Windy City to Windy Seas: Enjoying St Thomas Island While We Wait (kind of a long blog entry but lots of pics!)

After Ian and Cassie left for home in Chicago, we remained docked in Crown Bay in St Thomas for two more days, giving ourselves time to wash the salt off the boat, clean and do laundry, and shop for groceries. We also got much needed haircuts and I even treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. Kent knocked several to-dos off our list as well.

A "liveaboard" commuting to work onshore

Now we are waiting for our new mainsail to arrive. Delivery and installation are expected the first week of May. Our wait time here is giving us a chance to get to know the island better, both on its perimeter and the interior. We rented a car for two days so we could drive end to end, and make a trip to the only Walgreens and Home Depot on the island. It's amazing that St Thomas has no big box stores like Walmart or Target even though it's a US territory. Kind of refreshing! We also spent a morning buying two new gas tanks (for cooking and grilling) at one end of the island, then having them filled at the other end. Our current gas tanks are from Martinique and are French, so we chose to convert to US tanks and fittings. It was really great to have the car because the tanks are large and bulky and do not easily fit in a taxi. By the way, people drive on the left on St Thomas. It was a little bit of a brain twister at first, but Kent did an excellent job driving!

Our next door neighbors

In the meantime. there are many yacht-dotted bays, interesting harbors and turquoise beaches to explore. There is also shopping in Charlotte Amalie, the capital, and walking down to the pier to see the huge cruise ships docked in Long Bay.

St Thomas, plus nearby St John Island, St Croix Island, Water Island, and other surrounding minor islands, comprise the US Virgin Islands, an "unincorporated organized territory" of the United States, similar to Puerto Rico. About 52,000 people live on St Thomas, about half of the USVI population. About 18,000 people live in Charlotte Amalie. The island is small, covering about 31 square miles. Kent and I love the weather here. The average temperature ranges between 72'-78' low and 85'-90' high year round and the constant trade winds keep everything cool.

Breakfast at Bumpa's

Bumpa's, overlooking our anchorage in Long Harbor, Charlotte Amalie

St Thomas is believed to have been originally settled around 1500 BC by the Ciboney people, later replaced by the Arawaks and then the Caribs. Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1493 on his second voyage to the New World.

The Dutch West India Company was first to establish a post on St Thomas in 1657. The Danish conquered the island in 1666 and took total control by 1672. Divided into plantations for sugar cane production, the island became highly dependent on slave labor and slave trade. By 1685, some of the largest slave auctions in the world were held here. St Thomas was known for its harbor, "Taphus" or "Tap Hus," which translates as "rum shop" or "tap house," referring to the drinking establishments around the harbor. In 1691, the primary settlement there was named Charlotte Amalie, in honor of the wife of Denmark's King Christian V.

Blackbeard's Castle was built in 1679 by the Danes to protect the harbor
and Fort Christian. Initially named Skytsborg Tower (meaning sky tower),
it is unknown when the name was changed. It is widely believed that
the pirate Blackbeard used the tower in the early 1700s for his own
purposes of piracy. The tower has been a private residence, a hotel,
and a restaurant. It is now a US National Historic Landmark and is open for tours.

In 1732, Moravian Brethren missionaries came from Germany. The Moravian missionaries were one of the first in the Protestant mission movement. They were the first to send lay people, rather than clergy, as missionaries, and they were the first Protestant denomination to minister to the slaves. Initially distrusted by the white masters, the missionaries lived among the slaves on St Thomas.

One of the oldest churches on the island...

The St Thomas Reformed Church (historically the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church)
was built in 1744, burned in 1804, and rebuilt in 1844. It continues to offer services
on Sundays and has an active congregation.

A small Jewish community was established in Charlotte Amalie and a synagogue was built in 1833. The Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim synagogue became a US National Historic Landmark in 1997. It's the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the US.

Following the Danish Revolution of 1848, slavery was abolished. The resulting rise in labor cost, combined with hurricanes, drought and American competition, weakened the island's economy.

The famed "99 Steps" made with bricks originally used as ballast on Danish ships.
The steps are on a hill overlooking the Charlotte Amalie harbor and were
laid there to help keep the city's grid in tact.

In 1917, the US purchased St Thomas, St John and St Croix for $25 million in gold as part of a defensive strategy to maintain control over the Caribbean and Panama Canal during WWI. Transfer Day, on March 31, is a holiday celebrating the transfer of the islands to the US. Residents were granted full US citizenship in 1927. The American military forces were based on St Thomas during WWII. The post-war era saw a huge rise in tourism, partly because air travel became affordable but also because of the US embargo on Cuba. Today, tourism is the main support of its economy and its popularity as a Caribbean destination has increased.

Supper at the Pie Whole, an excellent Italian restaurant in Frenchtown, where we met
new friends, Dave and Denise, from Boston. We should have taken their picture!

Nothing like a cold, tasty Cosmo in a shady courtyard in Charlotte Amalie
after a walk and shopping

We are anchored in Frenchtown, right next to the Seaborne Airlines' landing strip.
In spite of the occasional noise, it was a thrill to watch the
seaplanes land on the water so close to us!

Yikes--right off our starboard stern!

Paula's perfected recipe for fresh Pineapple Ginger Martinis, Caribbean-style

Yes, it does rain in the Caribbean--hard but only for a few minutes.
And there's usually a rainbow too!

The "fancy" yachts in Yacht Haven Grande Harbor, where the big, luxury yachts dock.
There is a sign there that says"no photographs or pictures allowed" to
guarantee its wealthy and famous customers their privacy. It costs $4 per foot per night
to dock your boat here. Water costs about 60 cents per gallon.
Fuel is available right at your dock space, so no need to go to the fuel dock.
As you can imagine, this can be an expensive stay! We choose to anchor out in the bay ;~O

This iguana joined us at lunch overlooking Long Bay, scaring most of the diners
there. He (or she?) kept the floor of the restaurant clean.

Scaredy cat!

I can't get over how much Kent looks like his father!

A really cool but empty building in Yacht Haven Grande Harbor.
Supposedly, musician Jimmy Buffett, of Margaritaville fame,
looked into purchasing it but no deal. It would be a great place
for a restaurant, museum, events, whatever!

Cruise ship in the harbor

Not a great picture, but this is the open market
by the waterfront in Charlotte Amalie

The Disney cruise ship. Really quite beautifully painted.
Astoundingly large.

Another clandestine photo of the luxury yachts in Yacht Haven Grande Harbor,
where no one is allowed to take pictures

Lunch at Grande Cru Bistro overlooking Long Bay and the harbor

Lindbergh Bay, near the airport. Considering its location, it's a pretty quiet
anchorage and has a long, white sand beach.

The other end of the beach at Lindbergh Bay, where the hotels are

Perseverance Bay, also near the airport. Much less crowded than Lindbergh.
You can still see the planes land but it's pretty quiet. Gorgeous water. This beach is
supported by the nearby University of the Virgin Islands, is very clean,
and has shower facilities.

Magens Bay, where many of the cruise ship people take a day trip.
Many consider this to be St Thomas' most beautiful beach and bay.
When we were there, it was filled with cruise ship vacationers and
was WAY too crowded and noisy,!

When it rains, everything turns gray, but as you can see, this is a color photo!

We always love a good, hard rain to wash the salt off our boat!

The open taxis like this one make trips around the island,
but only in a clockwise direction. For only $2 per person, it
might take you a little longer to get to your destination,
but the price is right. They have a lovely custom here: when you
get on the taxi, you say "Good Morning" to everyone
at once and everyone on the taxi responds with "Good Morning"
back. The taxis are usually filled with locals going to and
from work and shopping, and that greeting really makes you feel welcome.

We love the homemade hot sauces here, typically
made with locally grown scotch bonnet (habanero-type) peppers!
We got this one at Gladys' Cafe, where Gladys sings along
with the vintage jazz she pipes into her restaurant.
Excellent Caribbean food.

This is a replica of the Liberty Bell that is housed in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA
is found here in Emancipation Park in Charlotte Amalie. In 1950, the US Treasury,
with the financial support of several US companies, cast 55 full-sized
replicas of the Liberty Bell at the Paccard Foundry in France. The bells
were given to the states, territories, and the District of Columbia. They were
to be displayed and rung on patriotic occasions. This was part
of a savings bond drive with the slogan "Save for Your Independence."
This bell found in Emancipation Park is not only identical to
the Liberty Bell in dimensions and inscriptions, but also in tone.

Many of the sidewalks in Charlotte Amalie are old but many are newer.
We thought these newer sidewalks were a beautiful mix of local stone and brick,
adding to the charm of the downtown.

The historic Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charlotte Amalie,
built in 1793 and the official church when the Danes ruled the islands.
The services here run about two hours. Unfortunately, we were unable
to go inside because they were preparing for an event.

An example of the ironwork which adorns many of the buildings here

Fort Christian, established as a US National Historic Landmark
in 1977, was Danish-built in 1680.

Governor Jorgen Iversen Dyppel led the second expeditionary force
from Denmark to St Thomas in 1671 and initiated the construction
of the fort, named after King Christian V. The fort is the oldest standing
structure in the US Virgin Islands. Currently under reconstruction and
renovation, so we were unable to go inside.

A view of our boat. the white Nautitech 47 catamaran, near left,
from the shore of Long Bay in downtown Charlotte Amalie.

While strolling along the edge of Long Bay, we heard drums
and came across a drum corps practicing in a parking lot
across the street. These young musicians were fabulous! I wish
I had taken a video so you could here their rhythms. and their enthusiasm.

The St Thomas Legislature building, with a personalized parking spot for each senator.
This picture does not do justice to the beauty of the architecture.

The graceful iron fence on the perimeter of the Legislature building

The open market on the waterfront in Charlotte Amalie. Lots of street
vendors selling jewelry, purses, summer and beach clothing. Very
crowded with tourists on days when cruise ships are in the harbor in Long Bay.