Over the years we have heard more than one experienced sailor tell us the sail from the BVI to St. Martin (upwind) was the worst they had ever experienced. With that in mind we made a decision not to go to SXM today because the forecast changed overnight to more unfavorable conditions. We see a possible window to go east next week with the wind under 15 knots and waves less than 1.5 meters.
We left Nanny Cay around 10 AM and had a quick downwind sail over to Caneel Bay just north of Cruz Bay. We took a mooring and motored the dinghy over to town. It appears the US Customs & Immigration building had been destroyed by Irma and we checked in a temporary trailer. The check in process seemed much more quick and informal since the last time we were here. After enjoying a fresh smoothie we returned to the boat and cooled off with a swim. Some initial observations on St. John are almost all boats appear to be crewed charter catamarans with hardly any bareboats and minimal cruisers. We plan to sail clockwise around the island and check out the most scenic bays so stay tuned.
