Overnight sail of 107 nautical miles to get to St Croix. I want to preface this blog by saying that when we bought the camera we also bought a case with a neck strap. We also brought the binoculars with us from home which also have a neck strap. So R has made a new rule, after the camera incident. Camera or binoculars in hand – must have strap around neck. So far so good!
Good night’s sleep however early awake around 5.30am. Went for a walk around the jogging track, then had to wait for breakfast to start at 7am. Cups of tea in the meantime. Ship docked around 7.50am. Off the ship after breakfast, and walked down the pier to Frederiksted. Lots of American people on the market stalls flogging imitation stuff – not many locals on the stalls.
St Croix no longer has sugar canes (they were pulled out and the industry moved to Venezuela). It’s main income source is not tourism (no surprises there – read on), but an oil refinery which is the fifth largest in the world. The oil comes from Venezuela. Gaye, the Lonely Planet Guide (LPG) has been a wonderful source of information, thanks.
St Croix is a funny place. Very much like Fiji, however the locals are not friendly like in Fiji, unless they’re trying to sell you something. The usual cruise ship stop in US Virgin Islands is St Thomas, and they’re obviously trying to spread the load (wealth?) hence us stopping at St Croix instead. Walking around Frederiksted I was very hesitant and wasn’t sure how far into the town we should be walking, as I didn’t feel particularly safe. R saw a guy outside a shop wearing a holster (obviously not empty). The LPG says, “’Quiet’ doesn’t do Frederiksted justice. St Croix’s second-banana town is utterly motionless, a patch of forsaken colonial buildings snoring beside a painted teal-blue sea.” Right on all accounts. There was more to do at Christiansted (apparently) so we jumped on a shuttle (30 mins travel time). Well there possibly was more to do, but it was like stepping back in time about 50 years. Sleepy little town, not geared for tourism but trying hard, lots of hippies. Again we were warned about how far we could walk (ie three blocks this way and two blocks that way). The shops were either ridiculously expensive or trashy knick-knacks. And our usual rule is we have to eat on-shore to try the local food. Nope. Not here. Too dodgy. We got talking to a mother and daughter on the shuttle on the way over, and ended up walking round with them, buying a coffee from the one decent café in the town (just coffee, no food). Realised there was very little to see/do and not a particularly nice place, so got the shuttle back to Frederiksted. We had scoped a general store type place before we went to Christiansted that sold alcohol, water and tonic (and of course lots of other stuff) so bought that and headed back to the ship. Liquor is ridiculously cheap, eg 1 litre bottle of Gordon’s Gin USD$9.99. Water is expensive but cheaper than on the ship. R reckons it’s his kinda town! Emptied our water bottles, refilled with gin, and smuggled on board. Primo. Gins on the balcony for sail-away this afternoon. Unloaded our contraband (take that, smarmy immigration man at LA airport!!), and up to the café/grill for lunch. Into our togs and up to the pool for an afternoon in the sun/shade/pool. Very nice. Sailaway at 5pm, accompanied by gins, and dolphins ferrying us out to sea. Lovely. Formal night so into our gladrags and down for dinner. Straight to bed after dinner as the after-dinner show (which I would have loved to have seen as it was ballroom) was at 11pm – too late for us!
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