Returning back to St. John from St. Thomas yesterday afternoon, we crossed the Pillsbury Sound. With my eyes fixed on St. John, I chanced to turn around just in time to see the sunset over St. Thomas. I stopped the boat and took some photos with my iPhone, and then shut down the engine contemplating how fortunate I was to be there.
I’ve always been fascinated by the spectacular scenery surrounding this passage between the Caribbean and Atlantic basins. It always brings a different perspective, nuances in colors and clarity, sometimes with rough seas and big waves caused by winds and currents and sometimes smooth and tranquil.
The center of Pillsbury Sound was where the Virgin Islands were born, rising above the surface of the ocean in a fiery volcanic blast. Pillsbury Sound is delineated by the big islands of St. Thomas and St. John, forming the eastern and western boundaries.
The Lovango, Congo, Mingo, Grassy, and Thatch Cays lie to the north. On the south are Great and Little St. James, Dog Island, and Dog Rocks.