The Much Anticipated Trip Report Octology, Part Five
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 1:38 pm
Trip Report - Day 5
Raindrops are falling on my head, and face, and down my back and...
Executive Summary
I think we're up to Thursday. After much debate leading up to the trip we decided to charter a power boat for a day and visit Jost. We decided on Captain Truman at VI Flyaway Charters (www.viflyawaycharters.com) and made arrangements to meet him at the National Park dock at 8:30AM. This meant an early morning for the girls, but they dealt with it
. Our first stop was Great harbor on Jost to get through customs before the rush. Capt. Truman took our passports and customs forms and took care of that part while we wandered around Great Harbor. We found Christine's bakery down the road from the dock and had a piece of lemon cake and a donut for breakfast, them we walked up and down the beach looking at the various bars and restaurants. We spent some time at Foxy's store, but the main part of Foxy's wasn't open yet. I did have a chance to meet Foxy and talk with him for a few minutes. He is spending a lot of time lobster fishing and apparently has been doing quite well with that. After about an hour we took off and headed for Sandy Spit. Capt. Truman pulled in close to shore and we all swan to the beach and walked around the island and just enjoyed the sun and the quiet. We left Sandy Spit at about 11:00 and headed to Faxy's Taboo. We docked and went into Taboo and met Foxy's daughter (I don't remember her name), ordered lunch and then headed off to the Bubbly Pool. It took about 15 minutes to walk there and we spent about an hour in the waves. We had arranged with Capt. Truman that he would watch for us on the way back and have the cooks at Taboo start working on our food. It worked perfectly. We arrived at Taboo just as our lunch was being placed on the table. We had a great lunch and sat an enjoyed the view for a while. From there we went back towards STJ and New Found Bay on the east end. We cruised the bay for a while looking for turtles and saw a few. Then we moved to the reef just outside of the bay and snorkeled for about an hour. Out plan was to head back to Jost and White Bay to finish the day there but as we were leaving New Found Bay we hit a torrential rain storm. Capt. Truman tried to find a way around it but we couldn't find the end of the rain. We eventually gave up on White bay and went slowly in the downpour back to Cruz Bay, where the sun was shining brightly 
. We were completely soaked so we went back to the villa to clean up and then we went into town to look around at the shops (again) and had a great dinner at Margarita Phil's.
The details for the non-executive
When we were planning our trip we talked about taking a day trip to either Jost or Tortola or Virgin Gorda. We finally decided the week before we left to go to Jost and save VG for another time. We looked at renting a boat from Ocean Runner and doing our own thing, or renting from Ocean Runner with a Captain, or just chartering a boat. We decided that we wanted a captain for our first time out and the price between Ocean Runner with a Captain and a charter was within $20, so we went with VI Flyaway Charters out of Coral Bay. Captains Truman and George have 26' Glacier Bay power cats with twin sea drives. The boats are only about four years old and are immaculate. I talked to Captain Truman's wife and arranged for him to pick us up at the National park dock in Cruz Bay since we had to come back into CB for customs at the end anyway. We met Captain Truman at 8:30 and he was right on time. We discussed a plan for the day that would take us to Great Harbor for customs and a stroll around the area, followed by a visit to Sandy Spit, then Foxy's Taboo and a walk to the Bubbly Pool. After that we were going to hit a snorkeling spot to be determined and then head to White Bay to close out the afternoon.
We pulled into Great Harbor at about 9:15 and Capt. Truman headed off to take care of customs for us while we walked around.
The girls headed down the beach while Amy and I followed a sign towards Christine's Bakery.
The smell of fresh baked goods was heavenly so we ordered a piece of lemon cake and a donut. We sat on the deck and enjoyed our breakfast. After that we walked the beach looking at the various bars and restaurants. We saw a beach dog playing with what looked like an old volleyball. When i went to throw it for him it turned out to be a green coconut! Smart dog. He has a never ending supply of toys!
We ended up at Foxy's to look around. The bar and restaurant part wasn't open but Foxy was walking around. I talked with him for a few minutes. He said that he was doing a lot of lobster fishing and has been bringing in 200-300 pounds of lobster almost every time he goes out. After that we looked around the shop and bought a couple of Foxy's can koozies and then headed down the beach towards the dock.We met the girls and Capt. Truman at the boat and headed out towards Sandy Spit.
We had heard that Sandy Spit was used in some Corona beer commercials so we wanted to see it. Now that we're back and can look online at the Corona site I'm not so sure that this is true, but it was still a cool place to visit. Capt. Truman anchored the boat close to shore and we swam in to the beach. There were a few other people doing the same thing, but the beach was beautiful and peaceful. We walked all around the island enjoying the view. We spent about an hour there just soaking in the sun and scenery before swimming back to the boat.
Once on the boat Capt. Truman told us that with the north swells coming in the Bubbly Pool should be lots of fun so we headed that way. We pulled into the harbor at Foxy's Taboo and tied up the boat. We walked up to Taboo to look at the menu and order lunch.
Once we had picked out lunch Capt. Truman showed us the path to the Bubbly Pool. It is about a fifteen minute walk from Taboo. Most of the walk is on flat ground but there is a small headland that you have to climb over. The path is well worn and there is only one area where you have to climb over rocks. It was an easy walk. About half way we could hear the waves pounding into the rocks outside of the Bubbly Pool. Pretty soon we came out of the trees and were rewarded with a view of the pool.
We stood in the water, feeling the power of the waves as they rushed in, and the girls did some rock climbing to different spots around the pool. There were quite a few people there but it was not crowded. We met a family from the Chicago area as well as severl families from the east coast. We spent about an hour there just enjoying nature's show.
We took our time on the way back, looking at the cacti and enjoying the day. Capt. Truman was going to watch for us to come over the top of the hill and then place our lunch order. The timing worked out perfectly and lunch was on the table when we arrived at Taboo. I ordered a grilled fish sandwich which was two pieces of perfectly grilled Mahi Mahi on a fresh roll. It came with slaw and pita chips. Amy had a grilled chicken skewer that was loaded with grilled chicken, pineapple and veggies and was served on a bed of rice and both girls had a cheeseburger that came with pita chips and mango chutney. Capt. Truman ordered a pepperoni pizza that we all ended up sharing. Amy and the girls loved their lunch and the pizza was very good. After lunch we sat and talked for a while. Capt. Truman's partner George was also there so they talked about place to snorkel. We decided to go to New Found Bay on St. John. Capt. Truman told us that there were turtle there and some great snorkeling. When we got there we cruised around the bay looking for turtles. We saw several heads poking above the surface but never got close enough to see the whole turtle. We gave up and pulled out to the reef just outside of the bay on the west side and got into the water. Somewhere between Taboo and New Found Bay the sun had disappeared (pretty typical for us. When we were at the beach or snorkeling I don't think we ever had sun). The snorkeling around the reef and the point was fantastic. The water was very clear and there were large varieties of fish. I follow a large school of what I thought were Blue Tangs, but when I took at look at my fish ID card I think they were actually Surgeon Fish. The body shape wasn't right for Blue Tangs.
We snorkeled for about an hour just enjoying the fish and coral. I looked up once and saw a area of rain off otwards Tortola and I asked Capt. Truman if it was heading our way and he said that it looked like it would pass. I snorkeled around for a little bit more. The girls were all back on the boat so I decided that I should go back, too. I would spend the whole day in the water if I had the chance. Once we were in the boat we headed back west with the goal of going to White Bay. After about 5 minutes we were hit with strong winds and torrential rain. It was raining so hard that it actually felt like sleet hitting our face. Capt. Truman decided to pull into Leinster to wait it out. We pulled into the bay near Waterlemon and floated around in the rain. There were a few people on the beach and four donkeys wandering around. The rain made for some beautiful scenery.
After about fifteen minutes the rain showed no signs of letting up so we took off again. We made it to Peter Bay and pulled in again to get out of the wind and to see if the rain would pass. It didn't. We cruised around the bay for a bit and Capt. Truman pointed out one of Kenny Chesney's houses. Nice little place on the hillside. Once again we gave up on the rain letting up and decided to just head back to Cruz Bay. We fought the wind, waves and rain all the way around to CB. just outside of the harbor we saw a Coast Guard helicopter circling around. They came in low over us and a family in a dinghy that were riding behind us and then flew off again. Later we heard that they had a report of a boat breaking up in the sound, but they never found anything.
When we pulled into the harbor at Cruz Bay it was bright and sunny and it hadn't rained there at all! We went to the Customs office and we were all so wet that we were leaving puddles on the floor as we checked back in. The custom's officers couldn't believe that we were wet from rain since it was so nice in CB. After customs we payed Captain Truman and went back to the villa to clean up.
After cleaning up and drying off we went back into town and parked near Mongoose. The girls headed off to Wharfside to pick up some souvenirs for their friends while Amy and I looked at a couple of shops at Mongoose and then went to Wharfside and the Pink Papaya to finally buy some of the things that Amy had marked for future consideration. She bought a ceramic dish that was made on St. Croix by a lady who uses natural elements to create her designs. The design that Amy liked was a sea fan impression in the ceramic. She also bought a Hook Bracelet and some little coaster for stemmed glasses that looked like flip flops (there were form the Pink Papaya, Flip Flop ). We had made 7:00 reservations at Margarita Phil's so we walked back there to meet the girls. We had a great dinner at Phil's. I had the daily special which was two shredded beef tamales and an Alaskan king crab taco. The tamales were the best I've had outside of Mexico and the king crab taco was unbelievably good. Amy had a steak burrito that she said was the best that she has ever had and the girls enjoyed their chicken quesadillas. We also had some conch fritters for an appetizer and everyone tried a piece. Remarkable for three non-seafood eaters! After dinner we all were tired so we went back to the villa to relax and go to bed.
Tomorrow: Ruth! (and Coral bay and the east end)
[url=http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/ ... ?start=all]Complete STJ Photo Album[/url
Raindrops are falling on my head, and face, and down my back and...
Executive Summary
I think we're up to Thursday. After much debate leading up to the trip we decided to charter a power boat for a day and visit Jost. We decided on Captain Truman at VI Flyaway Charters (www.viflyawaycharters.com) and made arrangements to meet him at the National Park dock at 8:30AM. This meant an early morning for the girls, but they dealt with it
. Our first stop was Great harbor on Jost to get through customs before the rush. Capt. Truman took our passports and customs forms and took care of that part while we wandered around Great Harbor. We found Christine's bakery down the road from the dock and had a piece of lemon cake and a donut for breakfast, them we walked up and down the beach looking at the various bars and restaurants. We spent some time at Foxy's store, but the main part of Foxy's wasn't open yet. I did have a chance to meet Foxy and talk with him for a few minutes. He is spending a lot of time lobster fishing and apparently has been doing quite well with that. After about an hour we took off and headed for Sandy Spit. Capt. Truman pulled in close to shore and we all swan to the beach and walked around the island and just enjoyed the sun and the quiet. We left Sandy Spit at about 11:00 and headed to Faxy's Taboo. We docked and went into Taboo and met Foxy's daughter (I don't remember her name), ordered lunch and then headed off to the Bubbly Pool. It took about 15 minutes to walk there and we spent about an hour in the waves. We had arranged with Capt. Truman that he would watch for us on the way back and have the cooks at Taboo start working on our food. It worked perfectly. We arrived at Taboo just as our lunch was being placed on the table. We had a great lunch and sat an enjoyed the view for a while. From there we went back towards STJ and New Found Bay on the east end. We cruised the bay for a while looking for turtles and saw a few. Then we moved to the reef just outside of the bay and snorkeled for about an hour. Out plan was to head back to Jost and White Bay to finish the day there but as we were leaving New Found Bay we hit a torrential rain storm. Capt. Truman tried to find a way around it but we couldn't find the end of the rain. We eventually gave up on White bay and went slowly in the downpour back to Cruz Bay, where the sun was shining brightly . We were completely soaked so we went back to the villa to clean up and then we went into town to look around at the shops (again) and had a great dinner at Margarita Phil's.The details for the non-executive
When we were planning our trip we talked about taking a day trip to either Jost or Tortola or Virgin Gorda. We finally decided the week before we left to go to Jost and save VG for another time. We looked at renting a boat from Ocean Runner and doing our own thing, or renting from Ocean Runner with a Captain, or just chartering a boat. We decided that we wanted a captain for our first time out and the price between Ocean Runner with a Captain and a charter was within $20, so we went with VI Flyaway Charters out of Coral Bay. Captains Truman and George have 26' Glacier Bay power cats with twin sea drives. The boats are only about four years old and are immaculate. I talked to Captain Truman's wife and arranged for him to pick us up at the National park dock in Cruz Bay since we had to come back into CB for customs at the end anyway. We met Captain Truman at 8:30 and he was right on time. We discussed a plan for the day that would take us to Great Harbor for customs and a stroll around the area, followed by a visit to Sandy Spit, then Foxy's Taboo and a walk to the Bubbly Pool. After that we were going to hit a snorkeling spot to be determined and then head to White Bay to close out the afternoon.
We pulled into Great Harbor at about 9:15 and Capt. Truman headed off to take care of customs for us while we walked around.
The girls headed down the beach while Amy and I followed a sign towards Christine's Bakery.
The smell of fresh baked goods was heavenly so we ordered a piece of lemon cake and a donut. We sat on the deck and enjoyed our breakfast. After that we walked the beach looking at the various bars and restaurants. We saw a beach dog playing with what looked like an old volleyball. When i went to throw it for him it turned out to be a green coconut! Smart dog. He has a never ending supply of toys!
We ended up at Foxy's to look around. The bar and restaurant part wasn't open but Foxy was walking around. I talked with him for a few minutes. He said that he was doing a lot of lobster fishing and has been bringing in 200-300 pounds of lobster almost every time he goes out. After that we looked around the shop and bought a couple of Foxy's can koozies and then headed down the beach towards the dock.We met the girls and Capt. Truman at the boat and headed out towards Sandy Spit.
We had heard that Sandy Spit was used in some Corona beer commercials so we wanted to see it. Now that we're back and can look online at the Corona site I'm not so sure that this is true, but it was still a cool place to visit. Capt. Truman anchored the boat close to shore and we swam in to the beach. There were a few other people doing the same thing, but the beach was beautiful and peaceful. We walked all around the island enjoying the view. We spent about an hour there just soaking in the sun and scenery before swimming back to the boat.
Once on the boat Capt. Truman told us that with the north swells coming in the Bubbly Pool should be lots of fun so we headed that way. We pulled into the harbor at Foxy's Taboo and tied up the boat. We walked up to Taboo to look at the menu and order lunch.
Once we had picked out lunch Capt. Truman showed us the path to the Bubbly Pool. It is about a fifteen minute walk from Taboo. Most of the walk is on flat ground but there is a small headland that you have to climb over. The path is well worn and there is only one area where you have to climb over rocks. It was an easy walk. About half way we could hear the waves pounding into the rocks outside of the Bubbly Pool. Pretty soon we came out of the trees and were rewarded with a view of the pool.
We stood in the water, feeling the power of the waves as they rushed in, and the girls did some rock climbing to different spots around the pool. There were quite a few people there but it was not crowded. We met a family from the Chicago area as well as severl families from the east coast. We spent about an hour there just enjoying nature's show.
We took our time on the way back, looking at the cacti and enjoying the day. Capt. Truman was going to watch for us to come over the top of the hill and then place our lunch order. The timing worked out perfectly and lunch was on the table when we arrived at Taboo. I ordered a grilled fish sandwich which was two pieces of perfectly grilled Mahi Mahi on a fresh roll. It came with slaw and pita chips. Amy had a grilled chicken skewer that was loaded with grilled chicken, pineapple and veggies and was served on a bed of rice and both girls had a cheeseburger that came with pita chips and mango chutney. Capt. Truman ordered a pepperoni pizza that we all ended up sharing. Amy and the girls loved their lunch and the pizza was very good. After lunch we sat and talked for a while. Capt. Truman's partner George was also there so they talked about place to snorkel. We decided to go to New Found Bay on St. John. Capt. Truman told us that there were turtle there and some great snorkeling. When we got there we cruised around the bay looking for turtles. We saw several heads poking above the surface but never got close enough to see the whole turtle. We gave up and pulled out to the reef just outside of the bay on the west side and got into the water. Somewhere between Taboo and New Found Bay the sun had disappeared (pretty typical for us. When we were at the beach or snorkeling I don't think we ever had sun). The snorkeling around the reef and the point was fantastic. The water was very clear and there were large varieties of fish. I follow a large school of what I thought were Blue Tangs, but when I took at look at my fish ID card I think they were actually Surgeon Fish. The body shape wasn't right for Blue Tangs.
We snorkeled for about an hour just enjoying the fish and coral. I looked up once and saw a area of rain off otwards Tortola and I asked Capt. Truman if it was heading our way and he said that it looked like it would pass. I snorkeled around for a little bit more. The girls were all back on the boat so I decided that I should go back, too. I would spend the whole day in the water if I had the chance
. Once we were in the boat we headed back west with the goal of going to White Bay. After about 5 minutes we were hit with strong winds and torrential rain. It was raining so hard that it actually felt like sleet hitting our face. Capt. Truman decided to pull into Leinster to wait it out. We pulled into the bay near Waterlemon and floated around in the rain. There were a few people on the beach and four donkeys wandering around. The rain made for some beautiful scenery.After about fifteen minutes the rain showed no signs of letting up so we took off again. We made it to Peter Bay and pulled in again to get out of the wind and to see if the rain would pass. It didn't. We cruised around the bay for a bit and Capt. Truman pointed out one of Kenny Chesney's houses. Nice little place on the hillside
. Once again we gave up on the rain letting up and decided to just head back to Cruz Bay. We fought the wind, waves and rain all the way around to CB. just outside of the harbor we saw a Coast Guard helicopter circling around. They came in low over us and a family in a dinghy that were riding behind us and then flew off again. Later we heard that they had a report of a boat breaking up in the sound, but they never found anything.When we pulled into the harbor at Cruz Bay it was bright and sunny and it hadn't rained there at all! We went to the Customs office and we were all so wet that we were leaving puddles on the floor as we checked back in. The custom's officers couldn't believe that we were wet from rain since it was so nice in CB. After customs we payed Captain Truman and went back to the villa to clean up.
After cleaning up and drying off we went back into town and parked near Mongoose. The girls headed off to Wharfside to pick up some souvenirs for their friends while Amy and I looked at a couple of shops at Mongoose and then went to Wharfside and the Pink Papaya to finally buy some of the things that Amy had marked for future consideration. She bought a ceramic dish that was made on St. Croix by a lady who uses natural elements to create her designs. The design that Amy liked was a sea fan impression in the ceramic. She also bought a Hook Bracelet and some little coaster for stemmed glasses that looked like flip flops (there were form the Pink Papaya, Flip Flop
). We had made 7:00 reservations at Margarita Phil's so we walked back there to meet the girls. We had a great dinner at Phil's. I had the daily special which was two shredded beef tamales and an Alaskan king crab taco. The tamales were the best I've had outside of Mexico and the king crab taco was unbelievably good. Amy had a steak burrito that she said was the best that she has ever had and the girls enjoyed their chicken quesadillas. We also had some conch fritters for an appetizer and everyone tried a piece. Remarkable for three non-seafood eaters! After dinner we all were tired so we went back to the villa to relax and go to bed.Tomorrow: Ruth! (and Coral bay and the east end)
[url=http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/ ... ?start=all]Complete STJ Photo Album[/url
. As I look at the picture of the school of fish above, I also see some Blue Tangs in there ( Lower left, there is a fish there with a definite yellow spot at the base of the tail instead of a stripe) so maybe there are Blue Tangs and Surgeonfish in that school. Either way, they were pretty