St. Thomas

In 2006 we visited St. Thomas, Virgin Islands for the first time. It was a beautiful place with white sandy beaches and a tropical climate. I was living in Knoxville at the time, so as you can imagine, it was cold and dreary as I boarded the plane, on my way to paradise.

We landed and the sun was a welcomed sight. Then we were whisked away to our resort. It was a Marriott property, so as you can imagine, it was plush. We really enjoyed the pool area and the many fine foods that were available to us.

We were able to take a boat across to the Island of St. John and had dinner at an outdoor BBQ place. For a minute I thought we were back in Tennessee until I saw all of the chickens running around loose! On our way back to St. Thomas, the captain allowed me to steer the huge sailboat upon which we were sailing. It was my first time at the helm of such a large vessel. In the beginning I was a bit nervous, but as I looked around there was nothing to run into, so I thought, how wrong could this go?

We were told stories about Blackbeard capturing slaves many years ago. On one particular trip, he took a ship full of slaves and placed them on a deserted island. The legend says that he told each man that he would be back at daybreak to pick the lone survivor of the night up and carry him away. It was to be a murderous night on the island. The next morning, only one man had survived the mayhem and he was rescued. Now that is a survivor story that cannot be shown on television.

As you will see by the photos I have posted, it is a beautiful place and I highly recommed it as a vacation spot. The language is English and it is relatively easy to get around. The snorkeling is superb and the weather is as good as it gets.