Anchorage· St Croix· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Frederiksted Anchorage
17° 43.1′ N · 64° 53.1′ W · approximate
An open roadstead off the pastel Danish town of Frederiksted on the island's lee (west) shore: flat calm in normal trades, sunset over the sea, the cruise pier's famous macro diving, and beach bars a short walk away.
Practical
Position approximate: north of the cruise pier off Fort Frederik, where a 2019 Noonsite cruiser anchored, placed from the pier and fort positions (Wikipedia, GoToStCroix) to stay in the water. Coast Pilot: small boats anchor near the waterfront; anchoring is prohibited between the municipal pier and the warping buoys to the south; the beach is steep-to with the 10-fathom line 0.5 mile or less offshore, so anchor close in on the shelf. Do not anchor off Sprat Hole, 1.6 miles north of town, where submarine cables run out to the 100-fathom line. A restricted area lies off the west coast north and south of the harbor (33 CFR 334.1490). Currents: the harbor pilot reports a westerly set (225 to 315 degrees) of up to 1 knot, 2 knots in extremes, and a near-constant circular eddy off the pier. Imray chart corrections (2021) add a 0.6 m (about 2 ft) sounding at 17 42.86 N, 64 53.11 W south of town. Untenable in west or northwest wind and in the ground swell that comes with winter northers. Frederiksted is a DPNR mooring/anchoring area; dinghy to the beach or the small-boat landing south of the pier. Water, fuel and diesel can only be trucked in (Coast Pilot).
Best for
A calm-weather lee anchorage for diving and sunsets
Season
Normal easterly trades; leave in any westerly or a big north swell
Nearby
- Fort Frederik (Frederiksted)0.2 NM away
- Crucian Christmas Festival0.3 NM away
- Frederiksted Pier0.3 NM away
- Lost Dog Pub (Frederiksted)0.3 NM away
- Polly's at the Pier (Frederiksted)0.3 NM away
- Rhythms at Sunset (Frederiksted)0.3 NM away
- Margarita Fred's & Oceanside Bar (The Fred, Frederiksted)0.6 NM away
- Rainbow Beach (Frederiksted)0.7 NM away