We have arrived in the US Virgin Islands in great time and took a few days to relax and soak up the sun (or at least as much as the SPF 55 will allow) in an empty anchorage on the south coast before Adam’s family arrived for a visit. We breezed into the country without any trouble and Homeland Security barley batted an eye as they scanned our passports and checked us into St. John in less than 10 minutes. It’s the easiest time we’ve had trying to enter America; maybe it is easier when there aren’t bridges to be crossed…
We didn’t spend any time ashore in St. John but the water around the island is beautiful. The majority of the shoreline is part of a national park and is outfitted with mooring balls in order to protect the coral and seabed. We got a lot of good snorkeling in and saw some great fish and even an albino squid. In the anchorage we had a number of turtles as well as a spotted eagle ray which periodically shot out of the water and then belly flopped back in with a loud splash. Any time we heard the splash we hurried on deck to catch a glimpse but most of the time all we saw was a white flash or ripples in the water.
After a few days we crossed the channel to St. Thomas and put the boat into a marina for the first time since leaving the Canary Islands. After conserving water for so long Adam took advantage of the water at the dock and hosed Zenobia down. Luckily all of the rain in Guadeloupe prepared her and the fresh water wasn’t a shock to her systems. Adam’s family joined us in the afternoon and we had an action packed visit. We slept in a bed, had access to a shower with nearly unlimited water, and swam in a pool – it was like taking a vacation from our vacation. On a low note the boat was boarded by a giant cockroach. After a harrowing capture, escape, and then recapture we were able to secure the vile creature and dispose of it. We are hoping it didn’t have time to lay eggs or that it was male. I have taken to opening cupboards and drawers suddenly with flashlight in hand but I haven’t found anything scurrying away yet. Adam has warned me that if a cockroach crawls on him while he is sleeping he will have no choice but to abandon the boat so there is a chance that I may be looking for crew in the future.
We didn’t spend any time ashore in St. John but the water around the island is beautiful. The majority of the shoreline is part of a national park and is outfitted with mooring balls in order to protect the coral and seabed. We got a lot of good snorkeling in and saw some great fish and even an albino squid. In the anchorage we had a number of turtles as well as a spotted eagle ray which periodically shot out of the water and then belly flopped back in with a loud splash. Any time we heard the splash we hurried on deck to catch a glimpse but most of the time all we saw was a white flash or ripples in the water.
After a few days we crossed the channel to St. Thomas and put the boat into a marina for the first time since leaving the Canary Islands. After conserving water for so long Adam took advantage of the water at the dock and hosed Zenobia down. Luckily all of the rain in Guadeloupe prepared her and the fresh water wasn’t a shock to her systems. Adam’s family joined us in the afternoon and we had an action packed visit. We slept in a bed, had access to a shower with nearly unlimited water, and swam in a pool – it was like taking a vacation from our vacation. On a low note the boat was boarded by a giant cockroach. After a harrowing capture, escape, and then recapture we were able to secure the vile creature and dispose of it. We are hoping it didn’t have time to lay eggs or that it was male. I have taken to opening cupboards and drawers suddenly with flashlight in hand but I haven’t found anything scurrying away yet. Adam has warned me that if a cockroach crawls on him while he is sleeping he will have no choice but to abandon the boat so there is a chance that I may be looking for crew in the future.