This
post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's
notes from our cruise in 2019. When information from other sources is added—for
further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off
in a text box (as this one).
Most
of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption
indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT”
placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source
(such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for
clarification, indicate that source in the caption.
The
weather forecast in the Viking Daily newsletter was “Partly Cloudy & Chance
of Showers 79° F / 26° C.”
MT Saturday, November 30 6:22 AM – St. Thomas: a ship the Viking Sea passed
when approached port in Charlotte Amalie.
6:36 AM – St. Thomas: island the Viking Sea passed when approached
port in Charlotte Amalie.
Hassel Island is a small island
in the harbor of Charlotte Amalie just south of St. Thomas. This was once a
peninsula of St. Thomas, known as Orkanhullet (Hurricane Hole). The Danish used
the peninsula’s strategic location to defend the busy harbor of Charlotte
Amalie in the 18th and 19th centuries. The British occupied it during the
Napoleonic Wars. In the 1860s, the Danish Government dug a channel that
separated the former peninsula from St. Thomas and improved the circulation of
the harbor. They named the newly created island for the Hassel family who owned
much of the land. The US Army Corps of Engineers widened the channel in 1919,
shortly after the US purchased St.
Thomas.
MT 6:40 AM – St. Thomas: island the Viking Sea passed
when approached port in Charlotte Amalie (mild telephoto 42 mm).
MT 6:42 AM – St. Thomas: island the Viking Sea passed
when approached port in Charlotte Amalie.
MT 6:44 AM – St. Thomas: arriving at port in Charlotte
Amalie (mild telephoto 41 mm).
The
Viking Sea was scheduled to arrive in the port of Charlotte Amalie, St.
Thomas, US Virgin Islands at 7:30 am.
The Viking Daily newsletter
described this port as follows:
“ST. THOMAS (CHARLOTTE AMALIE),
US VIRGIN ISLANDS
“St. Thomas, purchased by the US
from Denmark in 1917, is a rich blend of colorful architecture, stunning
beaches and intriguing history. Impressionist painter Camille Pissaro was born here,
and his childhood stone house is nestled on Charlotte Amalie’s Main Street
among the silver and gold shops. In Pissaro’s day, a significant Jewish
community flourished here. The 1833 St. Thomas Synagogue, perched on Synagogue
Hill, is the second oldest on US soil. Nearby, Danish bankers and merchants who
helped build St. Thomas kept multihued houses on Government hill, some of them
now gloriously restored. Beyond Charlotte Amalie, the near-perfect Magens Bay
is lined with coconut palms and kissed by azure waters.”
St. Thomas (Danish: Sankt
Thomas, pop. 51,634) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Together with St. John and St. Croix, it forms a country and constituent
district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated
territory of the US.
The island was originally settled
around 1500 BC by the Ciboney people, who were later replaced by the Arawaks
and then the Caribs. Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1493 on his
second voyage to the New World. As was the case in most of the Americas, the
native population died out relatively quickly from disease when the Europeans settled
here.
The Dutch West India Company
established a post on St. Thomas in 1657. Denmark-Norway’s first attempt to
settle the island in 1665 failed. However, the Danes did resettle it in 1671,
under the sponsorship of the Glueckstadt Co., later the Danish West India
Company. The first slave ships arrived in 1673. The land was divided into
plantations, and sugarcane production became the primary economic activity. As
a result, the island became highly dependent on slave labor and the slave
trade, and some of the largest slave auctions in the world were held here. In
1680, there were more black African slaves than white European settlers. The
island became a Danish crown colony in 1754 and was granted free port status in
1764.
The first British invasion and
occupation is the island occurred in 1801, but it was returned to Denmark in
1802. The second British occupation occurred in 1807-1815.
By the early 19th century, the continued
export of sugar was threatened by hurricanes, drought, and American
competition. Following the Danish Revolution of 1848, slavery was abolished,
and the resulting rise in labor costs further weakened the position of St.
Thomas’s sugar producers.
Given its harbors and
fortifications, St. Thomas still retained a strategic importance. During the
American Civil War, Charlotte Amalie evolved into a smuggling center for ships
running the Union blockade of ports in the Confederacy. Thus, during that war
and its aftermath, the US government considered buying the island. However, it
was not until 1917 that the US purchased St. Thomas (along with St. John and
St. Croix) as part of a defensive strategy to maintain control over the
Caribbean and the Panama Canal during WWI. The US granted citizenship to the
residents in 1927. American forces were based on the island during WWII, when
it became a naval base to protect Allied shipping to and from the Panama Canal.
In 1954, the three US Virgin Islands were granted territorial status and
allowed to form a local senate with politics dominated by the American
Republican and Democratic parties. Full home rule was achieved in 1970.
Viking map of Charlotte
Amalie; callouts for places on the map are for the following:
1 Port (1.3 mi off the map to the left was a
“Secondary Port,” but this one at the West India
Company Dock was the one our ship
used)
3 Butterfly Garden
6 Magic Ice (Ice Sculpture Gallery)
10 Blackbeard’s Castle
11 Skytsborg Tower
12 Villa Notman
13 Haagensen House
14 Hotel 1829
19 Kon-Tiki
Charlotte Amalie (pop.10,335) is a
town in the subdistrict of the same name (pop. 18,482). It is the capital and
largest city of the US Virgin Islands. It is on the southern shore of St. Thomas,
at the head of St. Thomas Harbor. In 1666, St. Thomas’s fine natural harbor
became known as “Taphus” (a Danish term that translates into “tap house,” “rum
shop,” “beer house,” or “beer hall”) referring to the drinking establishments
located nearby. In 1691, the primary settlement there was renamed Charlotte
Amalie in honor of the wife of Denmark’s King Christian V. In 1764, it was declared
a free port by Frederick V. At the end of the 18th century, the City of
Charlotte Amalie was the second-largest city in the Danish Realm, only smaller
than the capital of Copenhagen. However, great fires in 1804, 1805, and 1806
destroyed thousands of buildings in the densely settled town. The abolition of
slavery in 1848 further diminished Charlotte Amalie’s commercial role, and the
town suffered from a brutal recession.
Charlotte Amalie has a deep-water
harbor that was once a haven for pirates and is now one of the busiest ports of
call for cruise ships in the Caribbean. Protected by Hassel Island, the harbor
has docking and fueling facilities, machine shops, and shipyards and was a US
submarine base until 1966.
The city is known for its Dutch
colonial architecture, building structure, and history. Dozens of streets still
have Danish names.
As the Spanish early on focused
their energy on Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, St. Thomas remained
unprotected for a long time, leaving its sheltered coves to be frequented by pirates.
The town of Charlotte Amalie has a long history of pirates, especially myths of
Bluebeard and facts and stories of Blackbeard (Edward Teach). In the 17th
century, the Danes built both Blackbeard’s Castle and Bluebeard’s Castle,
attributed to the pirates. Blackbeard’s Castle is a US National Historic
Landmark.
Another tourist attraction is Fort
Christian, the oldest standing structure in the Virgin Islands Archipelago. As
early as 1672, the Dutch government began the construction of Fort Christian on
St. Thomas Harbor in Charlotte Amalie. In 1675, the Danes constructed four pubs
near the water’s edge on the western side of the fort. By 1679, the Danish
Government had strengthened its military position by building Bluebeard’s
Castle and Blackbeard’s Castle, lookout towers on the crests of the two hills
of Charlotte Amalie.
From 1796, a small Jewish community
developed in Charlotte Amalie. It established a historic synagogue, Beracha
Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim, the oldest synagogue in continuous use anywhere in
the US or its external territories and the second-oldest in the Western
Hemisphere.
We
woke at 6 am, and room service breakfast arrived at 6:15.
At
8:10, we went to the Theater meeting place for the optional shore excursion “St.
John National Park Champagne Catamaran Sail.” (We had originally booked the
optional excursion “Kayak, Hike & Snorkel at Cas Cay,” but had switched to
this one after our earlier, less than successful experience with kayaking and
snorkeling. This one turned out to be one of our favorites.)
The Viking Cruise Documents
described the 4.5-hour “St. John National Park Champagne Catamaran Sail”
excursion as follows:
“Sheer Bliss amid a Protected
Marine Sanctuary
“Visit the most pristine of the US
Virgin Islands on a leisurely sail onboard a custom-designed catamaran. You will
transfer along the scenic south coast of St. Thomas to a charming marina and
board your sailing catamaran, receiving warm greetings from your friendly
guides. Set off along the east end of St. Thomas, crossing Pillsbury Sound
while gazing upon distant shores. You will moor at picturesque Honeymoon Beach,
a palm-fringed paradise located within the National Park System of St. John.
Enjoy a walk along the beach or relax
under the palms. Freshly baked breads, cheeses, fruits and beverages are on
board; champagne and other drinks are available after swimming. Following a
relaxing stay in this special spot, sail back to St. Thomas with tropical
breezes at your back.”
What the Cruise Documents call “St.
John National Park” is actually part of the Virgin Islands National Park
located on the neighboring island of St. John. According to the US National
Park Service web site, “Two-thirds of the island of St. John is national park.”
National Parks Service map of
Virgin Islands National Park (shaded in green) on St. John, showing St. Thomas
across Pillsbury Sound to the west (By U.S. National Park Service,
restoration/cleanup by Matt Holly - U.S. National Park Service
(http://npmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/virgin-islands-map.jpg), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58994418).
National Parks Service map of
Virgin Islands National Park (shaded in green), showing St. Thomas across
Pillsbury Sound to the west and Honeymoon Beach (in red
circle) on St. John (By U.S. National Park Service, restoration/cleanup
by Matt Holly - U.S. National Park Service
(http://npmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/virgin-islands-map.jpg), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58994418), CROPPED.
The
tour started on an open-air bus.
8:40 AM – St. Thomas: view, from bus, back toward port in
Charlotte Amalie with Hassel Island across harbor.
The
bus took us to where the “Dancing Dolphin” catamaran was docked at the Compass
Point Marina.
9:13 AM – St. Thomas: the captain at the helm of the
catamaran.
Compass Point Marina, located in the well-protected
Banner Bay on the south shore of the east end of St. Thomas, is the only
legitimate hurricane hole in the entire Virgin Islands. The marina upheld its
reputation as a hurricane hole during Hurricane Irma in 2017, although several
smaller boats were capsized or sunk in the nearby harbor.
Hurricane holes are ideal
locations to moor a boat during a hurricane. These deep, narrow coves or inlets
are surrounded by a number of sturdy trees that block the wind and provide a
tie-off for anchor lines.
Before
we set sail, the captain announced that this was a “barefoot sail” and
collected all our shoes.
9:18 AM – Cruise: Don’s (white) bare feet and MT’s tanned
legs.
Cruise: MT and Don’s (with bare feet) seated near the helm in the stern
(taken with another passenger’s iPhone).
9:17 AM – St. Thomas: sunken boat in harbor just after we
set sail.
9:18 AM – St. Thomas: capsized sailboat among mangroves on
shore of harbor just after we set sail.
9:18 AM (Cropped) – St. Thomas: capsized sailboat among
mangroves on shore of harbor just after we set sail.
9:20 AM – Cruise: view ahead, from where we were seated in
the stern next to the helm (note the dark clouds).
9:20 AM – Cruise: Don and the captain with marina in
background.
9:22 AM – Cruise: MT looking ahead.
The
crew said we could see St. Croix.
9:25 AM – Cruise: view back to where we came from (with
rain) and the dingy being towed by the catamaran.
9:25 AM – Cruise: view ahead (with some blue sky).
9:29 AM – Cruise: view ahead (with sun peeking through
clouds and some blue sky).
9:29 AM – Cruise: Castaway Tour Co crew member with
long-sleeve T-shirt of type they offered for sale (long sleeve $35, short
sleeve $25) (telephoto 93 mm).
9:32 AM – Cruise: view ahead to what we thought might be
our beach but wasn’t (with more blue sky).
At
this point, passengers had been given
bottled water to drink.
9:32 AM – Cruise: view ahead to what we thought might be
our beach but wasn’t (telephoto 105 mm).
9:55 AM – Cruise: view ahead to Honeymoon Beach.
The
captain announced that the catamaran would stop about the length of a football
field from shore so that those who wanted could swim in to the beach; others
could go ashore with the dingy. MT opted for the swim, and Don chose the dingy.
We all donned life jackets. Since we had been seated at the
aft (rear) end of the catamaran, Don was one of the first to board the dingy.
9:59 AM – Cruise: view of Honeymoon Beach, with empty
dingy behind the catamaran.
As
the swimmers started swimming, the dingy
began transporting others to shore.
10:04 AM – Cruise: view from dingy back to the “Dancing
Dolphin” catamaran with some passengers
still on board awaiting the next dingy trip or the swim.
10:04 AM (Cropped) – Cruise: view from dingy back to the
“Dancing Dolphin” catamaran with MT at right in light yellow life vest next to
captain by open gate in railing getting ready to start her swim.
10:10 AM – Honeymoon Beach: next group in dingy landing
on the beach.
Once
ashore, Don walked in shallow water looking for shells. However, the tide came
in and out so quickly that any shells he saw were carried away before he could
grab them. There were no shells on the dry sand.
It
was some time before MT reached the shore swimming (with her life jacket and a
purple foam “noodle” for floatation). She said it was very hard work. Don
covered the event with photos, at first needing telephoto to find her and track
her progress.
10:11 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT (near the catamaran)
swimming toward beach, with “Dancing Dolphin” and two other catamarans anchored
offshore (telephoto 156 mm).
10:13 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT (near the catamaran)
swimming toward beach, with “Dancing Dolphin” and two other catamarans anchored
offshore (telephoto 156 mm).
10:15 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT swimming toward beach,
with “Dancing Dolphin” and other catamarans anchored offshore (telephoto 156
mm).
10:16 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT swimming toward beach
(here you can see her face), with “Dancing Dolphin” and other catamarans
anchored offshore (telephoto 284 mm).
10:17 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT swimming toward beach
(here you can see her face), with “Dancing Dolphin” and other catamarans
anchored offshore (telephoto 284 mm).
10:17 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT swimming toward beach
(here you can see her face with a smile) (telephoto 284 mm).
10:18 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT swimming toward beach
(here you can see her face with a smile) (telephoto 284 mm).
10:18 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT swimming toward beach
(here you can see her face with a smile) (telephoto 284 mm).
At
this point, MT got close enough that Don stopped using telephoto. Here the yellow
sand of the beach can be seen under the water in the foreground.
10:19 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT swimming near beach with
several boats anchored farther offshore.
10:19 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT and others swimming near
beach with several boats anchored farther offshore.
10:19 AM – Honeymoon Beach: MT stnding in water near beach with
several boats anchored farther offshore.
10:24 AM – Honeymoon Beach: murky water near Don’s foot.
10:24 AM – Honeymoon Beach: momentarily clear water before next wave.
10:24 AM (Cropped) – Honeymoon Beach: momentarily clear water before next wave; visible here is one of those Y-shaped objects we had seen the day before.
Since
these were plentiful and easier to see than shells, Don collected several of
them, which he later gave to family and friends.
After
1.5 hours (supposedly), our catamaran’s horn sounded, signaling that it was
time to return to the boat. We both returned in the dingy.
Back
onboard, the crew came around with pitchers of mojitos or rum punch. When MT asked
how much they cost, we were told they were free, since this was a “Champagne
Catamaran Sail.” They were also unlimited. Some of the mojitos were made with
guava. They also served two kinds of cheese, bread, and slices of pineapple and
orange. MT had three mojitos; Don first asked for half a cup of the mojito, and
then had two more.
11:23 AM – Cruise: crew member Jade showing the front of the company’s T-shirt.
11:27 AM – Cruise: MT waiting at bar for another mojito,
while Jade served Coke to another passenger.
11:37 AM – Cruise: cheese and pineapple trays in the food
line with pitcher of rum punch (telephoto 81 mm).
11:40 AM – Cruise: MT helping herself to cheese and pineapple
trays in the food line with pitcher of rum punch (mild telephoto 63 mm).
11:55 AM – Cruise: MT’s tanned legs and feet.
11:40 AM – Cruise: Don’s legs and feet, still white.
12:24 PM – Cruise: approaching harbor where we started.
12:29 PM – Cruise: Don and MT by catamaran’s rail with harbor
in background.
12:33 PM – Cruise: Captain at the helm.
When
the catamaran reached the pier, we collected our shoes and then headed back to
the port on the same open-air bus.
12:58 PM – St. Thomas: yellow-orange net-like growth over
tops of other plants with small red and pink flowers, viewed from bus.
1:01 PM – St. Thomas: bushes with different pink flowers without
yellow-orange net-like growth, viewed from bus.
Back
onboard the Viking Sea, we went to the Pool Grill and then to the
World Café for different parts of our lunch.
Back
in our stateroom, MT showered while Don worked on his photos and notes.
At
3:15, we went to the pier meeting place for the (included) shore excursion “Scenic
Island Tour & Mountain Top.”
The Viking Cruise Documents
described the 2.5-hour “Scenic Island Tour & Mountain Top” excursion
as follows:
“Sublime Caribbean Vistas from a
Mountain Peak
“Take a scenic drive along one of the
most breathtaking routes on St. Thomas. Much of the island’s beauty lies in its
endless undulating hills spilling down to stunning bays shining in hundreds of
shades of blue, connected by a curving ribbon of roadways hugging emerald-green
slopes—affording paradisiacal Caribbean views. Drive with your local guide,
making frequent stops to take it all in. The pinnacle of your excursion is the
world-famous Mountain Top, 2,100 feet above sea level. Browse the shopping area
amid festive Caribbean music and enjoy a tasting of fine, locally produced rum,
or try the original banana daiquiri, said to have been invented here. From the
observation deck, enjoy spectacular views of Magens Bay and the British Virgin
Islands. If you would like, your driver-guide can drop you off in downtown
Charlotte Amalie, where you may peruse the shops before returning to your ship
on your own.”
3:21 PM – St. Thomas: Charlotte Amalie – view back across
bay to ships in port (the one to the right is the Viking Sea), viewed from bus.
Then
the bus stopped at an overlook (possibly Skyline Drive or Dronningens
Quarter overlook).
3:30 PM – St. Thomas: Charlotte Amalie – view from overlook
higher up back to ships in port (the one to the right is the Viking Sea).
3:30 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook back to harbor with
islands, with ships in port (the one to the right is the Viking Sea) and part
of Charlotte Amalie in foreground.
3:30 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook back to islands
in harbor and part of Charlotte Amalie on hillside and below.
MT 3:23 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook back to islands
in harbor and part of Charlotte Amalie on hillside and below.
3:31 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook back to harbor with
ships in port (Princess Cruises ship on the left and Viking Sea to the right) and
part of Charlotte Amalie on hillside and below (telephoto 80 mm).
3:31 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook of sailboats
between islands in harbor and part of Charlotte Amalie on hillside and below
(telephoto 119 mm).
3:31 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook of sailboats
between islands in harbor (telephoto 250 mm).
MT 3:26 PM – St. Thomas: Don at overlook with part of
Charlotte Amalie below (telephoto 39 mm).
MT 3:27 PM – St. Thomas: MT at overlook with part of
Charlotte Amalie below and cruise ships (Viking Sea on right) in harbor (telephoto
39 mm).
MT 3:28 PM – St. Thomas: MT and Don at overlook with part
of Charlotte Amalie below and cruise ship (not Viking Sea) in harbor (telephoto
39 mm).
3:30 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook of house or
fortress on hill above (mild telephoto 34 mm).
3:32 PM – St. Thomas: view from overlook of house or
fortress on hill above (mild telephoto 38 mm).
Then
the bus took us toward Drake’s Seat.
3:40 PM – St. Thomas: view from bus of sign for “Drake’s
Seat “ (straight ahead) and other sites (mild telephoto 63 mm).
3:41 PM – St. Thomas: first view, from bus, of Drake’s
Seat.
But
first we went to another overlook.
3:41 PM – St. Thomas: view, to right from overlook, of coast
and islands including Tortola.
3:41 PM – St. Thomas: view, farther to left from overlook,
of part of Magens Bay, peninsula on other side of bay, and islands including Tortola.
Magens Bay is on the north
side of St. Thomas. The bay features a well-protected white sand beach that is
one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island, as well as a gathering
place for locals. According to legend, Sir Francis Drake used Magens Bay as an
anchorage while waiting for ships to plunder.
Peterborg is a long, narrow
peninsula on the north side of St. Thomas that separates Magens Bay (to the
southwest) from the Atlantic Ocean (to the northeast). Peterborg is also the
name of a settlement on the peninsula. The tip of the peninsula is Peterborg
Point (or Picara Point), known for its huge rock formations and tidal pools.
MT 3:34 PM – St. Thomas: view, farther to left from overlook,
of part of Magens Bay, peninsula on other side of bay, and islands including Tortola
(mild telephoto 66 mm).
3:41 PM – St. Thomas: view, still farther to left from overlook,
of Magens Bay, peninsula on other side of bay, and island.
3:41 PM – St. Thomas: view, still farther to left from overlook,
of Magens Bay, peninsula on other side of bay, and island.
Then
the bus actually stopped at Drake’s Seat.
MT 3:39 PM – St. Thomas: Drake’s Seat (mild telephoto 64
mm).
Drake’s Seat, named for the
English privateer and explorer Sir Francis Drake, is a popular scenic overlook.
It offers a panoramic view of Magens Bay and the US Virgin Islands to the east.
In local lore, Drake is said to have kept watch on his fleet and looked out for
enemy (Spanish) ships from this vantage point, marked by a seat across the road
from the parking area. However, scholars have a hard time trying to prove that
Drake ever really stood on this spot. Drake’s Seat was actually built in 1933
by Arthur Fairchild. In those days, navigating the hills of St. Thomas involved
traveling by horse or on foot. He thought the spot where he put Drake’s Seat
was a nice place to rest.
The Drake’s Seat Overlook overlooks
Magens Bay and is frequented by tourists and locals. Visitors can sit on its
stone wall and gaze upon the bay’s turquoise water, the white sand of the
beach, and outlying islands such as Inner Brass and Hans Lollik.
Sir Francis Drake (c. 1541-1596)
was an English sea captain, privateer*, slave trader, pirate, naval officer, and
explorer of the Elizabethan era. He carried out the second circumnavigation of
the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 and was the first to
complete the entire voyage as captain. Queen Elizabeth I awarded him knighthood
in 1581. As a Vice Admiral, he was second-in-command of the English fleet that
defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Sir Francis Drake Channel, which
separates St. John in the US Virgin Islands from the British Virgin Islands, is
a testament that, by the mid-1500s, all of the islands were strategic bases for
expeditions to plunder treasure from the Spanish.
*Unlike piracy, privateering
was a legalized wartime activity with the potential for enormous profit. A privateer
was a privately owned and manned armed ship commissioned by a belligerent
government to attack and capture enemy ships, especially merchant ships; a
commander or crew member of such a ship was also called a privateer.
3:44 PM – St. Thomas: our open-air bus stopped at Drake’s
Seat Overlook.
MT 3:35 PM – St. Thomas: Tortola, view from Drake’s Seat
(mild telephoto 54 mm).
3:45 PM – St. Thomas: Tortola, view from Drake’s Seat
(telephoto 119 mm).
3:44 PM – St. Thomas: Tortola, view from Drake’s Seat
(telephoto 250 mm).
Back
on the bus, we passed Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.
3:54 PM – St. Thomas: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
with cemetery at left, viewed from bus window.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church is a Roman Catholic
church located in the Northside subdistrict of St. Thomas. It has its roots in
the French community that lives on the island’s north side but now draws people
from all over the island. While the parish celebrated its 25th anniversary in
2012, a church history shows that it dates to 1924, when plans began to build a
chapel on land here, since the closest Catholic church was in Charlotte Amalie.
The chapel was finished and dedicated in 1926 and bore the name of an old
chapel on Kongens Gade (Danish for King‘s Street) in Charlotte Amalie that was
demolished because of its poor condition. Improvements were made over the
years. In 1987, the year the chapel became a parish with its own pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help received
a complete facelift. In 1995, Hurricane
Marilyn wreaked havoc with the church. The stained glass windows blew out, and
the tiles, carpeting, and pew legs were destroyed. The cemetery wall collapsed.
3:54 PM – St. Thomas: rooftops of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help Church, viewed from bus window.
The
next stop for the bus was at Mountain Top.
Mountain Top, located on St.
Peter Mountain, the highest point of St. Thomas, affords stunning panoramic views
of Magens Bay, St. John, and the British Virgin Islands (including Tortola) from
its large observation deck. There is also a large duty free store.
According to local lore, a famous
British sea captain, George Soule, set sail from his native island of Barbados
in 1953 in search of the ultimate Caribbean cocktail. His quest ended on the
island of St. Thomas at a place called Mountain Top. Mixing the Virgin Islands’
own Cruzan Rum, sugar cane extract, and ripe bananas from a nearby grove, and
adding fresh lime juice and a homemade secret banana liqueur, Capt. Soule
created the now world-famous Banana Daiquiri.
In
the roundabout in front of the store were several life-size statues of pirates
and a huge Cruzan rum bottle.
4:44 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – pirate statues around
large Cruzan rum bottle in center of roundabout, with tour busses in background
(mild telephoto 49 mm).
MT 3:56 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – MT and Don with pirate
statue near large Cruzan rum bottle in center of roundabout.
MT 4:27 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – Don with large
Cruzan rum bottle and another pirate statue in center of roundabout.
4:04 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – pirate statue in
roundabout, with our red bus in background.
4:05 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – pirate statue in
roundabout, with another tour bus in background.
4:05 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – other side of same pirate
statue in roundabout, with more tour busses in background.
4:05 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – skeleton pirate statue
in roundabout, with ice cream stand in background.
4:05 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – another pirate statue
by roundabout.
4:05 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – old carronade cannon
by roundabout; the plaque reads”
“Carronade
1770s -1850s
The
most popular of all cannons for pirates was the carronade. The carronade was a
short range cannon ideally suited for broadside attacks often loaded with
grapeshot that could literally clear the deck of an opposing ship without damaging
the ship to the point it would sink. Unlike battle between navies the pirates
did not want to sink an opposing ship as that would prevent them from the
rewards that were on board.”
A carronade is a short,
smoothbore, cast-iron cannon that was used by the British Royal Navy from the
1770s to the 1850s. Its name came from being produced by the Carron Company ironworks
in Scotland. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range,
anti-ship and anti-crew weapon. Carronades initially became popular on British
merchant ships during the American Revolutionary War, since it was well suited
for defending them against French and American privateers.
The French came into possession of
their first carronades in 1779, when they captured a British brig. As early as
1800, pirates and privateers also began to capture some from British merchant
ships. In the 1810s and 1820s, tactics started to place greater emphasis on the
accuracy of long-range gunfire and less on the weight of a broadside. Nevertheless,
carronades were still used in the 1860s in the American Civil War and even in
the First Boer War (1880-81). Carronades eventually disappeared with the introduction
of rifling and exploding shells replacing solid shot and as naval engagements
were being fought at longer ranges.
4:05 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – side view of old carronade
cannon by roundabout.
4:06 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – more pirate statues
near ice cream stand and map, to right of store entrance.
MT 4:24 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – map of Caribbean
islands near ice cream stand (mild telephoto 37 mm).
4:07 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – another pirate
statue to right of store entrance.
Then
we went inside the store.
MT 4:12 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top - sign inside
store: “Home is where the Ocean meets the Shore.”
4:22 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – Don with (fake)
iguana in store.
4:07 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – pirate statue inside
store.
4:08 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – female pirate statue
by bar store.
4:28 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – another pirate
statue between bar and restrooms in store.
Then
we went out onto the observation deck.
4:10 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – on railing of
observation deck, labeled map of sites seen from the deck (left to right): Hans
Lollik [misspelled Lollick] (USVI), Little Tobago (BVI), Great Tobago (BVI),
Jost Van Dyke (BVI), Tortola (BVI), Lovango Cay (USVI), Thatch Cay (USVI),
Grass Cay (USVI), and St. John (USVI), with Magens Bay in foreground this side
of peninsula (mild telephoto 38 mm).
4:09 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – view from
observation deck, to left with church in foreground and Hans Lollik island beyond
peninsula.
MT 4:01 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – view from observation
deck, to center, with Hans Lollik island beyond peninsula on other side of
Magens Bay and other islands on horizon (mild telephoto 36 mm).
4:13 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – view from
observation deck, to right, with peninsula on other side of Magens Bay and
other islands on horizon.
4:11 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – view from
observation deck, to far right, with peninsula on other side of Magens Bay and
other islands on horizon.
4:13 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – view from
observation deck, of Tortola on horizon beyond peninsula on other side of
Magens Bay (telephoto 156 mm).
Back
out in front of store entrance, there were more statues of pirates and sailors hanging
from ropes.
4:24 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – female pirate statue
hanging from rope to left of door.
4:25 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – statues of sailors
on ropes in front of door.
MT 3:58 PM – St. Thomas: Mountain Top – statues of
sailors on ropes in front of door (mild telephoto 44 mm).
As
the bus headed back toward Charlotte Amalie, our driver-guide pointed out
bushes of the yellow cedar, saying that it is the national flower.
4:57 PM – St. Thomas: national flower yellow cedar, from
bus.
The yellow cedar (tecoma
stans), sometimes called yellow elder or Ginger Thomas, is the national
flower of the US Virgin Islands and also of the Bahamas. It is a flowering
perennial shrub of the trumpet vine family. It has a tubular, trumpet-shaped,
yellow flower with ultra-fine red stripes on each petal. It grows wild in parts
of the Caribbean but is usually improved through cultivation. The yellow elder
tree may reach a height of nearly 20 feet. The shrub is also referred to as “yellow
trumpetbush” because of the shape of the flowers, which form beautiful clusters
like a bouquet.
4:57 PM – St. Thomas: national flower yellow cedar, from
bus.
4:58 PM – Charlotte Amalie: view of town and ships in harbor
(Viking Sea on right), from bus.
5:00 PM – Charlotte Amalie: view of Blackbeard’s Castle (round
tower) on hill in distance, from bus.
For a long time, the sheltered coves
of St. Thomas were frequented by pirates. Thus, the town of Charlotte
Amalie has a long history of pirates, especially myths of Bluebeard and facts
and stories of Blackbeard. However, tales of swashbuckling pirates, such as
Bluebeard, Blackbeard, and Sir Francis Drake, on St. Thomas are a mix of fact
and fiction. In the 17th century, the Danes built both Blackbeard’s Castle and
Bluebeard’s Castle, attributed to the pirates.
Blackbeard’s Castle is a round, five-story
tower located at the highest point on Government Hill (also called Blackbeard’s
Hill), which rises north of Fort Christian and Government House in central
Charlotte Amalie. No one knows if Blackbeard (Edward Teach) ever visited the
site, although historians agree that this infamous pirate did indeed sail the
Caribbean Sea in the early 18th century. However, it has become part of the
lore of the island that he used the tower as a lookout for his own purpose of
piracy. Actually, the Danes built it in 1678 or 1679 (before Teach was born) as
a watchtower on a perfect vantage point to spot enemy ships entering the harbor.
It was originally called Skytsborg (Danish for Protection Castle). It is not known
in what year, probably in the 19th century, Skytsborg took the name of
Blackbeard’s Castle. It was part of a private residence for many years and was
later turned into a hotel that is no longer open to the public. It is now one
of five National Historic Landmarks in the US Virgin Islands.
Edward Teach (c. 1680-1718),
better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated in the West
Indies and the eastern coast of Britain’s North American colonies. He did not
command his own ship until 1716 but had his own small fleet by 1717. He became
a renowned pirate, his nickname derived from his thick black beard and fearsome
appearance.
Bluebeard’s Castle is another tower
built by the Danes in 1679 to help reinforce Fort Christian below. Bluebeard’s
Hill (also known as Luchetti’s Hill) to the east of Charlotte Amalie is today the
site of Bluebeard’s Castle hotel and restaurant built around the ruins. The three-story
tower was abandoned in 1735, then sold as private property in the early 1800s.
Over the years, it changed hands many times until it was purchased by the US
Government in 1933. To help promote tourism on St. Thomas, it was turned into a
government-owned hotel that was sold to a private owner in 1954. The nickname
Bluebeard’s Castle was applied in the 19th century, although the pirate
Bluebeard had nothing to do with this site. Indeed, there may never have been a
pirate Bluebeard. The pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, is often
mistakenly referred to as Bluebeard.
According to legend, it was the
pirate Bluebeard (Edouard de la Barbe-Bleue) who picked this prime location to
build a stone watchtower from which he could keep an eye on approaching enemies.
Bluebeard is said to have kept his most prized booty, the lovely Señorita
Mercedes, prisoner in the tower.
Other versions of the legend say Bluebeard’s
domain in St. Thomas was the top of Eastern Hill, where a few years earlier the
Danish governor had ordered the building of a watchtower as a precaution
against the rumored coming of the British. When the rumor proved groundless,
the castle-like tower was sold to the French nobleman and sea captain Edouard
de la Barbe-Bleue, who subsequently became a pirate.
5:01 PM – Charlotte Amalie: old house, from bus.
5:01 PM – Charlotte Amalie: pink house, from bus.
5:03 PM – Charlotte Amalie: old business building with
balconies, from bus.
When
the bus got back to the Viking Sea, MT went to the Explorer Desk with
our excursion evaluation form.
On
the way back to the port, the bus driver-guide had pointed out Fort
Christian, which we saw only fleetingly some distance away on the shore of the
harbor in Charlotte Amalie. So Don went up to Decks 8 and 9 (the top two) of
the Viking Sea to see if he could get a view of Fort Christian. However, the
fort was difficult to see without using telephoto.
5:26 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor (with
sailboats), but red building (Fort Christian), behind a sailboat’s mast in the
center, was hard to make out at this distance (no telephoto).
Fort Christian, with its red
walls and imposing clock tower, was completed by Danish settlers in 1672-1680,
making it the oldest structure in the US Virgin Islands. After the first Danish
attempt to settle St. Thomas in 1665 failed, a second expeditionary force
arrived in 1672 and initiated construction of Fort Christian, named after Danish
King Christian V (ruled 1670-99). It was originally built to protect the colony
and island from hostile marauders. Since Fort Christian is at sea level, it was
ideal for thwarting attackers with cannon fire. However, the fort itself did
not provide an ideal view of incoming ships entering the harbor.
Fort Christian is located in
central Charlotte Amalie, now separated from its harbor by Veterans Drive. The
historical significance of its placement is obscured by the fact that it is now
surrounded on its eastern and western flanks by reclaimed land. It originally
occupied a narrow peninsula that jutted south into the harbor. The fort was a
basically square structure with stone curtain walls and diamond-shaped stone
bastions at the corners. By 1676, builders had completed the fort’s outer walls
and placed a three-story oval tower in the courtyard against the north curtain
wall. The tower, named Trygborg (Danish for Safe Castle), had gun platforms on
its two upper stories and roof. After the fort was demilitarized in the 1870s,
the original tower was torn down, along with the north curtain. In 1874, it was
replaced by the present one-story Gothic Revival structure with its centered
three-story tower built between the northeast and northwest bastions to replace
the demolished north curtain. Since then, Fort Christian has served a variety of
purposes: a jail, a governor’s residence, a place of worship, a police station,
and (more recently) a museum. It was designated a US National Historic Landmark
in 1977.
5:25 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor (with
sailboats) to red building (Fort Christian) (telephoto 93 mm).
5:26 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor of Fort
Christian see red circle) with Blackbeard’s
Castle at right (see green circle)
(telephoto 93mm).
5:28 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor (with
sailboats) to red building (Fort Christian); Blackbeard’s Castle (round tower)
is at top right (telephoto 156 mm).
5:27 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor (with
sailboats) to red building (Fort Christian) (telephoto 187 mm).
5:27 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor (with sailboats)
to red building (Fort Christian) (telephoto 284 mm).
5:27 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor (with
sailboats) to red building (Fort Christian) (telephoto 343 mm).
5:26 PM – Charlotte Amalie: View across harbor (with
sailboats) to red building (Fort Christian) (telephoto 530 mm).
At
around 6 pm, the Viking Sea set sail for out final stop at San Juan, Puerto
Rico (94 nautical miles).
After
6 pm, we ate dinner in the onboard Restaurant.
Then
we packed our bags and set them in the hallway outside our stateroom by 8 pm,
as directed.
