Excerpted from St. John Off The
Beaten Track ©
2006 Gerald Singer
The Reef Bay Coastal Walk provides an alternative route to the
historic Reef Bay Sugar Mill, the petroglyphs and the Reef Bay
Estate House. By taking short trails, walking along the beach
and scrambling around small headlands, one can cover the entire
perimeter of Reef Bay. The distance between the Reef Bay Sugar
Mill Ruins and Parrot Bay on the western end of Reef Bay is about
1.2 miles.
Reef Bay refers to the large bay on the south side of St. John
between Cocoloba Cay on the west and the White Cliffs on the
east. Within the larger bay are three beaches one of which
is an inner bay. On the west is a beach called Reef Bay or
Parrot Bay. The next beach to the east is Little Reef Bay,
named after the plantation whose ruins lie amidst the vegetation
behind the beach. The third and easternmost beach makes up
most of the shoreline of Genti Bay, which is an inner bay of
Reef Bay. Genti Bay is the location of the Reef Bay sugar factory
ruins, which lie at the end of the Reef Bay Trail.
A long line of reef extends parallel to the shoreline of Reef
Bay. The reef protects the beaches and coastline from the force
of the ocean swells. An extensive shallow lagoon lies between
the shore and the reef.
Parrot Bay was named after Rif Paret, an overseer on the Friis
plantation established in 1727 on the western portion of Reef
Bay.
The larger Reef Bay, that encompasses Parrot, Little Reef and
Genti Bays, may also have been named after Rif Paret. Old maps
of Reef Bay show various spellings of the word Reef including
Rif, Riif, Riff, Rift and possibly Riss.
St. John historian, David Knight, feels that the name Reef Bay
is really a corruption of “Rift Bay” pointing out “that
the original name for this quarter was Rift Bay and not Reef
Bay.” There also exists the possibility that Reef Bay was
named after the long barrier reef that is the most significant
characteristic of the bay.
Only Parrot Bay at the western end of Reef Bay can be accessed
by road. From the Texaco Station in Cruz Bay, take the South
Shore Road (Route 104) east to the Fish Bay Road. Go 1.7 miles
to the intersection of Marina Drive and Reef Bay Road. Bear
left onto Reef Bay Road and go up the hill. Turn left after
the concrete strip of road ends, about 0.2 mile from the intersection.
Go 0.2 mile further and park on the right side of the road
across from the house with the new green metal roof.
The path to the beach starts at the utility pole. The top of
the trail is steep. You will find a length of knotted rope secured
to various trees that you can grab onto for support as you descend
this steepest section of the trail. Be careful on the rest of
the path, as it too can be tricky and slippery at times, especially
after a rain. At the bottom of the hill, the trail levels off
and leads to the beach at Parrot Bay.
Head east along the white sandy beach. It is a delightful walk,
as there is generally a brisk, cooling ocean breeze. You will
also be treated to the sight and sound of the waves breaking
over the outer reef as well as to an excellent view of the unspoiled
south coast of St. John from Reef Bay to Ram Head Point and into
the inner valleys of Reef Bay. This is one of the few large areas
in the Virgin Islands that has not been developed and remains
in a pristine and natural state.
Much of the ground cover at the beginning of the line of first
vegetation is the edible sea
purslane. It has a salty taste and
is traditionally used in green salads.
Further inland are seagrape and beach maho trees interspersed
with areas of mangroves.
About 30 yards before the end of the beach, there is a small
coconut grove just inland. It's easy to get to and if you're
in luck, there will be lots of coconuts to eat - hard ripe ones
on the ground and the even more delicious jelly nuts up in the
tree.
At the eastern end of the beach you will come to some colorful
red and white rocks around the point going left. It's an easy
scramble over these rocks to the beach at Little Reef Bay.
The shallow lagoon gets much wider here. This is a habitat for
baby sharks, tarpon, bonefish and barracuda. The baby sharks,
mostly black tips, are quite a sight to behold. They are between
one and two feet long and, because the water is so shallow, their
dorsal fins stick out of the water, just like in the movies.
Don't worry about them biting you, they are very shy and timid
and swim away as soon as they see you.
As you walk down the beach at Little Reef Bay you will have
an extensive view of the south coast. The only human-made structure
in sight will be the chimney of the Reef Bay Sugar Mill abandoned
almost a century ago.
A narrow strip of soft white sand, fringed
by maho trees and mangroves, lies between the lagoon and the
forested interior. Behind this vegetation is an area of low-lying
flat land that began to be cultivated in 1726, eight years after
the Danish West India and Guinea Company colonized St. John.
Of the twelve plantations in the Reef Bay watershed, Little Reef
Bay was the only one that never engaged in sugar cultivation
and was instead dedicated to cotton, provision crops, and the
raising of cattle and other livestock. Little Reef Bay historically
provided much of the food for the neighboring sugar producing
estates of Reef Bay. The first owner of the land was Philip
Adam Dietrichs, a Lutheran priest in St. Thomas. Because pastors
received a minimal salary in those times, the governor of the
colony presented the estate to Dietrichs in order to help him
make ends meet.
The tasks of clearing the land, planting the crops and building
the needed structures were performed by a small number of slaves
who worked from sunup to sundown on that arid, windswept parcel
of land in order to provide a supplementary income for the underpaid
man of God. Because Dietrichs lived in St. Thomas where he continued
to minister to his parishioners, an overseer was hired to wield
the whip and be responsible for the success of this marginally
profitable enterprise. Dietrichs eventually left St. Thomas and
returned to Denmark. The estate was sold to Jannes Runnels and
stayed in the Runnels family for about the next 100 years.
In 1841, Catherine Michel, a free woman of mixed race, inherited
the Little Reef Bay plantation along with 26 head of cattle,
40 sheep, 8 horses and 27 enslaved human beings. It was a hard
life for all concerned, Catherine Michel, her six children, and
the slaves. When emancipation was declared in 1848, there were
only two acres of land under cultivation to support the Michel
family and the slaves, who were predominantly women and children.
Even after emancipation in the Danish West Indies, the former
slaves were bound to their estates by labor contracts, which
they were forced to sign. The “workers” on the Little
Reef Bay Estate were reluctant to continue laboring on that unproductive
and poor piece of land. Catherine Michel was ill, as were her
children, and by 1870 all had died, apparently of the dread disease,
leprosy.
Little Reef Bay was then sold to Henry Marsh who owned the neighboring
Par Force plantation where the sugar works were. In 1926, it
was sold to A. A. Richardson, the island administrator, who had
30 acres of land under cultivation and a herd of 25 cattle. Richardson
sold milk, mangos, coconuts, bananas and limes that were produced
on the estate. In 1956, Little Reef Bay became the property of
the Virgin Islands National Park.
(Information about the history of the Little Reef Bay Estate
comes from “A Brief History of the Little Reef Bay Estate,” by
David Knight and “Historic Land Use in the Reef Bay Fish
Bay and Hawksnest Watersheds, St. John U.S. Virgin Islands” by
George F. Tyson.)
The ruins of the Little Reef Bay Plantation can be found just
about ten yards inshore of a patch of mother-in-law tongue
or snake plant (sansevieria), that was once cultivated as an
ornamental, but got out of hand. They consist of long, pointed,
variegated, dark-green leaves that rise from the ground to
a height of about three feet and grow close together. The patch
extends right to the beach line. Another clue is a tall date
palm that you should be able to see further inland than the
ruins.
If you're not keen on plant identification, here's another way
to find them: As you walk down the beach towards the east, there
are two places where vegetation extends into the water. At these
points, you will either have to get your feet wet, climb through
the tangle of limbs, or find a passage through the bush inland.
The remains of the Little Reef Bay plantation lie behind the
second of these detours.
The ruins consist of a four-sided stone wall that once supported
a house made out of sticks woven together and then plastered
with mortar made out of lime and mud. This traditional construction
is known as “daub and wattle.” Just to the east of
the house, is a taller wall that was a part of the plantation
warehouse. Also in the vicinity, are the remains of a stone oven
and the cookhouse.
Just to the east of the warehouse ruins are the remains of an
old stone house covered with pink plaster. There are ornamental
plants and fruit trees near the building. In back of this house
is a stately date palm. Mother-in-law tongue, hibiscus and
bougainvillaea are all growing in profusion around these ruins.
Most of these plants were obviously cultivated as landscaping
by the inhabitants of the house. Near the house are the remains
of an old cattle corral, a remnant of the fairly recent cattle-farming
operation in the valley. The estate house and warehouse were
built in the late eighteenth century; this house was built
near the turn of the twentieth century.
When the Little Reef Bay Estate was sold to Henry Marsh, a one-acre
parcel was split off and given to the one loyal servant, named
Margreth, who stayed with Catherine Michel and her family throughout
the days of deprivation and the horrors of leprosy.
The house had remained in fair condition, roof and all, until
Hurricane Marilyn struck in 1995. This property is called an
inholding because it is still privately owned and is not part
of the National Park. The lack of access to this and other inholdings
in the Park is currently a much-discussed political issue.
The best place for swimming in Reef Bay is at the eastern end
Little Reef Bay, near the rocks along the eastern shore (to
your left if you're looking out to sea). The beach is soft
white sand, and the entrance to the water is in sand and grass.
The water is deeper and the bottom is sandier and more comfortable
than the beaches at either Parrot Bay or Genti Bay. Another
plus is the almost guaranteed privacy afforded by the remote
location.
At the eastern end of the beach, the trail to the Reef Bay Sugar
Mill begins about thirty yards from the first large rocks.
At the beginning of this trail, is an old stone cistern and
animal watering trough surrounded by hibiscus and bougainvillaea.
The Little Reef Bay Trail connects the beach at Little Reef
Bay with the bottom of the Reef Bay Trail near the sugar mill
ruins. The well-maintained path is a little over a quarter-mile
long and passes over the rocky point separating Genti Bay from
Little Reef Bay. The trail goes up a hill and then down again
reaching an elevation of about 75 feet. The environment is one
of disturbed, second growth cactus scrub. The trail leading to
the L’Esperance Road connects with the Little Reef Bay
Trail at its highest point.
Not long ago, the Little Reef Bay Trail did not even have a name.
The account of how this trail became a clear readily passable
pathway with an actual name goes like this:
The highly popular guided Reef Bay Trail hike, organized by
the National Park and conducted by knowledgeable rangers, includes
boat transportation from the end of the trail at Genti Bay back
to Cruz Bay. This eliminates the necessity of the highly unpopular
uphill walk back to Centerline Road.
Before Hurricane Marilyn in 1995, there was a dock at Genti
Bay. Hikers were brought by dinghy from the dock to a larger
boat that would then make the voyage to Cruz Bay. After Hurricane
Marilyn destroyed the dock, the tour operators attempted to board
their passengers onto the dinghy from the shallow water near
the shore. Because there are often waves breaking near the beach,
the task of loading the dinghies with people unaccustomed to
small boats proved to be difficult and dangerous.
As an alternative to building another dock, it was decided that
Little Reef Bay, which is generally calm at the eastern end,
would be a safe place to put the hikers aboard the dinghy. (Years
ago, the only dock in the valley was on the eastern end of Little
Reef Bay because this was the only place in all of Reef Bay to
have protection from the wind, waves and swells while still having
deep water access.)
The trail from Little Reef Bay to Genti Bay was then cleaned
up by Park employed workers and has been given a high priority
for maintenance ever since.
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