It wasn't the best day in St. Thomas, weather wise. When we arrived around 8am, the skies were cloudy, like always. Then the light showers came over the hillsides, and dropped some rain. Not bad, until we left the ship around 10:30am. Part way into town, the skies opened up, and it really rained hard. Umbrellas helped, and also standing under a wide tree gave us some cover. Now that we think about it, most of this 11 day cruise has had rainy days. Guess we have been lucky up to this point.
Other than that, we had company. Docked in front of us was the Rotterdam, HAL's newest ship, and a sister to the N. Statendam. Behind us was the Enchanted Princess, another large cruise ship. Over on the other side of the small islands were two ships…..one a RCI and the other unidentifiable. Good thing that St. Thomas (the size of Manhattan) and nearby St. John have lots of things to do. Located just 1000 miles from Florida, the Virgin Islands are considered "America's Paradise". And a paradise for fishermen offers the chance to catch bonefish, snapper, barracuda, and tarpon near the shore. Sport fishing offshore you can catch wahoo, tuna, mahi-mahi for starters.
For those that own the small craft to the mega yachts have created what the locals call "world cruise gypsies". Guess you could call some of us that too, except our yacht is the largest.
For some, due to the rain, there was always shopping. The nearby Havensight Mall offered up to 60 shops, although many of them were closed for business the last time we were here. The Port of Sale is another strip mall selling discount goods, while Yacht Haven Grande has upscale shops and fewer crowds. That was the way we headed.
Passing through Yacht Haven Grande, we saw the tarpon that live under the concrete bridge near the yachts. It figures that a sushi bar is located right there, and we believe people feed these huge fish.
Following Veteran's Drive, we encountered the heavy rain, like we said. We took some shelter at the Coast Guard complex, watching the activity at the Vendor's Plaza across the street. Not only were they pulling down plastic curtains, the local transport open-air buses were also dropping plastic covers over the squeezed-in passengers. Oh my gosh, that would feel like being put in a ziplock bag and closed up tight….no air. And the government has kept the mask mandate here? By the way, we saw few ship guests wearing the masks, which were required even outdoors. Guess they are tired of it. We are also weary of the masks, but we still wear them.
The Vendor's Plaza was a tented souvenir area with the usual island stuff. It was raining too hard to even cross the street. Believe this…..if you cross a street here, even with a green light, you can expect someone to beep at you if you are not quick. We swear one driver almost hit a man who ran across fast. The driver laid on his horn, cursing him through an opened car window. Anyway, things to buy here are date palm brooms, frangipani-scented perfume, hot sauces, mango candles, and historically-clad fabric dolls. Years ago we bought a couple of the dolls that when you turn them upside down, they have on different dresses. Very clever.
The rain had let up so we walked all the way to the Water Island Ferry, where boats went to nearby Water Island and Hassel Island. Not many takers today due to the inclement weather. Time to head back, we slowly walked the same way, avoiding the row of stores and restaurants across the street. There were too many folks that were unmasked, and with a Covid test due tomorrow, we did not want to take any unnecessary chances.
Got back to the busy pier by 1:30pm, having had a 3 hour walk. Once again, we enjoyed ice cold sodas and snacks in our room. All aboard was 4:30pm, and by 5pm, we were pulling away from the dock. The Rotterdam and Enchanted Princess stayed behind. While we were working online, three crew members were working on our veranda. We had gotten a notice yesterday that balcony maintenance was due on our side of the ship. The projected time was from 8:30am to 5pm. The painters must have started after we left, and were ready to paint the varnish around 2pm. In between showers, they put on one coat, then locked up the side panels. The rest of the cleaning will take place on boarding day, Sunday, in Ft. Lauderdale like always.
Dinner for the five of us was a mixed bag. The best was the crispy chicken tenders with honey mustard sauce. The alternate chicken was served almost cold, while the ribs were under cooked. These take hours to be tender, so they must have run out and cooked some later. Dessert was good. Can't win them all.
A welcomed day at sea tomorrow is always nice.
Bill & Mary Ann
PS We are beginning to experience computer problems with a couple of black screens. We shall continue with reports unless something unforeseen occurs.
Friday, March 4, 2022
Report #76 Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands Thursday-March 3, 2022 Lots Of Rain With Some Sun 82 Degrees
