DC2daEC: St Croix, USVI

Finally - a little bit about the rest of my time on St Croix. More photos on my Picasa Web Album, updated as I get around to it.

Getting there - This was a long journey. 4 flights, 141/2 hours in the air, 22 hours travel time.

FRIDAY - I spent my first full day on the island exploring the Resort. The Buccaneer is a beautiful 349 acre property set on the north coast of St Croix. It has a fascinating history that begins in the 17th century. Although it is expansive, there are only 149 guest rooms, so it never feels crowded, even when fully booked. I found myself at both beaches, once sitting and doing absolutely nothing, the other time swimming and reading. I had a delicious lunch at The Mermaid Restaurant, a pedicure and I organized my trips for Monday & Tuesday. Or rather the very capable Concierge Marsha arranged them for me. It was a great day!

The Sugar Mill Rooms - my home-away-from-home

The Grotto Beach & Pool

View from my room

The Mermaid Beach

The Greathouse

SATURDAY - After the Open Water clinic / talk with Misty Hyman & Alex Kostich, I went into Christiansted. Like most Caribbean Islands, St Croix has changed "ownership" many times. At one point or another since its "discovery", Spain, The Netherlands, France, Britain and Denmark have all laid claim to St Croix. Since 1917, it has been a territory of the United States. Its main industries were sugar, rum and slave trade. There are no sugar plantations on the island today although Cruzan still makes rum on the island. Hovensa is the largest private employer in the Virgin Islands and is one of the ten largest oil refineries in the world. Christiansted is a pretty small town and everything is on "Island Time" there. It was well worth visiting. Fort Christiansvaern dates back to 1738 and was an informative side trip.

SUNDAY - Coral Reef Swim Race. My race report has the details. Aside from swimming, I spent the rest of the day with some great people I met through the swim. The Buccaneer hosted a fantastic BBQ (not a vegetarian-friendly event!) and let's just say that when a rum distillery sponsors an event the atmosphere is festive and the beverages are pretty tasty!

MONDAY - Tan Tan Jeep Tour.

Our trusty steed for the day. The black one wasn't so trusty

and needed to be replaced early on in the day.

This trip was off-the-beaten-path and took us to some great destinations that you wouldn't be able to get to without a 4-wheel drive. Click to enlarge photos.

View from Blue Mountain, highest peak on St Croix

Carambola Beach (I think)

Northwest St Croix aka "No-Mans Land"

The "trail" into the tidal pools

Relaxing in the tidal pools

The Domino Club, featuring:

I can't say that the beer-drinking pigs (it's non-alcoholic beer, by the way) was the highlight of my day, but it's one of those things that you have to see to believe.

The two people I shared the Jeep with are sisters and they invited me out for dinner to Duggan's Reef; famous for their local lobster dishes. Delicious!

Tuesday - For my last day on St Croix, I took a catamaran trip out to Buck Island. The island and its barrier reef are a National Monument. The Coral Reef Swim is actually a fundraiser for the Nature Conservancy's East End Marine Park. Many of us look at the ocean almost daily and it is incredibly easy to forget that there is a lot of life under the surface of the water. It is a very delicate and stunningly beautiful ecosystem and reminds me that we need to give the ocean the respect that it deserves.