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Winter Sailing |
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USVI Typical Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for these cruises, but the actual plan for your cruise will be based on weather expectations and your preferences to the extent that we can fulfill them. On most days, the anchorage moorings fill by 2:00 pm in the afternoon, so early morning departures are necessary to ensure a good day's sail before arriving at the intended anchorage. In many anchorages, moorings must be used and anchoring is not permitted. In general, we'll plan to complete lesson discussions in the afternoons or evenings in order to leave the prime daylight hours for sailing. As with all of our training cruises, students travel and arrive the day before at our home port in the Virgin Islands, Crown Bay Marina, on the Island of St Thomas, and get settled aboard the yacht. We'll then begin cruise planning discussions that evening over a tropical meal at Tickles Dockside Pub.
Second day, we'll have breakfast aboard, review navigation plans and weather forecasts for the day, prepare the yacht for sea, and get underway for basic sail training, man overboard rescue training and other emergency practice drills remaining cognizant of nearby Porpoise Rocks, Flat Cays and Saba Island. After this full day of activity, we'll return to anchorage, relax, snorkel, have dinner aboard, decide on our ports of call for the remainder of the cruise, and prepare detailed navigation for the next day's cruise destination, probably to Great St James Island.
Fourth day, after breakfast, navigation and weather preparations, we'll get underway for our next destination, and pass through Current Cut and into Pillsbury Sound. At this point, we have two options, sailing eastward either north or south of St John Island, and this decision is largely dependent on the weather forecast. If we expect strong northeast winds and large swells from the Atlantic Ocean up north, we'll probably opt to sail on the south side of St John where there are several delightful anchorages including Rendezvous, Salt Pond, Lameshur and Round bays. Conversely, if we expect strong southeast winds we'll probable stay of the north side of St John where we'll find Caneel, Hawksnest, Cinnamon, Maho, Francis and Leinster bays. All of these locations offer beautiful, tropical settings, and several are in the Virgin Islands National Park area of St John chosen for its pristine, natural beauty. Whichever destination we choose for today, we'll find attractive scenery and pleasant snorkeling. Then a dinghy ride to shore for an afternoon and evening of touring, which at some anchorages may include dining out at attractive local restaurants, and a return to the yacht after sunset to bed down for the night. On the fifth day, we'll awake with the roosters and complete breakfast and our morning routines before getting underway to sail further east to windward and our next port of call. We'll experience exhilarating sailing in the persistent tropical breezes, outstanding anchorages, delightful snorkeling, interesting shore visits and tropical restaurants of the first order. We'll also have the option, weather permitting, for those wanting additional sailing destinations, to go downwind west to the Spanish Virgin Islands of Culebra or Vieques. This is a roughly 35 mile downwind sail requiring a 7:00 am departure from the southwest side of St John in order to enter port before noon, which is required to be able to safely pick our way through mostly unmarked channels. But once there, we'll clear Customs and enter into an entirely different tropical world as it was fifty or a hundred years ago. Some of the ports that we might consider include, Ensenada Honda on Culebra; Isla Culebrita, an island that is all park land preserved in its natural state; or Isabel Segunda or Esperanza on Vieques. On the sixth day, we can visit another of our selected ports of call either on St John or the Spanish Virgins, and enjoy another evening ashore. We'll also complete sailing lessons and reviews and any remaining ASA written exams.
Eighth day: Return to Crown Bay if anchored out, top off fuel tanks, pack gear, clean up boat, review exams, critique of entire past week, student departures for home. Schedule and cost for the 2011-2012 Winter Season Why Choose The Maryland School for your Caribbean Training?
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On
the first class day, we'll inspect
the yacht and equipment, review operating and emergency procedures,
prepare a navigation plan for the intended cruise route, review weather
forecasts, inventory onboard supplies, prepare meal menus for the week
and shop for food and drink provisions. After stowage and preparations
for sea, we'll get underway to Brewers Bay or Lindbergh Bay (pictured) on St
Thomas, a few miles west of Crown Bay Marina and near the St Thomas Airport,
where we'll anchor and spend the evening aboard with relaxation,
snorkeling, dinner and a restful sleep aboard.
Third day, after breakfast aboard and
receipt of weather forecasts, we'll get underway, round Water Island
turning east to windward, and sail close hauled to
On the
seventh day, we need to return
to Crown Bay Marina or a nearby anchorage at Brewers Bay, Lindbergh Bay
or Water Island for our last evening out on cruise. The return from any
point of St John is an easy downwind sail. But if returning from the
Spanish Virgins, we'll have a 25 mile beat to windward, which will be an
exciting way to complete our cruise, but this will be a piece of cake
for this now experienced crew of sailors.Web site design by F. Hayden Designs, Inc.