522 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
Frederiksted
Christiansted
Peter Island
Tobago Island
Norman Island
Charlotte Amalie
Port Alucroix
18°30'N
18°15'N
17°45'N
17°30'N
18°N
TORTOLA
Chart Coverage in Coast Pilot 5—Chapter 14
NOAA’s Online Interactive Chart Catalog has complete chart coverage
https://charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml
65°W
64°45'W
64°30'W
MAR CARIBE
ST. CROIX
ST. THOMAS
PILLSBURY SOUND
ST. JOHN
Jost Van Dyke Island
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE CHANNEL
VIRGIN ISLANDS
28 JUL 2024
U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 523
Virgin Islands
(1) This chapter describes the United States Virgin
Islands, which include the islands of St. Thomas, St.
John and St. Croix and about 40 small islets or cays.
Information is given on the ports and harbors of the islands
including Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Port St. Croix,
Cruz Bay and Frederiksted. A general description of the
British Virgin Islands is also included; more complete
information is given in Pub. No. 147, Sailing Directions
(Enroute), Caribbean Sea, Vol. I, published by the United
States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and West
Indies Pilot, Volume II, published by the United Kingdom
Ministry of Defense Hydrographic Department.
(2)
Note
(3) In this chapter a chart number marked by an
asterisk indicates that the chart is published by National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
(4) The United States Virgin Islands, separated from
the easternmost island of the Puerto Rico group by 8-mile-
wide Virgin Passage, were purchased from Denmark in
1917 and United States citizenship conferred upon the
islanders in 1927. Under the revised Organic Act of
1954, legislative powers are vested in a Senate, whose
members are elected by the islanders for 2-year terms.
The Governor, who has certain veto powers, is elected
by the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The capital is
Charlotte Amalie, on the island of St. Thomas.
(5) The British Virgin Islands are north and east of
the United States group. The United States-United
Kingdom boundary extends southeast between Hans
Lollik and Little Tobago Islands, thence through the
narrows between St. John and Tortola Islands, and thence
south through Flanagan Passage between Flanagan and
Norman Islands.
(6)
Prominent features
(7) Making the Virgin Islands from the north, Virgin
Gorda (British) will be seen on the extreme left, rising
in a clear, well-dened peak about 1,400 feet high. Next
to Virgin Gorda, Tortola (also British) will appear most
conspicuous; the highest mountain appears attened and
elongated from north but rises to an elevation of about
1,800 feet. Immediately west of Tortola will be seen the
rugged, pointed peaks of Jost Van Dyke (British), rising
to about 1,100 feet, and behind them the irregular small
peaks rising from the tableland of St. John (U.S.) to
heights of 800 to 1,300 feet.
(8) From about 20 miles north of the islands, a separation
will be observed between St. Thomas and St. John, but
St. John, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola and Virgin Gorda will
appear to be one large island. St. Thomas is less rugged
in outline than the other islands, but it may be recognized
from its large midisland saddle that has horns nearly
1,600 feet high; the saddle is equally conspicuous from
the south.
(9)
COLREGS Demarcation Lines
(10) The lines established for the Virgin Islands are
described in 33 CFR 80.738, chapter 2.
(11)
Vessel traffic management
(12) (See 33 CFR Part 161, Subpart A, chapter 2, for
regulations requiring notications of arrivals, departures,
hazardous conditions and certain dangerous cargoes to
the Captain of the Port.)
(13)
Routes
(14) From Charlotte Amalie to the Straits of Florida,
proceed through Virgin Passage and thence as direct as
safe navigation permits along the north coasts of Puerto
Rico and Hispaniola, and then along the north coast of
Cuba through Old Bahama and Nicholas Channels to
destination. The distance is 1,086 miles.
(15) Bound to Baltimore, New York or Boston, pass west
of Sail Rock and, when clear of Virgin Passage, take a
great circle course direct to destination. Distances from
Charlotte Amalie are 1,418 miles to Baltimore, 1,435
miles to New York and 1,517 miles to Boston.
(16)
Currents
(17) The currents among the Virgin Islands, although
of considerable importance to navigators, are not well
established by observation. The tidal current is said to
set southeast and northwest. In the general vicinity of the
islands there is an oceanic current with a velocity of about
0.2 knot that sets in a direction varying from northwest
to west. See the Tidal Current prediction service at
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov for specic information
about times, directions, and velocities of the current at
numerous locations throughout the area. Links to a user
guide for this service can be found in chapter 1 of this
book.
(18)
Weather
(19) The following description of weather conditions
in the Virgin Islands was prepared by the Ofce of
524 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
Climatology, Environmental Data and Information
Service.
(20)
Wind
(21) One of the outstanding features of the climate in the
Virgin Islands is the steadiness of the trade winds. They
blow almost without exception from an east direction,
or between north-northeast and south-southeast. The
highest mean maximum wind speeds usually occur in
the winter from late December to the end of January.
Superimposed on the trade winds are the land and sea
breezes, which are important in most coastal areas. Night
winds are lighter than the daytime winds. About daybreak
the wind speed begins to pick up, reaching a maximum
late in the morning or early afternoon. A return to the
lighter nighttime winds begins during the late afternoon,
usually about 1600. It must be remembered that these
islands are located in the path of occasional tropical
storms or hurricanes and extremely high winds may
be experienced during such passages. Thirteen tropical
systems have passed within 50 miles of Charlotte Amalie
since 1950 including Georges in 1998, Marilyn in 1995,
Hugo in 1989, and Donna in 1960. Both Hugo and Donna
provided winds in excess of 130 knots. (See chapter 3 for
information about hurricanes.)
(22)
Precipitation
(23) The time of maximum rainfall expectancy is roughly
from May through November or December, with showers
providing most of the rain. The heavier rains have usually
been associated with tropical cyclones and hurricanes
that are most likely to reach the area during the months
of August, September and October or with frontal systems
or east waves that may reach the area in these or other
months. The average annual rainfall at Charlotte Amalie
is 41 inches, with a maximum rainfall during September
and a minimum in February. The average annual
temperature at Charlotte Amalie is 80.4°F, with a average
maximum of 85.7°F and an average minimum of 74.7°F.
Each month, April through November, has recorded
maximum temperatures in excess of 90°F with the all-
time maximum, 92°F, occurring in six separate months:
May, and July through November, of various years. The
extreme minimum temperature recorded at Charlotte
Amalie is 63°F, recorded in January 1956.
(25)
Pilotage, U.S. Virgin Islands
(26) Vessels of and above 100 gross registered tons and
those vessels carrying explosives and dangerous cargo
must engage for the services of an Insular Government
pilot in order to enter, leave or shift berths in a U.S. Virgin
Islands port. Vessels of less tonnage and vessels of the
United States or foreign governments are exempt from
pilotage unless a pilot is actually employed. Exempted
vessels when requiring the services of a pilot will be
charged the regular rate. Pilots will take all classes of
vessels in or out, day or night, unless otherwise noted.
Arrangements for pilots shall be made 24 hours prior to
ship’s arrival. Email: [email protected]; FAX 340-
777-9694.
(27)
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural
quarantine
(28) National quarantine laws are enforced in the U.S.
Virgin Islands by ofcers of the U.S. Public Health
Service. All vessels from foreign ports, vessels with
sickness on board and vessels from domestic ports
where certain quarantinable diseases prevail are subject
to inspection. (See Public Health Service, chapter 1.)
(29) The customs collection district of the U.S. Virgin
Islands is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Treasury
Department but has its own customs laws. Imports
(24)
METEOROLOGICAL TABLE – COASTAL AREA OFF VIRGIN ISLANDS
Between 17°N to 19°N and 64°W to 66°W
WEATHER ELEMENTS
JAN FEB MAR APR M AY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
YEARS OF
RECORD
Wind > 33 knots ¹ 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.1
Wave Height > 9 feet ¹ 1.1 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.8 1.0 0.4 1.3 1.6 0.9
Visibility < 2 nautical miles ¹ 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.3 0.3
Precipitation ¹ 2.9 2.3 2.9 2.5 5.3 3.9 3.6 4.4 4.5 3.8 6.6 4.9 3.7
Temperature > 69° F 99.7 99.8 99.6 99.9 99.9 100.0 99.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.9
Mean Temperature (°F) 78.1 77.9 77.9 79.0 80.5 81.9 82.4 82.7 82.8 82.5 81.2 79.5 80.1
Temperature < 33° F ¹ 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Mean RH (%) 77 76 76 77 80 79 79 80 79 80 78 77 78
Overcast or Obscured ¹ 3.3 3.1 4.2 4.3 11.3 8.2 7.9 7.9 8.9 7.3 6.3 6.0 6.0
Mean Cloud Cover (8
ths
) 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.5 4.3 4.1 4.0 3.9 4.1 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.7
Mean SLP (mbs) 1016 1016 1016 1015 1015 1016 1017 1015 1014 1013 1013 1015 1015
Ext. Max. SLP (mbs) 1032 1031 1030 1028 1027 1028 1027 1028 1025 1026 1025 1028 1032
Ext. Min. SLP (mbs) 1001 1001 1002 1001 1002 1003 1005 1001 1001 1000 999 1000 999
Prevailing Wind Direction E E E E E E E E E E E E E
Thunder and Lightning ¹ 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.5 1.4 1.8 2.3 4.3 4.4 2.3 0.7 1.3
¹ Percentage Frequency
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 525
manufactured in the United States enter free of duty. All
foreign goods coming into the islands are subject to an
import duty of 6 percent, ad valorem, unless specied as
free of duty, even if imported from continental United
States.
(30) Agricultural quarantine laws are enforced by
ofcials at Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted.
(31) The United States immigration laws apply in the
U.S. Virgin Islands. Passports and visas are required by
persons other than U.S. citizens.
(32)
Wharves
(33) Deep-draft facilities are at Charlotte Amalie, St.
Thomas Island, and on St. Croix Island at Frederiksted,
and at the private facilities at Port St. Croix and in
Limetree Bay. Vessels drawing up to 16 feet can go
alongside Gallows Bay Dock at Christiansted, St. Croix
Island. At other places only small craft go alongside the
wharves.
(34)
Speed limit restrictions
(35) Motorboats shall not exceed a speed in excess of 6
miles per hour in the waters of Cruz Bay, St. John (east
of Lind Point to the north and Galge Point to the south),
and in the waters of Red Hook Bay (west of Redhook
Point in range of the western end of Shark Island), and
in the waters of St. Thomas Harbor, there is no set speed
restriction. Vessels shall maintain safe speed and are
responsible for their own wake.
(36)
Supplies
(37) Bunker fuels, diesel oil and gasoline are available
only at Port St. Croix on an emergency basis. Diesel
fuel, water and marine supplies are available at Charlotte
Amalie. Limited marine supplies can be obtained at
Christiansted and Frederiksted. Gasoline, diesel fuel
and marine supplies for small craft are available at the
marinas around the islands.
(38)
Repairs
(39) There are no facilities at any of the ports for major
repairs to deep-draft vessels. Machine shops at Charlotte
Amalie, Christiansted and Frederiksted can make minor
above-the-waterline repairs.
(40)
Communications
(41) The islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix
have good highways. Regular air service is maintained
between St. Thomas Island, St. Croix Island, San Juan,
United States, and some foreign ports. Cruise ship
lines call at Charlotte Amalie and Frederiksted. Small
interisland vessels operate from United States Virgin
Island ports to the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico
and other West Indies ports.
(42) Telephone, radio and cable service facilities are
available on the islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St.
Croix.
(43)
Currency
(44) The monetary unit is the U.S. dollar.
(45)
Standard time
(46) The U.S. Virgin Islands use Atlantic standard time,
which is 4 hours slow of Coordinated Universal Time.
The U.S. Virgin Islands do not observe daylight saving
time.
(47)
ENC - US3PR10M
Chart - 25640
(48) Most of the Virgin Islands are situated on the south
side of Virgin Bank, which extends in an east and east-
northeast direction for 86 miles from the east end of
Puerto Rico. For about 50 miles the bank trends east,
averaging 25 miles in width, and then swings slightly east-
northeast, increasing in width to 32 miles. It terminates
close beyond the southeast extremity of Anegada Island
in a point several miles wide.
(49) The bank is an ocean shelf, with abrupt drops in
depths near its edges. On the north side of the island
group, west of 64°40'W. and within half a mile of the
islands, the general depths range from 18 to 40 fathoms
except for the outlying banks. East of this line, the depths
gradually decrease until soundings of 6 fathoms are
found about 0.8 mile off the west end of Anegada Island.
On the south side of the island group, the depths differ
considerably from those on the north side. The south side
is bold and wall sided and lies from 1 to 7 miles off the
islands; general depths of 8 to 33 fathoms are found in
this area. Close within the outer edge of the bank is a
narrow ledge of coral that extends almost unbroken from
Horse Shoe Reef, at Anegada Island, to Isla de Vieques.
This ledge, about 200 yards wide, has depths of 11 to 19
fathoms.
(50) Whale Banks, about 13 miles north of Tortola Island
and 15 miles west of Anegada Island, are two patches
with depths of 12 to 20 fathoms on the north bank and a
least depth of 10 fathoms on the south bank. Turtle Head,
a coral reef covered 6 fathoms, is about 10 miles north of
Jost Van Dyke Island and 13 miles northwest of Tortola
Island. Barracouta Banks about 8 miles northwest of
Jost Van Dyke, consist of several patches covered by
11 to 20 fathoms. Kingsh Banks about 5 miles north-
northeast of Jost Van Dyke Island, are two coral patches
with 8 fathoms over them.
(51)
Virgin Passage
(52) Virgin Passage is 8 miles wide between Savana
Island and Isla Culebrita, with depths of from 11 to 17
526 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
fathoms in the south part and up to 27 fathoms in the
north part. It is clear except for Bajos Grampus on the
southwest side and Sail Rock on the southeast side.
(53)
Tidal currents
(54) In the middle of the passage the current velocity is
about 0.5 knot and sets south and north. On the east side
of the passage near Savana Island the velocity increases
to about 2 knots. See the Tidal Current prediction service
at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov for specic information
about times, directions, and velocities of the current at
numerous locations throughout the area. Links to a user
guide for this service can be found in chapter 1 of this
book.
(55)
<Deleted Chart Header>
(56) Sail Rock, on the east side of Virgin Passage about
7.6 miles east-southeast of Isla Culebrita, is so called
from its resemblance to a vessel under sail. It rises
precipitously from the sea to a height of 125 feet. It is
about 100 yards in diameter, quite barren, and light gray
in color. It is steep-to on all sides, but a rock awash is
about 200 yards west of the islet. A lighted buoy is about
0.5 mile west of the islet.
(57) St. Thomas Island, commercially the most
important of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is 34 miles east of
Puerto Rico. It is 12 miles long and from 1 to 3 miles
wide. A lofty ridge extends along its whole length. Signal
Hill, nearly in the center of the island, is 1,504 feet high,
and Crown Mountain, 1.7 miles to the west, is 1,550
feet high. Lights are shown from towers on the summit
of each.
(58) The west half of St. Thomas presents the appearance
of a steep ridge sloping precipitously to the north and
the south, with numerous ravines widening at their
lower ends into small tracts of level land on the seacoast.
Between these level tracts the coast is usually bold with
rocky promontories of considerable height. The higher
hills are at topped and plateau like, whereas the lower
ones are for the most part dome shaped. The country is
almost entirely wooded; the region west of Perseverance
Bay is under considerable development.
(59) The east end of St. Thomas has the appearance of two
main ridges, separated by a large basin and sloping to the
north and south with numerous smaller ridges and spurs
making off from them. St. Thomas is almost surrounded
by small islands and cays, in general, bold and steep-to,
with very few hidden dangers to guard against.
(60) Savana Island, 2 miles west-southwest from the
west end of St. Thomas, is nearly a mile long and 0.5 mile
wide. Savana Island Light (18°20'15"N., 65°04'59"W.),
300 feet above the water, is shown from a white tower
at the southwest end of the island. The island is covered
with a dense growth of vines, small trees, and underbrush.
The entire northwest shore is bold and precipitous with
rock cliffs rising abruptly from the water’s edge to as
much as 120 feet. Din Point is a bold dark headland, with
cliffs 80 to 100 feet high, at the northwest extremity of
the island. The southeast shore of the island is generally
rocky with short stretches of gravel beach in the bights.
Depths of 34 feet and less extend up to 0.5 mile from the
east side of the island. Just north of Virgin Point, the
southwest extremity of the island, the cliffs are of crushed
rock and sandstone formation and from offshore appear
as red cliffs. Detached rocks extend 200 yards south of
Virgin Point. Domkirk Rock, a crag with twin steeple-
shaped pinnacles that resemble a cathedral, is 100 yards
southeast of Virgin Point. Some rocks 8 to 10 feet high
and steep-to are on a sunken ledge that extends about 700
yards off the northeast point.
(61) The currents in the vicinity of the northeast point
of Savana Island are very strong, and small boats should
give the reef a wide berth. Boat landings may be made in
smooth weather.
(62) Kalkun Cay, in the middle of Savana Passage, is
a narrow islet, 275 yards long and about 20 to 30 yards
wide, which is covered with grass and small underbrush.
About 0.5 mile southeast of the cay is Saltwater Money
Rock, 7 feet high, steep-to, with a clear channel between.
(63) Little St. Thomas is a low grass-covered peninsula
connected with the west end of the island of St. Thomas
by a sandspit. A 50-foot hill is near the northeast point
and a 21-foot bluff is at the south end. Mermaids Chair,
15 feet high, is a conspicuous rock that has the shape of a
chair at the apex of a triangular coral reef projecting from
the southwest point of Little St. Thomas. Small boats stay
in the small gravel cove south of the peninsula when the
sea is too rough to land at Sandy Bay or Botany Bay. A
boat passage is between Little St. Thomas and a 42-foot
islet 100 yards to the north.
(64) Big Current Hole is a passage separating West Cay
from Little St. Thomas. There are rocks awash extending
east from West Cay; the outer one, Drum Rock, 2 feet
high, constricts the channel, and the strong currents and
heavy tide rips render the passage difcult. Small boats
using this passage, when passing through from south,
head for Drum Rock and leave it close-to on the port
hand.
(65) West Cay, 0.2 mile northwest of Little St. Thomas,
consists of 2 hills, 121 and 114 feet high, connected by
a neck of low land. The small stretch on the east side of
the cay is gravel. Landing may be made in the bight on
the south side.
(66) Salt Cay, 242 feet high and 0.6 mile northwest of Little
St. Thomas, is generally rocky and rugged, particularly
on the north coast where cliffs rise precipitously to 100
and 150 feet high. Many rocks awash are close-to on the
southwest, west and east sides of the cay. The channel
between Salt Cay and West Cay is shallow, and breakers
extend across it.
(67) Salt Cay Passage is about a mile wide, with deep
water in the channel, and is free of dangers.
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 527
(68) Dutchcap Cay, a mile northwest of Salt Cay, rises
abruptly from the sea to 278 feet high, with cliffs 100 feet
high on the north shore.
(69) Cockroach Island, 3.3 miles north-northwest from
the west end of St. Thomas Island, is 151 feet high and of
irregular shape. The south shore is bold and precipitous
with white rocky cliffs rising abruptly from the water’s
edge to a height of 120 feet. The north shore is rocky with
cliffs back from the shore rising to a height of 80 feet and
indented by numerous small bights and crevices. Cricket
Rock, 0.5 mile east-northeast from Cockroach Island, is
46 feet high, bold and steep-to, with sharp pinnacle rocks
on top.
(70) Dutchcap Passage, just south of these islands, is
free of dangers.
(71)
Currents
(72) In navigating the passages between this group of
islands, it is necessary to guard against the tidal currents,
which in Savana Passage run with a velocity of 3 knots
and in the others about 1 knot. Sailing vessels beating
up against the northgoing current should stand well to
south of Savana Island, so as to avoid the strength of the
inshore current.See the Tidal Current prediction service
at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov for specic information
about times, directions, and velocities of the current at
numerous locations throughout the area. Links to a user
guide for this service can be found in chapter 1 of this
book.
(73) The north coast of St. Thomas Island is very
irregular with rocky cliffs and sandy beaches in the
shallow bays. Much of the beach is fringed with coral
reef making landing difcult in most places. The bays in
the east half of the island are open to the prevailing east
trade winds. Islands, rocks and shoals are as much as 3
miles from the shore.
(74) Sandy Bay and Botany Bay are shallow bights
separated by a rocky point at the west end of St. Thomas
Island. Small-boat landings can be made during calm
weather.
(75) Santa Maria Bay, 2.5 miles east of Botany Bay,
has depths of 20 feet or more and is a fair shelter, but it
is seldom used because of rollers.
(76) Inner Brass Island and Outer Brass Island are
off the north side of St. Thomas about 4 miles from the
west end of the island. A 24-foot channel is between St.
Thomas and Inner Brass Island; Brass Channel, between
the two small islands, has a depth of 42 feet.
(77) Inner Brass Island has a generally rocky shore, with
reefs extending as much as 300 yards off the east side.
There are detached rocks and rocks awash within that
area. Occasional large swells are prevalent between the
southern tip of the point and the Dorthea Point. The swells
are largest during winter months. Northwest of the south
tip is a ne sand beach with a fringing coral reef. The reef
has several breaks through which small-boat landings can
be made. A well-sheltered anchorage for local boats is off
the southwest side of the island.
(78) The east shore of Outer Brass Island is bold and
precipitous with rocky cliffs rising vertically from the
water. The west shore is rocky and slopes up uniformly.
Cave Cove, in about the middle of the west shore, has
a large cave opening into it. Rough Point, the north
extremity of the island, is sharp and jagged, and, on calm
days, landings can be made on its west side. A 15-foot
spot is about 330 yards west of Rough Point.
(79) Landings may be made on St. Thomas Island
through breaks in the fringing coral reef in Caret Bay
and Neltjeberg Bay southwest and south of Inner Brass
Island. Hull Bay, southeast of Inner Brass Island, is shoal
with a reef and heavy surf along the southwest shore. More
reefs lay along the western shoreline, though a small craft
channel runs in the middle of the bay. Numerous shing
and recreational boats are moored in Hull Bay; a ramp is
available.
(80) Lizard Rocks, a group of bare rocks/rocks awash
about 13 feet high, are 0.7 mile offshore and 0.8 mile west
of Inner Brass Island. Ornen Rock, covered 6 feet, is a
mile east of Inner Brass Island. Waves do not ordinarily
break over Ornen Rock but may during a heavy ground
swell.
(81) Magens Bay is a prominent bight on the north shore
of St. Thomas. It is 1.6 miles long and 0.6 mile wide.
Its east side is formed by a long, narrow tongue of land
called Peterborg, which terminates to the northwest at
Picara Point, nearly midway between Hans Lollik and
the Brass Islands, and its west side by St. Thomas Island
and Tropaco Point. Prominent is a 50-foot cliff at the end
of Tropaco Point. The bay, safe only for small vessels,
is open to the northwest and consequently exposed to
rollers. Peterborg and the west side of St. Thomas are
being extensively developed. Entering from the north or
northwest, avoid Ornen Rock, and from the east, during
calm seas, the rocks 30 yards northeast of Picara Point.
During heavy ground swells, a confused sea exists in the
area of these rocks, and the point should be given a wide
berth.
(82) The depth in Magens Bay varies from 5 to 12
fathoms, but the south portion has a bank of 1¼ fathoms,
extending 0.3 mile from the shore, surrounded by depths
of 2 to 3 fathoms. A ne sand beach is at the head of the
bay. Reseau Bay and Lerkenlund Bay, small bights on
the west shore of Magens Bay, are used by shermen to
beach their boats.
(83) Hans Lollik Island, 713 feet high, 1.3 miles long
and about 0.8 mile wide, is 1.8 miles northeast of Picara
Point. The west side of the island is precipitous and rocky,
except in a bay on the west side that has a gravel beach.
Coconut Bay, on the southeast face, is protected by off-
lying White Horseface Reef. This bay is a protected
anchorage for small boats and may be entered through a
channel southwest of the reef. Hansa Rock, close inshore
at the south point, is 19 feet high and south of a small bay
that is accessible to small boats in calm seas. Hans Lollik
528 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
Rock, awash and on which the sea always breaks, is over
0.3 mile east-southeast of the south point of Hans Lollik
Island.
(84) Little Hans Lollik Island is 0.2 mile north of Hans
Lollik Island and connected with it by a coral ledge over
which the sea breaks. There is an opening in the reef;
extreme caution should be used when navigating through
the reef. The shoreline consists mostly of rocky cliffs
from 20 to 60 feet high. Steep Rock, the only detached
rock on the east shore of the island, is 25 feet high.
(85) Pelican Cay, 200 yards north of Little Hans Lollik
Island, is a 20-foot grassy islet accessible in calm seas.
Between the two are several rocks awash, and a reef over
which the sea breaks is close northeast of Little Hans
Lollik Island. Except for these dangers, the channels on
either side of the Hans Lollik group are clear.
(86)
Mandal Bay to Capella Islands
(87) Mandal Bay, 3 miles east of Picara Point, is shoal,
with a sandy beach at its head. Mandal Point, just east of
the bay, is 277 feet high, with cliffs 100 to 120 feet high at
the water’s edge. An unmarked channel, west of the point,
has a rock jetty on either side that leads through the reefs
and a landcut to a small dredged harbor. The channel has
shifting sandbars and can be shallow. On the east side
of the bay, a rubble mound breakwater extends 270 feet
from shore on the north side of the channel entrance, and
a smaller rubble mound jetty extends 70 feet from shore
on the south side. A depth of about 10 feet was reported
in the channel in 1972. To the southeast of Mandal Bay
is Tutu Bay with fringing reef on the east side—the bay
often experiences heavy waves.
(88) Water generally breaks on a reef close northeast of
Mandal Point. A 22-foot spot is 0.3 mile east of the point.
(89) Coki Point, 1.9 miles east-southeast of Mandal
Point, has a 47-foot high bluff with a sandy beach on the
north side and shoreline foul with coral and fringing reef
east and west of the beach. It forms the north shore of
Water Bay. A conspicuous 235-foot cone-shaped hill is
just south of Water Bay. Turtleback Rock, 2 feet high, is
off the entrance to Water Bay 0.3 mile southeast of Coki
Point. Midway between Water Bay and Cabes Point is
a small sandy beach located at Footer Point. There are
several boulders off Footer Point placed as a breakwater
that are covered by water. Cabes Point is a low rocky
hook 1 mile southeast of Coki Point. Shark Island, 32
feet high, is about 0.3 mile east-southeast of Cabes Point.
Foul ground encircles the island with several visible
rocks 125 yards off the northeast end.
(90) Just to the west of the Cabes Point is a small cove
locally referred to as Lindquist Bay. Shallow reef are
prominent on the west and east sides with a sand beach
in the center, commonly referred to as Lindquist Beach.
An unmarked channel lies in the middle of the cove.
(91) St. John Bay, on the southeast side of Cabes Point,
has a shallow fringe reef at the west and east ends. A
channel lies near the center of the bay and small boats can
land ashore. A strong current runs between Shark Island
and Prettyklip Point, locally referred to as Sapphire
Beach.
(92) Just southeast of Prettyklip Point is a spit of land
with hotels and condominiums. A marina is located in the
alcove west of the spit. Buoys reported mark the channel
to the marina.
(93) Redhook Bay, at the east end of St. Thomas Island,
consists of a south arm called Muller Bay and the west
arm, Vessup Bay. Ferry boats to St. John Island use a
small L-shaped pier in the northeast part of Vessup Bay. In
1972, a depth of 9 feet was reported at its face. The channel
through Redhook Bay into Vessup Bay is marked by
private buoys. A marina is 200 yards west of the L-shaped
pier. Berths, gasoline, electricity, water, ice and marine
supplies are available. Repairs can be made to gasoline
or diesel engines and to some electronic equipment. The
National Park Service maintains an L-shaped pier on the
south side of Vessup Bay; in 1972, depths of about 6 feet
were reported alongside.
(94) Cabrita Point, the east end of St. Thomas, rises to
a height of 210 feet. A neck of land joins the remainder
of St. Thomas. A 23-foot spot lies 0.6 mile east-southeast
of Cabrita Point.
(95) Pillsbury Sound is the body of water between St.
Thomas, St. John and the cays that bound the sound on the
north side. This body of water is an excellent roadstead
about 2 miles in extent east and west and 1.5 miles north
and south. This area is quite secure against rollers and
all winds except from the south, which blow only in the
hurricane months, but the area can become quite rough.
The current attains a velocity of 2 knots.
(96) The depths in the sound are somewhat irregular,
varying from 41 to 111 feet. All the main passages leading
to it are deeper than the mean depth of the sound itself.
(97) Thatch Cay, at the northwest end of Pillsbury
Sound, is 1.6 miles long. The island is in the form of a
ridge, 482 feet high near the east end.
(98) Bull Point and Mother East Point are prominent
projecting points on the north side. Lee Point is the west
point and Grouper Point the east point of the island.
There are mooring buoys reported between Lee Point and
Mother East Point on the northwest side of Thatch Cay.
Grass Cay, 0.5 mile east of Thatch Cay, is 0.8 mile long.
The north shore consists of rocky cliffs in places 150 feet
high. A narrow rocky ledge, covered 12 feet at its east end,
is close to shore near the west end of Grass Cay, and a
rock awash is 150 yards west of the same point. There are
mooring buoys reported on the south side of Grass Cay
for day use.
(99) Mingo Cay, east of Grass Cay, is 186 feet high.
Between Mingo and Grass Cays is a narrow shoal passage
with a bare rock 15 feet high close to the middle. It is
only passable by dinghy on very calm days. Several
bare rocks are east of this rock. Lovango Cay is east
of Mingo Cay and separated from it by a shoal passage
300 yards wide; the tidal current is strong in the 13-foot
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 529
boat channel. Several houses and two private piers are in
the bight along the south shore between Murder Rock
and the southwest point. Blunder Rocks, 250 yards east
of Lovango Cay, are 8 feet high. Congo Cay, a narrow
pointed cay north of Lovango Cay, is separated from it
by a channel with depths of 13 feet. Carval Rock is 0.3
mile east of Congo Cay. There are several smaller rocks
between it and the cay. There are mooring buoys reported
for day use between Congo Cay and Lovango Cay and on
the south end of Carvel Rock.
(100) Two Brothers are two small 14-foot and 16-foot-
high barren rocks lying in the middle of Pillsbury Sound;
a light 23 feet above the water is shown from the larger
rock. A ledge extends off their northeast side, deepening
to 30 feet at a distance of 250 yards. Vessels can anchor
in depths of 40 to 65 feet about 0.5 mile northeast of Two
Brothers on sand and mud bottom.
(101) Windward Passage extends between Lovango and
Durloe Cays; it is 0.3 mile wide. Durloe Cays, within the
entrance, cannot be mistaken. On the northwest side of
the channel are Carval Rock and Blunder Rocks. Vessels
of deep draft may take the passage between Lovango and
Durloe Cays. If the wind dies, sailing craft may anchor at
any time; the bottom is coral and broken shell in less than
60 feet. With the northeast current running against the
wind, this channel has a race that looks like broken water.
Through Durloe Cays and between them and Hawksnest
Point on St. John Island are deep and clear passages, but
these are not recommended.
(102) Middle Passage, between Grass and Thatch Cays,
is about 0.3 mile wide and presents no difculties to
powered vessels, the only dangers being a small rock
awash nearly 150 yards west from the west end of Grass
Cay, which is easily seen. Sailing vessels generally use
this passage in leaving the sound. It may be entered from
the north even on the ebb, provided the trades have not
too much of a south slant.
(103) Leeward Passage, between Thatch Cay and the
north side of St. Thomas, is about 0.4 mile wide, with
general depths of 60 feet or more. A privately marked
sh haven, covered at least 60 feet and centered in
18°21'12"N., 64°51'21.5"W., is near the east end of
Leeward Passage.
(104)
Currents
(105) Tidal currents with velocities up to 4 knots in Middle
Passage and Windward Passage, and weaker currents
in Leeward Passage, have been reported. See the Tidal
Current prediction service at tidesandcurrents.noaa.
gov for specic information about times, directions, and
velocities of the current at numerous locations throughout
the area. Links to a user guide for this service can be found
in chapter 1 of this book.
(106) Three islands and several rocks extend southeast for
2 miles from the east end of St. Thomas. The islands
are rugged, with cliffs fronting much of the shores. Dog
Rocks, 9 feet high, are the most east danger of the group
close off the east point of Dog Island. Current velocities
up to 4 knots have been reported in the vicinity of Dog
Island. Numerous rocks are as much as 0.35 mile from
the shores of the islands.
(107) Dog Island Cut is between Dog Island and Little
St. James Island. A submerged rock with a least depth
of 10 feet is near midchannel at the north entrance to the
cut. The cut should be used only by small boats with local
knowledge. St. James Cut, between Little St. James
Island and Great St. James Island, has a depth of 18
feet, but caution is necessary to avoid Welk Rocks in
the east approach an The Stragglers, on the west side. A
rock awash is about 125 yards northwest of the northeast
point of Little St. James Island. A reef extends from this
point almost to the rock.
(108) St. James Bay, between Great St. James Island
and the east end of St. Thomas Island, provides secure
anchorage in depths of 21 to 50 feet, except in hurricanes.
Small craft can anchor securely in Christmas Cove either
north or south of the small cay 300 yards offshore. Cow
Rock, 7 feet high, is the west of a group of rocks in the
south approach to the bay. Calf Rock, 2 feet high, is the
east rock of the group.
(109) Current Hole, at the north end of St. James Bay,
provides a passage from the south coast of St. Thomas
Island to Pillsbury Sound. Current Rock, 13 feet high and
marked by a light, is in about the center of the passage. A
depth of 23 feet can be carried through the 100-yard-wide
channel east of the rock. The current velocity reaches a
maximum of 3 knots through Current Hole and sets north
and south. To stem the current, sailing vessels using the
passage should await a north current and a steady breeze.
(110) Cowpet Bay, in the north part of St. James Bay, is
0.3 mile wide between Water Point and Deck Point.
The bay has depths of 8 to 21 feet. The St. Thomas Yacht
Club has a pier and other private facilities at the head of
the bay.
(111) Jersey Bay, west of Cowpet Bay, is 1.4 miles wide
between Deck Point and the cays east of Long Point.
The bay has several cays and dangerous rocks scattered
throughout the west part. A 12-foot rock is about 0.25
mile east of the east point of Cas Cay. Benner Bay,
locally known a The Lagoon, is a smaller bay in the
north part of Jersey Bay. It is one of the most protected
small-boat harbors on St. Thomas Island. Several yacht
clubs and marinas along the north shore of the bay have
complete facilities for small craft. Berths, gasoline, diesel
fuel, water and some marine supplies are available. A
50-ton mobile hoist can handle craft up to 65 feet for
hull, engine and electronic repairs. To reach the facilities,
pass east of the buoy off Red Point, the east point of
Cas Cay, and follow the best charted water toward the
whitewashed area on Rotto Cay. Pass Rotto Cay keeping
it 100 yards on your starboard and proceed past Grassy
Cay keeping it close by on the starboard. Proceed past
Grassy Cay to within 100 yards of Bovoni Cay then head
in a north direction to the facilities. The channel leading
into Benner Bay is privately maintained and marked. In
530 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
1981, severe shoaling was reported in the channel; the
extent of shoaling is unknown. Mariners should seek
local knowledge. Also, it was reported that submerged
pilings may exist in the area. The waters between Cas
Cay and Patricia Cay are shoal with prominent breakers,
and entry in this area could be hazardous.
(112) The south coast of St. Thomas is very irregular with
projecting rocky cliffs between coves and bays that are
obstructed by rocks and shoals. Dangerous rocks extend
up to a mile from shore.
(113) Long Point, the southeast extremity of St. Thomas
Island, is the terminus of a high prominent ridge with
rocky cliffs 50 feet high.
(114) Bolongo Bay, about 1.2 miles northwest of Long
Point, has a barrier reef that often breaks. A small channel
is navigable to small craft on the northeast side.
(115) Packet Rock, a coral shoal about 100 yards in extent
with a depth of about 5 feet, lies 0.7 mile west-southwest
of Long Point. The sea breaks over the rock only in heavy
weather, and it cannot be seen until close-to. A buoy is
300 yards south-southeast of the rock.
(116) Capella Islands, of which the largest and westernmost
is Buck Island, lie 1.7 miles southwest of Long Point and
constitute a prominent landfall for making St. Thomas
Harbor. The two small islands, of irregular outline, are
partially covered with a scrubby growth and separated by
a narrow channel almost closed by numerous uncovering
rocks. A light, 139 feet above the water, is shown from a
skeleton tower on the highest point of Buck Island, near
its east end. A shallow ledge extends 100 yards off the
west end, and off the north side the depth is 30 feet. A sh
haven, covered 40 feet and marked by private buoys, is
on the north side of a bight at the southwest end of Buck
Island in about 18°16'42"N., 64°53'55"W.
(117) Between Capella Island and St. Thomas Island the
currents are weak.
(118)
Frenchcap Cay to St. John Island
(119) Frenchcap Cay is about 3.6 miles southeast of
Buck Island, and, like Buck Island, is a useful landfall
for making St. Thomas Harbor. It is 350 yards long and
183 feet high and is covered with grass and steep-to. The
shoreline for the most part consists of high rocky cliffs.
(120)
St. Thomas Harbor
(121) St. Thomas Harbor, in about the middle of the
south coast of St. Thomas Island, is the only sheltered
harbor in the Virgin Islands that can be entered by large
vessels. Although the oval-shaped harbor is small and
open to the south, it is well protected by the high hills
surrounding the other sides and provides safe anchorage
except during a hurricane.
(122) Charlotte Amalie, along the north shore of St.
Thomas Harbor, is the most important city and capital
of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tourism comprises most of
the commerce. Rum and bay rum are manufactured, and
handicraft articles are made from raw materials imported
from nearby islands.
(123) The port facilities are at the West Indian Dock on the
south side of Long Bay and at the Ports Authority pier
and quay on the north side of West Gregerie Channel.
West Indian Dock, also known as Havensight Point on
the east side of the harbor, has a dock that can berth
cruise ships. Cruise ships also dock in Crown Bay at the
homeport and Crown Bay docks south of Little Krum
Bay in West Gregerie Channel. The principal imports
include foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, building materials,
machinery and petroleum products—exports include
rum, perfumes and sundry articles.
(124)
Prominent features
(125) Muhlenfels Point, the east entrance point to St.
Thomas Harbor, is high and steep at the shoreline. A large
hotel on the point is conspicuous.
(126) Hassel Island, on the west side of the harbor
entrance, is indented by shallow coves and has several
high wooded hills. Cowell Point is the south end of a
ridge sloping up to Cowell Battery, the highest point on
the island.
(127) Signal Hill, about a mile northwest of St. Thomas
Harbor, is the second highest peak on the island with a
lighted tower on top. From it the main ridge extends east-
southeast, passing less than 0.5 mile north of Charlotte
Amalie. The town is built around the three spurs that
extend south from the ridge. Frenchman Hill is the west
spur. Berg Hill, in the center, has a square white building
on its south slope near the top. On Government Hill, the
east spur, stands Blackbeard Castle, a remarkable 47-
foot stone tower.
(128) To the east of Government Hill, Bluebeard Hill
rises abruptly from the shore at Frederiksberg Point to
a 224-foot summit on which Bluebeard Castle, an old
34-foot stone tower, is located.
(129) Water Island, southwest of the entrance to St.
Thomas Harbor, is indented by several small shallow
bays, and the hilly land is covered by small trees and dense
underbrush. Flamingo Point, the south end, consists of
brown rocky 100-foot cliffs. North of Flamingo Point on
the west shore is Flamingo Bay, which leads to Flamingo
Pond and a small boat harbor and marina. A square tower
is on 256-foot Providence Hill, 0.8 mile north of the
point. There is a small pier on Providence Point that is
used by the ferry serving Water Island. Red Point, a mile
northwest of Water Island, is a rugged red cliff on the west
side of Lindbergh Bay.
(130)
Channels
(131) The entrance channel, west of Muhlenfels Point and
close east of Scorpion Rock, leads close southwest of
West Indian Dock. The entrance channel is marked by a
lighted range and lighted buoys. Reported depths of 10 to
14 feet can be taken to the waterfront at Charlotte Amalie.
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 531
(132) East Gregerie Channel is between Hassel Island and
Water Island. Haulover Cut, between Hassel Island and
St. Thomas Island, has a least depth of 12 feet through the
center of the narrow passage. At the southwest entrance,
a reef that uncovers extends about 80 yards into the cut
from Hassel Island. Rocks, submerged and awash, border
the northwest side of the channel. East Gregerie Channel
is marked by lighted buoys. Caution is advised for all
vessels traversing this area since it is an active seaplane
landing area.
(133) West Gregerie Channel is between Water Island
and St. Thomas Island. The channel is marked by lighted
buoys. A lighted radio tower at the base of Careen Hill has
been reported to be an excellent mark to steer for when
entering West Gregerie Channel.
(134) The conventional direction of buoyage changes at
Gregerie Junction Channel Lighted Buoy GC. When
transiting inbound West Gregerie Channel, the buoy
should be taken to starboard. When transiting inbound
East Gregerie Channel, the buoy should be taken to port.
A channel does not exist between Lighted Buoy GC and
Water Island.
(135) Ruyter Bay, a shoal bay on the northwest side
of Water Island, has a privately owned L-shaped pier,
about 100 feet long with a 30-foot length at the outer
end; in 1972, depths of about 6 to 10 feet were reported
alongside. A depth of about 8 feet can be carried with
local knowledge when approaching the pier from the
northwest.
(136)
Anchorages
(137) General, small craft and arrival inspection
anchorages are in St. Thomas Harbor and off Lindbergh
Bay. (See 33 CFR 110.1 and 110.250, chapter 2, for limits
and regulations.)
(138) Inner Harbor (Alpha), north of West Indian
Company Dock, is a deep-water anchorage. All classes of
vessels may anchor. Caution is advised when anchoring
near southern limits of anchorage within 492 feet either
side of range. Cruise ships frequent these waters and
require this area to maneuver. Occasionally large cruise
ships will anchor here (Alpha) in which case commercial
and private vessels may be required to relocate.
(139) Outer Harbor (Bravo), south of Hassel Island and
Water Island, is a deep-water anchorage used for vessels
undergoing examination by Quarantine, Customs,
Immigration and Coast Guard Authorities. All classes of
vessels may anchor.
(140) (Charlie), in Long Bay north of Yacht Haven Grand,
is a small-craft anchorage.
(141) (Echo), North of Alpha anchorage along the
waterfront, is a small-craft anchorage.
(142) (Foxtrot), South of Lindbergh Bay, is a deep-water
anchorage.
(143) Krum Bay, northwest of Water Island, has depths of
34 feet in the entrance, shoaling to 8 feet near the head. A
power plant maintains a lighted T-head pier and a barge
dock on the west side of Krum Bay, about 0.1 mile and 0.4
mile, respectively, north of Mosquito Point, on the west
side of the entrance. The bay affords excellent anchorage
for small vessels during a hurricane.
(144) Lindbergh Bay, close west of Krum Bay, is used
as an anchorage by small sloops and motorboats. The
entrance depths are 29 feet, gradually decreasing to a ne
sand beach and small pier at the head of the bay.
(145)
Dangers
(146) Green Cay, 1 mile southeast of Muhlenfels Point,
is a small 24-foot islet covered with low underbrush. The
islet is near the center of a coral reef that extends about
450 yards southwest from shore. Another islet is 50 yards
south of Green Cay.
(147) Triangle is a group of dangerous rocks between
Green Cay and Muhlenfels Point. The north and southwest
parts of the group are partly awash. Barrel of Beef is the
east foul area of the group. A detached coral rock covered
18 feet and marked by a lighted buoy is nearly 0.7 mile
south-southeast of Muhlenfels Point.
(148) Point Knoll, a coral head with several submerged
rocks, extends 50 yards southwest from Muhlenfels
Point; a depth of 20 feet is about 90 yards southwest
of the coral head. Rohde Bank, 0.2 mile northwest of
Muhlenfels Point, has a least depth of 19 feet.
(149) Scorpion Rock, in the entrance between Muhlenfels
Point and Cowell Point, is a small coral rock with a least
depth of 28 feet—a lighted buoy marks the rock.
(150) Rupert Rock, 0.5 mile north of Muhlenfels Point at
the narrowest part of the entrance channel, is 12 feet high
and white on top. A drying reef and foul ground with less
than 6 feet over it extends 100 yards west from the rock.
A lighted buoy and a daybeacon are west of the rock.
(151) Foul ground with depths less than 6 feet surround
Hassel Island and Water Island up to 300 yards from
shore.
(152) Porpoise Rocks, a mile west of the south end of
Water Island, consists of three reefs with rocks bare or
awash surrounded by depths of 6 to 17 feet—a lighted
buoy is on the southwest side.
(153) An unmarked sh haven is off the south side of
Porpoise Rocks.
(154) A rocky ledge extends 0.4 mile south of Red Point.
A steep-to rock at the outer end has a least depth of 5 feet
over it.
(155) An airport runway extension is on the east side
Brewers Bay 0.6 mile northwest of Red Point. The
runway extends about 800 yards west from shore and is
surrounded by a rock dike. Caution is advised in the area.
(156) Sandy Point Rock, an elongated shoal extending
300 yards northwest from the north end of Water Island,
has a least depth of 3 feet.
(157) Care should be taken when navigating in the main
harbor of Charlotte Amalie, Haulover Cut and East
Gregerie and West Gregerie Channels, because of their
use as seaplane operating areas. The seaplanes generally
532 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
take off on a southeast heading from Cay Bay to Rupert
Rock, and occasionally from Crown Bay through the
East Gregerie Channel, also on a southeast heading. The
seaplanes generally land on a northeast heading between
the light in West Gregerie Channel and Haulover Cut,
then proceed into Cay Bay. The seaplanes, when landing,
usually traverse the narrow Haulover Cut area at a high
rate of speed. Vessels navigating in these waters should
remain alert to the presence of seaplanes when operating
in the areas dened above.
(158)
Currents
(159) An equatorial current is reported to run starting
in East Gregerie Channel and travel out West Gregerie
Channel at a velocity of about 1 to 3 knots. Caution
should be exercised to avoid being set onto the piers in
the bay, particularly with a strong east wind.
(160)
Routes
(161) From west: pass 1.0 mile or more off the south end
of Water Island, then enter the Pilot Boarding area from
the south, steer for Muhlenfels Point until on the entrance
range and then proceed into the harbor on a heading of
344°. The prominent white catchment area on the west
side of Berg Hill helps in picking up the range in the
daytime. From south: pass a mile or more west of Buck
Island and enter on the range. From east: set a course to
pass about midway between Buck Island and St. Thomas
Island and enter on the range.
(162)
Pilotage, St. Thomas
(163) See Pilotage, U.S. Virgin Islands (indexed as
such) early this chapter. Pilotage is available from the
St. Thomas Pilots, Virgin Island Port Authority. Ofce
address is: P.O. Box 2616, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas,
U.S.VI 00803; FAX 340–777–9694; Email: sttpilots@
gmail.com. Pilots monitor VHF-FM channels 14 and 16
only within one hour of ship’s scheduled arrival time.
(164) The pilots boathouse (station) is on the waterfront at
St. Thomas Old Marine Terminal.
(165) St. Thomas Pilots serve the main harbors of Charlotte
Amalie, St. John, East and West Gregerie Channels,
Crown Bay and Southwest Roads.
(166) Pilots board vessels entering St. Thomas Harbors
from four points at the entrances. Vessels entering via
West Gregerie Channel are boarded about 0.5 mile west
of West Gregerie Channel Lighted Buoy 2 or 0.5 mile
south of Flamingo Point. For vessels entering through
East Gregerie Channel, the pilot will board in the Pilot
Boarding Area south of East Gregerie Channel Lighted
Buoy WR1. Vessels entering the port through the main
harbor entrance channel can pick up the pilot from
a position in the channel south of St. Thomas Harbor
Entrance Lighted Buoy 2.
(167) The pilot boats, HARRY MAGRAS, 45 feet long,
and WINSTON PARRIS, 42 feet long, each have black
hulls with white superstructures. Both boats have the word
PILOT on their superstructures, painted in orange. The
pilot boats display the standard pilot signals; “HOTEL”
ag by day and a white light over a red light at night (all-
around lights). The pilot boats and pilot station monitor
VHF-FM channels 16 and 14 and work on channel 14.
Vessels to be boarded should contact the pilot boat prior to
arrival for vessel speed (approximately 6 to 8 knots) and
boarding side and rig the pilot ladder about 3 feet above
the water.
(168)
Towage
(169) Tugs up to 3,000 hp are available for docking vessels.
The tugs monitor VHF-FM channels 16 and 14. Notice of
at least 24 hours required for tugs in most circumstances.
(170)
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural
quarantine
(171) (See chapter 3, Vessel Arrival Inspections, and
Appendix A for addresses.)
(172) Quarantine is enforced in accordance with
regulations of the U.S. Public Health Service. (See Public
Health Service, chapter 1.)
(173) Seamen requiring emergency hospital attention are
taken to the municipal hospital.
(174) Charlotte Amalie is a customs port of entry. Vessels
are boarded at anchorage or at their berths. The main
Customs ofce is in the Blyden Marine Termainal along
the waterfront in Main Harbor.
(175)
Coast Guard
(176) The Coast Guard has a Marine Safety Detachment
in Charlotte Amalie under Sector San Juan. The mailing
address is 3300 Veterans Drive, St. Thomas, VI 00802.
(177)
Harbor regulations
(178) Local rules and regulations for the Port of St.
Thomas are enforced by the Port Authority Dockmasters
at Blyden Terminal.
(179)
Wharves
(180) The West Indian Dock, along the south side of
Long Bay, is the primary cruise ship terminal at Charlotte
Amalie. The well-protected 3,025-foot marginal wharf
has depths of 35 feet reported alongside except for 31
feet alongside the easternmost 300 feet.
(181) The waterfront of Charlotte Amalie is a concrete
marginal wharf with reported depths of 4 to 18 feet
alongside. It is primarily used by small sailing vessels.
The dock is also used for ferry boats, harbor tour boats
and a hotel water taxi.
(182) Kings Wharf, a 300-foot nger pier extending from
the point east of the waterfront, is used by Coast Guard
vessels. In 1982, depths of 9 feet were reported along the
north side and 13 feet along the south side. A 6-foot depth
is about 200 yards east-southeast from the outer end of
the pier in 18°20'27"N., 64°55'49"W.
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 533
(183) The waterfront of Crown Bay, known as Sandll
Dock, is a curved concrete marginal wharf, approximately
1,160 feet long, operated by the Virgin Islands Port
Authority. Depths of 13 to 27 feet are reported alongside.
The wharf is used primarily for receipt of general cargo.
(184) The Crown Bay Passenger Facility, operated by
the Virgin Islands Port Authority, is in Crown Bay on
the north side of West Gregerie Channel. The pier, which
extends east from shore, has an 880-foot south face and a
930-foot north face and depths of 31 to 38 feet alongside.
Just north are the Cargo Port Docks; Crowley, 958 feet
long with 28 to 30 feet alongside and Tropical, north or
Crowley, 540 feet long with 28 to 30 feet alongside.
(185)
Supplies
(186) Groceries and some marine supplies are available at
Charlotte Amalie. When available, water can be delivered
from pipelines at the West Indian Dock, Crown Bay
Passenger Facility or at anchorage from a barge.
(187)
Repairs
(188) A 100-foot-long drydock, just south of the Crown
Bay Passenger Facility, can handle vessels up to 130
feet long. Machine shops can make minor above-the-
waterline repairs. For larger vessels, the nearest facilities
are at San Juan and the Panama Canal.
(189)
Small-craft facilities
(190) A marina on the east side of Long Bay has nger piers
with 10 to 18 feet alongside. Berths, water, electricity and
marine supplies are available. A fuel pier with 28 feet
alongside has gasoline and diesel fuel.
(191) A marina on the west side of Cay Bay, north of Hassel
Island, has berthing and mooring facilities in about 15
feet of water. Gasoline, electricity, water, ice and marine
supplies are available. The approach to the marina is in a
seaplane operating area so be alert for aircraft.
(192) A marina, on the north side of Crown Bay Passenger
Facility, has nger piers with reported 12 to 15 feet
alongside. Gasoline, electricity, water, ice and marine
supplies are available.
(193)
<Deleted Chart Header>
(194) Saba Island, 202 feet high and triangular in shape,
is 2.4 miles west of Flamingo Point. The north part of
the island is low, but the south part has precipitous red
cliffs 150 feet high along the south shore. Two small
lagoons surrounded by mangroves are near the north
end. A landing can be made on the sand beach along the
northwest shore. About 150 yards east of the island is
a reef with a bare rock 5 feet high and numerous rocks
awash over which the sea always breaks. Another reef
awash lies 100 yards south of the west end of the island.
(195) Turtledove Cay, 50 feet high, 100 yards north of
Saba Island, is connected with Saba Island by a reef bare
at low water. About 0.1 mile west of the cay is a cluster
of rocks awash. Between these rocks and the cay is a boat
channel. Dry Rock, about 0.5 mile southwest of Saba
Island, comprises a group of rocks bare and awash; the
highest rock is 2 feet high. Flat Cays, 0.8 mile northeast
from Saba Island and 1.3 miles southwest from Red
Point, consists of two small islets, 32 and 11 feet high,
respectively. About 300 yards east of the south cay is a
rock awash, surrounded by a breaking reef.
(196)
Currents
(197) Inshore the current is weak, but between Flat Cays
and Saba Island, a tidal current sets east-southeast and
west-northwest with velocities up to 1 knot. See the Tidal
Current prediction service at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov
for specic information about times, directions, and
velocities of the current at numerous locations throughout
the area. Links to a user guide for this service can be found
in chapter 1 of this book.
(198) Southwest Road, between Flat Cays and
Perseverance Bay, affords an excellent anchorage with
the wind as far south as east-southeast.
(199) Vessels may anchor as convenient after entering
through any of the channels between the islands and
shoals south. Sailing vessels should enter from the east
between Water Island and Porpoise Rocks, favoring
Water Island, and pass between Flat Cays and the shoal
south of Red Point.
(200) In 1993, a submerged wreck, covered 28 feet, was
reported by the NOAA ship MT. MITCHELL in the west
approach to Southwest Road in about 18°18'48.1"N.,
65°02'29.0"W.
(201) Range Cay, an islet 21 feet high, lies close to the
shore 0.7 mile northwest of Red Point. Black Point, 1.2
miles northwest of Red Point, terminates in rocky cliffs
40 to 50 feet high.
(202) Perseverance Bay, between Black Point and Lucas
Point to the west, has depths of 13 fathoms, about 0.4
mile from the shore. Coral reefs, bare at low water, fringe
the beach. Lucas Point rounded and rocky, is marked by
60-foot cliffs.
(203) Fortuna Bay, between Lucas Point and David
Point, consists of two small bays separated by a broad
point that is high and faced by precipitous cliffs 200 feet
high. The shore is generally rocky with cliffs up to 70 feet
high.
(204) St. John Island, about 2 miles east of St. Thomas
Island, is 8 miles long and up to 4 miles wide. Its east
end for 3 miles is formed by a narrow neck of land from
1 mile to less than 0.5 mile across, and from its inner end
the coast turns sharply south, forming a deep bight that
terminates at Ram Head, the south point of the island. The
central and west portions are comprised of irregular hills,
the highest of which is Bordeaux Mountain, 1,277 feet
high. The hills and mountains are mostly covered with
trees, brush and some patches of grass.
534 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
(205) Most of the offshore waters surrounding St. John are
part of the Virgin Islands National Park and the Virgin
Islands Coral Reef National Monument. Anchoring is not
permiteed anywhere within the park along the south side
of St. John (except for dinghies under 16 feet). Moorings
must be used instead. Anchoring is also prohibited in
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. For more
information about how and where to secure your boat
around St. John see the Marine Use Visitor Information
Interactive Map at nps.gov/viis/index.htm.
(206) Most of the population of St. John Island is located
in two small towns, Cruz Bay at the west end and Coral
Bay at the east end. Tourism is the principal commerce;
foodstuffs and building material are brought into Cruz
Bay by small interisland vessels.
(207) Some groceries, gasoline, diesel fuel and water
can be obtained at the town. Small ferryboats carry
passengers and mail between St. Thomas Island and St.
John Island. Land transportation is mostly by taxi or by
small sightseeing buses. Telephone and radiotelephone
services are available.
(208) The Government administration is at Cruz Bay.
(209)
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural
quarantine
(210) Cruz Bay is a customs port of entry.
(211) (See chapter 3, Vessel Arrival Inspections, and
Appendix A for addresses.)
(212) Quarantine is enforced in accordance with
regulations of the U.S. Public Health Service. (See Public
Health Service, chapter 1.)
(213)
Moravain Point to Fungi Passage
(214) Moravian Point, on the end of a peninsula south
of Cruz Bay, is the westernmost part of St. John Island.
Mingo Rock, which is awash and breaks, is 175 yards
west-southwest of Moravian Point. A group of rocks
awash are just to the west-southwest of Mingo Rock.
(215) Steven Cay, 0.4 mile west-northwest of Moravian
Point, is 28 feet high and marked by a light off the north
end. A 30-foot rock is just south of May Point, the south
extremity of Steven Cay. Skipper Jacob Rock is 0.1 mile
east of the south end of Steven Cay.
(216) Enighed Pond, east of Moravian Point, is entered
through Turner Bay. A car ferry dock with daily service
to Red Hook, St. Thomas, is at the head of Enighed Pond.
(217) Cruz Bay, on the west side of St. John Island, is
a small cove used by small interisland vessels bringing
supplies and tourists to the island. The entrance is marked
by a light 12 feet above the water, and private buoys mark
the channels through the cove. The Government House on
the peninsula extending to Battery Point is a prominent
landmark. A marina of the National Park Service is in the
cove east of Battery Point; a depth of 6 feet can be taken
to the 80-foot pier and bulkhead. A passenger ferry dock
is on the southeast side of Cruz Bay.
(218) Caneel Bay, 0.8 mile northeast of Cruz Bay, is the
site of the Caneel Bay Plantation resort development. A
line of private marker buoys restricts the use of boats in
the bay except for the channel leading to a small pier at
the head of the bay. Motorboats provide transportation
for tourists to St. Thomas from the pier.
(219) Durloe Cays are three islets west of Hawksnest
Point. Henley Cay, the largest, is 70 feet high and about
300 yards wide, and has a small pier on the south side.
Ramgoat Cay, 310 yards northeast of Henley Cay, is 30
feet high, and Rata Cay, the smallest, is 0.2 mile west-
northwest of Henley Cay.
(220) Hawksnest Point, a projecting point forming the
west shore of Hawksnest Bay, is wooded. In the north
part is a circular hill 130 feet high. Off the extreme point
is Hawksnest Rock, bare and 25 feet high. Hawksnest
Bay, east of the point, is small and of no commercial
importance. Off its south shore are numerous rocks.
(221) Perkins Cay is an islet close to the east point of
Hawksnest Bay. Trunk Cay, a grass-covered islet 48 feet
high, is about 0.5 mile east of Perkins Cay. Trunk Bay,
between the two cays, is used extensively by skindivers.
An area in the bay in which boats are restricted is marked
by private buoys.
(222) Johnson Reef, a coral formation 0.4 mile northeast
of Perkins Cay, is 500 yards long and over 0.2 mile wide;
it breaks except in very smooth weather. A ledge, with a
least depth of 20 feet, connects this reef with the mainland
to the southeast. The reef is marked by a lighted buoy on
its north side and by two private buoys on the south side.
(223) Cinnamon Cay, 32 feet high and covered with tall
grass and cactus, is about 0.7 mile east of Trunk Cay
in Cinnamon Bay. America Point is 2 miles east of
Hawksnest Point; back of America Point rises America
Hill, 526 feet high, which separates Cinnamon Bay from
Maho Bay. The head of Maho Bay is shoal and has a ne
sand beach. Maho Point is the tip of a short peninsula
between Maho and Francis Bays, formed by the spur of
a 198-foot hill 300 yards east.
(224) Francis Bay, south of Mary Point, is somewhat
protected to the north by Whistling Cay and affords good
anchorage in 50 feet, sandy bottom.
(225) Whistling Cay, the 202-foot islet 300 yards west
of Mary Point, is covered with trees. Its north shore is
precipitous, with cliffs 130 feet high. A gravel beach is
along the southeast side. Fungi Passage, between the
cay and Mary Point, has a least depth of 21 feet, but on
account of the bafing winds from the adjacent high land
it is difcult for sailing vessels.
(226)
Mary Point to Lameshur Bay
(227) Mary Point, a 578 foot-high headland in the form
of a ridge, is connected with St. John by a low divide,
separating Francis Bay from Mary Creek. The west end
of the peninsula has bluffs 135 feet high; the north shore
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 535
consists of high weatherbeaten cliffs with large boulders
along the waterline.
(228) The Narrows, a channel about 0.3 mile wide
between the 10-fathom curves, is the west entrance to
the passage between the north coast of St. John and
the southwest coast of Tortola. This passage leads into
Flanagan Passage and Sir Francis Drake Channel. Tidal
currents in The Narrows and the passage east attain
velocities of 2 to 4 knots.
(229) Leinster Bay is a double indentation between Mary
Peninsula on the west and Leinster Point on the east;
it is about 0.8 mile in length. Mary Creek, the west part
of this bight, makes well in behind high land to north.
The east part, Waterman Bay, is partially protected
by Watermelon Cay, 30 feet high, 250 yards west of
Leinster Point. The cay is bold and is separated from St.
John Island by a channel 200 yards wide with 12 feet of
water. Mooring buoys are reported in the cay. Vessels
may anchor under the cay about 200 yards from shore.
Annaberg Point, 96 feet high, southwest of Waterlemon
Cay, is faced by a conspicuous landslide.
(230) Threadneedle Point, 0.5 mile east of Leinster
Point, is precipitous, with cliffs up to 70 feet high. From
Threadneedle Point the coast trends in a general east-
southeast direction for 3.5 miles to East End Point,
the east extremity of the island. Haulover Bay, 3 miles
southeast of Leinster Bay, offers the best anchorage of
the small bights along the north coast.
(231) Privateer Point, the easternmost point of St. John
Island, is a projecting point 164 feet high. Red Point, a
headland west of Privateer Bay, is the south end of a high
ridge.
(232) Flanagan Island, 127 feet high, lies 0.7 mile
southeast of Privateer Point. A rock off the west side is
45 feet high.
(233) Flanagan Passage, the westernmost of the passages
leading into Sir Francis Drake Channel from the south,
consists of a group of channels separating St. John and
Norman Islands. The channel between Privateer Point and
Flanagan Island is 0.7 mile wide; that between Flanagan
Island and the Indians is about 1.2 miles wide; and that
between Flanagan and Norman Islands is 1.4 miles wide.
(234) Approaching Flanagan Passage from east, haul
close around the west side of Norman Island, inside
Santa Monica Rock, which may be done at a distance
of 300 yards. From west, line up the Indians and Mount
Bellevue, the highest hill on the east end of Tortola, and
enter west of Santa Monica Rock on a heading of about
016°.
(235) Coral Bay, the large bay extending north into St.
John between Red Point and Ram Head, is open to the
southeast. The narrowest part of the entrance, between
Moor Point and Lagoon Point, is 1.2 miles wide. Leduck
Island, 85 feet high, lies in the entrance to Coral Bay,
midway between Red Point and Ram Head.
(236)
Currents
(237) The current velocity is about 0.7 knot and sets
southwest and northeast across the entrance to Coral Bay;
between Flanagan Island and Privateer Point its velocity
is reported to be 1.5 knots. In the bay there is no current,
and the range of tide is about 1 foot.
(238) Moor Point is the thin rocky southwest extremity
of East End Peninsula. Turner Point is the knob at the
end of the peninsula separating Round Bay and Hurricane
Hole. Fortberg Hill, the prominent 425-foot hill west of
Hurricane Hole, is nearly circular in shape and covered
with trees. Lagoon Point, the south entrance point of
Coral Harbor, is fringed by a coral reef 200 yards wide
and bare at low water. Sabbat Point, 0.5 mile south of
Lagoon Point, is the end of a long high rock forming the
buttress of Sabbat Hill, 101 feet high.
(239) Ram Head, the south point of St. John, is a bold
headland, with two conspicuous hills. The east side of
the head has rocky cliffs 100 to 150 feet high. A heavy
sea generally runs off the point.
(240) The only danger in the approach to Coral Bay for
vessels drawing less than 18 feet is Eagle Shoal, about
0.7 mile south of Leduck Island. Eagle shoal consists
of three round patches of coral with a least known depth
of 1½ feet. Coral Bay has no towns; the community is
scattered among several points along the shore.
(241) Round Bay, the northeast of the three arms of Coral
Bay, is 0.9 mile wide at the entrance. The several shoal
patches of about 2¼ fathoms should be avoided. Pelican
Rock, 7 feet high, is in the northeast part of the bay. The
best anchorage in Round Bay is off Moor Point.
(242) Hurricane Hole, the north arm of Coral Bay, is
0.6 mile wide at the entrance west of Turner Point. The
shoreline is indented by several small bays that afford
protection from almost any direction for small vessels.
A shoal with rocks awash extends out 100 yards on the
west side of Hurricane Hole.
(243) Coral Harbor, the northwest arm of Coral Bay, is
narrow, and the deep part of the bay is restricted to a
width of 100 yards or less by encroaching shoals from
the side and head of the harbor. The entrance channel into
the harbor is marked by private buoys. The anchorage
ground, although smooth with ordinary winds, is narrow,
and being on a lee shore it is available only for small
vessels. A small-boat wharf with 3 feet alongside is at the
head of the bay.
(244) The south coast of St. John is very irregular with
bold projecting points terminating in cliffs over 100 feet
high between the small bays and coves that have fringing
reefs and shoals near the shores. The dangers are within
0.5 mile of the coast.
(245) Lameshur Bay, 1.5 miles northwest of Ram Head,
is divided into three smaller bays by projecting points.
The easterly one affords good shelter for small vessels in
7 fathoms about 0.2 mile offshore. The middle bay has a
good anchorage generally used by sailboats and a sand
beach.
536 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
(246) The shore for 0.6 mile west of Lameshur Bay
consists of very prominent 150-foot white cliffs.
(247)
Reef Bay to Great Cruz Bay
(248) Reef Bay, 2.7 miles west of Ram Head, is a large
open bight, but the shores are fringed by coral reefs. A
passage leads through the reefs to a protected small-boat
harbor in Genti Bay.
(249) Great Cruz Bay, 5.5 miles west of Ram Head,
affords good shelter for small vessels. The depth is 21
feet in the entrance, decreasing to 9 feet in the middle of
the bay.
(250)
St. Croix Island
(251) St. Croix Island, 32 miles south of St. Thomas and
St. John Islands and 50 miles southeast of the mainland of
Puerto Rico, is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The
island is 19 miles long and averages about 3.5 miles wide.
The north side is somewhat mountainous, particularly in
the west part. Mount Eagle, 1,165 feet high and about 5
miles from the west end, is the highest point on the island.
Southward from the mountains, the land is composed of
fertile undulating valleys. The south side is nearly straight
and generally low.
(252) Water commerce with St. Croix Island is handled
through Christiansted on the north coast, Frederiksted on
the west coast and the industrial complexes in Port St.
Croix and Limetree Bay along the central south coast.
Tourism accounts for a good part of the commerce on the
north, east and west coasts; a petroleum renery is the
major commerce on the south coast. St. Croix Senepol
cattle are raised and exported to nearby islands and
worldwide.
(253)
Currents
(254) There is usually a slight west current between St.
Croix Island and St. Thomas Island. A strong westerly or
easterly current observed between 1 to 3 knots, depending
on weather conditions, has been observed at Christiansted
Harbor on the north side of Protestant Cay in Schooner
Channel, while a moderate west ow is reported outside
the light at Fort Louise Augusta.
(255) National Ocean Service parties have reported that
off East Point tidal currents of about 1 knot set northwest
and southeast in calm weather. Close to East Point strong
currents set north and south. Trade winds increase the
northwest ow and decrease the southeast ow. A very
strong west current setting around East Point and through
Buck Island Channel was noted when the trade wind
was blowing. A strong northwest current was noted off
Southwest Cape.
(256) In 1982, the NOAA Ship MT. MITCHELL reported
a prevailing west current with a drift of 1 to 1½ knots on
the south side of St. Croix, with a countercurrent inside
the reef along the shore.
(257)
Weather
(258) The weather at St. Croix is wholly inuenced by
the maritime tropics and the prevalent trade winds.
The average temperature at St. Croix is 80.2°F with an
average maximum of 86.3°F and an average minimum
of 73.6°F. August is the warmest month with an average
temperature of 82.5°F and January is the coolest month
with an average temperature of 77.2°F, allowing for an
annual spread of only 5.3°F. Temperatures in excess of
90°F have occurred in each month except January and
February, and the all-time maximum (93°F) has occurred
numerous times during the months of April, September,
October, and November. The coolest temperature on
record is 61°F, recorded in January 1955. The average
annual precipitation for St. Croix is 41.24 inches; 25%
of this amount falls during the peak hurricane months of
August and September. Since 1950, at least 27 tropical
cyclones have come within 50 miles of St. Croix. Of
these 27 storms, 23 of them affected St. Croix during the
two-month period of August and September. Hurricane
Georges did considerable damage throughout all the
Virgin Islands in September 1998. Hurricane Marilyn
caused much damage in the region during September
1995, and hurricane Hugo raked the region with 120-
knot winds as the center passed directly over the island
in September 1989.
(259) There is no regular land breeze at St. Croix Island,
but when the trade wind is light during the day it generally
falls calm in the night. From June to September, when
the trade wind is usually light, occasionally strong winds
from the southwest blow across the island with much rain.
The ground swell accompanying northers is especially
heavy in the vicinity of White Horse.
(260)
Local regulations
(261) Local rules and regulations for St. Croix are enforced
by the U.S. Virgin Islands Port Authority, Gallows Bay,
Christiansted, St. Croix, UVI 00820. No radio watch is
maintained at the Port Authority, but contact may be made
through the marine operator.
(262) Hams Bluff, the northwest extremity of St. Croix
Island, is a conspicuous 100-foot cliff with the land back
of it rising to high hills. Hams Bluff Light (17°46'09"N.,
64°52'15"W.), 394 feet above the water, is shown from a
white cylindrical tower.
(263) From Hams Bluff, the north coast of St. Croix Island
has slightly jutting rocky points with sandy beaches
between for 5.5 miles to Baron Bluff.
(264) Baron Bluff is the sea front of the triple spurs of a
395-foot hill. From Baron Bluff east to Salt River, the
shore consists of low rocky cliffs.
(265) Salt River Bay is 1.5 miles east of Baron Bluff. A
narrow passage with depths of 6 feet leads through a reef
into the bay. The shores of the bay are mostly mangrove
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 537
swamps with several openings leading to boat landings. A
marina with berths, electricity, water, ice and a launching
ramp is in the bay; minor repairs can be made.
(266) A reported unlighted spar buoy is on the north side
at the entrance to Salt River Bay reef. There are two
reported dive moorings on the east and west walls off
Salt River Canyon.
(267) White Horse, 400 yards north of Salt River Point, is
a rock over which the sea always breaks. A boat channel
with a depth of about 11 feet leads between the rock and
the shore.
(268) From Salt River Point, the coast turns abruptly
southeast for 3 miles to Christiansted. In this area, the
hills near the coast are covered with grass and low bushes,
and the low shoreline has a narrow sand beach.
(269)
Christiansted Harbor
(270) Christiansted Harbor, on the north coast of St.
Croix Island 10 miles east of Hams Bluff and 7.7 miles
west of East Point, is a port of call for vessels drawing up
to 16 feet. The harbor is protected by a reef and bank that
extends clear across the entrance, except for the channel
opening. Gallows Bay is in the southeast part of the
harbor. Most of the harbor is shoal.
(271) Christiansted, on the south shore of the harbor,
is the largest town on St. Croix Island. The principal
imports include foodstuffs, building materials, petroleum
products and clothing. Exports include rum and cattle.
(272)
Prominent features
(273) Fort Louise Augusta, on the east side of the harbor
entrance, is an old battery ruin with a modern house
structure on projecting point. Christiansted Harbor
Channel Entrance Range Front Light, 45 feet above the
water, is shown near the fort.
(274) Protestant Cay, an islet in the harbor, is surmounted
by an old stone building and a hotel. The ruins of Fort
Soa Frederika are at the north end of the cay.
(275)
Channels
(276) The entrance is north of Fort Louise Augusta through
a crooked dredged channel marked by buoys, lights and
a 164° lighted entrance range, thence east and south of
Protestant Cay to a turning basin and to Gallows Bay
Dock. In 2022, the controlling depth was 14 feet, with
12 to 17 feet in the basin with lesser depths along the
northeast, southeast and southwest limits of the basin.
Shoaling has occurred close to the edges of the marked
channel into Christiansted Harbor; extreme caution is
advised in transiting the channel.
(277) Inside the harbor, a privately dredged channel with
private aids leads west of the main channel to facilities in
the southwest part of the bay. In 2014, a depth of 16 feet
was reported in the channel and alongside the berthing
facilities.
(278) A channel, with natural depths to 11 feet and marked
by private lighted buoys, is east of Round Reef and used
by schooners and small boats.
(279) A 15-foot passage over the south portion of Scotch
Bank is used by small vessels coming from the east; local
knowledge is necessary.
(280)
Anchorages
(281) Vessels anchor east-northeast of Protestant Cay in
depths of 9 to 30 feet according to draft. Holding ground
in this area is reported to be hard; caution is advised to
ensure against dragging. Small boats anchor in Gallows
Bay and along the east side of the harbor. A yacht
anchorage, supervised by the U.S. Virgin Islands Port
Authority, is on the west side of Protestant Cay. During
a hurricane or gale vessels anchor in Gallows Bay and
small boats sometimes anchor in Salt River Bay.
(282)
Dangers
(283) Scotch Bank, a 1.8-mile-long sand shoal extending
northeast from Fort Louise Augusta, is on the east side
of the harbor entrance. Depths of 2 to 20 feet are on the
shoal, which is easily seen except when the sun is ahead.
(284) Long Reef, a 2-mile-long strip nearly awash in
places, forms the northwest side of the harbor. Shoal
water extends east from the reef to the channel marked
with buoys.
(285) Round Reef, west of Fort Louise Augusta, is circular
with a spot bare at low water near its center and several
spots with depths of 1 foot.
(286) The harbor is shoal with depths less than 6 feet
outside the circuitous channel marked by buoys. Several
visible wrecks and submerged obstructions are along the
east side of the harbor.
(287)
Routes
(288) Approaching Christiansted Harbor from northeast,
give Buck Island a berth of 2 miles or more to avoid the
bar north of it. From west, all dangers will be avoided by
staying 1 mile or more off the north coast. The entrance
is marked by a lighted 164° range, and buoys, lights and
daybeacons mark the entrance channel into the harbor.
(289)
Pilotage, Christiansted
(290) See Pilotage, U.S. Virgin Islands (indexed as such)
early in this chapter. Vessels are boarded from a motorboat
just outside Christianstead Harbor Channel Lighted
Buoy 1. Strangers are advised to take a pilot and should
not attempt to enter at night without one.
(291)
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural
quarantine
(292) (See chapter 3, Vessel Arrival Inspections, and
Appendix A for addresses.)
(293) Quarantine is enforced in accordance with
regulations of the U.S. Public Health Service. (See
538 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
Public Health Service, chapter 1.) Juan Luis Hospital
and Medical Center are located mid-isle just west of
Christiansted.
(294) Christiansted is a customs port of entry.
(295)
Harbor regulations
(296) Local rules and regulations for Christiansted harbor
are enforced by the harbormaster, whose ofce is on the
waterfront at Gallows Bay.
(297)
Wharves
(298) Gallows Bay Dock (17°44'57"N., 64°41'57"W.), in
the east part of Gallows Bay, has berthing space of 400
feet on the north side and 300 feet on the south side;
depths of 16 feet are reported alongside. A roll-on/roll-off
ramp with 16 feet alongside is east of the dock. Forklifts,
mobile cranes up to 70 tons and covered and uncovered
storage are available. General cargo is received and
shipped.
(299) Kings Wharf, the west 250-foot section of a 600-
foot bulkhead stone quay 300 yards west of Gallows Bay
Dock and just north-northwest of the fort, has reported
depths of about 8 feet alongside. The wharf is used by tour
boats, private vessels and ferries to Protestant Cay. The
wharf is administered by the National Park Service and is
for day-use only by permit. Permits are obtained from the
National Park Service Headquarters at Fort Christiansted;
visitor information telephone, 340–773–1460.
(300) A 380-foot-long pier, 0.9 mile west of Gallows Bay
Dock, is operated by the Virgin Island Cement Company.
Pipelines for handling raw cement and fuel oil are on the
pier. A reported depth of 17 feet is alongside.
(301) An L-shaped pier, just west of the long pier, has
about 200 feet of berthing space with 17 feet reported
alongside and is operated by Masonry Products, Inc. A
pipeline for handling raw cement is on the pier.
(302)
Supplies and repairs
(303) Some marine supplies and limited amounts of water
are available at Christiansted. Gasoline and diesel fuel
are available near the waterfront; bunkers can be trucked
in from the south side of the island. Facilities for repairs
to oceangoing vessels are limited to minor above-the-
waterline repairs.
(304)
Small-boat facilities
(305) St. Croix Marine Inc., northeast of Gallows Bay
Dock, has four nger piers; two, 100 feet long, and two,
200 feet long; depths of 11 feet are reported alongside.
A marine lift at the facility can can handle craft to 60
tons. Berths, gasoline, diesel fuel, pumpout, dry and wet
storage, water, ice and marine supplies are available.
Hull, engine and electronic repairs are also available.
(306)
<Deleted Chart Header>
(307) Beyond Fort Louise Augusta, the north coast trends
east for 7.3 miles to East Point, the east end of the island.
The coast is fringed by coral reefs, behind which in
several places small vessels may nd protection.
(308) Punnett Point, 1.4 miles east of Fort Louise Augusta,
forms the east side of Punnett Bay, a semicircular cove
0.2 mile wide. Northeast of Punnett Point, at a distance
of about 0.4 mile, is Green Cay, an islet 55 feet high at
its south end. South to the beach and between Green Cay
and Pull Point, the area has depths of only 6 to 18 feet
with numerous coral heads.
(309) A marina is in Southgate Pond 0.2 mile east of
Punnett Point. The entrance channel is protected on the
west side by a breakwater. In 1982, 10 feet was reported
in the entrance channel, with 8 to 10 feet available in the
basin. Berths, gasoline and diesel fuel are available.
(310) Pull Point, 2.3 miles east-northeast of Fort Louise
Augusta, is a small projecting point terminating in cliffs
35 feet high. A stone house is visible at the point. Chenay
Bay is the bight west of the point.
(311) Buck Island, 340 feet high, is 4.3 miles east-
northeast of Fort Louise Augusta and about 1.5 miles off
St. Croix. The island is on the south edge of a coral bank
that extends west about 0.8 mile then sweeps around a
mile north of the island. This forms Buck Island Bar,
1.5 miles long. Shoals extend about 1.8 miles east of
Buck Island. The island lies on the route from east to
Christiansted Harbor. A light, 339 feet above the water,
is shown from a red pyramidal skeleton tower on the
summit of the island. Buck Island lies within the Buck
Island Reef National Monument, the boundary of which
is marked by private buoys.
(312) Diedrichs Point, the south extremity of Buck Island,
is low. Several spots with 12, 17 and 20 feet lie from 1
mile east of the island to 1.7 miles east-southeast of it.
Buck Island Channel lies between Buck Island and the
adjacent reefs and St. Croix. Moderate-draft vessels may
approach it from either north or east. Channel Rock,
awash, lies 1.8 miles west of East Point.
(313) The north coast of St. Croix from Pull Point to
East Point is fringed by a coral reef. Behind this reef are
several anchorages for small boats, but local knowledge
is necessary to use them. Entrance is made at Coakley
Bay, a bight 0.8 mile east of Pull Point. The opening in
the end of the reef can be entered by steering 180° with
Coakley Mill directly ahead. A light in about 17°46.1'N.,
64°38.2'W., marks the east side of the opening and should
be kept close aboard when entering. In 1982, a large coral
head, covered 7 feet, was reported about 100 to 150 yards
west of the light.
(314) Pow Point, 1.5 miles east of Pull Point, is rocky with
a 130-foot hill 250 yards inland. Tague Point, 1.1 miles
east of Pow Point, is sharp and rocky with a 155-foot
hill 0.2 mile south-southwest. Tague Bay, 0.7 mile wide
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 539
between the bluffs at Tague Point and Romney Point, has
a curving beach of sand and shingle. The bay provides
anchorage for light-draft vessels entering behind the
reef through a break northeast of Tague Point. Caution
is advised when navigating the area due to strong surge
currents. There is a private yacht club along the shore;
water and ice are available.
(315) Cottongarden Point, a prominent rocky point
with a 55-foot knoll, is 1.6 miles east of Tague Point
and opposite the east end of the long reef paralleling the
coast. Cramer Point, a public beach and park operated
by the Insular Government, is west of the point.
(316) East Point, the east extremity of St. Croix, is a bluff.
A 225-foot hill is 100 yards west-northwest, and Morne
Rond, 380 feet high, is a conspicuous round hill near the
point.
(317) Lang Bank, an extensive bank 3 to 5 miles wide
stretches 9 miles northeast from the east end of St. Croix
Island. Along its edge is a wall-sided narrow coral ledge
which, commencing about 3 miles east of Buck Island,
sweeps around in a convex form for about 14 miles,
terminating 2 miles south from East Point. Its north part
is from half a mile to 1 mile wide, with depths of 5½ to
10 fathoms. The south portion is about 100 to 600 yards
wide, with 7 to 10 fathoms on it. The shoalest part of Lang
Bank breaks in heavy weather and should be given a wide
berth.
(318) From East Point, the south coast of St. Croix Island
trends west-southwest for 20 miles to Southwest Cape.
This coast is bordered by a dangerous broken coral reef
that extends from East Point to nearly abreast of Long
Point, 3.6 miles east of Southwest Cape. Behind this reef
are several anchorages suitable for small local boats.
Along the coast are many small bights and indentations,
but all are shallow and do not afford anchorage except
for small craft. Many old mills and the aerolight on the
southwest part of the island are prominent.
(319) Point Cudejarre, a sharp point with a 25-foot bluff
and a 120-foot hill north-northwest, is 0.3 miles southwest
of East Point. Grass Point, 3 miles west-southwest of
East Point, is a long narrow point marked by a 43-foot
knob.
(320) Mount Fancy, about 4.7 miles west of East Point,
is a conspicuous double hill, 245 feet high, which forms
the east point of Great Pond Bay. Good anchorage for
vessels of 10-foot draft, in hard sand bottom, can be had
in this bay. An entrance range is the east tangent of Milord
Point in line with Sight Mill; when about 100 yards off the
point, haul around to 064°, pass west of a 7-foot shoal 200
yards east of Milord Point, and run for 0.3 mile, anchoring
in 13 to 14 feet. Milord Point, the west entrance point of
the bay, is a promontory of Fareham Hill, 192 feet high
and prominent.
(321) Vagthus Point, sharp and rocky, is 9.5 miles west-
southwest of East Point. Canegarden Bay, 1.2 miles
wide, forms an irregular crescent to the west of Vagthus
Point.
(322) Limetree Bay, close west of Canegarden Bay,
is the site of a private deep draft oil handling facility
HOVENSA LLC, a joint venture of Hess Oil and PDVSA
of Venezuela. Large tankers call here to deliver crude oil
and to load petroleum and petrochemical products.
(323)
Channels
(324) Limetree Bay Channel, privately dredged, leads
from deep water to a large turning basin with east and west
basins. The channel is privately marked by a 334° lighted
range visible 4° on each side of the channel centerline and
by an auxiliary 334° lighted range, close east of the rst
range, visible 4° on each side of the channel centerline,
and by lights and lighted buoys. In 2012, the reported
controlling depth in the channel was 60 feet with a draft
limit of 55 feet.
(325)
Pilotage, Limetree Bay
(326) See Pilotage, U.S. Virgin Islands (indexed as such)
early in this chapter. Pilotage is compulsory. Pilots board
vessels about 3 miles south-southeast of Limetree Bay
Channel Lighted Buoy 1. Vessels are requested to call
HOVENSA or U.S. Coast Guard in advance for clearance
on VHF-FM channel 11 for approach procedures and
docking instructions. Night entry is limited to vessels not
over 100,000 deadweight tons. There are no restrictions
on sailings.
(327)
Towage
(328) HOVENSA maintains a large eet of tugs capable
of handling vessels to 300,000 deadweight tons.
(329)
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural
quarantine
(330) Quarantine, customs, immigration and
agricultural quarantine matters are handled by
representatives from Christiansted who board vessels at
their berths. Documents required are the same as at U.S.
ports.
(331)
Wharves
(332) A total of ten oil-handling docks are in the bay. A
sulfur conveyor and a roll-on/roll-off dry cargo dock is on
the north side of the east basin. Reported depths alongside
are from 38 to 55 feet at the oil docks and 17 feet at the
roll-on/roll-off dock.
(333) A 1,400-foot container wharf and two roll-on/roll-
off ramps are 0.3 mile west of the causeway. Depths of 32
feet are reported alongside. Deck heights are 12 feet at the
container wharf and 3 feet and 6 feet at the roll-on/roll-off
ramps. A 30-ton container crane, 52 acres open storage
and 30,000 square feet covered storage are available.
540 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
(334)
Supplies
(335) Dry goods and food supplies are handled by local
ship chandlers. Bunker fuels and diesel oil are supplied by
the renery. Limited amounts of fresh water are available.
(336) Krause Lagoon indents the south shore of St. Croix
Island immediately west of Limetree Bay and about 12.3
miles west-southwest of East Point. The coal-red energy
plant and remnants of a bauxite ore and alumina plant
at the head of the channel are apparent. Large vessels
previously called here to deliver bauxite ore and coal fuel
supplies and load alumina.
(337) Three 215-foot silos marked by strobe lights are
prominent at Port St. Croix.
(338)
Channels
(339) Krause Lagoon Channel, a privately maintained
dredged 35-foot channel with dikes paralleling it on either
side in the north part, leads from deep water through the
reefs to a turning basin and two wharves at the head of
the channel. The channel is privately marked by lighted
buoys, lights and a 349.5° lighted range. In 1988, the
controlling depth was 33 feet.
(340)
Currents
(341) The current in Krause Lagoon is reported to set west
and to vary in velocity with the wind. The current does
not completely dissipate until inside Port St. Croix.
(342)
Pilotage, Port St. Croix
(343) See Pilotage, U.S. Virgin Islands (indexed as such)
early in this chapter. Vessels entering Krause Lagoon
Channel are boarded about 2.5 miles south-southwest
of Krause Lagoon Channel Entrance Lighted Buoy 1.
Vessels entering Limetree Bay are boarded about 3 miles
southeast of Limetree Bay Channel Entrance Lighted
Buoy 1. The area within a 4-mile radius of Limetree Bay
Channel Entrance Lighted Buoy 2 is constantly congested
with mostly very large heavy-laden tank vessels entering
and leaving Limetree Bay Channel. Maneuverabilities
for these vessels are restricted. All vessels are advised
to avoid loaded tank vessels and use extreme caution in
and near this 4-mile area. The area from 5 to 10 miles
south of Krause Lagoon Channel Entrance Lighted Buoy
1 is sometimes congested with vessels waiting to meet a
pilot at the designated boarding areas; vessels bound for
the Container Terminal or the Gordon Finch Molasses
Terminal should contact the Virgin Islands Port Authority
Dock Master on VHF-FM channels 14 or 16 or telephone
340-778-3131 to arrange a pilot and receive berthing
instructions. All other trafc into Krause Lagoon contact
Cape Towing Caribbean on VHF-FM channels 14 or 16
for active operations information or approach procedures
and docking instructions.
(344)
Towage
(345) Tugs are supplied by Cape Towing Caribbean,
Borinken Towing and Salvage and Hovensa Marine.
(346)
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural
quarantine
(347) (See chapter 3, Vessel Arrival Inspections, and
Appendix A for addresses.)
(348) Quarantine is enforced in accordance with
regulations of the U.S. Public Health Service. (See Public
Health Service, chapter 1.)
(349)
Wharves
(350) The concrete bulkhead wharves on the east and west
sides of the terminal each have 1,000 feet of berthing
space. The berths on the west side of the terminal are used
for discharging molasses and coal, and those on the east
side are used for ethanol and other liquid fuels. There is
a small pier, open to the public for launching small craft,
on the east side of the entrance channel just north of the
Gordon Finch Pier.
(351)
Supplies
(352) Emergency supplies of bunker fuels, diesel oil and
fresh water are available. The terminal has no ballast
disposal facilities.
(353) Dumping of waste oil in the harbor is prohibited.
Masters are cautioned that the discharge of any oil, oily
waste or other refuse in the harbor can result in serious
damage to the shore plant cooling water intakes, and
every precaution should be exercised to prevent such an
occurrence.
(354)
Long Point to Frederiksted
(355) Long Point, 3.6 miles east of Southwest Cape, is a
low projecting point covered with grass. West of the point
is Long Point Bay, which is shoal. Southwest Shoal, 1.2
miles south of Long Point, has only 6 feet of water over
it, and east to Krause Point the outlying reefs are the most
dangerous along the south coast. They generally break,
but as several shoal spots are south, the area should be
approached with caution.
(356) The area out to the 100-fathom curve between Long
Point and Southwest Cape and between Long Point and
the entrance to Krause Lagoon Channel and Limetree
Bay Channel is used extensively by recreational and
commercial trap and line shermen, both day and night.
Most of the trap and line shing is done in water less
than 15 fathoms. Large vessels are requested to exercise
caution and to consider these shing activities when
approaching and departing from the industrial complex
in Krause Lagoon and Limetree Bay.
(357) A channel, privately marked and entered about
2.2 miles 118° from Southwest Cape, leads in an east
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 541
direction to mooring buoys about 1.1 miles east of Long
Point; channel and mooring buoys are maintained by
Texaco Caribbean Inc., St. Croix, Virgin Islands. The
channel is primarily for the use of tankers arriving at the
mooring buoys.
(358) Southwest Cape, the southwest extremity of St.
Croix Island, is a low point projecting 1.2 miles in a
southwest direction. The point is covered by low bushes
and trees. A shoal area, sand and coral, extends south,
with a least depth of 9 feet, at a distance of 0.8 mile from
the shore. A buoy marks the southwest extremity of this
shoal. The 5-fathom curve is 1.6 miles south of Long
Point and nearly a mile south of Southwest Cape, but
west of the point it is only 200 yards off. The 100-fathom
curve lies nearly 2.5 miles southwest of Southwest Cape.
Southwest Cape Light (17°40'40"N., 64°53'59"W.), 45
feet above the water, is shown from a gray skeleton tower
near the tip of the cape.
(359) Caution is necessary in approaching Southwest
Cape. The point, fringed by shoals, is low for some 3 or
4 miles to the high land of the interior. This may cause
the mariner to overestimate the distance from the coast,
especially at night.
(360) Sandy Point, the west extremity of the island, is 0.5
mile north-northwest of Southwest Cape.
(361) The west coast of St. Croix Island trends north-
northeast from Southwest Cape for 2.4 miles to
Frederiksted, thence northwest for 2 miles, and then
curves northeast for 2 miles to Hams Bluff. The coast
consists mostly of sand beach with the land back of it
sloping gently upward in the south part and the hills
gradually working west to the shore in the north part.
The slopes are covered by grass and bushes. The beach
is steep-to with the 10-fathom curve lying 0.5 mile or less
offshore.
(362) Frederiksted, on the west coast of St. Croix Island,
2.4 miles north of Southwest Cape and 3.7 miles south
of Hams Bluff, is a port of call for cruise ships and
government vessels and occasionally for small cargo
vessels. Large vessels can dock at the long municipal
pier in the 4-mile-wide open roadstead. Imports include
building materials and vehicles.
(363)
Prominent features
(364) Fort Frederik is a red brick structure 125 yards
northeast of the municipal pier.
(365) A radar tracking station (17°43'13"N., 64°51'18"W.),
illuminated at night, is on St. George Hill about 1.5 miles
east of Frederiksted. The station is prominent, especially
at night, when it is visible for over 20 miles.
(366)
Anchorages
(367) Small boats anchor near the waterfront. Anchorage
between the municipal pier and the warping buoys to the
south is prohibited.
(368)
Currents
(369) The Frederiksted harbor pilot reports that a westerly
current from 225° to 315°, with a set of not more than 1
knot, and 2 knots in extreme cases, may be experienced
when approaching the pier. In addition, the pilot reports
that there seems to be an almost ever-present circular
current beginning about 0.25 mile off the pier with an
initial set to the south and a nal set to the north when
abeam of the pier’s end.
(370) Restricted areas have been established off the west
coast of St. Croix Island, north and south of Frederiksted
Harbor. (See 33 CFR 334.1490, chapter 2, for limits and
regulations.)
(371)
Routes
(372) From the south, the shoals south of Southwest Cape
will be avoided by staying a mile or more offshore. At
night stay in the white sector of Frederiksted Harbor
Light on the approach to the pier.
(373)
Pilotage, Frederiksted
(374) See pilotage, U.S. Virgin Islands (indexed as such)
early this chapter. Vessels are boarded 1 mile off the
municipal pier.
(375)
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural
quarantine
(376) (See chapter 3, Vessel Arrival Inspections, and
Appendix A for addresses.)
(377) Quarantine is enforced in accordance with
regulations of the U.S. Public Health Service. (See Public
Health Service, chapter 1.) A municipal hospital is at
Frederiksted.
(378)
Harbor regulations
(379) Local rules and regulations for Frederiksted harbor
are enforced by a dockmaster, whose ofce is on the
shoreward end of the municipal pier. Copies of the
regulations may be obtained from the Virgin Islands Port
Authority, Gallows Bay, Christianstead, St. Croix, VI
00820.
(380)
Wharves
(381) A 1,895-foot pier, including the mooring, extends
from the waterfront at Frederiksted. A 402-foot loading
platform (pierhead) is about 203 feet inshore of the outer
dolphin. Depths along both sides of the pier decrease
from about 59 feet at the outer end to about 35 to 48
feet alongside the loading platform, and thence lesser
depths inshore of the east end of the loading platform. In
heavy winds, large vessels sometimes drop their outboard
anchor to assist in maneuvering alongside.
(382) The pilot advises that with strong winds from the
west, and especially from the northwest, the pier is not a
safe berth because of the unusual rise and fall of the water
542 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
at dockside. Under these conditions, a strong wind-driven
current with an easterly set can be expected. Mariners
should approach the pier at a 45° angle to avoid damage
resulting from scraping along the pier.
(383) A roll-on/roll-off facility with landing ramp is close
south of the municipal pier. A line of submerged pilings
and dolphins extends about 80 yards southwest from the
ramp. Depths in the approach and alongside the ramp are
about 14 feet.
(384) A landing platform for ships’ tenders is on the south
side of the east end of municipal pier; depths of about 8
to 10 feet reported alongside.
(385)
Supplies and repairs
(386) Water, bunker fuels, diesel oil and gasoline can be
trucked in from nearby. Limited above-the-waterline
repairs are available.
(387) Submarine cables extend west-southwest to the
100-fathom contour from Sprat Hole, 1.6 miles north of
Frederiksted. Mariners are requested not to anchor in this
area.
(388)
Little Tobago Island to Frenchman Cay
(389) A general description of the British Virgin Islands
is in included in this chapter for a convenient reference
to both the United States and British groups. Complete
information is included in Pub. No. 144, Sailing Directions
(Enroute), Caribbean Sea, published by the National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and West Indies Pilot,
Vol. II, published by the British Ministry of Defense
Hydrographic Department.
(390) Little Tobago Island, 3.5 miles northeast of Hans
Lollik Island, is nearly 0.5 mile long and 279 feet high.
It is steep-to except on its southeast side. Tobago Island,
1 mile northeast of Little Tobago Island, is 0.8 mile long
and about 538 feet high. A small rock, awash and steep-
to, is about 100 yards off the north point. The southeast
side of the island is fringed with coral, but elsewhere the
coastal cliffs are steep-to. A few rocks lie close off the
northwest point.
(391) Watson Rock, steep-to and 89 feet high, is about 0.3
mile west of the southwest point of Tobago Island. King
Rock, 0.6 mile south of the southwest point, is awash and
steep-to. It is near the south end of a bank, over which
are general depths of 6 to 9 fathoms, extending about 0.7
mile south of Tobago Island.
(392) Mercurius Rock, 0.8 mile east of the north end of
Tobago Island and the only danger between that island and
Jost Van Dyke Island, is small and steep-to. It is covered
7 feet. When using the passage between Tobago and Jost
Van Dyke Islands, the east side should be favored.
(393) Jost Van Dyke Island, about 2 miles east of Tobago,
is 3.5 miles long, lofty, rugged and steep-to. Near the
middle of the north part a summit rises to 1,070 feet.
Great Harbor and Little Harbor, on the south side of the
island, are suitable only for small vessels. Great Harbor
is about 0.5 mile in extent, with depths of 4 fathoms to
about 0.2 mile from its head, and Little Harbor has depths
of about 8 fathoms inside the entrance.
(394) Little Jost Van Dyke Island, connected by a shallow
ledge to the northeast end of Jost Van Dyke Island, is 308
feet high. Green Cay, 108 feet high, is a small islet close
east of Little Jost Van Dyke Island. Sandy Cay, nearly 1
mile south of Green Cay, is 66 feet high at its east end. It is
surrounded by shoal water, and foul ground extends 200
yards from the east and west ends. The channel between
it and Jost Van Dyke Island is 0.6 mile wide; the island
shore must be favored.
(395) Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands, is
10 miles in length and 3.5 miles wide. The West End,
the west extremity, is about 2 miles northeast of Mary
Point, St. John. The highest summit in the Virgin Islands
is 1,709-foot Mount Sage in the west part of the island;
rugged hills rise somewhat abruptly from the shores on
all sides.
(396) Great Thatch Island, about 0.6 mile north of Mary
Point from which it is separated by The Narrows, is 1.7
miles long and near its center rises to a peak 613 feet high.
The east point is bold and steep-to. Thatch Island Cut,
the channel between Great Thatch and The West End, is
deep. Sailing vessels should not attempt Thatch Island
Cut from the north except with a south current, as the
eddies and currents are very strong.
(397) The Narrows, between St. John Island and Great
Thatch Island, give access to the channel that extends
between Tortola and St. John and leads to Sir Francis
Drake Channel and Flanagan Passage. Tidal currents in
The Narrows and the passage eastward attain velocities
of from 2 to 4 knots.
(398) Little Thatch Island, 0.4 mile south of The West
End, is about 0.5 mile long. Frenchman Cay, about 0.3
mile east of Little Thatch Islet, is 400 feet high. Sopers
Hole is a deep little basin, 1 mile long and about 0.3 mile
wide, between Frenchman Cay and Little Thatch Island,
on the south, and the west end of Tortola, on the north
side. At the east end of Sopers Hole the muddy bottom
is the best holding ground. There is a small pier on the
north side of Sopers Hole.
(399) In the center of Sopers Hole is a depth of 13 fathoms
which gradually decreases to 6 fathoms at 100 yards from
the shore; the bottom is sandy. The passage between Little
Thatch Island and Frenchman Cay is from 6 to 7 fathoms
deep.
(400) Vessels from south may enter Sopers Hole by the
passage between Frenchman Cay and Little Thatch Island
or by that between the latter island and the west end of
Tortola. These passages are not difcult, but the west ends
of Tortola and Little Thatch Island must be given a berth
of more than 200 yards.
(401) Sailing vessels taking Thatch Island Cut should
approach it with a south current, which will shoot a vessel
into it. A vessel coming from the east will nd the passage
east of Little Thatch Island the best, as she will have a
leading wind, can luff up closer under the west end of
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 543
Frenchman Cay, which is steep-to, and shoot into Sopers
Hole with either a south or north current. When leaving,
pass out to the north through Thatch Island Cut, or, if
bound into Sir Francis Drake Channel, round the west end
of Little Thatch Island at a distance of somewhat more
than 200 yards and haul to the wind. With the east tidal
current of 3 or 4 knots on the lee beam, she will have a
fair set through the channel between St. John and Tortola.
The west tidal current has a similar velocity. There is
no danger on either shore. A vessel must be prepared to
meet the gusts and bafing winds that rush out from the
valleys of Tortola.
(402) On the northwest side of Tortola are numerous small
bays or bights, of which Cane Garden Bay, the largest, is
the only one on the north side of the island that affords
anchorage even for small vessels. Within the entrance
are depths of 18 to 24 feet. A 5-fathom shoal lies in the
approach to the bay, about 0.4 mile north of the south
entrance point.
(403)
ENC -
Chart - *25611
(404) Road Harbor, on the south side of Tortola 6 miles
east of its west end, is the only port of entry in the British
Virgin Islands for all vessels. Sopers Hole at the west end
of Tortola is a limited port of entry. The harbor is exposed
southeast, but the other sides are surrounded by high hills
with their spurs reaching the shores.
(405) Road Town, on the west shore of Road Harbor, is
the capital of the British Virgin Islands. Imports include
foodstuffs, building material and general merchandise.
Livestock are exported.
(406)
Prominent features
(407) There are four prominent landmarks in Road Town,
these being Fort Burt Hotel; a group of four pink buildings
situated on the west side of the harbor on Burt Point;
the Administration Building (Customhouse), a white
atroofed building standing behind the main wharf; and
about midway between these two positions stands the
Administration Residence (Commissioner’s House), an
isolated, white concrete building standing on a low knoll.
To the north of the Administration Building, the white
belfry of the Anglican church shows above Wickham
Cay, a low mangrove-covered islet, in the northwest part
of the harbor. The oodlighted oil tanks on Shirley Point
on the east side of the harbor north of Scotch Bank are
reported to be conspicuous.
(408)
Channels
(409) The principal channel into Road Harbor is between
Scotch Bank and Lark Bank, thence on the lighted range
to the pier at Road Town. Small vessels also enter the
harbor between the lighted buoy marking the outer
limits of the coral reef about 400 yards east of Burt Point
and Lark Bank. The controlling depth is 36 feet to the
anchorage area, but only 7½ feet to the dock.
(410)
Anchorages
(411) Deep-draft vessels anchor in depths of 8 to 12
fathoms inside of Scotch and Lark Banks. Anchorage
may also be obtained in the north part of the harbor, north
of Harbor Rock, in about 8 fathoms. Vessels proceeding
to the deep-draft anchorage should steer 321° from a
point about 1.5 miles 180° from Half Moon Point until
the lighted buoy off Burt Point is abeam. Ships desiring
to make the north anchorage should proceed as to the
deep-draft anchorage until the Commissioner’s House
is abeam. Ships desiring to anchor south of Harbor Spit
should proceed as previously mentioned until the range
lights come in line 290°, which will lead to a depth of
about 9 fathoms between Burt Point and Harbor Spit. The
best berth is just south of the range line.
(412) Careening Cove, in the lee of the dry reef off Burt
Point, is small but well sheltered, with depths of 4 to 6
feet.
(413)
Dangers
(414) Although depths of 36 to 48 feet can be taken to the
anchorage areas in Road Harbor, irregular bottom, and
many patches of rock and coral, with depths of 13 to 36
feet, lie within about 1.5 miles of Hog Valley Point (Hog
Point) and 2 miles of Slaney Point.
(415) Depths of from 22 to 25 feet will be found over
extensive shoals with limits of about 1.1 miles south of
Hog Valley Point and 1.1 miles south of Slaney Point. A
17-foot patch is about 0.5 mile southeast of Hog Valley
Point, and a 18-foot patch is about 0.75 mile southwest
of Slaney Point.
(416) A coral reef about 250 yards wide and partially
covered by mangrove extends northeast from Slaney
Point to Burt Point; a lighted buoy marks the outer limits
of the reef at Burt Point.
(417) Denmark Banks, 0.5 mile southeast of Burt Point,
has two rocky patches with a least depth of 13 feet. The
Bluff, bearing 073° and open south of Nora Hazel Point,
leads south of these banks. Lark Bank, 0.4 mile east of
Burt Point, has a least depth of 15 feet over a coral head.
Scotch Bank, 0.8 mile east of Burt Point and marked by
a buoy at its south edge, has a least depth of 10 feet.
(418) Harbor Spit, 0.4 mile north of Burt Point, is an
extension of the shoal water in the northwest part of the
harbor. Depths on the spit are from 4 to 17 feet; a buoy
marks the southeast end of the spit. Harbor Rock, 250
yards southeast from the end of the spit, has a least depth
of 20 feet.
(419)
Tides
(420) The tides in Road Harbor are chiey diurnal, and the
range is small.
544 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
(421)
Pilotage, Road Harbor
(422) No licensed pilots are available, but reliable mariners
are available to bring ships into the harbor.
(423)
Wharves
(424) A 180-foot cargo pier at Road Town has depths of
7½ feet at the head and on the sides. A 106-foot passenger
pier to the south has depths of 7 feet alongside. Small
sloops are used for lighterage when necessary.
(425)
Supplies
(426) Limited amounts of groceries and water are available.
Gasoline and diesel fuel can be obtained from offshore
pipelines on the northeast side of Road Harbor.
(427)
Repairs
(428) A small marine railway in Careening Cove can
handle boats about 40 feet in length and 6 feet in draft.
Another marine railway in Bauger Bay, on the northeast
side of Road Harbor, can handle small boats of 6-foot
draft for repairs.
(429)
Communications
(430) Daily passenger launch service is maintained
between Road Harbor and St. Thomas. Radiotelephone
and radiotelegraph communications are available. There
is air service between other islands.
(431)
Guana Island to Round Rock Passage
(432) Guana Island, 810 feet high and 1.7 miles long, is
about 0.3 mile north of Tortola. The passage between these
islands has a depth of about 29 feet in the fairway. On the
west headland separating White Bay and Muskmelon
Bay is a large rock shaped like an iguana’s head, known
locally as Lizard Head Rock. A safe anchorage in 7 to
12 fathoms is in the entrance to White Bay.
(433) Great Camanoe, a mile east of Guana Island, is
about 2.5 miles long. It consists of two parts connected
by a low narrow neck of land between Lee Bay and Cam
Bay. Scrub Island is close east of Great Camanoe, from
which it is separated by a narrow channel with many
shoals and rocks.
(434) Little Camanoe and Marina Cay are southwest
and southeast, respectively, of the south end of Great
Camanoe. They are all connected to the north side of
Beef Island by a shoal bank on which are several rocks
and reefs. The channel north of Beef Island is quite open
and easily navigated by large yachts. Shallow Rock is a
3-foot shoal off the west point of Trellis Bay on the north
coast of Beef Island. A light is shown from Bellamy Cay
in the middle of the bay. A small marine railway is in the
bay.
(435) A hotel is on Marina Cay; launches, yachts, air
compressors for aqualungs and other diving equipment
are available.
(436) Beef Island, about 2.4 miles long and 660 feet high
in its east part, is separated from the east end of Tortola by
a narrow shoal channel that should be used only with local
knowledge. A bascule bridge with an unknown clearance
crosses the channel. The Bluff, the south extremity of
the island, is a good landmark for vessels bound to
Road Harbor. During strong northeast winds excellent
anchorage will be found in the lee of Beef Island, about
0.7 mile west of The Bluff. An aireld is on Beef Island.
Buck Island, 1.1 miles southwest of Beef Island and
close off the southeast side of Tortola, is 170 feet high at
its southeast end.
(437) Sir Francis Drake Channel is a passage bounded
on the northwest by Tortola, on the east by Virgin Gorda
and on the south and southeast by the chain of islands
extending between Virgin Gorda and St. John. The
channel can be entered by most vessels through any of
the passages in the latter chain of islands from the south
or the passages on either side of Dog Islands from the
northwest.
(438) The depths around Buck Island are irregular,
especially in the approach to Road Harbor, and caution
is advised. Anchorage can be found anywhere in the
channel east of Buck Island, but the bottom is hard, being
a thin bed of sand over coral, and therefore requires a
good scope of chain.
(439) In Sir Francis Drake Channel there is scarcely any
current except close inshore, where small vessels may
gain some advantage from it when beating to windward
during the northeast ow.
(440) Flanagan Passage, the westernmost of the passages
leading into Sir Francis Drake Channel from the south,
is a group of channels between St. John and Norman
Islands. It and connecting passages have been described
previously in this chapter.
(441) Norman Island, 1.6 miles east of Flanagan Island, is
about 2.3 miles long and 427 feet high near its southwest
extremity. Foul ground is close off its northeast end
and southern expanse. Ringdove Rock, covered by 2
fathoms, is about 300 yards west of the northwest point of
Norman Island. Santa Monica Rock, 0.7 mile southwest
of Norman Island, is a small patch 1¾ fathoms deep.
(442) Pelican Island, 180 feet high, is about 0.5 mile north
of Ringdove Rock. About 200 yards west of it are The
Indians, four remarkable small pinnacle rocks, 50 feet
high. A 6½-fathom shoal lies 0.7 mile north-northwest
of Pelican Island.
(443) The Bight, a small inlet on the west side of Norman
Island, provides excellent anchorage. The shores are
steep-to, and Ringdove Rock is the only danger when
entering. The wind in the lee of the island, however, is
so bafing that sailing vessels may have to anchor at
the entrance and warp in. Although the bight is open to
northwest, St. John Island prevents any sea from setting
in, and holding ground is good. Safe anchorage with the
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 545
regular trade wind may also be found in Privateer Bay,
on the west side of Treasure Point.
(444) Peter Island, northeast of Norman Island, is in the
form of an elbow, 440 feet high at its west part. Carrot
Rock, 82 feet high, lies about 0.3 mile off the south end
of the island, and Carrot Shoal, covered 1½ fathoms, is
about 0.4 mile southwest of the rock. Some 4¾-fathom
patches lie within 0.5 mile of the north side of the island.
(445) Great Harbor, a small bight on the north side
of Peter Island, is about 0.5 mile in extent. It may be
entered easily at any time. Deep water is close to shore,
and the holding ground is excellent. Little Harbor, a
short distance west of Great Harbor, is smaller and more
exposed but has characteristics very similar to the latter.
(446) Owing to the shape of Peter Island, the passage
between it and Norman Island is rather crooked but has
a least depth of 5¾ fathoms. It is seldom taken by sailing
vessels. Carrot Shoal can be avoided by keeping Norman
Island abroad.
(447) Dead Chest, nearly 0.5 mile off the northeast
end of Peter Island, is an islet 200 feet high; a group
of rocks extends about 0.2 mile south from its east end.
A 4½-fathom patch lies about 0.7 mile northwest of the
islet.
(448) Blonde Rock, covered 1½ fathoms, is about 0.6
mile east-northeast of Dead Chest. Salt Island Passage,
1.5 miles wide between Dead Chest and Salt Island,
is generally smooth. Blonde Rock can be avoided by
keeping 0.5 mile from the east side of the passage.
(449) Salt Island, about 2 miles northeast of Peter Island,
rises to a height of 380 feet in its north part. A rock awash
lies close off its northeast end. The passage between Salt
and Cooper Islands is constricted to a width of about 0.3
mile by the rocks and an islet off the nearest point of
Cooper Island. This passage should never be attempted
by a sailing vessel. Cooper Island, northeast of Salt
Island, is 1.7 miles long and 509 feet high at its south
end. Dry Rocks are 300 yards off the northeast side of
Cooper Island, and Carval Rock, 110 feet high and steep-
to, is 0.8 mile east-northeast of Markoe Point, the south
point of Cooper Island.
(450) Ginger Island, about 1 mile east of Cooper Island,
is marked by a light at its northeastern end. The island
is steep-to at its northeast and southeast ends, and some
rocks lie close off its west end. The passage between
Ginger and Cooper Islands may be taken by powered
vessels, but sailing vessels may meet trouble.
(451) Round Rock, 220 feet high, is the southernmost
of a chain of islets and rocks extending south-southwest
from the southwest end of Virgin Gorda. Round Rock
Passage, between Ginger Island and Round Rock, is
the easternmost of the passages leading into Sir Francis
Drake Channel from the south. It is best for vessels
coming from the south. The passage is about 0.7 mile
wide and easily located from its position in relation to
Fallen Jerusalem, 1.2 miles to the northeast. Sailing
vessels will nd it advantageous to use this passage as
the islets on the weather side offer no obstruction to
the prevailing winds. The southeast and northwest tidal
currents attain a velocity of about 1 knot.
(452)
ENC -
Chart - *25609
(453) Virgin Gorda is easily distinguished on making the
land, as it rises gradually to the distinct summit of 1,370-
foot Virgin Peak. The island, extremely irregular in
outline, consists of a central portion from which there are
peninsulas extending east and south-southwest. The east
peninsula consists of irregular rugged hills that terminate
at Pajaros Point in an astounding pinnacle rock 120 feet
high. The southwest peninsula is more regular in outline
and 250 to 450 feet high, but it is joined to the central
portion by an isthmus only 200 yards wide.
(454) The west side of the southwest peninsula consists
of immense granite blocks that lie scattered about on
the shore. Colison Point is the northwest extremity of
the peninsula. The islets and rocks to the south as far
as Round Rock, 2 miles distant, are also of granite; the
largest, about 140 feet high, nearly 0.5 mile from the south
end of the island, is named Fallen Jerusalembecause of
of its resemblance to a town in ruins.
(455) Several islets are in the north part of Sir Francis
Drake Channel. Great Dog, the southeasternmost, is
270 feet high and steep-to at its west end; rocks fringe its
north and south sides. George Dog, the northernmost, is
250 feet high and has some detached rocks about 0.2 mile
north of it. Cockroach Rock lies about 0.2 mile west of
it. A rock covered 2 fathoms is about 0.1 mile south of
Cockroach Rock. West Dog, the westernmost, is 150 feet
high, with its west side bold and steep-to. A rock covered
2½ fathoms is about 0.1 mile east of West Dog.
(456) Tow Rock, 1.2 miles west-northwest of West Dog,
has a depth of 2½ fathoms over it but is steep-to; it may
be avoided by passing close to West Dog or Scrub Island.
(457) Seal Dogs, 1.3 miles northeast of George Dog and
1 mile west of Mountain Point, the northwest extremity
of Virgin Gorda, are a cluster of three small islets.
The north islet is the smallest and only 6 feet high, the
southeasternmost is 74 feet high, and the westernmost
and largest is 100 feet high. The passage is clear on either
side of the group.
(458) In Western Roads, off the west side of Virgin Gorda,
are two excellent anchorages for vessels of any draft.
The north is situated in the bight between Mountain and
Colison Points and is partially protected to the northwest
by Dog Islets. It seldom, however, blows hard to the
west of north, and the only thing to be prepared for is the
ground swell in the winter when it is better to anchor in
about 13 fathoms of water, midway between Great Dog
and Virgin Gorda. Here, with good ground tackle and a
long scope of chain, there will be nothing to fear, as the
rollers seldom are accompanied by much wind.
(459) The south anchorage, in 13 fathoms, between
Colison Point and Fallen Jerusalem, is the best for sailing
546 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
vessels because, if necessary, they can weigh and run out
to west with more ease than from the north anchorage.
The holding ground is good at both places, and the water
is usually smooth. A small patch of 4¼ fathoms lies 0.4
mile west of Colison Point, and Burrow Rock, with 1½
fathoms, is 1 mile south of Colison Point. The anchorages
may be approached from either north or south as the
passages are clear except between West Dog and Scrub
Island, where Tow Rock lies. On the north side of Virgin
Gorda are several small slightly wooded islets and cays.
(460)
ENC -
Chart - *25610
(461) Mosquito Island, about 0.6 mile long and 290 feet
high, the highest of the islets off the north side of Virgin
Gorda, is 1 mile east-northeast of Mountain Point. The
channel separating it from Anguilla Point, on Virgin
Gorda, is shoal and only 175 yards wide. The northeast
end is fringed by a reef, and a chain of small detached
rocks extends 300 yards north-northeast. Mosquito
Rock, the outermost, is 23 feet high.
(462) Colquhoun Reef, which dries in patches, extends
nearly 0.6 mile southeast from Mosquito Rock and is
steep-to on its northeast side. On the southwest side is a
small sandy islet, about 2 feet high and sparsely covered
with coarse grass. Prickly Pear Island, the largest of the
islets off the north side of Virgin Gorda, is about 0.8 mile
east of Mosquito Island. It is 1 mile long and 237 feet
high. Asbestos Point, its east end, is 0.2 mile from the
nearest part of a small peninsula of the east arm of Virgin
Gorda, and the channel between is shallow and foul. In
the middle of it is Saba Rock, 15 feet high.
(463) Cactus Reef, extending 300 yards west of Cactus
Point, the northwest end of Prickly Pear Island, is steep-to
on its north side; the sea breaks on it even with a slight
swell.
(464) Gorda Sound is an excellent and roomy harbor
between Virgin Gorda on the south and Mosquito
Island, Colquhoun Reef and Prickly Pear Island on the
north. It is sheltered from all winds and protected from
rollers. As there is no health ofcer or other Government
representative, vessels before visiting it should obtain
pratique at Road Harbor, Tortola.
(465) In the approach are uniform depths of 9 to 12
fathoms. The entrance between the 3-fathom curves of
Colquhoun and Cactus Reefs is about 250 yards wide
with depths of 17 to 42 feet. Deeper water is inside the
entrance. Private buoys mark the outer limits of Cactus
and Colquhoun Reefs.
(466) The west portion of the sound is foul, with several
shoals of 2 to 3 fathoms and some coral patches of less than
a fathom. Gorda Rock, 0.3 mile southeast of Colquhoun
Reef, has a least depth of 30 feet. Creek Shoal, off the
south side of the entrance to Gun Creek, is of coral sand
with a least depth of 21 feet.
(467) Oyster Rock, about 150 yards off the south shore
in the approach to Biras Creek, is a pinnacle rock with
only 2 feet of water on it, surrounded by a shallow patch.
Biras Creek is in the southeast corner of Gorda Sound.
(468) The tide in Gorda Sound is chiey diurnal. The
tidal currents at the entrance are seldom more than 0.5
knots, but the inward current sets toward Prickly Pear
Island. Between Mosquito Island and Anguilla Point, the
eastgoing current has a velocity of from 1 to 1.5 knots.
(469)
Routes
(470) Powered vessels coming from the east approach
Gorda Sound by Necker Island Passage, which lies
between Virgin Gorda and Herman Reefs. The approach
is dangerous at night. Bring Virgin Peak to bear 261°
and steer for it on that bearing until the north extremity
of Necker Island bears 279°, distant 6.8 miles. Then
alter course to pass at least 0.5 mile north of Necker
Island. When Virgin Peak bears 211°, steer for it until
Gnat Point bears 177° and Mosquito Rock bears 255°,
then steer for the center of the entrance channel between
Cactus and Colquhoun Reefs, which should be entered
on a 170° course; no marks can be given for this narrow
channel, but with a favorable light no difculty should
be experienced in passing safely through it.
(471) Coming from north it is better to pass west of
Anegada and approach with Virgin Peak on a bearing
between 132° and 155°.
(472) Sailing vessels can follow the direction for powered
vessels, but if coming from the north and passing east
of Anegada, they should not attempt to pass close to
windward of Horse Shoe Reef. This has caused many
disasters.
(473) Eustatia Island, on the shoal bank east of Prickly
Pear Island, is 172 feet high and 0.3 mile long. Its north
side is foul for 300 yards off, from which a barrier reef
extends to Pajaros Point. Outside this foul ground there
are two detached patches with depths less than 3 fathoms,
one about 0.6 mile east-northeast and the other about 0.5
mile east of the east extremity of Eustatia Island. These
patches lie on an extensive bank with depths of from 3 to
5 fathoms.
(474) In the lee of this barrier reef is Eustatia Sound, in
which small vessels will nd safe anchorage. The main
entrance is through a small cut in the reef about 0.5 mile
east of Eustatia Island; there are also several other small
passages through the reefs that can be used, but these
should be avoided by strangers because the ground is foul
for some distance outside the entrance. Several rocks and
shoals are in the sound.
(475) Virgin Sound, a channel 0.2 mile wide, extends
between the reefs and shoals north of Prickly Pear and
Eustatia Islands and those south of Necker Island. It
affords good temporary anchorage in 7 to 8 fathoms, but
care must be taken to avoid the reefs on either side. The
tidal currents set east and west with a velocity of about
0.5 knot.
28 JUL 2024 U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 ¢ 547
(476) Necker Island, 0.7 mile north of Eustatia Island, is
nearly 0.5 mile long and 107 feet high at its north part.
The northeast side is fairly bold and steep-to, with depths
of 6 to 10 fathoms within 300 yards. The southeast and
west sides are foul and dangerous up to 0.5 mile offshore.
Foul ground, near which is a reef that dries, extends about
0.3 mile south of Necker Island.
(477) The Invisibles, about 0.8 mile east of Necker Island,
are three small rocky heads covered 4 to 5 feet. Depths
of 5 to 8 fathoms are between the Invisibles and the reefs
on the east side of Necker Island; greater depths are close
off the east end. Caution is required when navigating in
this area as the rocks do not always break and are hard to
see.
(478)
ENC -
Chart - *25609
(479) Anegada, the northeasternmost island of the Virgin
Group, lies with East Point, its southeast end, about 12
miles north-northeast of Pajaros Point. Anegada is 9 miles
long, about 30 feet high and covered with brushwood
except at a few places cleared for cultivation. Numerous
saltwater lagoons are in the west interior. The principal
settlement is on the south side, 2.5 miles from East Point.
(480) The island is about 1.5 miles within the edge of
the Virgin Bank, but the depths decrease so rapidly that
sounding is of little help. The island is low, and owing
to the strength and irregularity of the tidal currents in
the vicinity, it is extremely dangerous to approach
at night. See the Tidal Current prediction service at
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov for specic information
about times, directions, and velocities of the current at
numerous locations throughout the area. Links to a user
guide for this service can be found in chapter 1 of this
book.
(481) Anegada is skirted on its north side by a narrow
barrier reef that is about 0.1 mile off at Soldier Point,
the north point, and 1.5 miles east at East Point. Thence
Horse Shoe Reef, a most dangerous reef upon which
many vessels have been lost, extends southeast for nearly
8 miles. From its southeast end detached coral heads and
shoal ledges extend 4.5 miles southwest, where they
terminate in Herman Reefs, which break only with a
swell or a strong breeze. Horse Shoe Reef breaks in any
weather.
(482) The White Horseis a heap of white dead coral, 3
feet high, 2 miles west of the elbow of Horse Shoe Reef.
(483) The edge of the bank is 2.5 miles east of the elbow
of Horse Shoe Reef. Here are depths of 34 fathoms close
within the 100-fathom curve and 10 fathoms about 1
mile farther in. Abreast Herman Reefs, the edge of the
bank is little more than a mile distant. The south end
lies 5.5 miles east-northeast of Pajaros Point. A detached
5-fathom patch is 0.7 mile south of the reefs.
(484) Robert Reef, 3.5 miles west of Herman Reefs,
is a small rocky patch with 4½ fathoms on it. Another
small rocky head, with 3¾ fathoms, is 1.1 miles north-
northeast of this reef. Hawks Bill Bank, about 2 miles
north-northwest of Robert Reef, is a small rocky ledge
with 2¾ to 5½ fathoms.
(485) The reef skirting the north side of Anegada terminates
about 300 yards off West End, but the south side of the
island is foul with detached coral patches lying up to 3.5
miles offshore. A 5-fathom patch is 3.3 miles west of West
End.
(486) Good temporary anchorage may be found in 5 to 6
fathoms about 1 mile off West End. During the period of
rollers, October to May, however, it is advisable to anchor
south of the island. The bank west of Anegada is chiey
ne sand, and in good weather vessels may anchor on it
in safety, taking care to avoid the dangers.
548 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 14 28 JUL 2024
