Pleasantly Surprised

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

The last time we visited the St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) was over 15 years ago when we bare boat chartered from Red Hook.   We were not impressed, with St. Thomas, so we sailed over to the British Virgin Islands where we spent our vacation.

Haulover Cut

Our guidebook recommended catching one of Frenchtown Marina’s moorings.  That was a mistake.  The ferries and their associated wakes come very close, but that was not the scary part.  The sea planes use the cut for their landing area.  We were able to see the passengers’ happy little faces while enjoying our morning tea on the back of the boat.

The next day we moved over and anchored off of Yacht Haven Grande Marina and the cruise ship terminal.  The half a mile move put us closer to town and where we could watch all the action.

Part of the action was the “pirate” ships getting ready for day cruises.

There were plenty of boats available for people to get the pirate experience.

Bluebeard’s Castle tower

Evidently, every pirate that plagued the Caribbean passed through Charlotte Amalie at some point.

Charlotte Amalie works at keeping the legend alive.

The modern pirates of Charlotte Amalie are the duty free high-end stores.  It is hard to believe that many jewelry stores can survive, or that people on cruise ships do that much shopping.

99 Steps

Once past the jewelry stores, Charlotte Amalie was fun to explore.

Small shaded allies connect the main streets.  Interesting shops and restaurants can be found off of the allies.

Pollie’s favorite place was the Amber Museum.

Hotel 1829

After the 99 Steps, I was happy just sitting in the shade.

On the way back south we plan on stopping at St. Thomas again and doing some more exploring.