Another boating question

I have been on St Thomas for a while and have never been boating to St Croix. I have also never been by plane :$) ...one day... I do know of sailboat owners who have made the crossing, stayed for several days.

Email me if you like .. I can answer some basic questions.

Pamela
yachtsbypamela@yahoo.com

Hubby and I just bought our dreamboat. A 40 foot center cockpit Beneteau that came from Tortola. We have made the crossing with our boat at 5-6 knots. Takes a good 8 hours. We leave at 6 at night and get into Charlotte Amalie at 2 am. Just recently we left at 2 in the morning and came in about 10 am. either way it is a great weekend trip. PM me for more info on what you need for mooring info. hurricane info.

Dreamer,

I'll check with my captains but we are all in the same size as above. I believe our last trip was six hours ... catamarans with sail aux. Seas can be a little rougher than normal but are doable except for those days you really shouldn't be out in a small craft anyway. I would be a little worried about 25 - 30 feet craft. But then I am a sissy!

Will let you know what I find out from the guys driving the boats.

Pamela

As long as you have a good weather window, flat seas and little wind, a 25-30' boat should be an easy trip.

"flat seas and little wind" -- on the STX -STT run that will be about 20% of the days of the year.

It's a whole different trip in a sailboat than it is in a power boat. stxdreamer is talking about power. A 25-28 ft. sailboat would be a cakewalk on a "normal" day from STX to STT, not quite as good STT to STX, but not bad. In a power boat that size you would need to pick your window more carefully.

What do boaters do during hurricanes and other storms?

they put their boats on the hard, meaning on ground in a cradel

On STX there is only one working boat yard for hauling large boats. You need to call when inclimate weather is approaching and get your name on the list. The travel lift was so overworked during Omar last year it quit just a day before the storm. When it started again the haulouts came in full force until the yard couldn't hold any more boats.

Hauling out for hurricane season is a luxury I've never had been able to afford. We, my team and I, try to monitor an approaching storm on several different channels and subscribe to a couple of weather services. We pay close attention to the direction from which the storm is approaching... anyone remember Wrong Way Lenny? ... to ascertain which of the various hurricane holes would be the best fit. Then we make an educated guess as to storm swell, wind directions and lay out as many anchors as we can get our hands on, remove electronics and put them on land, clear the decks of anything that might break, bend, blow away and then leave. We start to pray and obsess by watching the weather as long as we have power. Then at the break of dawn the next morning we get the dinks out and start going boat to boat to see what happened. Then and only then do we start drinking!

A hopefully unnecessary note to add - DO NOT STAY ON THE BOAT during a storm. A boat is only a very expensive thing and can be replaced. You can not be replaced. Resist the implulse! Resist! Resist! Once that storm starts and you realize that staying on the boat was a very, very bad decision there is almost no safe way to get off. Hurricane Marilyn's deaths in STT and STJ were almost all people who stayed with the yacht so they could take care of it during the storm. Resist the impluse.

Pamela

excellent post, if you make arrangements in advance Nanny Cay can handle many boats on the hard, good time to get some exterior work done, they charge $10 a foot a month.

STX does not have the vast amounts of hurricane holes you have in STT and STJ. We only have Salt River. That has many boats in it during hurricanes if you are lucky enough to make it down there and get a good spot. Most people already have spots that are just for their hurricane mooring and pay DPNR for using that spot.

good news to know, are those spots still available? just in case

If people already have their spots and are paying for them - How can 'those spots' still be available?

On STX, Green Cay is also used extensively during hurricanes.

When you don't have a spot you paid DPNR for, you need to get in and drop as many anchors as possible. You need to make very sure your boat is not in the scope of other boats when they arrive on their moorings. There are very big boats that go down there that have moorings.

Thank You for taking the time to clarify the situation - appreciate the help.

To everyone who responded to this topic, either by posting here or by pm, Thank you. The bottom line appears to be that it is possible to travel by powerboat from STX to STT on a fairly regular basis, depending on the weather (obviously). Issues concerning boat storage, etc., remain. But, having grown up on a marina in Ky (my parent's business) I have some knowledge of the options available. One thing for sure--once we get there, if you have an interest in boating/fishing, let me know and we'll give it a try.

Steve