the channel there. In NE wind, seaplanes take off right up
the channel. A tug with fuel barge comes through this channel
to the green fuel tanks ashore. Also a ferry carrying tank-trailers.
- Can anchor on E side of harbor, N of boatyard/marina.
- Protestant Cay is private; hotel guests only.
- Dinghy docks:
On boardwalk waterfront SW of Protestant Cay:
- at the SW base of the dock that sticks out from the waterfront, or
- on the boardwalk just W of the stone tower and E of the seven flags.
- General:
- Tourist Info Center: at Scale House, just off waterfront, south of Protestant Cay
and just W of Fort Christiansvaern.
- Visitor's Center: at Company St and Queen Cross St.
- Library: at King St and King Cross St, about 4 blocks up King St
from Scale House. MTWRF 9-5 Sat 10-3. Internet $2/hour, sign up at front desk,
but no signs and much confusion 4/2006. Apparently all paperbacks are available
for book-exchange; confirm at front desk.
- Internet/mail/copy store: One Copy, about 4 blocks down Company St from the fort.
Internet $10/hour on their computers, $5/hour for Wi-Fi.
- Fort Christiansvaern: $3 admission to fort and steeple.
- VITrans bus to center of island and Frederiksted: $1.
Runs on route 70 / Queen Mary Highway / Centerline Road through
center of the island.
Takes 75 minutes from end to end.
Weekdays, leaves from Scale House 0800, 0930, 1030, 1200, 1300, 1430, 1530, 1700, 1800.
Weekdays, leaves from Frederiksted 0915, 1045, 1145, 1315, 1415, 1545, 1645, 1815, 1915.
Weekends and holidays, probably leaves from Scale House 0800, 1030, 1300, 1530.
Weekends and holidays, probably leaves from Frederiksted 0915, 1145, 1415, 1645.
If planning to catch last bus of the day, ask a driver ahead of time to make sure it will be running.
- I'm told taxi-van all the way to Frederiksted or anywhere between is very cheap: $2.50. Didn't do it
myself. Catch at the post office.
- Supplies:
- Garbage: a couple of cans on the boardwalk just W of the seven flags.
- Gas station: toward East End on Hospital St / route 75.
- Fuel dock: at marina/boatyard N of ferry dock. Prices
about 25% less than prices at Crown Bay 4/2006.
- Newspaper says St Croix has much cheaper fuel prices than rest of USVI,
because of oil refinery on south coast.
- Water: 12 cents/gallon 4/2006 at the fuel dock.
- Propane: tank exchange at hardware store in East End in Gallows Bay shopping center.
- Stores:
- Supermarkets in shopping centers via VITrans bus on route 70:
big Pueblo supermarket at Golden Rock shopping center at Orange Grove about 1.5+ miles W of Scale House,
another Pueblo at Sunny Isle shopping center about 4+ miles WSW of Christiansted.
Several more further west.
- Walking to Golden Rock shopping center:
From waterfront E of seaplane terminal, go SW on Watergut St / route 754.
It becomes Soboetker Road / route 70. About 3/4 to 1 mile to big intersection.
Turn right onto Orange Grove Road / route 75. Go 1/2 to 3/4 mile to shopping center.
- Wonder if it's possible to dinghy near to Golden Rock shopping center ?
Maybe to end of road at water's edge, just W of oil tank/dock area ?
Lock up the dinghy; not a very safe area; housing projects.
- Other businesses via VITrans bus on route 70:
KMart, Radio Shack, big hardware store, big auto-parts store at Sunny Isle shopping center.
Just about any kind of business you could want is somewhere along the bus route.
Also: hospital, botanical gardens, Whim platation.
- Grocery stores in Christiansted:
Fong's (very small) on King St about 4 blocks from Scale House, and
Schooner Bay Market (gourmet) in East End at intersection of
Hospital St / route 75 / East End Road / route 82 and ??? at NE corner of ballpark.
- Bakery: on King St about 8 blocks from Scale House,
halfway between Market Square and Episcopalian church.
Beige building with red roof and shutters.
- Another bakery: in East End on
Hospital St / route 75 / East End Road / route 82 across from ballpark.
- Hardware store: in East End in Gallows Bay shopping center,
about halfway between ferry dock and ballpark. Very nice and big store with garden center and lumberyard.
- Computer store: in East End,
about halfway between Gallows Bay shopping center and ballpark.
- Miscellaneous:
- Get Buck Island info and anchoring permit at NPS visitor contact station
in Fort Christiansvaern. They need to copy your boat documentation/registration and
personal ID for the application. As of 4/2006, there's no charge and no delay, but "soon"
there will be a charge and a 4-day processing time.
- Get Salt River Bay info at NPS visitor contact station in Fort Christiansvaern.
- Flea Market: behind Sunny Isle shopping center (couldn't find it); WRFS 9-3.
- Punnett Bay: maybe okay anchorage in settled SE conditions ?
- Green Cay: ???
- Buck Island:
- National Park.
- No anchoring anywhere except in West Beach anchorage.
- Anchoring in West Beach anchorage requires a permit,
obtained at Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted. Can anchor overnight.
- Moorings and underwater snorkel trail are at east end of island.
- East end moorings are inside the reef (brochure shows them outside).
- Vessels over 42 feet not allowed to use the east end moorings; must
anchor at west end and dinghy to east end.
- Lagoon controlling depth is 5 feet according to Scott guide.
- Moorings, lagoon, underwater trail closed from sunset to dawn.
Island and beaches may be closed too (brochures are unclear).
- Could anchor at night in Teague Bay,
and use Buck Island moorings or anchorage during the day.
- Teague Bay: Not very interesting.
West entrance marker is SSW of Buck Island's West Beach,
at longitude 64.38.360
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