DAY 4-GUSTAVIA, ST BARTS

 We have run off the above map on TV.  I have asked twice for them to update map to no avail.

At noon today we were pulling into our anchorage spot a couple miles away from Gustavia. Temperature again today in the upper 70's with nice breeze while at anchor.

Historical/Background Info:
        Christopher Columbus first sighted the island in 1493 and named it after his brother, Bartholomeo.  For the next 100 years he made sporadic visits but it was not claimed until 1648 by the French.  In 1784 it was given to Sweden in exchange for trade rights in Gothenburg, Sweden.  Sweden founded the Swedish West India Company with headquarters on the island.  The company was to chartered  to establish trading posts in North America.  It flourished during the Napoleonic Wars but waned afterwards.  Following a devastating hurricane in 1852 followed by a fire, it was sold back to the French in 1876.  It became a shelter for damaged ships and was protected by three forts that were built in the mid to late 1600’s.  The three forts were:  Karl, Oscar, and Gustav.  Slavery was practiced here during Swedish control.  In 1946 the people of the island became French citizens with full rights.  Electricity did not come to the island until 1961 which led to tourism.
        St Barts, a volcanic island surrounded by shallow reefs, has an area of about 10 square miles and population of 9,000.  It lies 22 miles southeast of St Martin and 150 miles to the west of Puerto Rico.  There is very little agriculture here do to the hilly, rocky, dry terrain.  Roads are steep, hilly, and narrow with no traffic lights.  Car on the right has the right-of-way.  There are well preserved old colonial buildings in Gustavia as well as French restaurants.  St Barts is considered one of the best places to dine in the Caribbean.  Currency is the euro.  Duty free shopping is good here especially for French goods.  Fifteen of the 22 white sand public beaches (some topless) are considered suitable for swimming.  Deep sea fishing is also very good.  The pleasant tropical climate (average temp 81F) and the trade winds make it an ideal tourist destination.

What We Did Today:
Up and at'em by 8:00 am as room service rang our door bell at precisely 8:00.  When I opened the balcony curtain, I could see an island in the distance.  I believe it was Virgin Gorda (just east of St Thomas).  We did our usual workout, today between 11:00 and noon as it was busy in fitness center this morning.  After showering we went up to La Veranda for some lunch.  I enjoyed some nice crab claws followed by a freshly cooked pasta.  Rebecca had salad and grilled chicken.  After lunch we went up on top deck to get some photos.

Below is one of the three tenders that will shuttle folks to and from Gustavia today.  We were scheduled to do "St Bart's Island Overview" excursion.  It consisted of a one hour ride in an mini-van so see this small island.  Rebecca cancelled out this morning but I decided to go.  Boarding the tender was pretty tricky due to the swells.  The ride to small dock in downtown was about 15 minutes.  After getting there I decided not to do the minivan tour and just walked along dock area looking at the mega expensive yachts.  Every high end store is located here.  Lots of French restaurants too.  Well, St Barts is not one of my favorite islands because I am not a beach person, or shopper, and do not like French food.  I was ashore less than a half hour before catching a tender back to our nice cruise ship.

                                             Tender at dock in Gustavia.

                                  Photo of a small, old church for my friend, Peter.

The following four photos were taken last evening which was the Captain's Welcome Reception and dinner.  We were invited to dine with the cruise director and assistant cruise director, Jamie & Dana.

 Toasting Peter, our Aussie friend, whom I drank with at this bar on 2012 SA cruise.

                     Senior officers being introduced at Captain's Welcome Reception.

Left to right:  Dana (asst cruise director), me, Joe, Rebecca, Jamie (cruise director), and Judy.  Jamie & Dana are married and were on our 2010 World Cruise.  They just found out that they will also be with us next year on our 2017 World Cruise.  We have cruised previously with Judy & Joe from Wisconsin.

The Mariner is scheduled to depart at 8:00 pm for our next destination, Fort De France on the island of Martinique.  We will be dining this evening, after cocktails, in Prime 7 (the steakhouse) as have a 7:30 reservation.  The 9:30 show tonight features Fred Becker, a comedic magician.  Not a big fan of magicians so may not attend.

Gorgeous view from our balcony and very pleasant out there so will go out and enjoy it now that this posting is finished.
****You can click on photos to enlarge them.