Keeping an Eye on US Virgin Islands Shipping Traffic

Here’s a good reason to set an anchor alarm. James Lane captured this shot of a sailboat getting an 0600 wake-up call as it had inadvertently dragged its anchor into the shipping channel in St. Thomas, USVI. As you note in the photo, the sailboat still has its anchor down off the bow.

James reports there were no injuries and everyone was safe. In fact, he reports there were just a couple of “kids” aboard who somehow managed to get the sails hoisted and sail out of the way before any property damage. Whew!

This is our second sailboat-and-ship encounter within a week. The other was last Friday in the Estuary.

James and his partner, Dena Hankins, left the Pacific Northwest 25 years ago to start a life of cruising. They are about to depart the USVI for Panama aboard their current boat, the Baba 30 Cetacea. James has a story about the characteristics of a good cruising dinghy in the current December issue of Latitude 38.