We motor-sailed over to Cruz Bay to check in to the USVI. This was the first time Infini had been back to US territory since 2011 when we sailed to Hawaii from French Polynesia, and, if one were to exclude Hawaii, the first time we had been In US waters since we departed in 2007 from Florida! The Officials were very courteous and check-in was a breeze. We were excited to be in St John for lots of reasons; we have a cruising friend who lives here, and there are lots of places to sail to and explore. For those coming into Cruz Bay, stay to the left channel, the one that goes in towards Customs & Immigration as well as the US Park Service building. As one enters the channel, there is a place to anchor for up to 3 hours. The water's shallow (<6'), but it's all mud; also, there's no other place to anchor in this tight, crowded harbor, so it's either here or a mooring around the corner and a long, wet dinghy ride back to the boat after clearing in. We also stopped by the Park Service office so I could get my Golden Pass ($10); that enables US citizens of Medicare age to pay 1/2 price for mooring fees anywhere in the VI, as well as discounted park fees on the mainland. Finally, one benefit of being a senior citizen! After a bit of exploring Cruz Bay, we motored around the corner and took a (discounted...) mooring at Caneel Bay.
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