Advertisement
Published: September 14th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Wing On Wing
The Rum Runner in distress... the engine is off and we are coming into Charlotte Amalie under full sail! Our plan for this cruising season was to sail up the Caribbean chain, stopping along the way to visit new islands and re-visit some of our favorites from last year. Our goal was to reach the Virgin Islands by April and spend a month there before turning back and heading south again (our insurance for the boat dictates that we must be out of the hurricane belt by the first of July). So once we left St. Martin we sailed west to St. Thomas, which turned out to be is the farthest point of travel for the Rum Runner this year before we turned back and completed our yo-yo thru the Caribbean chain. We spent very little time in the Virgin Islands last year, and were excited to return. Our first stop was Charlotte Amalie, the capital and the most thriving ports of the USVI.
Unfortunately we had some engine problems coming into the USVI (our throttle controller broke off and the engine was stuck in full reverse- not a good situation). So we had to shut down the engine and come into port under full sail, which was a little tricky because of all the cruise ships and freighters
Historic Shopping District
Shopping in St. Thomas; working our way thru the narrow alleyways, finding cool stores, and admiring the stone work. we had to dodge. Egads! But luckily our good friends, Brian and Stephanie on S/V Sublime, base their boat in Charlotte Amalie and they were able to help us limp in and tie up safely to a mooring ball. Whew, what a relief! You know, one thing I have learned while cruising these past 4 years is how important it is to ask for help when you need it and give help when you can. It’s just one of the many life lessons we have learned out here. And the cruising community is great because we are always willing to lend a hand, for you never know when you might be in a pickle next. Living on a boat is an adventure and lots can go wrong. In fact, a lot does go wrong. What can I say, it’s a boat.
So we spent much of the following weeks fixing the boat, which turned out to be one thing after another. But don’t worry- it wasn’t all work and no play for the Rum Runners. After all, we wanted to spend some time with Brian and Stephanie too. They took us all around town, showed us cool secret beaches
Beach Wedding BBQ
Scott, the groom, has roasted a whole pig for the beach wedding bar-b-que. Cool! and some of the best bars on the island. We went shopping in the historic district of St. Thomas, where jewelry stores and boutiques are set in a maze of stone alleyways that the Danish built from the ballast stones of the ships back in 1672. And we even went to a beach bar-b-que wedding where the groom roasted a whole pig. Very cool! We were busy people. Of course not to busy to go snorkeling and diving. Brian was Jay’s dive instructor in Trini so he was excited to take us out to some of his favorite sites. It was loads of fun! The water in the Virgin Islands is so clear, the coral is amazing, and the fish are almost playful. We had a great time diving in the Virgin Islands and think it is actually some of the best diving in the Caribbean.
One of the fun things we did while we were touring St. Thomas was stop at Coral World Ocean Park. Coral World is a funky aquarium similar to Sea World but on a much, much smaller scale. We actually liked that it wasn’t a big theme park; it was a much more intimate
Snorkeling
Jen and Jay diving down- snorkeling in the USVI. and hands on experience. We walked around, talked to the trainers, and watched all the feedings including sharks, turtles, sea lions, sting rays, and iguanas. I even got to help feed the sting rays, which is way cool because they are my favorite! But the most unique exhibit of Coral World is the Undersea Observatory. This underwater observatory is located 100 feet offshore and looks like a giant white dome out in the bay. You walk out to the dome and descend down 15 feet to the observation deck. It is called an observation deck because that is exactly what it is, a place where you can observe the natural ocean life around you. This exhibit is not an aquarium where fish are trapped in tanks. Instead, it is an open water exhibit where non-captive fish and other marine life are free to come and go, totally unaware of your presence in the dome. It provides a glimpse into the Caribbean waters, which is bristling with activity and sea life. How cool! Such a great concept- we loved it. And you just never know what you are going to see when you go.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.356s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 27; qc: 152; dbt: 0.2503s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb