Gem Caribbean Cruise Review, 1/30/15 to 2/9 Part III, Saint Thomas Day Sail

[Carnac767]

Our next port call was the following day at Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas. For dinner this night we ate at the Italian specialty restaurant, La Cucina. Both of us had the insalata fresca, fried calamari, and beef lasagna al forno. Our waiter this evening, Dewa from Indonesia, was terrific. The salad and calamari were both quite good but the lasagna was just so-so. It was filling but hardly tasted like authentic Italian cooking. The cheese on it tasted more like American cheese. I try eating at least once at the Italian specialty restaurants, and they're still a work in progress.

 

Our private excursion in St. Thomas was one of the best I've ever had during a cruise. After researching various websites, I determined that a day sail on the yacht Nightwind was just the ticket. Nightwind is a 57 foot yacht, which operates out of Sapphire Marina on the east end of St. Thomas. Four other cruisers from our Roll Call also elected to join us. Bill, one of our members, arranged a private van to get us to the marina and back. This was a tender port for us because so many other cruise ships were in port this day, including Breakaway. In this case, tendering wasn't such a bad deal because one can actually get to downtown much quicker than debarking at the pier. The ship moored quite close to downtown and it was a very short tender ride. We met at Magnum's on Deck Six at 7:30. Luckily everyone in our group had priority tender tickets, which is a perk for both Suites and Platinum . . . or attractive single women who can charm them from the staff. This enabled us to be on the first tender a little after eight. Our van driver was waiting for us with a signboard identifying himself. When he met us he let us know that Nightwind had suffered a mechanical problem and our charter had been handed off to another yacht. At first we were a bit concerned but we soon learned we had nothing to worry about. We were placed in the capable hands of Captain Ron Arens and his first mate, Carol King, of the yacht Alaunt. Alaunt is a beautiful and rare Gallant 53, only a few feet shorter than Nightwind. We would receive the same services and itinerary we'd already chartered, for the same price. The only difference, really, is that Captain Ron limits his charters to only six customers, while Nightwind will take up to sixteen.

 

We were ferried, three at a time, out to the yacht, which was moored in the small bay. After we were all aboard, we received a safety briefing and were given a rundown of what we could expect for the day. Shortly after that we slipped our mooring and were headed toward St. John. It was another gorgeous day, with relatively calm seas, and a nice breeze. Because of the breeze, we would have to tack a couple of times to reach our destination. As we sailed, Ron gave us a guided tour of the area, pointing out what celebrities owned which island and talked about the history of the area. Meanwhile, first mate Carol plied us with fresh fruit, freshly baked banana-nut bread, and endless champagne, wine, beer, rum punch, Mimosas, soft drinks, and plain old boring water. Oh, and in case you're worried, the yacht does have a head.

 

About forty-five minutes later we moored a couple of hundreds yards off the beach of St. John. Ron provides all of the snorkeling equipment, including snorkeling vests or noodles. All of the equipment is first rate in excellent condition. The water temperature was around 78 degrees and both Sarah and I wore O'Neil insulated rash guard shirts. These provided the right amount of warmth, buoyancy, and SPF 50 sun protection. I could have spent all day in the water. The snorkeling was excellent, with a wide variety of rays, turtles, and various reef fish present. Visibility underwater was very good, too.

 

We swam around for about an hour before it was time for lunch. Ron owned a restaurant in St. Thomas for over twenty years and is a first-class chef. Our lunch consisted of jerk chicken, rice and beans, and a salad, followed by chocolate chip cookies. And of course, the ever-present rum punch, beer, wine, etc. I highly recommend the Dominican beer, El Presidente. It was quite good.

 

After lunch we sailed across to nearby Great St. James Island and moored in Christmas Cove for more snorkeling, for those of us who weren't in a food and rum punch coma already. The snorkeling here was even better than at St. John, with more turtles, rays, and cousins of Nemo. The highlight was a large Spotted Eagle Ray, which has an enormously long tail and propels itself through the water much like a bird flapping its wings. Another ray and turtle were sitting side by side on the ocean bottom, as if waiting to have a drag race. My money's on the ray. We were probably in the water for about 45 minutes.

 

After we were all back aboard, we slipped our mooring and headed back across Pillsbury Sound to St. Thomas, getting back on shore around 3:45. The cost per person for the excursion was $125 per person, with a $10 reduction if paid in cash. Ron honored that price, but we all gave him the full fare and more for such an outstanding day.

 

Our van was waiting for us and we were back in downtown Charlotte Amalie at 4:15, an hour before the last tender, giving us plenty of time to wander through the tourist shops in that area. The cost of the van was $20 PP, roundtrip.

 

This was a terrific excursion, one of the very best we've ever experienced. We can't wait to return to St. Thomas and do it again. I highly recommend it.

[judyf]

Loving your reviews!

[Carnac767]

Thanks

[dshefter]

Got a link to this tour?

[Carnac767]

Alauntcharters.com