In the summer of 1990, my family vacationed in St. Croix. We stayed at Colony Cove Resort in Christiansted and spent our days touring the island and snorkeling at Buck Island and around a barrier reef about a 1/4 mile swim from our hotel.
Hurricane Hugo decimated the island in 1989, about 15 months before our vacation. Wave action eroded many beaches; the entire elkhorn coral ecosystem at Buck Island was nearly destroyed; hotels, houses, boats and buildings were blown away, and roads disappeared. To resuscitate the USVI's economy via tourism, the travel industry offered package vacation deals (steals, really) in St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. Our vacation was part of the economic rebuilding effort.
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| Homes along Gallows Bay...notice some are still in ruins |
I remember having mixed feelings about the island. Hugo's raging violence damaged the local barrier reef and and eroded the stretch of beach in front of our hotel. The Army Core of Engineers replaced the beach by dredging tons of offshore sand (probably to restore the shipping channel and harbor) and pumping it onshore through huge hoses. As a result, the once silken sand turned into a concrete conglomerate of razor sharp shards of coral, shells and sand. This was not a sand-castle building beach! Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and abandoned. Crime was a problem and there were very few stores or restaurants open for business, especially at night. In fact, the entire island shut down at sunset. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, but could tell the locals were suffering.
Fast forward to November 23, 2011, 22 years after Hurricane Hugo and 21 years after my family vacation, I returned to Christiansted to join the
Cramer and sail around the Caribbean.
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| View of Christiansted Harbor from Gallows Bay pier. |
Much of the island and town of Christiansted was just as I remembered...scenic, colorful, and depressed. Honestly, it seemed the island never fully recovered from Hugo. In stark contrast to the local economy, the no-see-um population was in full swing and at a record high. Perhaps the islanders should invest heavily in Avon Skin-So-Soft (that stuff is BRILLIANT, by the way).
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| Cramer, dockside |
I also remembered the stifling humidity, intense sun, frequent downpours from passing squalls, brilliant sun rises and sunsets, bath tub temperature, crystal clear water, fragrant tropical flora, and pelican population.
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| the walls of Ft. Christiansted at sunrise |
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| Pelican, hanging out in the early morning sun |
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| Locals enjoying an evening BBQ |
I enjoyed my return to St. Croix and Christiansted, but was eager to become familiar with ship life, which I will describe in my next post entitled
Sweating and the Importance of Deodorant.
