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Watching a sunset from land is great, but have you ever seen it from a boat? Sure, you could watch it from Cruz Bay without disappointment, but there is nothing that compares to a St. John sunset cruise.
I had my first such experience a few years ago in Key West after answering the call of a well-timed email solicitation. Since that unforgettable sunset sail, my husband and I have tried to replicate it in both Maui and Turks and Caicos with no luck. For totally separate reasons it just didn’t work out.
Oddly enough, though, we never thought to do a sunset cruise in St. John – a Caribbean island we had visited so many times before. We’d taken charters to the British Virgin Islands, but for some reason had never signed up for a casual sunset sail. However, our time finally arrived when we realized the beautiful Kekoa catamaran offered such a cruise.
This article was originally published in August 2020 and was last updated in December 2022.
The Ultimate St. John Sunset Cruise
We met at the Cruz Bay Visitor Center, which has a dock right next to it. It was about 20 or 30 minutes before the Kekoa was set to arrive at 5:45, so we waited under a pavilion nearby. There were a handful of other parties waiting as well.
While a few people were antsy that the boat wasn’t there yet, sure enough it pulled up to the dock right on time. We then lined up and boarded without delay. A young girl checked us all in, while having everyone remove their shoes on the way up.
Welcome Aboard!
Once aboard, we made our way to the front of the Kekoa, which is a large, beautiful catamaran. The boat is easy to distinguish from others on the water, with its silver body and big, black sails, reminiscent of a pirate ship.
There were about twenty of us in the group, but this boat can perhaps hold fifty or so. Because of this, there was plenty of space on board for everyone. In fact, my husband and I basically had an entire bench to ourselves along one side of the boat.
Before the cruise embarked, the captain did set some ground rules. No sitting on the trampoline-looking things up front. No jumping overboard (obviously). Be careful when walking around, for you may be thrown overboard. Just the usual boat stuff.
He explained how the young girl helping was his daughter, and she was going to be handling all the service that evening while he captained the boat.
The St. John Sunset Cruise Experience
We set off towards Pillsbury Sound, which before this boat trip, I had never heard of. However, once we got going, I realized this is just the familiar waters between Red Hook and Cruz Bay I’d taken dozens of times on the ferry.
This trip took us around various cays and rocks, which until this moment, I had only viewed from St. John’s North Shore beaches. I was so excited when I realized we’d be seeing all these distant places up close. Plus, it sure was a glorious place to have a sunset sail.
As we got going, the daughter went around the group getting drink orders and giving out small hors d’oeuvres. It was nothing too special – fruits, veggies, and banana bread. Don’t expect to fill up on it.
There was soft island music playing in the background, while everything started to take on a golden, peachy glow. The sun was lowering in the distance, and the Kekoa was able to take us to waters where no islands or cays on the horizon would obstruct our view.
Awesome Scenery
My favorite part of the trip was passing a really cool rock formation where the sunset fit just perfectly into a little divot at the top. It was such great timing, one would assume the crew planned it. If so, it was a well-done job by them, as it truly was spectacular.
Since I’m apparently oblivious to names, of course I didn’t realize that this rocky islet has a name as well: Carvel Rock. I had scene this jagged formation so many times from St. John’s beaches, and it always looked so enticing. I wished I could kayak to it or something to see this lonely rock up close.
Well, I finally did get to see it up close and it’s just a rock, but a beautiful rock at that. I was still very excited though, and sunset ended up being the perfect time to see it at its prettiest.
Goat Sightings
One of the most interesting moments of the cruise was passing a lonely, rocky island (Grass Cay, I believe) inhabited by goats. How they got there is a curiosity, as no one appeared to actually live on this island.
All I know is they were so cute gathering on the rocky tip of the cay for sunset, while they watched us sail on by.
Grand Finale
As we started heading back towards Cruz Bay, the daughter surprised us by initiating a hula hoop contest. She had some very impressive tricks, hula hooping around her knees, hips, chest and even on one leg!
One young girl took the bait, and held her own with a solid performance. Being the only contest entry, she won by default and was given the opportunity to light the “Boom”.
Some build-up music, including the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, was played to add suspense. The girl was given a three cornered pirate hat to wear for effect.
When we got close to shore, we were told to count down from three. The girl then lit what was in essence a fake cannon with a loud, but quick boom. Very fitting for a ship with black sails, and great fun for those of us yearning to live out our inner pirate.
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Quite frankly, there is nothing like taking a sunset cruise around St. John. The sunset views over the Caribbean among little islands dotting the horizon is one of the most majestic sights. If you are looking to treat yourself on your next St. John vacation, a Kekoa sunset sail is a fantastic way to do so!
Are planning a sunset sail on the Kekoa in St. John?
