Hello all
Well we just got back from our summer trip and finally made it to Culebra.
We did the more conventional
route and did the whole customs/immigration dance:
Checked into Tortola on saturday, provisioned the boat and,
Checked out of the BVI on Sunday
Checked into St John on Sunday
Be aware that if you take the boat into the
dock to check in you will be charged a "docking fee" of basically one dollar per foot. Even if you are there for less than 30 minutes. You are much better off if you can find a spot to
anchor (not always easy) and take the dinghy in. (you will still get charged the same fee, but as my dinghy is 10 feet long I would have been much better off)
After a couple of days off of St. Thomas, we headed down to Culebra
Checked into Culebra
Did most of the "paperwork" over the phone with a very nice lady in Puerto Rico, but since we had not purchased the appropriated decal, we had to walk to the airport to
purchase the decal (27 bucks and 50 cents,- needed exact change) The customs agent at the airport could not have been nicer, and it was a good experience as it goes
Culebra was great. People are very friendly, and
anchorages were absolutely empty. If you do rent a golf cart/jeep I highly recommend Jerry's jeep rental over Carlos'. Much friendlier
After three nights in Culebra we headed back to the USVI. The South Coast of St. John is an absolute gem! Two more nights of seeing no one in the
anchorages (Great Lameshur,-beautiful above and below the
water, and
Hurricane Hole). Spent one more night in St John (ended up in Leinster Bay) and then had to
Check into BVI
did so at Great Harbor (Jost), and was happy to once again be greeted by friendly officials. Spent one night in BVI, just to
Check out of the BVI,
and then
Check into USVI (via
ferry. Only to be greeted by fairly surly customs officials)
I don't know how much I spent in both time and
money with all the
fees of checking in and out of islands that are all within visual distance. I don't want to know. I do know that it was worth it. If you are limited to time in the area of the VI, this was one itinerary that at least 80 percent of the time, I was the only boat in the bay, and it was beautiful
db