Trip report, USVI Dream Yacht Charter

[BrianInBoston]

Just wanted to make the St John/St Thomas recommendation to anyone stateside needing to get distant on the water. We are just back from a week on a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 449 mostly on the north and south coasts of St John. The entry requirements were simple, we just needed a test within 5 days before arrival, and they accepted a rapid antigen I got in 1 hour for $139 in MA. Those get uploaded to a website, you answer some questions and then get met at the airport with a temperature check. The next biggest change we saw was no more free rum samples in the terminal, now its a little sack of sanitizer, yay.

Dream partnered with another company at Compass Point Marina on the way to Red Hook. The base has few amenities but is brimming with boats now brought over from the SVI and BVI. There is a little bar open a few hours a day, but most important is a full grocery/liquor store best reached by dinghy at the north end of the marina across the road.

Its only 8 miles sail to Maho Bay in St John once you navigate the skinny and narrow but well marked channel out past the fuel dock and marina. Forget about anchoring, the majority of the St John waters are part of the park and require NPS moorings for $26 a night. No Dockwa, just old school money slots on little rafts you stuff an envelope into.

The snorkeling was excellent, lots of school fish in 5 feet of clear water with no current. If I had first time guests, this would have been preferable to the BVI. Of course, it's a different vibe in a national park, fewer beach bars and restaurants. But easy hiking and dark skies at night for stars.

Cruz Bay is reachable by taxi for about $9 if you need an outdoor restaurant or shopping, but from no further east than Maho Beach. There were taxis lined up there, but only until the little beach bar closes at 4:30. We found out the hard way there are no longer taxis lingering at the Annandale ruins, the nearest road you can walk to from the shore at Waterlemon Cay.

Near Waterlemon is the closest you get the BVI border, we motored way off to the USVI side to avoid any drama with the Brits, sad to strike Soggy Dollar off the itinerary this year.

Technically you don't need a test to fly back, nor do you need a passport since it's a US territory. But my state does require a test no more than three days before travel to avoid quarantine. I had a saliva self test that I FedEx'd overnight express from the St Thomas airport, but that totally didn't work. US Customs in Memphis sat on it for paperwork issues for days and the sample expired out. Maybe there's a St John testing option, not sure.

But it was a great destination under these circumstances, easily reached by non-stop flights and not crowded.

[John Saylor]

Brian - Thanks for the trip report - very helpful. I will be chartering the same boat from Dream the first week in February. I didn’t realize there was a ‘Rona test prior to arrival (but I probably would have figured that out ;-) Appreciate the tips.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by BrianInBoston

.......The next biggest change we saw was no more free rum samples in the terminal, now its a little sack of sanitizer, yay.

....

Sounds like you guys had fun.
How do you tell the difference between the hand sanitizer and the local rum?

[GreenWave]

Nice report. Help me understand what state wants its own resident to "quarantine" upon return to home? Isn't that what you are technically doing when to go back home? I mean I see you are from Boston. My daughter recently returned to Boston and didn't have that requirement.

[ShinyHappy]

I honeymooned in St. John. Cruz Bay is where I first caught the sailing bug. Ferrying through the mooring field, the captain explaining how people can live on their boat and dinghy back and forth. I remember thinking, "I want to do that." Pussers Rum used to have a pub there where you could drink rum drinks and look out over the bay.

Sorry for the reminiscing.

Now a few decades older and the money to make it possible I want to do just that. Thanks for the report.

[BrianInBoston]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

Nice report. Help me understand what state wants its own resident to "quarantine" upon return to home? Isn't that what you are technically doing when to go back home? I mean I see you are from Boston. My daughter recently returned to Boston and didn't have that requirement.

Massachusetts has a COVID Travel Order in effect, if you return from a high risk state (currently all of them except Hawaii), or anywhere out of the country, you would have to quarantine at home for 10 days, unless or until you have a negative PCR test result taken no more than 3 days prior to returning. I had purchased a saliva self-test that I FedExed in to a lab from St Thomas three days before returning, but it got hung up in Customs apparently, and the sample was no longer viable for testing. I came home and tested locally the next morning and got the result back the next day, so it just cost me a sick day at work. Breaking quarantine is allowed for the purpose of getting tested. I have since heard there is a self test coming on the market soon that doesn't require a lab to process, which will greatly simplify traveling.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by BrianInBoston

Massachusetts has a COVID Travel Order in effect, if you return from a high risk state (currently all of them except Hawaii), or anywhere out of the country, you would have to quarantine at home for 10 days, unless or until you have a negative PCR test result taken no more than 3 days prior to returning. I had purchased a saliva self-test that I FedExed in to a lab from St Thomas three days before returning, but it got hung up in Customs apparently, and the sample was no longer viable for testing. I came home and tested locally the next morning and got the result back the next day, so it just cost me a sick day at work. Breaking quarantine is allowed for the purpose of getting tested. I have since heard there is a self test coming on the market soon that doesn't require a lab to process, which will greatly simplify traveling.

OK gotcha. I overlooked the fact that my daughter is working from home and that is effectively her quarantine.

[dragon_coma]

Would you say there’s a good bit to see and do restricted to the USVI for a 14-day charter, and important to note with two kids 6 & 8? We were planning the BVI but it’s crazy now since you need 1st test before arrival, 2nd at arrival, 3rd 4 days later, then a 4th test to return to US. That’s 4 COVID tests in 15 days... so USVI is a much simpler choice.

[BrianInBoston]

Responding to Dragon_Coma, 14 days in the USVI would require a crew that likes to do things ashore in my opinion. The sailing distances aren't very far once you redline everything on the BVI side of the border like the caves at Norman and Jost Van Dyke. You'd have to build in some off days for hiking and exploring. St John is a national park and is crisscrossed with trails over the hills to the other side of the island. The trail out of Saltpond Bay to the rugged windward side of the island is refreshing. There are ruins of sugar plantations to poke around at Cinnamon Bay and Leinster Bay. Parts of this island are arid and feel like Arizona with various cacti. But there are also dense and lush forests recovering from the last hurricane. Get a good trail map before you go.

I never made it to the north side of St Thomas so there may be sights there.

Based on your experience level and sailing resume, Dream does sometimes allow USVI boats to sail over to Culebra and Vieques, though these places may not be very open yet. Puerto Rico remains off limits. This would get you some solid sail time, that 20+ nm beat back right into the Trades. You could ask about St Croix as well, I wasn't there long enough to make that side trip.

Attached picture is of the Cinnamon Bay ruins, they have good signage explaining how the sugar was processed.

[John Saylor]

I would echo what Brian in Boston had to say. I was there with my 19 year old son (a get away before he decides he doesn’t want to hang out with the old man) for a one week charter from 1/30 - 2/6. We left compass point on a Dream charter Jeanneau 449 and circled around the south side of St Thomas to Water Island due to the gnarly north swell when we departed. Then came back the same way and explored the various bays on the northwest of St John: Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho, etc. All gorgeous and highly recommended. Afterward we hugged the north shore of St John around clockwise to Coral Bay. Spent a night there then back to Red Hook / Compass Pt. To answer your question. . .it depends on your appetite for sailing v. On shore activities. There is great snorkeling in St. John and awesome beaches, great hikes, but the island is only so big.

St Thomas (Charlotte Amalie) is usually overrun with tourists from large cruise ships and so a notable difference is NO cruise ships due to COVID and that is obviously hitting the economy hard. A by product is being able to explore Charlotte Amalie with very little foot traffic and chaos. The town has a very interesting history.

If you can get to Vieques, that would be a good option or St Croix was permitted by the charter co, but not viable given our time horizon (one week). If the group wants to hang out on boat and beaches there is plenty, and cool day trips mentioned by Brian. Not too many kid boats FWIW.