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Anchorage· St Croix· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)

Salt River Bay National Historical Park

17° 46.5′ N · 64° 45.4′ W · approximate

A mangrove-lined bay behind a reef on the north shore, five miles west of Christiansted: a National Park unit, the only known place where Columbus's men landed on what is now US soil (1493), the island's bioluminescent bay, and its classic hurricane hole.

British Virgin IslandsUS Virgin IslandsSpanish Virgins

Practical

Position approximate: the inner bay off Salt River Marina, between the OSM label for Salt River Bay (17.7778 N, 64.7557 W) and the marina (17.7752 N, 64.7609 W); Wikipedia gives the park at 17.7747 N, 64.7558 W. Coast Pilot: a narrow passage with 6 ft leads through the reef into the bay; the shores are mostly mangrove with several openings to boat landings; small boats sometimes anchor here in a hurricane or gale. Marinas.com: swells break on both sides of the cut; once inside, a winding channel with about 6 ft leads back to the protected anchorage, often cited as a preferred hurricane hole. Draft is the limit: 6 ft and under, enter only in calm conditions and good light (see Salt River Entrance). Salt River is a DPNR mooring/anchoring area inside National Park waters: contact the NPS (340-773-1460) for current restrictions; no beaching of vessels in the park (Compendium). The park visitor center is closed; Well Tower is open sunrise to sunset; ask at Fort Christiansvaern. The 1,015-acre park is jointly managed by the NPS and the USVI government.

Best for

Hurricane hole, kayaking the mangroves and the bio bay

Season

Hurricane-season refuge for shoal-draft boats; entrance dangerous in north swell (winter groundswells)

Nearby