Wednesday, November 26th
This morning we took a ship's excursion to St. John. We have been to St. Thomas many times but we have never been to St. John.
Morning arrival in St. Thomas
Boarding boat to St. John
In 1917, the United States purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands for $25 million from the Danish government in order to establish a naval base whose purpose was to prevent German expansion in the Western Hemisphere. They also agreed to recognize Denmark's claim to Greenland, which they had previously disputed.
In 1956, Laurance Rockefeller donated most of the land he had acquired on the island to the United States' National Park Service, under the condition that it must be protected from future development. The remaining portion, the Caneel Bay Resort, continues to operate on a lease arrangement while the park owns the actual land. The Virgin Islands National Park borders encompass 75% of the island, but various in-holdings within the park boundary (e.g., Peter Bay, Maho Bay) reduce the actual land the park owns to 60%. However, much of the island's waters, coral reefs and shoreline are protected via their inclusion in the park. This protection was expanded in 2001, when the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument was created.
Cancel Bay...Turtle Bay Beach
Trunk Bay
Annaburg Sugar Mill
We had a very nice day and St. John was a beautiful island.
