After Nassau we spend a day at sea before arriving at St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Although we arrive at about 7:00 am, we can't get off the ship until the ship has been cleared by US customs. All the cones have to report to customs before the ship is cleared.

Usually the ship is cleared by about 10:30, and shore leave is granted. The first thing I do is head over to Soapy's Internet. Soapy's is a chain of crew-oriented communications operations. There's one in Charlotte Amalie (the port and capital 'city' of the USVI) and another in San Miguel, Cozumel, that I sometimes use. They have operations in other ports as well, including one in Ketchican, BC.

This time my search for Internet services took me to both Blackbeard's and Bluebeard's castles. Each of these pirates had castles here, on neighbouring hills, which have now become hotels/condos. I was able to connect at Bluebeard's castle using Boingo, a service I subscribe to.

The only problem – it's a bit of a walk uphill to get there from the docks. But, what the hell, I can use the exercise. And we have a day off in St Thomas, and I have no pressing business I can think of...

Being in St Thomas is a lot like being in the US as I mentioned in an earlier post. Burger King, K-Mart, Radio Shack, Kentucky Fried Chicken. But the island itself is quite beautiful, made up of rocky hills that aren't quite mountains, but are high enough to provide beautiful vistas.

And Charlotte Amalie, aside from having a beautiful name, is a pretty town.

Did I tell you about John, the guy I met at Soapy's who lives on a 34' ketch here? I think so. Anyway, he told me that from the highest hill (1500') you can see all the Virgin Islands, plus St Kitts, St Barts, and even Puerto Rico on a clear day. I haven't been up there yet – it's a $13 cab ride – but I think I'll do it one of these visits to get some pictures.

Another thing I might do is head over to St John Island, 80% of which is a national park. Ferries sail regularly between Charlotte Amalie and St John Island. The beaches are said to be fantastic there.

I also hope to visit St Croix one of these days. Christiansted, on St Croix, is the largest town in the USVI, and one of the cafes there is a Boingo location.

(A little more about Boingo. Boingo is a commercial wireless high-speed Internet provider. It costs $21.95/month to subscribe, which I think is reasonable, if you can find enough locations to make it useful. T-Online also offers a similar service, and I might move over there, depending on how successful they become.

Right now both services are available at many airports and public places, but Boingo has an edge when it comes to locations like hotels and cafes, and even gas stations.

I was able to use Boingo on my trip across Canada, and it's very popular in BC with a lot of outlets there. It's not too common yet in the Caribbean, but it's growing.

It may be, though, that Boingo and T-Online will both have trouble getting subscribers as entire cities go wireless, like Chicago has done and others are talking about. Their advantage will have to be the additional security they offer over wide-open, public connections. Boingo, for example, sets up a VPN – virtual private network – when you connect, giving you additional security.)

St Thomas is popular with divers, as are Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I wish I could dive, but the ship's doctor said no when I asked. The stresses you are subject to, even during a normal dive, could be dangerous for somebody like me with a compromised circulatory system. And the stresses can become severe if something goes wrong with your dive. Damn! It's such a great opportunity.

I've noticed that some of the officers carry their golf clubs with them when they leave the ship in St Thomas. That probably indicates that there's a good course here. I may try that, but it's bound to be pretty expensive, and I haven't played since I was about 23.

For me I think it's good enough just to enjoy the weather and get some exercise by simply walking around. It's hilly enough that walking does give you a bit of a workout. I was pretty tired after visiting the pirate castle/condos.

The more I visit St Thomas, the more it appeals to me, in spite of the familiar American-ness of it. There's a good health food store, a concert hall, an NPR radio station, and other signs of civilization. It appears to be in pretty good shape economically, and the pace seems quite relaxed comared to, say, Jamaica, which is too noisy and intense for my taste (as you know!)

And I've met some interesting people who live in the Virgin Islands. I'd like to learn more about the community of the USVI.

Maybe I could get a little place here?



Charlotte Amalie from Blackbeard's Hill