13 Dec 2017
Our final port of call was St Thomas arriving in the
capital port of Charlotte Amalie. St
Thomas and the other two main islands in USVI, St John and Saint Croix were
purchased from the Danes in 1917. This
was part of a defensive strategy to protect the Caribbean and the Panama Canal
during WWI. Like most of the islands in
the Caribbean, these have a very interesting history. A short version can be
viewed here.
We decided to tour St John, which is the smallest of
the three but is home to the Virgin Islands National Park. St John was reached by a 45-minute ferry ride
from the capital. The park occupies
about 60% of the island and is noted for its tropical forest, clear waters and
recreation options. Like so many of the
islands in the area, these were devastated by the multiple hurricanes strike in
2017. Our crew on the ferry let us know
how happy they were to see the cruise ships return so they could keep their
jobs and not have to return to the mainland USA. They live in St Thomas and
still have no running water or electricity in their area. Many people lost their homes and their source
of income. Recovery is still ongoing but
clearly tourists are a big part of the recovery here. The boat ride provided a wonderful
view of the islands.
Our ferry docked across the cay from the headquarters
of the National Park service. As we
entered the harbor we began to see some of the damage caused by the
hurricanes. We would see a lot more as
we toured the island.
Our guide and driver also expressed how glad everyone
was to see the cruise ships back. He indicated to us that a large portion of
the residents of the island had left due to loss of homes and work. He was a great tour guide and driver on these
narrow, steep and often rough roads thru the mountains. We saw many of the beautiful areas the island
is noted for. A number of the resorts
and recreation areas remained closed due to damage. We stopped above the most popular boat anchorage
on the island that would normally be full at this time of year with a waiting
list. Today there was only one lone sailboat
to be seen, but our guide was hopeful that they would be returning soon. Our guide made the tour very informative and
entertaining. He received a generous tip
from everyone.
The ferry ride back to the Regal Princess provided fading
light view of the area.
6 comments:
2017 was a bad year for hurricanes in that area. I recognize those blue tarps -- so many Pensacola roofs were covered with 'em about 10 years ago. I enjoyed seeing your pics, inc. the American Kestrel. I'd like to go to the VI National Park.
It’s so sad to see the devastation. We’ve taken the ferry across to St John several times for Mui to go snorkeling.
Even with all the destruction, that island is gorgeous! Our friends just returned from a cruise there and said their crew was also so grateful for the passengers. Glad your cruise went well.
Really beautiful pictures. I'm so sorry to hear that they still don't have water and electricity. What in the world is slowing everything up? We bought them but we don't take care of them? I would so love to visit the National Park there but David's doctors have cautioned against cruises because of his weakened immune system. Glad you go on them so I can come along.
Sad to see so much damage from the hurricane. We've been to St. Thomas on a cruise and loved the island, I'm still kicking myself for not getting stationed there during my CG days. Those
roads sure are twisty and steep, good thing they don't get snow down there. ;c)
We spent a week in St. Thomas and did some day trips from there. Love the beaches.
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