Bequia Easter Regatta 2008 - Caribbean Compass

APRIL 2008 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 28
The beach at the friendly St. Croix Yacht Club on Teague Bay
WHILE St. Croix’s south
shore is still
unknown to most
sailors, her north shore also has many sites that even
regular visitors don’t know about. Last October, the US
Virgin Islands government approved rules for the St.
Croix East End Marine Park, which includes the waters
and shoreline from Green Cay around Point Udall to
Great Pond, out to the three-mile limit, excluding Buck
Island Reef National Monument. As part of educating
the public regarding the wonders to be found — and
preserved — the Park has offered Wednesday morning
tours of the bays within its boundaries.
Those who read only the popular cruising guides will
be quite surprised to find several lovely spots a yacht
and her crew can enjoy that are ignored by most. That
spells “special” in many a cruiser’s logbook, and the
Marine Park has made some of these spots a little
more convenient than they were before.
From Chenay Bay to Cotton Garden Bay, day moorings
g (currently ( free of charge) have been installed to
accommodate accommoda shallow-draft boats. From a yacht
anchored in deeper water, it’s a short dinghy or kayak
ride to either eithe mooring or shore for secluded beaches,
lively reefs aand
short trails to serene salt ponds.
Chenay Bay B
East East of Gr Green Cay lies peaceful Chenay Bay, where
the water is
deep enough for most yachts to anchor in
sand. Yacht Yachts may also anchor in the lee of Green Cay
or may take
a slip in Green Cay Marina, which offers
showers, fue fuel, and fine dining. The Park’s day moorings
are available
in as much as six feet of water, toward the
western part
of the bay. The Chenay Bay Beach Resort
has a dock
in shallow water, a restaurant and water
sports at the
far eastern end of the bay.
Green Cay is a national wildlife refuge with a brown
pelican rookery rook and the last place the St. Croix ground
lizard can be found. Conch, lobster, snapper, stingray,
manta ray aand
barracuda inhabit Chenay Bay, while
osprey, friga frigate birds, white terns and brown pelicans
fly above. EEndangered
hawksbill, green and leather-
back sea turtles tu
nest on the beach, which hikers
should avoid disturbing. There is plenty of room under
the seagrape and mahoe trees (but steer clear of the
manchineel) for camping, though fires and vehicles are
prohibited. Lucky campers may witness turtles mating,
nesting or hatching in the light of the moon.
The sandstone ledges found in the bay look as
though they are man-made, but are actually geological
structures formed when the water in a landlocked
pond creates hydraulic pressure and pushes pond
sediment and minerals under the beach and into the
sea. The shiny black rock veins that occasionally interrupt
the sandy shores are basalt, unusual on this
non-volcanic island.
The beach lies adjacent to the Southgate Coastal
Reserve, owned by the St. Croix Environmental
Association (www.stxenvironmental.org). A short hike
on an easy trail leads to a large salt pond and wetlands
area, an important refuge and breeding site for resident
and migratory birds, including four territorially
endangered species: white-cheeked pintail, ruddy
duck, Caribbean coot and least tern. The reserve also
includes mangrove forests and grasslands, which SEA
uses for education and research. SEA is in the process
of designing an environmentally sensitive and sustainable
Reserve Center, bird blinds, walking trails and
other infrastructure improvements.
—Continued on next page