Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TAKING TO THE
seas
On St. Thomas, most of the boat busi-
ness is centered on the marina in Red
Hook and Yacht Haven Marina in Char-
lotte Amalie.
The 50-foot
Yacht Nightwind,
Sap-
phire Marina (
&
340/775-7017;
www.
stjohndaysail.com), offers full-day sails
to St. John and the outer islands. The
$125 price includes continental break-
fast, a champagne buffet lunch, and an
open bar aboard. You're also given free
snorkeling equipment and instruction.
New Horizons,
6501 Red Hook Plaza,
Suite 16, Red Hook (
&
800/808-7604
or 340/775-1171; www.newhorizonsvi.
com), offers windborne excursions amid
the cays and reefs of the Virgin Islands.
The two-masted, 65-foot sloop has cir-
cumnavigated the globe, and has even
been used as a design prototype for
other boats. Owned and operated by
Canadian Tim Krygsveld, it contains a
hot-water shower, serves a specialty
drink called a New Horizons Nooner, and
carries a complete line of snorkeling
equipment for adults and children. A
full-day excursion with a continental
breakfast, an Italian buffet lunch, and an
open bar costs $120 per person ($80 for
children ages 2-12). Excursions depart
daily, weather permitting, from the Sap-
phire Beach Resort and Marina. Call
ahead for reservations.
New Horizons also offers
New Hori-
zons II
(
&
340/775-1171;
www.new
horizonscharters.com), a 44-foot cus-
tom-made speedboat that takes you on
a full-day trip, from 7am to 5pm, to
some of the most scenic highlights of
the British Virgin Islands. Trips cost $145
for adults or $95 for children ages 2 to
12. You will need your passport and will
have to pay an additional $30-per-
person Customs fee.
New Horizons II
leaves from the Sapphire Beach Resort
at 7:15am and from the People Ferries'
Dock in St. John at 7:45am.
You can avoid the crowds by sailing
aboard the
Fantasy,
6100 Leeward Way,
no. 28 (
&
340/775-5652;
fax 340/775-
6256; www.daysailfantasy.com), which
departs daily from the American Yacht
Harbor at Red Hook at 9:30am and
returns at 3pm. The boat takes a maxi-
mum of six passengers to St. John and
nearby islands for swimming, snorkeling,
and beachcombing. Snorkel gear and
expert instruction are provided, as is a
champagne lunch. The full-day trip costs
$140 per person for adults and children.
A half-day sail, usually offered only dur-
ing the low season, lasts 3 hours and
costs $100 for adults and children.
American Yacht Harbor Marina,
Red
Hook (
&
340/775-6454;
www.igy-
americanyachtharbor.com), offers both
bareboat and fully crewed charters.
Boats leave from a colorful yacht-filled
harbor set against the backdrop of Heri-
tage Gade, a reproduction of a Carib-
bean village. The harbor is home to
numerous boat companies, including
day-trippers, fishing boats, and sailing
charters like
Nauti Nymph Powerboat
Rentals
(
&
340/775-5066
). There are
also five restaurants on the property,
serving everything from Continental to
Caribbean cuisine. Another reliable
charter-boat outfitter is
Charteryacht
League,
at Flagship (
&
800/524-2061
or 340/774-3944; www.vicl.org).
Sailors may want to check out the
Yachtsman's Guide to the Virgin Islands,
available at major marine outlets, at
bookstores, through catalog merchan-
disers, or direct from
Tropic Isle Pub-
lishers,
P.O. Box 12, Adelphia, NJ 07710
(
&
877/923-9653;
www.yachts
mansguide.com). This annual guide,
which costs $17, is supplemented by
photographs; landfall sketches and charts
showing harbors and harbor entrances,
anchorages, channels, and landmarks;
and information on preparations neces-
sary for cruising the islands.
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