"" Writer's Wanderings: Water Island - A Ferry Ride From St. Thomas

Monday, December 05, 2011

Water Island - A Ferry Ride From St. Thomas

On our recent cruises in the Caribbean, we stopped twice at Charlotte Amolie on St. Thomas. I am not fond of that port no matter which pier (Havensport or Crown Bay) we dock at. Crown Bay is a little nicer because it is less congested and we are close to the Crown Bay Marina where we can catch the Water Island Ferry. Actually it's more a water taxi than a ferry since it is a small boat for passengers and suitcases only.

We have visited several times (see an earlier post) and this time we decided to go over and tool around the island in a golf cart. We happened upon a golf cart rental through the suggestion of someone we met. The Apollo Auto & Golf Cart rental agent met us at the pier on Water Island and gave us a quick overview with a small map.

For $35 we toured around the small island and caught views of St. Thomas that were very scenic. Best of all there was no congestion, no sales people hassling you, and it was nice and quiet. The island is mostly privately owned with many get-away homes that are occupied during the winter months.

At the top of a lookout point was Fort Segarra, and underground fort that was in the process of being finished when the war ended. You can still see the "pill box" and the gun mounts that were never used. It is all a part of the fascinating history you can find at the Water Island History site.

It only took an hour to tour the island, even in a slow moving golf cart, but we had planned to stop at Honeymoon Bay beach for a swim and lunch. The beach got busy with excursions from the cruise ships but there was still plenty of room to enjoy it and the beautiful waters of the Caribbean.

All told, our excursion (including lunch) cost us about $75 for the two of us. A bargain these days.

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