Pulling into the bay at St. Eustatius, also known as Statia, was a little challenging, as oil tankers were parked outside of the northern port.  When sailing, it is sometimes difficult to determine if a tanker is anchored or moving.  Eventually, Steve figured it out and we were able to pull into the bay.  We anchored close to town.  The water is a gorgeous, light emerald green color and is crystal clear, even at the dock.  Unfortunately from the distance the water looks more blue than green. We can see the tankers behind us but where we are we mostly see a sleepy Caribbean island going about life. 

We arrived on Sunday after customs closed.  So, I raised our “Q” flag, which is a yellow flag that lets the country know that we haven’t cleared through customs yet. 

On 1/29/24 we hopped in our dinghy and went to clear in.  The dinghy dock within the customs area is a little challenging.  There are stairs down to the water, which is welcomed.  However, we needed to tie our dinghy a little ways away.  Once we got the hang of it, it was relatively easy to navigate.  On this island we had to go through customs and immigration and also pay the harbour master.