Christmas in Rendezvous Bay (USVI)

[Kyle]Since Lameshur Bay is wide open and has moorings, we had the perfect conditions for another engine-free departure under sail.

By the time we were ready to cast off the last pendant, the occupants of a couple of newly-arrived charter boats, complete with too much lighting and glugging generators, had stirred and were popping out into their cockpits. I was hoping our quiet, hydrocarbon-free departure might inspire one or the other of them to try a little conservation for something else to do, if nothing else.

Fifteen minutes into our sail, I took another look at our destination in Dittlif Bay, which is a sub-bay within larger Rendezvous Bay, and had the associated thought that we should be able to tack our way in and drop the anchor manually once we get there.

It turned out okay. There was one other boat there that was in our preferred spot. The wind got a bit shifty under the cliffs, which required us to do a few short tacks to get to our second-choice spot.

As we were doing that, the other boat lifted their anchor. We decided to go for their spot once they were clear. We still needed a couple more quick tacks to get there. That and the shifting winds meant that our course and heading were all over the place. The poor other boat was just trying to motor out of the bay. Every time they would alter course to give way to us, we seemed to turn right back in front of them, making their track over the bottom almost as squiggly as ours. Since we were definitely under sail and not cheating with an engine and since they were definitely just under power, they had to give way to us each time, even if it meant they had to back up to make room for us. They seemed to take it in stride and still managed a smile and friendly wave once we were finally clear of each other.

We dropped the anchor on clean sand and paid out the appropriate length of chain, but did not back down to set it. We had about three knots of wind at the boat and the next few days were forecast to be the same, so there would be plenty of opportunity for it to set itself. Also, it was pretty hot out, so we were sure it wouldn't be long before we decided to go for a swim and check it properly.

We had tour boats come in and pick up a nearby mooring for an hour or two every day so their guests can snorkel, but other than that, Begonia was the only overnight boat in the bay the whole time we were there.

As at Lameseur Bay, our anchor check turned into another epic snorkel. Our turnaround point this time was completely out of Rendezvous Bay entirely and in the crashing waves at the base of the cliffs of Dittlif Point.

At Dittlif Bay we mostly snorkelled

We had to be careful about not getting trapped too close to sea caves or dead end inlets, where the waves could overpower us, but the underwater structures receding into the deep black sea below were impressive.

We were cautious in some of the shallow rocky inlets where the surge turned to chaos

The surface of the heaving sea was also fascinating. As it went up and down and crashed against the rocks, the boundary between air and sea would become diffuse as spray flew upwards and the water became so aerated with bubbles that the sea became opaque. Then the bubbles would combine and rise upwards in ever-changing swirls and vortices. It was also amazing to see all of the sea life that seems perfectly happy to have made a life in the maelstrom.

The next day we set off the other direction for a much calmer, but also less interesting tour of the bay. Returning back to Begonia to check on our anchor, we found it still sitting on its side with a loose pile of about five meters of chain lying next to it. Beyond that, Begonia's slight back and forth swing had gradually buried the next ten meters of chain completely below the sand, leaving the friction between the two as the only thing necessary to hold us in place.

Snorkelling in the Monte Bay and Klein Bay areas was similar - but we also spotted this eel out in the open, and a host of large conch (giant snails)

The next day was probably our least Christmassy Christmas Day ever. It wasn't bad in any way, but it definitely felt like 5% Christmas, 95% Wednesday.

There were many reasons for this. Firstly, since Maryanne and I are usually within arm's reach of each other, it's hard to find an opportunity to "sneak" off to do some shopping. Since we hadn't been anywhere in a while where we could get deliveries, the online version of that was out, too. Also, most of the beautiful villas lining the cliffs above seem to be unoccupied for the holidays, with no lights or decorations of any kind to even give a Southern Hemisphere Summertime Christmas vibe. We pulled out our South African ornaments and watched a couple of Christmas movies, but it just kept feeling like we were really in the balmy Tropics on a Wednesday. We did notice a family in the next bay over that seemed to have rented a place in the Virgin Islands specifically for the purpose of having an amazing, memorable holiday. Realizing we would still be here long after they have returned to gloomy, snow-covered places made us remember that we actually have it pretty good, after all.

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Anchorage location >> On google maps

Great Lameseur Bay (USVI)

[Kyle]After a couple nights as the only boat in Salt Pond Bay, we moved just over a mile to Lameseur Bay, where we were the only boat other than the one occupied by the park volunteers mentioned in our previous post.

Unlike diminutive Salt Pond Bay, Lameseur Bay is nice and roomy, with room for eleven widely-spaced moorings (anchoring is not permitted to protect the park seabed). It was also much less exposed to the swell wrapping in from the south, so it made for a much more comfortable stay for the few days when the trade winds swung south of east.

There was quite a bit of rain in the next day's forecast, so as soon as we were settled in, we headed ashore for a long walk. Just a few miles away, over the ridge separating Lameseur Bay from the next bay to the west, are a set of petroglyphs we were keen to see.

We didn't expect to see Mongoose on our walk(!), as we walked to Little Lameshur Bay and the start of the trail

The first stop of interest is the old Lameshure Plantation (Ruins)

The walk wasn't too bad. It seems like the trail may have once been used by land owners on their horses going up and down the hill to the plantation houses higher up, so the gradient never got too punishing.

After descending into the next valley, we took a very steep side trail to a bricked-over ruin that was surrounded by overgrown flowering vines. When it came time to head back down the hill, Maryanne suggested we take an unmarked trail into the woods just to see where it goes.

We were going in the right general direction to meet up with the known trail system, so we carried on until encountering a whole cluster of ruins that may have been stables or possibly living quarters for workers.

When we were finished poking around the site, we were only about a hundred meters from the main trail system, but try as we might, we could not find a hoped-for connector trail to get there. In the end, rather than retrace our steps all the way back up the hill to the first ruin, we decided to find our way through the thick undergrowth without benefit of a trail.

We climbed the trail, enjoying the views when possible up to Reef Bay Great House (gardens and ruins), and spotted a deer on the way (another surprise)

While the distance we had to cover wasn't great, the brambles separating us from the main trail were maddeningly difficult to penetrate. The worst of these was a delicate-looking vine that is covered with tiny thorns as sharp as hypodermic needles.

Getting pricked by the thorns wasn't so bad. The worst thing was that we generally didn't notice at the time. Then, after walking another step or so, the ridiculously strong vine comes taught and pulls the thorns ninety degrees to the direction of entry, shredding clothing and skin alike. By the time we stepped onto the nice, wide main trail, our clothes were covered with permanent snags and stained with blood from the trails running down from the deep scratches on our arms and legs.

A few short minutes later, we had finally climbed the short trail to the petroglyphs. In the state we were in, you could imagine how pleased we were to find the site was at a stream, complete with waterfalls and pools big enough for a cool, refreshing dip.

We took some time at the Petroglyph site, to also enjoy the waterfall and a nice cool pool to dunk in.

As to the petroglyphs, we could make out three of them, which are supposed to date from 800-1,400 years ago and contain the same art themes that can be found on other items, particularly pottery, from the same era.

Refreshed from our dip, we were able to have a little bit of a spring in our step for the first half of the way home, which got us over the main ridge.

On the other side, eager to collect the whole set, we took each side trail that we came upon. We had the same experience at each, where the trail started out nice and wide, but by the far end, we were again scrambling through brambles while trying to chase the thinnest hint of what may or may not be a trail.

On the way back town to Begonia, we took all the possible side trails

This all meant that by the time we finally made it back to the dinghy, it was a huge relief to take a load off by plunking our weary bones onto the hard seat for the short row back to Begonia.

The next day, we decided to take a break from hiking and just swim around a bit instead. That's how it starts. Maryanne says something like, "Let's go see if there is any coral over by those rocks."

Once we're there, of course, the next set of rocks/coral isn't too much further, and so on. By the time we both finally agree that we've had enough and are ready to make our way home, we are a couple of miles away, have probably swum around a headland or two and are not even within sight of the boat.

On this particular swim, we saw pretty much the same marine life that is typical around here. There was one spot where there was an above average concentration of the pretty purple fan corals, which was nice. Also, a lot of the areas below cliffs had some really interesting topography with canyons, caves and giant boulders from rockfalls. The biological find of the day was while we were transiting the grassy, murky, "boring" bit between rocky areas. I spotted a cowrie shell, which is somewhat unusual. As I was admiring it, I spotted an eel under the adjacent small coral head. They are pretty unusual as well. After getting Maryanne's attention to come have a look, I noticed the eel I had seen wasn't an eel at all, but one arm of an octopus that was trying hard to look like half eel/half chunk of coral.

Snorkelling in the adjacent bays and points provided plenty to explore and enjoy

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Anchorage location >> On google maps

Salt Pond Bay (USVI)

[Kyle]Our next stop in St John (USVI) was just around the corner from in Salt Pond Bay, within Virgin Islands National Park. Anchoring is not permitted within the park and we were hoping to be lucky enough to get one of the two moorings. Fortunately for us, it was not a weekend. That and the swell kicked up by the previous night's high winds seemed to clear the place out for us.

Sunshine and beautiful coastline - for the short hop to our next stop: Salt Pond Bay

I had intended to make the long, four-mile voyage to Salt Pond Bay our "one thing" for the day.

It didn't work out that way. A quick check of our mooring turned into a three-hour snorkel, which was much better than the last place, plus a walk on the short beach. The beach walk convinced us to go home to get the dinghy, so that we could return with a dry set of clothes and some drinking water for hiking. Once we had done that, we were now free to let our feet take us along every trail they could find. The walk to Ram Head was particularly worth it. It took the form of a hot slog that culminated in amazing views in all directions that were fronted by mountainsides covered in photogenic Turk's Head Cacti.

Hiking to Ram Head and surrounds - LOTS of Turk's head cactus to add to the views

When we got back to Begonia, we realized we should have done the swim last so that we could cool off from the hikes. Then we realized we could do the swim first and last.

Snorkelling in the area

Whew, what a day. We were just getting ready to turn in when we thought we heard someone calling out. Worried that one of the snorkelers from the beach had gone out too far, we went outside to be greeted instead by park volunteers in a Torqeedo-powered (electric) dinghy.

They welcomed us and were very friendly. They took our info and then explained the rules: No loud music after 10pm, No fishing from the boat, and No underwater floodlights. I, of course, heard that last one as, "No stupid, 'Hey everyone, look at me! Look! Look! Looooook!' underwater floodlights". I burst out laughing so hard I almost fell down and broke a rib.

"I think we've got you covered." Look at us, we're finally model citizens!

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Mooring location >> On google maps