We headed back across the channel we had crossed three weeks earlier and picked up a mooring at Caneel Bay. In the afternoon our last day, three weeks earlier, we had anchored toward the west end of the Bay with the understanding the moorings were only for boats under 60 feet. After anchoring a park ranger approached our boat and said he had been notified by park service observers in an observation hut at the top of the hill along side the Harbor, that we were anchored outside the approved anchoring square designated by GPS coordinates in the Park Service literature (we were with in 100 ft). Further we were required to take a mooring, rather than anchor, if a mooring was available. He further conveyed that three mooring had been recently placed in the harbor for boats longer than 60 ft and told us to take one that had just been vacated. These new moorings were not discussed in the Park Service literature. He told us how to identify the larger moorings which were not clearly distinguished from those under 60. With this knowledge we were able to locate one of the larger moorings.
The Park Service charges $15 a night for an overnight stay, anchored or moored. We had learned earlier that the Park Service had a senior discount card you could purchase for $10 which reduced the mooring or anchoring cost to $7.50 a night, and we bought one. After securing the mooring Jim and I ran the dingy to the self service float to pay our $7.50 for the night.
The mooring we had picked up was off Honeymoon Beach which is popular for day tour boats which come and go all day, anchoring just outside the corded off swimming area. They ferry their passengers ashore by dingy through a red and green buoy marked channel. To avoid this crowd we went ashore at Salomon Beach, the next beach to the west. As you can not anchor your dingy any where around St. John Island, we took our small dingy with its wheels, allowing us to roll it up on the sand. After some time in the sun and a hike up the hill on the trail leading from the west end of the Beach we headed back to the boat to switch to the large dingy to go to Cruz Bay for a late lunch.
Cruz Bay is the main town on St. John. The Park Service Headquarters and gift shop is here as well as customs and the passenger ferry terminals, along with a large dingy dock. Just up the street from the dingy dock in the opposite direction from the ferry terminal is a group of shops and restaurants in a three story stone building which steps up the hill behind. The complex is built around several large trees creating interior courtyards accessed through open air stairways and large landings with shops and restaurants opening on the landings. In the center under a large tree and gazebo type latticed structure we found a great restaurant for lunch. St. John has its own brewery and Jim and Beth had an "Island" beer with lunch. On our way out I stopped at one of the gift shops and found a great dog collar for Jackie Tar (our miniature golden doodle who was traveling with us). The collar is pink with dark blue, red and yellow palms in orange, light blue and green squares, and the words "St. John Brewers, Virgin Islands" on it. The perfect caribbean colors for Jackie's mid length blond hair with spots of apricot coloring. She loves it.
We discovered Zozo's Restaurant built in the stone remains of an old sugar mill on the hill behind the Caneel Bay Plantation main beach, with its open air registration office, lobby bar and two restaurants, on our first visit before Christmas. We also discovered that Zozo's is booked solid two to three weeks in advance. Knowing that Jim and Kim would be visiting us in early February we made dinner reservations before returning to California.
We tied up at the dingy dock, on the south side of the passenger ferry dock at 1700 hours. The posted dingy dock regulations mandate a stern anchor, which we had. The open air lobby bar at the end of the path leading from the dock faces the main beach beyond a grass area and palm trees looking west. We arranged four of the upholstered lobby chairs in a semi circle facing west to view the upcoming sunset through the palms, and ordered drinks. As the sun was setting we headed through the garden behind main single story Plantation building and up the stone stairs through stone remains of portions of the old sugar mill. At the top of the stairs was the entrance to Zozo's. This portion of the stone sugar mill remains that the restaurant is built in, bis circular like a fort turret. The top of the stone turret like structure forms a balcony edge for the restaurant. Above is a round wood open beamed ceiling structure, with a high peak in the center with a circular bar below. The restaurant tables were arranged between the stone balcony edge and the circular bar, on the view side of the hill. We were far enough up the hill so the view was over the main Plantation Building and palm trees providing a full view of the after sunset color as we ordered dinner. The meal, company and wine were fantastic.
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