St John was a top recommendation for our trip to the Caribbean. Time was running out so Barry and I had to leave Claudia to her nutso 33 mile Tortola Torture race and hope the ferry over to the American Virgin Islands.
The trip from Tortola’s West End to St John is a very short ferry ride and easy day trip. I did my best to forget about the extra cost in departure tax from the BVI as the wind whipped through our hair and we crossed yet more turquoise waters.
The British Virgin Islands only grant visitors from most countries a stay of up to 30 days (so mean). Obviously, my moonlighting as a local islander and chilling out on BVI beaches and boats while staying with Claudia was going to take longer than that so the Easter break seemed a perfect reason for Claudia, Barry and I to flit off to San Juan for a visa run. And flit we did, in a tiny Seaborne Airlines plane (actually sizeable for the Caribbean) that takes about 45 minutes to cross the water (Barry still managed to have a nap though).
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Caribbean Kayaking
We were staying right on the harbour in Road Town and with a boat dock literally at the back door, what were we to do but hire a double kayak for a week?
We got up early every morning and headed out and up along the coast for a paddle. At first the mornings were really calm and we powered along past the ‘dolphin prison’, explored rocky areas along the coast and peered down at coral formations before paddling back to our dock.
As the week got on the swells got a little higher so the paddling was harder work but not technically difficult. And after a week we felt like pros. It was a great way to start the day and we felt like tropical islanders.
We were on a boat!
The quintessential thing to do while spending time in the Caribbean is to go weekend sailing. It was a popular time of year so we couldn’t quite manage the sailing part but we did manage an overnight trip on a power catamaran, skippered expertly by the newly qualified Captain Guy, a friend of Claudia’s. Locals rates meant the whole things was very affordable.
Two months in the Caribbean is never enough (although it’s quite expensive so when you’re not working two months is maybe too much). Thanks to my wonderful friend Claudia we did get to make the most of it (even with our limited budget – thanks for the bed, Clauds!). Claudia made sure we got the full British Virgin Islands experience.
Step 1: Beautiful turquoise waters
