Turtles and rays over sand, coral heads shallow enough to snorkel from a paddleboard, and the odd sight of two private islands…Turtles and rays over sand, coral heads shallow enough to snorkel from a paddleboard, and the odd sight of two private islands, Necker and Eustatia, from an anchorage that costs nothing. North Sound was the Virgin Islands' great natural harbour long before the charter fleet, and the reef line that shelters Eustatia is what made it one. The private islands came late. Anchorage: Shoal, reef-sheltered water just north of the North Sound bustle, entered on a rising tide with the sun high. Flat water, coral heads to snorkel and paddle over, and no bars, which is the filter that keeps it empty. Hazards: Coral heads and shoal patches through the sound, this is eyeball navigation in good light, and not to be entered late in the day. Altro