On our recent travels to St. Thomas we knew that we would want to go snorkeling, so we hunted down a great little company for a 3 hour sailing trip. Sailing the Cosmos Charters is a privately owned charter service that offers a variety of trips including snorkeling, sunset and private adventures. The owners Rob and Deborah are fun, informative and gracious. They truly enjoy what they do, meeting new folks and joining you on your adventures.
Finding the Right Charter
We booked our trip a few days prior to leaving for the US Virgin Islands. We found that at the time they were one of the few charter companies that were open and ready to sail. Due to the pandemic most of the other companies were not resuming business until July 1st, which was too late for our trip.
Taunya had seen Sailing the Cosmos previously while doing research, so we already had them in mind when we were ready to schedule. Not only did they have great reviews but they also offered a morning snorkel trip. We could not find another company that did that, at least one that was currently operating. Another bonus was that they were limiting trips to 6 passengers, so social distancing would still be possible. Pandemic or not, this is a smaller boat and much more intimate than the larger diving and catamaran boats you see around the Caribbean.
Their prices are more than reasonable based on our experience. The marina is conveniently located near Red Hook and the location of their slip on the dock is easy to locate. From a value perspective, we were very happy with our experience. The boat itself is clean, well maintained and sleek on the water. During the charter they offer light snacks and a variety of drinks including water, sodas, beer and a rum punch.
It's a Fine Day for Sailing
Thankfully we woke up to a bright and sunny day that morning. This summer featured a massive Saharan dust cloud that caused a bit of haze during the first half of our trip. Upon boarding they had us head up to the bow and Captain Rob gave us a quick safety briefing. Since Mama Ruby ended up not going, we only had four passengers for the charter. Given the small numbers it was easy to keep a reasonable distance from each other in most cases.
They offered us drinks right away, and we decided to start with water. As we motored out of the marina we headed east towards St. John. Once we were underway Captain Rob came up and told us a bit about the channel islands between St. Thomas and St. John. We were heading into the wind, so we made the outbound trip under power although Rob said we’d probably get to sail on the way back. After about 45 minutes we dropped anchor at the reef on the south side of Lovango Cay.
Rob gave us a quick briefing and indicated that they felt that the reef was one of the best in the USVI. As experienced snorkelers we don’t need a whole lot of guidance, however advice is welcome to us especially when we are in a new area. The crew was great about this, helpful and informative, letting us know the suggested boundaries to stay within, but let us venture on our own.
After donning our equipment we jumped the 5 feet or so into the water and put on our masks. One of the first things I noticed was the coral was very different than we experienced during our last snorkel in Fiji. We did see sporadic fish, but nothing like variety or numbers that we had seen in Fiji. Unfortunately I think Fiji may have ruined us!
We snorkeled for a while and tried to take some pictures with our new GoPro MAX. Unfortunately all of our video came out blurry, so I am not sure if it was the camera or the conditions because testing it out in the pool the videos were very vibrant. We really wanted to see some sea turtles but we were just not that lucky. 🙁
Another thing we noticed is that the water around the US Virgin Islands is very salty. The crew even stated that it was more salty to them than most places, and it took them a minute to acclimate to the difference. No one I asked was really sure why, but I am guessing it could be shallower water and evaporation, or discharge from the desalination plants, or some combination of both. Of course those are just guesses. Damn it Jim, I am a traveler not a scientist…
After reboarding the boat, we were again offered snacks and refreshments. This time we both opted for the Rum Punch. It was very tasty, quite refreshing, and just a plain fun drink to enjoy on a boat while on vacation. We had to wait on a brief drizzle to pass overhead, but it wasn’t cold.
On the way back to St. Thomas we did indeed get the headsail up. The Cosmos Mariner is a great boat, and even though the mainsail wasn’t up we were moving at a pretty good clip and we were lightly heeling over. Monohull sailboats are a much different experience than catamarans, and from a pure sailing aspect I think I like them better. On the way back we got some additional commentary about some of the other small islands and cays.
Wrapping It All Up
Overall it was a great experience and one I would gladly do again. I would highly recommend Sailing the Cosmos Charters for your next trip to St. Thomas for snorkeling or any other adventure. We would definitely book with them again the next time we visit St. Thomas. Let them know that you heard about them from LLDT, or better yet let us help you book! Safe travels to you all, wherever that may be…
If you are interested in other articles on St. Thomas, there will be more coming soon.
Living, loving, drinking, and traveling through life.
— Derek
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