New Supermarket in Christiansted, St Croix

Sea Side Market, the new grocery store in Christiansted, St Croix has finally opened. It has replaced Schooner Bay Market which closed several months ago.

It is basically across the street from the Canegata Ballpark, just down from the laundramat, short walk from ACE/Gallows Bay Hardware.

Prices vary. Many things are higher than Pueblo but a some are similar or lower. Even if we buy something that costs a bit more, we save on the time that it would have taken walking up to Pueblo in Golden Rock.

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WEST MARINE THANKSGIVING DAY SALE

Happy Thanksgiving & Hanukkah...

Just a quick post to let you know that West Marine is having a wonderful sale today (THANKSGIVING DAY). We have already placed an order.

THIS SPECIAL OFFER HAS EXPIRED

This was perfect timing for us as we had planned to buy a set of 4 inflatable fenders and we got them for 15% off which more than paid for the cost of shipping!  Such a deal :)

Happy holidays!

ZENNI OPTICAL: Half price sale

UPDATED: 2 December 2013

UPDATED: 29 November 2013

Here's another bargain that I feel I must share...

Zenni Optical sent us an email to inform us about their special offer that's good for the "Black Friday" weekend...

http://www.zennioptical.com

I inquired about this Wednesday afternoon with their online chat. I told them that we wanted to order 2 pairs of glasses each and would this half-off offer apply to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pair, even though it was for 2 different people/prescriptions.

She said YES.  And, she affirmed that it is not just the frames but the cost of your frames and lenses with add-ons such as tint & progressives, for example.  (I asked twice, so we'll see!) We just need to enter the code boho2013 for this special offer at checkout and it will do the calculation for us. HURRAY!  Easy!

UPDATE - 29 NOVEMBER 2013: Today I did a test order with 3 pairs of glasses. It gave me the discount on one pair.  The special does say "Buy One, Get ONE 1/2 off".  Which is still a very good deal.  Now we just have to make a final decision and get our 4 pairs :)

UPDATE - 2 DECEMBER 2013: Today we ordered 4 pairs of glasses. We were charged full price for the two most expensive pairs and half price on the other two pairs.

 DOING THE HAPPY DANCE!

Their standard prices are great but I was hoping for a Black Friday or Christmas sale. I am a very happy camper.  Now we just have to decide on frames and place the order before 11:59pm (PST) on Monday, December 2, 2013.

So it goes!

BUDGET MARINE now in Christiansted, St Croix USVI

BUDGET MARINE St Croix has relocated to a much more convenient location in Christiansted. They are located in Gallows Bay across the street from Customs & Immigration and the commercial dock with the small cargo ships (and the ferry when there is one).

We tie up our dinghy to the small fishing dock at Gallows Bay. You could also pull your dinghy up on the beach, walk from Christiansted, or drive if you have a car as they have a large parking lot out front.

This Saturday, June 8 2013, Budget will be having a Grand Opening Celebration beginning around 11:00am.  We've were told that there would be a simple BBQ with hot dogs, raffles, prizes, music, etc.

We have been in the shop a couple of times and the owners seem genuinely friendly, helpful, nice people (and Max the dog, too!)

They have a fridge stocked with ICE CREAM and drinks which is super cool... PLUS they now have a beer license and will be able to sell cold beer!  We are looking forward to seeing what they will have on offer.

They have a consignment table for recycling your unwanted bilge treasures and they might be having a book swap shelf in the near future.

More soon come!

Getting ready for a New Years festive feast

Well, we finally found some sour cream. We tried three stores over the past couple of days and finally found one container at a small convenience store. HURRAY!

Every New Years Eve we have blinis with smoked salmon and sour cream (it's one of those French things) along with other tasty tidbits and cheesy-whatsits.

Last week we scored on pastis.  Our local Pueblo supermarket had Pernod on sale for $10.99/liter.

I took this photo yesterday with our new phone. Came out much better than expected as I had to zoom, the dinghy was rocking, and Roseway was moving out of the harbour.

Schooner Roseway leaving Christiansted on a sunset cruise

Here's an app that you might find interesting... It is for the Time Square 2013 Ball Drop event. Some of the things are Apple only but the app on the whole still could be cool for some of you Android folks.

I love our new Samsung Galaxy smartphone. It's so nice to be able to check our email from time to time when we are out and about (but we are not a slave to it and have a Borg-like interface stuck in our ears!). Quite often when we are having our sundowner (especially if it's pastis) we have the phone using TuneIn Radio Pro app with our cool little speaker and listen to one of the Radio Nostalgie Best of the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc... Ahhhh, Johnny doing Elvis... C'est super!

Now that we have decent internet service (ChoiceWireless.com) I hope to get our web stuff caught up and do more blogging. There'll be more time for boat projects, learning more about and effectively using our ASUS tablets, developing new programming skills, playing with the cats, playing our guitars... Having more quality time and fun!

So it goes... indeed!

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Used Toothpicks Anyone?

Can I interest you in a box of toothpicks?

I really find this hard to believe. Someone on Amazon is selling a box of used toothpicks for $19.99 which is over 475% more than the new price of $3.41, plus they are charging $4.99 to ship!

This is the link, although the sellers may have changed...

Why the high price? Are they John Lennon's toothpicks, perhaps?

So it goes...

Amazon : Countdown to Black Friday Sale

I've been meaning to get this in the blog so you can take advantage of some great deals that Amazon will be having for their Shop Amazon's Holiday Countdown Store

We like shopping with Amazon as we find their customer service top notch. Last week I ordered some memory for our computers and I made a mistake (yes, I admit it... sometimes I do make a boo-boo). I ordered DIMM and not SODIMM... No problem though. Circuit City gave me an RMA number and said to send it back for a full refund. Cool...

So it goes!

Scored at the animal shelter thrift shop

Every time we walk up to Pueblo Supermarket we stop by the thrift shop which benefits the St Croix Animal Shelter.

A couple of weeks ago we came across a sextant and navigational tools that you can read about in Bob's Boat Bits.

This weekend we found an almost pristine Jimmy Buffett hat which will replace the one pictured below that we bought at the 2007 Tunes on the Dunes concert in Anguilla for $20. Our new treasure cost only 40 cents!

Definitely a well loved hat!

That was such an excellent day. Can't believe it was over 4 years ago! Fortunately the event is documented in a DVD/CD set. If you don't have it, you can order it from Amazon.  We are in it if you know where to look :)

Jimmy Buffett - Live in Anguilla - DVD & CD Combo

A double CD and an 82-minute DVD were recorded LIVE at the Dune Preserve, Rendezvous Bay in Anguilla, in Bankie Banx's backyard and the site of famous Moonsplash Festivals. The CDs include 30 songs, all of your favorites, plus some special in-concert rarities like Domino College, Waiting In Vain, When Salome Plays the Drum, King of Somewhere Hot, Treat Her Like A Lady, and Distantly In Love.

It Goes So well with a pitcher of margaritas!

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Disappointed in St Croix, but Junk Food Day!

Well, I could really go on a rant about this but I'm not going to... My brand of contact lenses has been discontinued so I needed a new prescription for a new brand. OK, seems sort of silly but it's been a few years since my last exam so I went to Sterling Optical in Golden Rock shopping center near Pueblo for a new Rx. Let's just say that I am EXTREMELY disappointed in their "service" and skill set. I would NOT recommend.

Today, July 21st, is Junk Food Day! You can find some interesting recipes at Serious Eats.

ENJOY!

National Macaroni Day - July 7th

Today is National Macaroni Day. We had macaroni salad for lunch :)

You might want to check out SERIOUS EATS for macaroni suggestions.

This afternoon we will be on the prowl for kitty litter. When we went out to K-Mart last week they only had one 30-pound box of kitty litter and that was way too heavy to carry about a mile to Cost-U-Less (which was out of litter) where we had to do some grocery shopping.

So, we'll see if ACE has anything at all... We are desperate and will even use clay, non-clumping litter. If not, maybe Pueblo will have something tomorrow to hold us over until we can get back out to K-Mart.

When does the next kitty litter container arrive on island???

UPDATE: We went to ACE (Gallows Bay Hardware) and they had 50-pound bags of Tidy Cat Clay (non-clumping) kitty litter for $9.99. We would have bought it and Bob was willing to hump it home, but what would we do with the extra 45 pounds? We'll get whatever Pueblo happens to have and if they don't have any we'll check at the little stores along the way.

We had a beautiful sunset but I knew it wouldn't last long enough to get my camera, plus quite often the camera just can't capture the magic.

So It Goes...

Reminder: Eastern Mountain Sports big sale this weekend

Sorry, no Friday Cat Blogging today except to say that Buffy and Willow are such good girls.  We went shopping up at Kmart & CostULess and waited for a bus forever and didn't get back to the boat until almost 4 hours late for their lunch and they didn't give us a bad time... Wonderful puss cats :)

But, I'd like to remind you that this weekend is EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) BIG SALE!! Don't you hate it when a friend tells you about an event like this on Tuesday after the fact? Bummer....

No excuses... You've been told !!!

 -The sale is over. Hope you got some good deals-

For their online sale, they are having "power deals" every three hours.  For example, right now they are taking an extra 10% off of EMS tents between 6-9pm EST. (Is it Standard Time now? Doesn't it change on Sunday at 2am?  Living in the Caribbean makes it easy... there is only Island Time... no daylight time... just AST.)

So check out the EMS sale... Maybe there's a Christmas present there for YOU or a loved one :)

They handle just about everything: Clothing & Footwear for men, women, and kids; Camping; Hiking; Bikes, Climbing; Kayaking, Water sports; Snow sports; Travel bags, packs, luggage; Yoga; Cookware; etc. They've got lots of helpful advice on their site such as "How to Choose Socks" and "Winter Cycling Tips".

Enjoy!

12 Volt Power Cord for MacBook

We recently purchased a 12-volt power cord for our 13-inch MacBooks through Amazon.  Works great so we will definitely be buying a second one.

This way, we don't have to use our inverter to use our 110V power cords. Seems like a waste to convert 12 volts to 110 volts and then back down.

There are two versions (16.5V & 18.5V) according to what Mac you have:

• Our magsafe cord has specs of DC-Output : 16.5V-3.65A-60W - Input : DC 12V
• The other is DC-Output : 18.5V-4.6A-85W - Input : DC 12V

I'd also like to mention that we are very pleased with a few of our recent purchases...

The mattress from Cabelas and also our Coleman French Press stainless steel coffee maker : Click here for PREVIOUS post. We've been using these items every day for the last 6-8 weeks and we are very happy campers.

My next bit of shopping research will be for a 12-volt router solution.

Might do a bit of sewing today after lunch, etc... Although, it is Sunday and I just started a new book, and the bay has calmed down so perhaps a swim, but then there's a bit of work I want to do for our barging site, perhaps a bit of video editing... So It Goes...
:)

MOOSEJAW is having a super special

I just felt that we had to share this with you.

Moosejaw (we are suckers for anything Moose-ish) is having a sale where if you buy so many items you get an additional so much discount off the sale price... Check it out.

The Moosejaw Really Super Sale: Save up to an additional 25% on Sale Items with code JACKSON. Excludes sale items from Snow/Wake/Skate brands, including Burton, Volcom, Liquid Force, Foursquare, Analog, Sessions, Oakley and others. . Coupon Code: JACKSON

They send out funny newsletters... sometimes with contests so you can win points.

Check out Patagonia, too!



:)

Good things

We recently received a few good things... besides the fact (hopefully) that Tropical Storm Colin is supposed to steer clear of us :)

Tropical Storm Colin - August 2, 2010 8am forecast

We ordered a new mattress from Cabelas. Shipping was via US Postal Service so no problem there.  They did have an $8 additional surcharge for being a large item but that's OK as shipping was still under $20. I procrastinated buying the mattress and when we got around to it, they had a special offer (expires today) of $5 shipping if your purchase was over $100. Cool !!! The shipping was so cheap that I phoned Cabelas to verify the shipping charge to the Virgin Islands as I didn't want to be surprised.

Cabela's Ultimate Self-Inflating Sleeping Pads

They shipped it USPS Priority Mail and shipping was $13. Thank you, Cabelas.

We've had a for a week now and we love this mattress. We bought the 54"x78" model and it fits very well in the space we have. It is so much better than both of the the leaky "temporary" air mattresses we've had in the last 6 months. The air bed was too bouncy. I found it uncomfortable and if I tossed and turned, it would cause Bob to bounce up and down and wake him up.  It was also difficult for the cats to play on unless it was just about totally deflated. Read the product comments for the Cabela's mattress. Other people love it too, with most of the bad reviews saying that it is difficult to roll the big double mattress back up but that's not a problem for us or most other folks.

<rant>Just a short rant... I almost placed an order with Harbour Freight for a few items but they were going to charge $60 for shipping via USPS Parcel Post with a 20 day estimated delivery time. No way!</rant>

Yesterday we received our new Coleman French Press coffee maker, along with a pair of Teva sandals each. This unit is made of stainless steel and you can use it to boil the water as there are no plastic parts. When the water is heated, turn off the stove, add your coffee, stir it up, put the lid & plunger unit on it, and wait a few minutes. Press down the plunger and voilà... c'est tout.

Coleman Stainless Steel French Press

Easy to clean as the filter unit unscrews so you can easily dismantle it for cleaning. The handle is also removable.  Very cool unit. You can buy this through Amazon.com for $17.97. Mr & Ms Cheapseats think this is a good deal.

Another thing is that the cats love the boxes... Hours of entertainment :)

Time to catch up

It's been awhile since my last post. There's so much catch-up to do that it makes one put it off... tu sais?

So, here It Goes...

Yesterday was Canada Day.  Today is Territory Day in the BVIs and then, of course, Sunday is July 4th, US Independence Day, which will be followed by taking Monday off as well, if you can swing it!

The mast is ON the boat

At the beginning of last week, we started making preparations to move the mast out of the parking lot (and away from Mr P's special moods) and onto the boat. On Wednesday, we were prepared for the two of us to drag the mast to the dock using a cart or handtruck, but SURPRISE we had four guys who came to help. (Thanks to Jim the carpenter, Mark with the new kitten, Mystic Mark, and the other dude). It was quite easy (especially for me as I just looked out for traffic) to carry the mast over to the boardwalk in Christiansted. We waited for the day-excursion boats to finish up and move off, and then we upped anchor and went to the dock.

I am so happy with our Electric Yacht electric motor. I skillfully guided the boat up to the dock with nary a bump or a shucky-darn :)  I'm looking forward to when they will offer a remote control, as then I won't have to do any unpleasant bending to "give it some gas" or shift, and lose sight of where I'm going. This will be available soon, I hope... HINT HINT!

We invited our helpers to meet us the next day at the Brew Pub for Thirsty Thursday for $10 pitchers of their special microbrewery beer, as well as some excellent chicken wings (my favorite is the teriyaki).  Nobody showed up but we managed to celebrate all by ourselves just fine. Their loss...

After placing the mast on the boat in their crutches, we then proceded out of the mooring field where we were anchored in Christiansted Harbor and out to the Gallows Bay area and picked up one of the transient mooring balls. It has the tendency to be a bit more rolly at times but it is SO QUIET.  Wow, I feel free!

We're far from the maddening crowds, out of the fishbowl, away from the noisy and smelly seaplane... We stay dry while going into town and might get wet on the way back, which is a big improvement to getting wet on the way to town at the beginning of the journey :)  If the conditions are a bit too rolly for some precision thing we want to do, no problem... we'll just drop the mooring line, switch on the motor, and whirrrrrr over to a calmer patch of water.

Then there's always the motorboats who never think about the wake they are making or don't give a hoot...

But, it's really not too bad... Just the occasional one that causes the glass on the table to crash to the floor... And then there's the pair of them that cause a humungus roll at 6:00am. I guess they just want to get us out of bed since they're up... Am I starting to rant :)

So, that's enough about that... On to battery chargers...

Our 12V battery charger is on the fritz (poor Fritz).  This Xantrex 2-20-40amp unit has always been a problem since Day 1. When on 40 amps, it overheats and only runs half the time, so we've always used it on the 20-amp setting.  I mentioned this to Budget Marine in St Maarten the same week that we bought it and they really weren't interested in my problem.  A few days ago, it started overheating at the 20-amp setting due to the fan no longer working.  I have placed a portable fan to blow into it and I think this might help, but it is still shutting off and thus taking a long long time to charge the batteries.

Bob has had his eye on a 60-amp charger that he's found recommended by several cruisers on the internet which works well with a Honda 2000i generator. But, as we wanted one NOW and also to avoid big shipping charges, we decided to get something locally.... Not going to happen!

We first went out to the Do-It Caribe hardware store and they were out. Then we walked to NAPA who were completely sold out and didn't know when they were getting more. We tried the Sears/Kmart store... nope.  We then went to Kmart and no joy there either.  So we hiked over to Cost-U-Less where they had generators, inverters, and jumper cables, but no battery chargers. The next day we tried Ace Hardware. When I phoned they said they had LOTS of chargers.  In reality they only had a 2-amp trickle charger and a large charger on wheels. They said that they are supposed to be getting a container the next day so there might be some out on the shelf next week. Not much good to us now, though. So, back to the boat.

Bob did a bit of internet shopping and found the recommended charger that he's been wanting all along from a place in Oregon. The store quickly responded to his emails and understood the special PayPal problems that sometime occur when dealing with addresses in the USVI... He would make sure the address label was correct before sending the package. Shipping via USPS Priority Mail was only $10.70. It would be wonderful if we receive it today as I assume Monday will be a holiday.  But, if not, we'll limp along with what we have. [It didn't come today, hopefully Tuesday]

Which brings me to a future project of building our own wind generator.  Bob is currently researching this and coming up with a parts list... and then we'll add this to The List. Watch this space and BoatBits, of course!

Surprise, it's raining!

At least yesterday (Sunday) it only rained a couple of drops very early in the morning.  We did make a bit of progress on our mast and we were looking forward to doing some major work today.

The weather forecast on the radio said that we might get a bit of slight showers today (it's really pouring) but probably not as a high pressure system is moving in and it should be dry for at least Tuesday and Wednesday.... I've heard that before...

Shucky-Darn !!!

Maybe we'll go up to the Do-It-Best Caribe hardware store by Sunny Isle shopping center and ask about some plywood.  I called them on Saturday to ask about delivery but it was definitely not the A-team (I hope!) that answered. It is usually best to ask in person and to weekday staff.

So it goes...

Wednesday was a rain day

Well, it rained a lot Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. 

We had decided to go up to the stores early and we just missed the 8am bus to Sunny Isle. It seems like the buses are on time or even a few minutes early for the 8am and 9:30am Christiansted Scalehouse stop. As the day wears on, the buses usually get later than their scheduled time, but WE still make a point to be on time as you never know...

As I said, we missed the 8am bus and finally at about 8:45 a "$2.50 bus" stopped for us. We were hungry and went to IHOP for breakfast.  Didn't I say that we'd never go there again??? Well, never again :)

After a big, no so great, service-lacking, and overpriced breakfast (how much for so-so coffee?) we went to K-Mart. Hurray, I remembered to buy cat food.  Something else I don't understand... The 3.5lb bag of Purina Cat Chow is $3.99 and the 7lb bag is almost $11.  Why?  I,  Ms Cheapseats, wasn't born yesterday so I picked up two 3.5lb bags :) And, Happy HAPPY, we found some suitable doublesided tape for our mast project.  The tape container must have arrived on island. SCORE! We then did some shopping at Cost-U-Less so we are pretty well set up to go all out on the mast building project without having to worry about food shopping.

It is now Thursday and it hasn't rained since yesterday morning... until about a half hour ago. So It Goes...

Saturday is off to a good start!

I'm a happy camper this morning.  We were invited out for breakfast and had Eggs Benedict at the Golden Rail next to St Croix Marine.  Quite nice. I really liked their home fries.

Entrance to St Croix Marine

We then went over to where St Croix Marine is having their tent sale and bought some stuff at good prices.... Sperry sandals, electrical panel, solar panel mounting brackets for the stern rail, and a couple of other things.  Gave a $1 to the animal shelter and got a free snorkel.  Entered the drawing for a waterproof handheld VHF.  Must be present at 3pm for the drawing to win, so I should set an alarm.

We then went over to Gallows Bay Ace Hardware's tent sail. Lo and behold, they had a "manual" stove-top waffle maker for only $10, normally $44.95 which is a silly price! We've been looking for one for a long time... HURRAY... SCORE! So then, I went inside the store and bought the cats a treat... a 12-foot roll of brown wrapping paper.  They love this stuff. Cut it in half and we have two cat toys for under $3. Such a deal!

Back to the dinghy, but swing by the tent again to see if there's anything new. Bought an assortment of 4 courtesy flags for $2 each, and a pair of "previously owned" opening ports which look OK for $20/pair.

Ms Cheapseats is a very happy camper indeed :)

Oh yes.... Happy first day of Spring!

Also, tomorrow (Sunday) there will be a fund raiser for someone we don't know, but we believe in helping out the cruising community.  What I understand from hearing about it on the radio is that he was a sailmaker and had his shop across from Jones Maritime in Christiansted. He had some misfortune with his back down island and has had back surgery in Panama(?). So, tomorrow we'll attend the fund raiser which starts at 4pm across from Jones Maritime. It is a $5 donation.  There will be BBQ, potluck, raffles, prizes and good times for a good cause.

Questions & Answers Christiansted St Croix USVI

[ Updated a bit on November 9 2011 ]

Here are some questions that I had concerning Christiansted, St Croix, US Virgin Islands. I hope it will help other cruisers who are arriving for the first time here.

You might want to read a previous post, and open the map in another window.... CLICK HERE FOR MAP and refer to map numbers below. I suggest that you download the map to your computer so you can view it full size or enlarge it.

Click image to enlarge

• Which channel to take? Follow the channel that takes you to Gallows Bay. I would NOT recommend entering at night. Yes, there are lots of lighted buoys, but there are also lots of reefs. NOVEMBER 2011: Very few of the lighted buoys are working. (We arrived late and around midnight anchored by Buck Island in 12-18 ft of water.) We've been told that there are free moorings in Gallows Bay for transients. You can continue on and enter Christiansted Harbor but this is an area full of local boats on moorings. Perhaps you can find a spot around the edge but don't block the channel on the other side (fuel barges use it to go to WAPA) and also you don't want to get in the way of the seaplane.
  

• Where to check in? Customs & Immigration (see #2 on map) is located in Gallows Bay, near the ferry terminal and cargo ship dock. Tie your dinghy up, but don't lock, at St Croix Marine (#1). With your back to the water, take a left and follow the driveway to the street. Turn right. It's not too far and it is on your right.  There's a little guardhouse at the gate and he'll point you to the door. Phone: 340-773-1011. According to the 2009 USVI Marine Guide publication: Hours of Operation: 7am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Saturday & Sunday arrivals must contact the airport office at 340-778-0216.
  

• Where is the dinghy dock? For shopping in the Gallows Bay area, St Croix Marine (#1) offers the use of their dinghy dock but ask that you do not lock it in case they must move it. St Croix Marine has become very unfriendly folks. In September 2011 they will no longer allow you to tie up your dinghy to their dock to go shopping in the neighborhood... even if you buy something from them and want to continue on to do some grocery shopping, unless you want to pay $10 for the privilege. We no longer have anything to do with this business. We walk to the gas station and save over $1/gallon. The marine store says they have discount fuel but they don't, or at least the end user doesn't get the discount. The manager would not comment on this when asked. The common dinghy dock on the Christiansted Boardwalk is right in front of Styxx (#11). You may want to throw out an aft anchor to keep you from going under the dock. You can also tie up in front of the Brew Pub which to the left when faciing Styxx, near the Comanche Mill Yacht-Less Club.
  

• Where to dump trash? Go to the dinghy dock in front of Styxx (#11). To your right there is a street and behind that low wall that which is probably to keep cars from driving on the boardwalk, you'll see 3 or 4 trash bins.
  

• Where to get water & fuel? There is a fuel dock at St. Croix Marine (#1). They have water, gasoline, and diesel. Will fill your boat tanks or jerrycans. The water can be very brown. I heard a politician on the radio say that this is due to rust in the water pipes in many areas of St Croix. Think of it as an iron supplement... The water at St Croix Marine will quickly clog your water filter. We had a neighbor buy water filters at their store and then after filtering 10 or so gallons of their water the filters were completely clogged and useless. Get your water from the bar next to the Brew Pub (Bucaneer Yachtless Club???) for ten cents a gallon. Still has particles but not as bad.
  

• Where to fill propane? It is somewhere on the other side of the island near Hovensa. We were told to go to Styxx (#11) and ask if anyone will be going there soon and catch a ride with them. A taxi would be very expensive. We bought our propane tanks at Cost-U-Less and they are the same type that you can swap out at Gallows Bay Ace Hardware (#4). There is another hardware store in Gallows Bay now... Gannet. Close to Schooner Bay Market, ask for directions. If you find someone who performs a service like Island Marine and Budget Marine offers in St Maarten (you leave your propane tank at the store, they take it to the filling station and you pick it up at the store later in the afternoon), please let us know!
  

• Mail? St Croix is part of the US Postal System so it is possible to have things delivered by Priority or Express Mail at the same cost as anywhere else in the US. There is a Post Office in Gallows Bay (#3) but they don't do General Delivery. For general delivery (poste restante) you need to go to the main Post Office that is outside of Christiansted. You pass by it (on your right) on the way to Pueblo.  Warning: FedEx, UPS, etc treats the USVI as an international location so is expensive... Use US Mail. We get our mail at Surf The Net ($12/month). Pass through Styxx (#11) and follow that little street. Go up the steps and it is to your left.  Watch out that you don't step on Paula, the little Chihuahua. Sandy is a very interesting person and a good musician that performs at various venues around the island (Sunday brunch, Golden Rail at St Croix Marine). November 2011: Sandy is planning to completely shut down Surt the Net soon.
  

• Laundry? We have found two laundromats. One in Gallows Bay (#8) and the other (#13) which is by the Seaplane (#12). Both provide drop off and do-it-yourself service. They have front loaders and have $3.50 & $5.50 machines. The most direct route for the one in Gallows Bay is to tie up at St Croix Marine (#1) and walk down towards the Gallows Bay Marketplace but stay on the road and pass by the VI Trading Lumberyard (#5). Continue to the main road (East End Road) and turn left. The laundry (#8) is a little bit up this road on your left (across from the Canegata Ballpark). While waiting for your wash (cold=25 minutes), you can check out the little bakery a bit farther along the street or grab a Coke at Schooner Bay Market (#9) which is a bit farther still. For the other laundry (Prince's Street?), tie up at Styxx (#11) and take a right. Follow the boardwalk to where it ends at the Seaplane (#12). Turn left to get onto their driveway and then take a right on the main road. The laundry is on the next street to the left and the laundry (#13) is not too far on the left side of this street.
  

• Vet? This is one of the first things we try to "suss out" is where to find a veterinarian within walking distance (if possible). Fortunately, we haven't had to go there, but there is a vet (#7) at the Gallows Bay Marketplace. Progressive Veterinary Hospital, Kasey Canton, DVM 340-719-7387. November 2011: This office has closed.

• Buses? See our previous post about buses and bus schedule HERE. Vitran buses are $1 each way across the whole island, and there are also $2.50 taxivans which pretty much take the same route. They come in handy when the Vitran bus has broken down or when you just don't want to wait for the next bus. The Christiansted bus stop (map #10) which corresponds to the time in the bus schedule is outside of the yellow National Park Service building at the end of King Street. We've noticed that the buses aren't very reliable as quite often one bus will be broken down leaving only one bus running which cuts the service way down.  It might be a good idea to ask the bus driver if both buses are running so you know what to expect. I must remember to do this. Even Mr & Mrs Cheapseats have given up and paid $3 more for our trip back to the boat.

• Taxis? See Taxi fares from Christiansted and from Frederiksted to various locations

• ATM? There is an ATM machine at First Bank. It is just a few steps away from this bus stop (map #10). With your back to the water and yellow Park Service building on your left, look to the right and you will see it on the front of the building under the covered sidewalk. The Bank of St Croix over by the post office  (map #3) at Gallows Bay Marketplace wouldn't accept my bank's debit card.  They only accept cards on the Star network. First Bank charges $2 per transaction. NOVEMBER 2011: This ATM is closed. Walk up the street (past the library) and there will be two banks across the street from each other. We use First Bank because in the past, Scotia Bank does not accept our debit card.

• Marine Store? St Croix Marine (#1). Marine store, marina, travelift, boatyard, and the dinghy dock. There is now also a Budget Marine which is not within walking distance, even if you take the east end bus part of the way there. Prices are 15% higher than list price at Budget Marine St Maarten where you would get at least 10% off list... The owners are very nice though. You can order something on the phone and they will deliver it to you in Christiansted. No plywood in stock (neither at Budget Marine in St Thomas). We go to the hardware stores or order online (Defender will ship USPS) because we do not like the marine stores here.
  

• Where to shop: Food? We do most of our food shopping at two places. Schooner Bay Market & Pueblo 
• Schooner Bay Market (#9) at Gallows Bay Marketplace (we usually wind our way through this shopping center to get there). Smaller and a bit more expensive than Pueblo, but it is close and you don't have to pay and wait for a bus. They have a small produce section, bakery, deli, fresh meat, and all the normal stuff.  They have a website.
  
• Pueblo Supermarket (#14) up at Golden Rock Shopping Center to the west of Christiansted. Pueblo is cheaper, is a bit of hilly hike but the walk is good for us. We always walk both ways now. For Pueblo, tie up at Styxx (#11) and walk through until you come to King Street. Take a right and continue on this road until you reach Golden Rock at the second traffic light (the lights are very far apart!). We take the bus (map #15) back which is a 10-minute, $1 ride. When looking at the bus schedule, figure that Golden Rock is half way (10 minutes) between Sunny Isle and Christiansted, being sure that you are looking at the correct direction. Of course, you can always take the bus from Christiansted (map #10) if you don't feel up to the walk.

• On the way to Pueblo, just near the top of the hill before getting to the main Post Office, there is a street to the right and at the end of it you'll see the St Croix Animal Shelter Flea Market. They have lots of stuff (used clothing) and this is where we have bought quite a few paperback books.

• When you get to the stop light at Pueblo, if you continue on the road to the right, there are two banks with ATMs, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, and MacDonalds. Sometimes you just need a fix...

• Cost-U-Less and Plaza Extra are located farther from town near Sunny Isle Shopping Center (just before at Sion Farm) which you will need to take a bus. This Cost-U-Less is again different, yet similar, from the one in St. Thomas, which is different from the one in St Maarten. Different products, and of course the thing that you want that you can find in SXM is not available at the store here... So It Goes :) Plaza Extra is a large supermarket but we didn't really find any advantage in going to either of these stores, unless you want to do other things at the shopping center (Wendy's Chili for lunch?). We buy Crystal Light at Cost-U-Less.
  

• Where to shop for other stuff? So far, we've only been to Golden Rock and Sunny Isle shopping centers. Looking forward to taking the bus to Frederiksted at the west end of the island. [We went to Frederiksted and we were very disappointed that there wasn't really anything there of practical interest. Maybe for historical and that sort of interesting stuff, plus that is where the cruiseship dock is. There is another K-Mart beyond the University of the VI in a pretty deserted shopping mall. Check it out as they do have a bit more stuff, but nothing for us to make the longer trip].
• Gallows Bay Marketplace: Gallows Bay (Ace) Hardware (#4), US Post Office (#3), small bookstore (#6), veterinarian / animal hospital (#7), lumberyard VI Trading (#5) probably an ATM... ask!
  
• Golden Rock: Pueblo Supermarket (#14), Blockbuster, Sterling Optical, Dominos Pizza, and a few other little shops.
• Sunny Isle: Much larger. On the bus ride TO Sunny Isle, you'll see Cost-U-Less and Plaza Extra on your right at Sion Farm. Go shopping at Sunny Isle, then walk back to these stores if you want to shop there. There is a bus stop back to Christiansted at Plaza Extra. St Croix has two K-Marts. The smaller one is at Sunny Isle. Other stores: Radio Shack, Office Max, movie theater, AT&T, Footlocker, small clothing stores, other shops. Food: IHop, MacDonalds, Wendy's for your "fast" food fix. There is a large hardware store with lumberyard across the street from Wendy's. You'll see it on the left side of the road before the bus turns in to the shopping center. [There is also a Sears/Kmart annex nearby. When you get off the bus, walk a few yards forward and take a left on that driveway (if you go to the right it takes you to KMart, but don't do that now). So, take the left and walk straight. Cross the road and behind the WAPA (Water and Power Authority) building, you'll see a little strip of buildings with the Sears/Kmart where they have tools and things that the main Kmart store does not have.]
  

• Where to get a cell phone? We got our AT&T "Go Phone" at Radio Shack in St Thomas, which, of course, is good for St Croix too. I bought the cheapest phone thinking that I'd put the chip into my triband phone but it didn't work because they use the 850 band here. The phones you buy here are dual band 850 & 900 which work in US, USVI, and Puerto Rico. They sell them at Radio Shack & the AT&T store at Sunny Isle. Don't know anything about other carriers, sorry! I have the $60/month plan which has unlimited, nationwide long distance & texting. I pay using my AT&T internet account. I went to AT&T here in STX because I was having problems with voicemail. Turns out the plan doesn't include voicemail but it is only $0.99/month. $60/month is quite an outlay but it is so nice not to worry about the minutes ticking by when someone place you on hold, etc. [They now have a $2/day plan. If you use the phone you are charged $2 for that day, if you don't use it you pay zero. So,  if you used it everyday, it would be the same as the $60/month plan... save a bit of money and plan your calls.] NOVEMBER 2011: AT&T now has a $50/month plan that we use instead of the $2/day.

• Dive Shop? We know of SCUBA (St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures). Tie up at Styxx (#11) take a right on the boardwalk to first street (where you dump your trash) which is Caravelle Arcade and it is on the other side of the street (to your right if back facing the water). They made excellent eggnog at Christmas!
  

• WiFi / Internet access? We have internet access on the boat.  You can try various hotspots and see if you can get free wifi, or you can pay (hotspots starting with "BroadbandVI"). I think it's $60/month.  As a comparison, we paid $100/month in St Maarten for Scarlet service. You can also get fee wifi at a few of the boardwalk bars, and there are a couple of internet cafes. Prices: $59.95 for 30 days, $39.95 for 7 days, $30.95 for 3 days, $9.95 for 1 day, $4.95 for one hour. If you prefer an internet cafe, check out the previously-mentioned Surf-The-Net. You can use her computers or use her wifi.

Well, that's enough to get started...

You can check our other posts with the label of St Croix. CLICK HERE

Cruisers Map for Christiansted St Croix USVI

My project for today (feels like a Saturday) is to put together a helpful map for cruisers coming to Christiansted, St Croix, US Virgin Islands.

I did a couple of screenshots of Google Maps for the area, then stitched them together, and placed numbers on them.  It is a pretty large image but for me, this is what I would have like to have had when we arrived here :) Gives a good overview...

( Click image to view enlarged map in new window )

GALLOWS BAY
1) St Croix Marine - Dinghy Dock
2) Customs & Immigration
3) US Post Office
4) Gallows Bay Ace Hardware
5) VI Trading Lumberyard
6) Undercover Bookstore
7) Progressive Veterinary Hospital - 340-719-7387
8) Laundry
9) Schooner Bay Market

CHRISTIANSTED
10) Bus Stop
11) Styxx - Dinghy Dock
12) Seaborne Seaplane
13) Laundry - Prince's Street

GOLDEN ROCK SHOPPING CENTER
14) Pueblo Supermarket
15) Bus Stop

You might find it handy to click on the image to go to the full size map and then download it to your computer where you can view it better.