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Here is my question for the day for our imminent vacation:
Is a half-day dinghy rental on STJ enough time?
We're probably going with Noah's Lil Arcs (maybe Calypso for the center console). Assuming that the winds and seas are cooperative, can we make it out to Waterlemon for a bit of snorkeling, plus hit 2 or 3 beaches on the way back with a half-day rental?
With 2 of us, is the small dinghy at Noah's ok? I see it just has a 15hp motor (compared to 50hp with the center console at Calypso).
Thank you once again for your input.
I have done the exact scenario you just describe using the Noah's 15 HP
It was in June and very calm
What a great day that was!
Enjoy 😎
You can do it in a half day but it is rushed I like the full day so you can spend some itme on the beaches you stop at and not just say you were there. We like to pack a lunch and some drinks and have a picnic on one of the remote beaches.
Last year we rented the 50hp center console dingies from the Calypso folks (admittedly because we are familiar with the Calypso from day trips.) With the speed of those boats, we really made it around to quite a few locations & beaches including Waterlemon. We rented them for a full day which was more than enough time to do everything we set out to do. If you are squeezed for time and want to do a half day rental you might want to opt for the bigger motor to enable you to get more places in a shorter time.
Rent for a full day and if you feel like you've had enough, just bring it back it.
I think 4 hours isn't long enough and 8 hours on the water, in the hot sun, exhausted, is too long.
O.K. misterduffy. Looks like our favorite is Calypso. 🙂 I also rented a dinghy from them this past February. Extremely comfortable, lots of storage and floor space for cooler, snorkel gear and beach bag. I would highly suggest the full day. Half a day just isn't enough. STJ has so much to see and offer. Especially from the water. We pulled the dinghy up to Honeymoon and was amazed by a huge, beautiful stingray in shallow water. Wish I knew how to post a picture of it! Have a great time!
I would appreciate information about calypso also. That sounds like a fun way to go exploring. I am planning a trip for later this year.8-)
Calypsovi.com
Thank you for the fast reply!:D
how many people can you squeeze into one of those dinghies?
The 15 hp ones 3 max. the bigger ones 4 if you want to bring any thing with you
Ok, so we decided on the 15hp Dinghy for 1/2 day.
Given that we are limited by time, we are going to pick a few beaches to stop at.
So far it's Waterlemon and Maho.
Unless Im wrong, Honeymoon and Trunk are easy to get to from Cruz Bay, so we'll skip those on the dinghy.
Which others should I make a point to stop at?
Are you not going to have a jeep if you do I'd drive to Maho. Francis would be nice Honeymoon you can get to but it is a hike not bad but if you can pull right up to the beach why hike. same with solamon.
I will not have a jeep on STJ. I'll be staying on STT and got a great rate on a car at... Hertz, so no car ferry.
I didn't realize Honeymoon was hike to get to, so I will add that to the stops.
Thanks!
