We spent about two weeks exploring the US Virgin Islands in December of 2022 on our 1997 41′ Beneteau CC. In that time, we visited St. Thomas, Great St. James, and St. John. Below is a review of our favorite anchorages that we hope will be useful for you as you plan your trip or charter to these lovely islands.
It is important to note that St. John is a national park. Because of the many protected areas, you are mostly required to pick up a mooring ball instead of anchoring. To pay for the mooring balls, the system in place at the time we visited was to take your dinghy to the little floating wooden docks in the mooring field. You are supposed to write your boat’s name on an envelope and stick $26 in cash inside, and then leave that envelope on the dock. I’m sure I am not the first one to say this but the NPS really needs to modernize this payment system. Most of the boxes were overfilled with envelopes, suggesting that someone was not collecting or checking often to see if people have paid. We never once saw someone from the agency stop by the docks or any of the boats. We are all for paying a fee towards protecting national parks, but asking for such an inconvenient amount in cash is ridiculous, and it’s even more ridiculous if it’s not going anywhere. Cash is a valuable resource on board for us, as we are used to paying for everything by card. So, if the NPS ever reads this, please contact me and I’d be happy to provide some ideas about how to fix this bizarre system.
1. Christmas Cove, Great St. James
Christmas Cove is still probably our favorite place we have ever been. It’s a small cove off of Great St. James (some interesting history here), which is a private island. There is nothing to do or any facilities on shore, but it was everything we needed after a miserable trek down from Turks & Caicos. We stayed here for a week on a free (!!!) mooring ball. Some boats would come by and anchor, but there was often at least a few mooring balls available, especially when charter boats would leave in the late morning. There is a restaurant boat in the bay called Pizza Pi which offers takeout and delivery pizzas for cash only. We also spent a lot of time snorkeling around the rocks sticking out from the bay. A few day charters would come in the afternoon, but we found their laughter and music delightful instead of annoying. If you come here and expect to stay for long, make sure you are stocked up and have your water tank full and waste tank empty. How awesome that these moorings are free?!
2. Maho Bay or Francis Bay, St. John
Maho Bay and Francis Bay are so close together on the northwest side of St. John that we figured we could group them together for this post. I lost count of how many turtles I saw when we were moored here. There is a sandy beach that we took the dingy to during the day to relax. Because of the nearby road, there are other beach-goers who are not cruisers, but we did not find it too busy. If you’re looking for some more excitement, there is also a beach bar and other drink/food options on shore. We found this anchorage very calm and beautiful, and the snorkeling was great. We also had great cellular service here, which made it less stressful for us to work.
3. Genti Bay, St. John
We only stopped here for the day, but WOW. This was the only mooring we went to where you could not see any sort of building or facility on shore. All you can hear are birds chirping, and all you can see is the lush greenery of St. John. There are only two mooring balls here and the depth is shallow, so make sure to check the charts ahead of time. I took the paddleboard to the sandy beach for a workout during the day while Roman got out his surfboard and rode the small rolling waves. We saw a few hikers poke out from different places along the two sandy beaches, but we did not stay long enough to check out the trails. We had neither Starlink nor cellular service, and Roman had a video call for work that day so we had to keep moving. We could have stayed here a long time though!
4. Coral Bay, St. John
Unlike the other locations, we anchored here instead of picking up a mooring. With that being said, we were so lucky with the conditions that it was probably the calmest spot we stayed ever. The water was like glass and we slept beautifully without worrying about dragging anchor. We loved this spot because there is a floating bar and taco restaurant called Lime Out which we took the dinghy to. The staff was awesome and friendly and the tacos were likely the best I’ve ever had. We were coming from Southern California, so our claim that these are the best tacos ever should not be taken lightly (I recommend the Surf & Turf and the fresh tuna taco). We met some other cruisers and had a lovely time. There are also some restaurants on shore with live music, but we did not check them out.
5. Waterlemon Cay, St. John
Unlike Maho and Francis Bay, we did not have great service here and there was no sandy beach. However, we still loved this spot and what it had to offer. We took the dinghy into the rocky shore for a nice walk and hike. The snorkeling here was amazing and lively. We even saw a friendly nurse shark!
Other Anchorages
Druif Bay or Honeymoon Beach, Water Island
When we were staying in a marina on St. Thomas, we met someone who had a connection to a mooring ball at Druif Bay. Since we were technically on our honeymoon, we were excited to check out Honeymoon Beach and its beach bar and restaurant. The mooring map we were given was slightly confusing, and we believed the mooring we had planned on taking was occupied by someone else. We grabbed another one and were soon yelled at by another cruiser to Venmo the owner $40, which we promptly did. We went to shore and sat on the beach for sunset. It was definitely an interesting crowd here. There were several boats that did not seem to be very well taken care of. We still enjoyed some food and drinks at the beach bar and then made our way back to the boat. It was so rolly that we were up all night staring at the ceiling and getting tossed around. It was our fault that we did not check the swell direction too closely before coming, but we were ready to go early the next morning.
Red Hook Bay, St. Thomas
We went to Red Hook because I was dying to eat at a sushi restaurant there, which was lovely for dinner. The anchorage was crowded and there were a few shipwrecks, so we were very nervous dropping anchor. We went to shore to explore the island during the day and to stock up at an expensive grocery store. It was pretty lively when we were walking around after dinner, but I can’t say that I felt extremely safe here. There was a lot of traffic in the bay from the ferries and fishing boats that would zoom in and out of the marina at all hours of the night. Our anchor was fine until the morning when we realized we were drifting closer and closer to a boat behind us. We picked up quickly and were happy to get out of there and to St. Thomas.
I’m sure you have recognized a theme from our favorites. We did not love St. Thomas and could not get out of there fast enough. Charlotte Amalie is a popular cruise ship stop, which we have learned signals to cruisers that we should avoid nearby locations if possible. It seemed dirty and unsafe, but there are more grocery stores and boat services. So, it’s a give and take as to what you are looking for.
We loved St. John and could have spent another week or two just sitting at the many different anchorages. As always, it is important to check the swell and wind direction to make sure the spot you are heading to will be protected.
You may have had or will have a different experience at one of these anchorages, but we hope that our thoughts might help you in some way or another during your trip to the USVIs. Feel free to reach out to @apres_sail on Instagram if you have any questions.
