The Virgin Islands hold a special place in my heart. The first time I set foot on a sailboat was in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) back in 2007. Robert and I were invited by our friends to join them as a third couple on a weeklong bareboat charter aboard a Moorings Beneteau 473. What an exotic experience for me at the time! It was my first time visiting a tropical island and stepping on a sailboat. Who could have imagined that 19 years later, Robert and I would be sailing our own boat in these waters?

After our first group bareboat charter in the BVI, Robert and I went on to charter four more times in the same area—sometimes with friends and other times just the two of us. Each time, we flew into Charlotte Amalie and took a ferry to Tortola. Because of this, we never had the opportunity to spend quality time in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). This time, however, we planned to explore St. Thomas and St. John with leisure.

We chose to anchor Juno in one of St Thomas’ main anchorages just outside the bustling downtown of Charlotte Amalie. This location offered convenient access to the Yacht Haven Grande dinghy dock and nearby shops and services. Additionally, we enjoyed a daily spectacle of large cruise ships maneuvering and docking at the terminal, along with a display of numerous luxurious megayachts.

We used Yacht Haven Grande Marina’s dinghy dock almost daily to run errands. The dinghy ride was also a free boat show of super-yachts and mega-yachts. The largest and most impressive of all was Breakthrough. Launched in 2025, Breakthrough measures 119 meters in length and is notable for being the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered mega-yacht. It was commissioned by Bill Gates and was later sold by Melinda Gates. Would you like to charter it for a week in St Bart for your family and friends? No problem. It will only set you back by €3,500,000! It’s hard to imagine the lifestyle of the ultra-rich, as they seem to live in a completely different universe.

Before we arrived in St. Thomas, several cruising friends cautioned us that the locals might not be very friendly, likely due to over-tourism from the numerous cruise ships arriving and departing daily. However, my experience was quite the opposite. I found that most locals were genuinely friendly. For instance, I had the best laundry experience at a seemingly rundown laundromat, simply because the operators were incredibly kind and helpful. This highlights how a few positive human interactions can significantly shape one’s impression of a place.

To celebrate Christmas, we relocated Juno to a beautiful anchorage that was ideal for the occasion—Christmas Cove. This cove is situated on the west end of Great St. James, providing protection from the winds and waves of the Caribbean Sea. We enjoyed a few blissful days swimming and snorkeling, watching kids and families from nearby tour boats playing in the water. It was all innocent fun and joy, creating a striking contrast to the dark history associated with the neighboring Little St. James Island, often referred to as Epstein Island.

After a few days in Christmas Cove, we returned to Charlotte Amalie to pick up my friend Margaret, who had flown down to spend a week with us to circumnavigate St. John.

St. John is just a couple of hours away by boat and is quite different from St. Thomas. With two-thirds of the island designated as a national park, it is much less populated. We cruised along the northern coast of St. John, stopping at Honeymoon Beach and Waterlemon Bay. The weather was unusually favorable for our visit. Instead of the typical 20+ knots of “Christmas wind” common this time of year, we enjoyed a gentle breeze, calm conditions in the northern anchorages of St. John, and excellent sea conditions for SUP, snorkeling, and swimming. Compared to the neighboring islands in the British Virgin Islands, St. John is more laid-back, less crowded, and equally stunning.

After exploring the northern shore of St. John, we rounded the corner and sailed Juno to Great Lameshur Bay. The southern coast of St. John is more remote and less frequented by commercial tour boats and land-based tourists. Upon our arrival, we discovered that we had the bay all to ourselves. After sunset and before sunrise, the anchorage was pitch-black, completely free of light pollution. It felt as if we were castaways on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean.

The next morning, we went on a dinghy and snorkeling expedition around the rocky shores of Great Lameshur Bay, which was interesting both above and blew the water.

Before we knew it, it was time to return to civilization with a two-hour journey back to Charlotte Amalie. Margaret was set to head home the next day, while the crew of SV Juno would continue east to explore the British Virgin Islands. Before saying our goodbyes, Margaret and I took some time to shop in the famous duty-free jewelry district of Charlotte Amalie. A diamond souvenir or two would be the perfect way to commemorate a wonderful holiday, don’t you agree?

After saying goodbye to my dear friend, we weighed anchor and set our route to the next port – Spanish Town, BVI.