A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles 2.0
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A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles 2.0 Volume I: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS by Frank Virgintino A CRUISING GUIDE TO THE LESSER ANTILLES IN THREE VOLUMES Book I ~ Virgin Islands Book II ~ Leeward Islands Book III ~ Windward Islands A CRUISING GUIDE TO THE LESSER ANTILLES 2.0: Volume I ~ The Virgin Islands. Copyright © July 2012 by Frank Virgintino. All rights reserved. Edition 2.0, November 2015 www.freecruisingguides.com A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles 2.0: Vol. I – The Virgin Islands www.freecruisingguides.com SPONSORS The following vendors have made this guide possible through their support. Please support them. For more information about these vendors, please see Sponsor links below/listed in the Table of Contents. Billy Wray, Surveyor (Trinidad) Caribbean Compass www.caribbeancompass.com Majestic Coatings & Supplies (Trinidad) www.majesticcoatings.com Marina Zar Par (Dominican Republic) www.marinazarpar.com Marine Refrigeration & AirCon Services (Trinidad) Members Only Maxi-Taxi – Jesse James (Trinidad) www.membersonlymaxitaxi.com Noonsite www.noonsite.com OCENS www.ocens.com Orca Green Marine (OGM) (Annapolis) www.orcagreenmarine.com Port Louis Marina (Grenada) www.cnmarinas.com/plm Santa Barbara Plantation Marina (Curacao) www.santabarbaraplantation.com Simpson Bay Medical Clinic (St Martin) www.simpsonbaymedicalclinic.com Tropismes Gallery (St Martin) www.tropismesgallery.com Ullman Sails (Trinidad) www.ullmansailstrinidad.com xi Dedicated to: All the cruising sailors who have a desire to sail far and wide. May this guide provide you with insights that will make your trip through the Virgin Islands, both British and US, an unforgettable experience. Figure 1. LESSER ANTILLES A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles 2.0: Vol. I – The Virgin Islands www.freecruisingguides.com xii TABLE OF CONTENTS SPONSORS ............................................................................................. i Billy Wray, Surveyor - Trinidad ..........................................................................ii Caribbean Compass ...................................................................................................ii Majestic Coatings & Supplies--Trinidad ...................................................... iii Marina Zar Par—Dominican Republic............................................................ iii Marine Refrigeration & Aircon Services --Trinidad ............................. iv Members Only Maxi Taxi--Trinidad ................................................................ iv Noonsite ............................................................................................................................. v Ocens ................................................................................................................................... v Orca Green Marine -- Annapolis ..................................................................... vi Port Louis Marina – Grenada ............................................................................ vi Santa Barbara Plantation Marina -- Curacao ....................................... vii Simpson Bay Medical Clinic – St Martin ................................................. viii Tropismes Gallery – St Martin ........................................................................ viii Ullman Sails--Trinidad ............................................................................................. ix PART I: OVERVIEW OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ....................... 2 A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles 2.0: Vol. I – The Virgin Islands www.freecruisingguides.com xiii ORIENTATION .................................................................................... 3 “THE BEATEN TRACK” ................................................................. 13 CRIME .............................................................................................. 13 CSI (Caribbean Security Index) ............................................................................. 14 HOW TO KNOW THE DETAILS OF CRIME ................................................ 14 OTHER DANGERS .......................................................................... 15 EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT BELOW 30o N .................................. 15 POISONOUS THINGS .............................................................................................. 16 FISH .........................................................................................................16 FRUIT ......................................................................................................17 SPIDERS .......................................................................................................................... 19 DANGERS IN THE SEA ............................................................................................ 19 ILLNESS ............................................................................................................................ 20 CULTURE ............................................................................................ 21 LESSER ANTILLES (Leeward & Windward) .................................... 25 BREAKDOWN OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ................................. 26 LEEWARD ISLANDS OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ........................ 26 US Virgin Islands .......................................................................................................... 27 British Virgin Islands ................................................................................................... 29 Anguilla(UK) .................................................................................................................. 30 Saint Barthelemy (France) ......................................................................................... 33 Saba (Netherlands) ....................................................................................................... 34 Sint Eustatius (Statia) .................................................................................................. 35 Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) ...................................................................................... 36 A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles 2.0: Vol. I – The Virgin Islands www.freecruisingguides.com xiv Nevis .................................................................................................................................. 37 Redonda ............................................................................................................................ 37 Montserrat ....................................................................................................................... 38 Barbuda ............................................................................................................................ 39 Antigua .............................................................................................................................. 40 Guadeloupe & islands (Marie Galante & Iles des Saintes) (French) ......... 41 Dominica ........................................................................................................................ 42 THE WINDWARD ISLANDS OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ............. 43 Saint Lucia ................................................................................................................... 45 Saint Vincent ................................................................................................................... 46 and the Grenadines ....................................................................................................... 47 Barbados .......................................................................................................................... 49 PART II. CRUISING THE VIRGIN ISLANDS ~ ISLAND TO ISLAND, PORT TO PORT .................................................................... 0 CRUISING THE VIRGIN ISLANDS ..................................................... 5 US VIRGIN ISLANDS ........................................................................... 7 MOORINGS ........................................................................................ 9 CLEARANCE (Immigration & Customs) ......................................... 11 ST. THOMAS ...................................................................................... 12 ST. THOMAS HARBOR ................................................................... 12 PACQUEREAU BAY ................................................................................................... 17 LONG BAY ....................................................................................... 18 HASSEL ISLAND ............................................................................. 18 WATER ISLAND ............................................................................... 18 A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles 2.0: Vol. I – The Virgin Islands www.freecruisingguides.com xv CROWN BAY .................................................................................... 19 LINDBERG BAY ............................................................................... 19 BREWER’S BAY ............................................................................... 20 BUCK ISLAND .............................................................................................................. 21 SABA ISLAND ................................................................................................................ 22 SOUTHEAST SIDE OF ST. THOMAS ............................................