Leaving St Maarten, I continued west through the Virgin Islands. The cruising became a mixture of short island passages, crowded yacht anchorages and the practical business of keeping a long-distance cruising boat supplied and equipped.

British Virgin Islands

At Virgin Gorda I anchored near Saba Rock. The British Virgin Islands were a major charter-yacht destination and quite different from some of the quieter islands farther south.

US Virgin Islands

Charlotte Amalie provided a useful place to reprovision and obtain equipment. A replacement C-Map chart module took longer than expected to arrive, extending the stay before I could continue west.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico brought longer coastal passages and more demanding reef navigation. From the eastern islands I worked along the south coast through anchorages including Salinas, Playa Santa and Boquerón. Warm tropical water was also taking its toll on the antifouling, with growth beginning to reduce Malua’s speed.

With New York still a long way ahead, the route now continued west to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.