ST THOMAS VIRGIN ISLANDS

WEDNESDAY 25^th JULY 2012.

After three days sailing from New York through the Atlantic, the Bermuda Triangle, the Saggasso Sea and the Caribbean in calm seas we reached St Thomas in the Virgin Islands safe and sound with no mysterious incidents occurring or seaweed blocking our way. It was warm and humid but a beautiful sunny day of about 28 degrees.

During the voyage two people on board became seriously ill and had to winched from the back of the ship to two American Coastguard helicoptors and taken to the island on San Juan for treatment.

St Thomas is as an American Caribbean Island about 14 miles long and 4 miles wide, typically lush and green with beautiful tropical scenery and hilly interior. As it was a fantastic day we decided to do a general tour of the Island which included a 2 hour visit to Magens beach which is well known as one of the best beaches in the Caribbean and also a visit to Blackbeard’s Castle and Amber Museum and shopping in it’s capital of Charlotte Amalia.

The Magen’s beach area certainly lived up to it’s name and reputation. A beautiful white sandy beach, palm trees and crystal clear water. The water was warm and great to swim in and it was two hours of bliss well spent. Blackbeard’s Castle and Amber Museum was a typical tourist complex, but included sampling of the locally made rum which came in eight different flavours plus a tour of two historical homesteads which took you back to the late 1800’S. Well worth the visit.

The capital of Charlotte Amalia is a bussling sea side tourist town, whose main street is principly a street of duty free jewellery and liquor shops, catering for money laden tourists with many of the shops owned or partly owned by the shipping companies.

A strange situation exists on the island with vehicles driving on left as in Aust, but all the vehicles are left hand drive. Apparantly this is a throw back from when the island was previously under British rule.

All in all it was a good day and topped off on the sail away with largest cruise liner in the world, “Allure of The Seas” crossing our bow as we left the port. This ship is some 230,000 tons and dwarfs the Sun Princess which is 77,000 tons. It also takes up to 6,000 passengers. A very big and magnificent ship.

Next port of call is the Dutch Antilles Island of Aruba in two days time.