US Virgin Islands : Profile

Facts

The US Virgin Islands have three main islands, St Thomas, St John and St Croix. Most of the other 65 islands are uninhabited.
As a US Unincorporated Territory, the islanders are US citizens, although unable to vote in federal elections.
The islands are a convenient landfall if coming directly from continental USA and also a good point of departure when heading for the USA, either direct or via Bermuda.
Scenically the US Virgin Islands are on a par with their British counterpart.
Most repair facilities are concentrated around Charlotte Amalie, either in the harbour itself or the immediate vicinity. The principal marina is at Crown Bay on the western side of the bay as is the Haulover Marine Yachting Center, comprising a group of companies providing specialist services such as diesel repair, boatbuilding and sailmaking. There are several more marinas dotted around St Thomas's indented coastline, all offering the usual services.
The only other island having comparable services is St Croix.
Facilities on St John are much more limited: St John Island is largely unspoilt and its facilities, or lack of them, reflect this.

Based on reports to noonsite from cruisers, petty theft from yachts is on the rise in the Caribbean in general. Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when leaving the boat or going ashore at night. Dinghy thieves operate throughout the Caribbean and best advice is to place your dinghy on deck and chain it overnight.

Check the Noonsite Piracy Pages and the Caribbean Safety & Security Net for information on the current island situation.

The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (safetyandsecuritynet@gmail.com) gather information by anchorage or by island, so sailors can plan their cruising in the Caribbean with an eye to appropriate behaviour and precautions wherever they decide to go. Should you have information about a security incident, as well as contacting Noonsite please also forward details to the Caribbean Safety and Security Net, as theirs is the most comprehensive source of Caribbean security incidents against sailors on the net. Please be sure to include boat name, date of incident and anchorage/port where the incident took place.

Weather

The islands have a very pleasant climate, cooled by the trade winds. From November to April swells on the north coast can be a problem following heavy weather in the North Atlantic. June to November is the hurricane season.

US Virgin Islands Weather Forecast.