Sailing Terrapin

We had checked out of the BVI on Wednesday afternoon and on Thursday morning, we dropped our mooring ball and headed over to the fuel dock at Soper's Hole for fuel and water. From there, it was the long passage (7 miles) to Caneel Bay in St John. Kala thought we might be headed for the Chesapeake and went down below prepared for the worst…she came back up an hour later not believing we had actually arrived.

Checking back into the US was extremely easy - easier than most airports. It only took about 10 minutes and we went back to the boat, picked up Kala and did a little afternoon shopping to find a deck shade for her, or at least something that will work to allow a breeze to flow around her but cover her from the sun while she is on deck.

We also stopped by the NPS office to ask them how they would prefer we logistically get Kala to shore. She is allowed on all of the trails on St John but not on the beaches. So….if you are arriving by dinghy, what do they suggest? Basically, the NPS said, she's not allowed on the beaches…so just do it quickly and don't get caught and that's what we did.

She was tired after the walk, so Baxter and I decided to go for an afternoon snorkel. There was a huge Hawksbill turtle that we had seen in the area so we were hoping he would come play. No such luck…he must be shy. We did see lots of Sergeant Majors and after my experience at Thunderball Grotto, Baxter had to remind me they weren't piranhas and if they did bite, I would probably live.

We considered going to Caneel Bay Resort or one of the others around for a fruity drink with an umbrella…instead we decided that the best bar was the big white one with a blue stripe and gold lettering that said "T-E-R-R-A-P-I-N". The drink was tasty, the crowd wasn't too rowdy and the music was just to our liking!