TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums US VI and Puerto Rico Water Island

I am looking for some advice on our upcoming trip. We have done multiple BVI trips with time in the USVI mostly around St John - which we love. We wanted to hit some new spots. We are on for 10 days. This is our rough itineary. I am looking for specific input if I should add Water Island and if we should do 1 or two nights in St Croix?

Saturday 19th - Overnight @ Harbor
Sunday 20th - Salt Pond or St. Croix
Monday 21st - St Croix Green Cay Marina
Tuesday 22nd - St Croix, Buck Island or Salt Pond
Wednesday 23rd - Hurricane Hole / Coral Bay, Majo Bay, Francis Bay
Thursday 24th - Waterlemon Cay / Leinster Bay
Friday 25th - Waterlemon Cay / Leinster Bay
Saturday 26th - Lavango - Dinner Reserved Mooring Ball
Sunday 27th - Caneel Bay, Sushi @ Lavango for lunch
Monday 28th - Christmas Cove, Caneel, or Lavango
Tuesday 29th - Travel Home

Love your input on Water Island? Buck Island? Is St. Croix worth the trip? I have read many of the TTOL trips - thank you everyone for sharing your experience.

If you like sailing, the sail to St Croix (and back) is about as good as it gets - about 32nm easy reach both ways. I would go even if the only thing on ST Croix was a bum on a beach selling warm beer and stale Fritos.

YES!

If you get a good weather window to make the trip, I would consider doing 2 nights at St Croix. Rent a car on the 2nd day and take a clockwise tour of the island. Note that if winds get to 18+ kts it wil be lively and bouncy sailing with 7+ foot seas, though the roughest is usually the first hour until you pass the south drop and get into more organized seas. Also consider how many days of strong winds there have been before departure as it takes a few days for the seas to moderate even if the wind has dropped.

Instead of 2 nights at Leinster, you might consider a 2 hr sail to Magens Bay on the 25th. Spend the afternoon and the next morning there, then return to Lovango on the 26th in the afternoon.

Salt Pond or Lameshur on the 20th is good to get your crew adjusted before jumping off for STX. Next day leave at dawn and you should get to Buck Island by 11 am. (Does your boat have the anchoring permit?) Spend the day, then leave for the marina or a Christiansted anchorage by 4 pm. Spend next day touring. On the return to STJ, depending on wind angle and drift you may find it difficult to make Ram Head in one tack so will likely be more comfortable to try to make Lameshur or even Christmas Cove, and then decide if you want to continue to north shore anchorages that day.

Absolutely! But pretty lumpy when the sea forecast is more than 3 to 5ft. I'd do it anyway but my crew would have to be doped up. Only done the trip twice but both times the trip back north was smoother and nicer than the trip south.