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Caribbean II
Walks in
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands
There are several military structures on Water Island; mainly
ammunition bunkers and platforms designated as possible light or
gun emplacements. The ammunition bunkers are built into the
north side of Carolina Point. Some structures are on private
property.
Fort Segarra is an underground fort, part of the United
States' defense strategies during World War II. Its purpose was
to help protect a submarine base on St. Thomas. The war ended
before its completion and the project was subsequently
abandoned. Visitors to Water Island can view gun emplacements,
walk inside tunnels and visit underground rooms. The observation
deck on the roof of the fort offers a great panoramic view of
Water Island, the ocean and neighboring islands.
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Geology
Water Island is the oldest of the Virgin Islands and the
Water Island Formation is the oldest geological formation
--probably Lower Cretaceous -- about 70 million years
old. The Water Island Formation consists of about four
fifths keratophyres which are brownish rocks and about one
fifth spilites which are bluish rocks (commonly called Blue
Bit or Blue Bitch). Both were lava flows deposited under
water on the bottom of the ocean and later upheaved above
the surface after solidification. There are small quantities
of other rocks and minerals. Over long periods of time these
rocks have decomposed, providing soil of varying thickness
and composition.
First Inhabitants
The first known inhabitants were Taino Indians.
There were four Indian campsites on Water Island, none of
which were very large. Evidence of their habitation is
revealed by Indian artifacts, including pieces of pottery,
tools, piles of sea shells (contents consumed for food),
charcoal and human bones.
The oldest inhabited site in the US Virgin islands in at
Krum Bay - directly opposite Water Island.
The English archeological magazine "Man" carries an
account of a number of skeletons of Indians that were found
on Water Island during excavation work in 1934 and 1935.
Subsequent analysis of charcoal from these Indian
settlements indicates that these Indians lived on Water
Island about 500 years ago.
It is not definitely known who the first white
persons were who lived on Water Island. It is known that the
pirates used to anchor in its bays out of range of the guns
of the Danish Fort on St. Thomas and lie in wait for
merchant vessels that were entering or leaving the port of
St. Thomas.
Water Island gets its name from the fact that it was one
of the few places in the Caribbean with fresh water ponds
where sailing vessels could replenish their fresh water
casks. Both the pirates and merchantmen were accustomed to
coming to Water Island for water. |
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The
earliest mention of Water Island in the Danish record of
land titles in St. Thomas occurs in February 1807, when the
Executor of the estate of Captain Peter Tamaryn, a
Negro, sold one half share of Water Island, including 29
Negro slaves and cattle for 20,000 Danish Crowns to Captain
Archibald Kerr. Captain Kerr sold the eastern share of Water
Island to Baron Lucarde Bretton for 9,000 pieces of
eight, Danish West Indian currency. In March 1819 there was
a deed from Kerr to Baron Britton for the other half of
Water island.
There were several transactions recorded in June 1830
when Plantation La Providence with buildings on Water Island
was sold to Joseph Daniel. In 1851 there is a record of a
deed to Joseph Daniel.
The eastern part of Water Island is called Caroline Lyst.
In December 1859, this section was deeded to Joseph Daniel.
This Joseph Daniel (the great grandfather of Christopher V.
Daniel) was of Italian ancestry. He came to St. Thomas and
changed his name to Daniel from the Italian
D'Angielli. He owned and operated a shipyard in St.
Thomas harbor.
During the War of 1812, the British occupied St.
Thomas and used his shipyard to repair their ships and as
headquarters for their efforts to suppress piracy. When the
British were leaving St. Thomas, in recognition of his
services, they gave Water Island to Joseph Daniel and made
him a British subject. No record of this transaction is
shown on the record of real estate transactions.
Upon the death of Joseph Daniel, Water Island passed to
his five heirs but one of his sons, Christopher Daniel,
administered the property as representative of the other
heirs. During the time the Daniel family owned Water Island
there was a boat landing on Providence Point at the place
where the present Ferry Dock is located.
Treasure On Water Island
There were many rumors of treasure being buried
on Water Island by the pirates to preclude its capture by
the British and American warships which were constantly on
the lookout for the pirates. Several attempts to recover
this South American gold were made but without success. In
the 1890's a stranger produced a rough chart of one of the
bays of Water Island showing by a cross where a trunk
containing doubloons had been buried by the stranger's
father, who had been quartermaster of a pirate ship. The
stranger suggested to Christopher Daniel that they join
together and make an attempt to recover this buried
treasure.
Daniel declined and several days later the stranger and
his boat disappeared. Christopher Daniel organized a search
party and went to the area where the treasure was supposed
to be buried, which was on Flamingo Bay shore. There they
found a sizable excavation about 4 feet deep and the remains
of an old leather trunk. When Christopher Daniel turned the
trunk over, one gold doubloon dropped out on the
ground. He figured that the treasurer hunter had found the
treasure and left one coin to indicate that he had found it.
The weight of the coins had made an impression on the
sides and bottom of the trunk and careful measurements were
made of these, from which it was calculated that the value
of the treasure was between $50.000 and $60,000 (in a time
when gold was $16 per ounce) It was presumed that the
stranger had skipped town because under Danish law, one half
of any buried treasure went to the Danish Crown. Whenever
Christopher Daniel would tell the story, he would always
produce his gold doubloon.
Recent History
In 1905 the West Indian Co. Ltd. conceived the
idea of making a business out of permitting foreign
governments to use Water Island for maneuvers. Through their
lawyer, Mr. Jorgensen. they made an offer of $21,000 for
Water Island. Christopher Daniel did not wish to sell but
was over-ruled by the other kin and the sale took place.
In 1917, The United States bought the Virgin Islands,
including Water Island, and stopped its use as a foreign
navy training ground. The West Indian Co., Ltd. made no
attempt to develop Water lsland. From 1917 to 1944 was a
time of quiet.
In June, 1944, the United States government, using its
power of eminent domain, acquired title to Water Island for
the sum of $10,000. It is ironic that the West Indian
Company. Ltd.. held Water Island for 39 years, and sold it
for less than half the sum they paid for it.
The U.S. Government began the construction of an Army
base on Water Island. An underground fort and some 33
buildings were under construction, as well as docks, roads,
water, sewer, and electric systems, when World War II ended.
Construction stopped and the troops were withdrawn. In
1950, the island was abandoned.
Walter Phillips and the Hotel
In March 1951
Walter and Floride Phillips
made a trip to the Virgin Islands looking for a place to
retire. Water Island was available and that the Virgin
Island Governments wanted it developed.
The Phillips' built a hotel in the Army buildings and
converted many facilities to apartments and rooms. They
groomed the beach and developed the system of roads. They
subleased plots to friends who built houses - all knowing
that the master lease would eventually expire.
In December 1965, Phillips sold the master lease for
Water Island. its physical assets and its rights and
obligations under the subleases to the Water Isle Hotel &
Beach Club. Inc. whose president is Edward McArdle. He built
a much enlarged hotel and made it a four star operation.
He built and sold some private villas. Hurracaine Hugo
struck and damaged the hotel with only two years left on the
lease. McArdle terminated his lease three days before it
was to expire and McArdle has been trying to recover the
value of his improvements. The remainder of the houses are
under self management.
December 12, 1996 marked the day that the US Government
gave 50 acres of Water Island to the territorial Government
of the Virgin Islands and the responsibility for all the
common areas, the roads, beaches and the welfare of the
people of Water Islands |
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| Water Island is the fourth largest in
size of the U. S. Virgin Islands, being
about 2 ˝ miles long and from ˝ to 1 mile
wide with an area of 500 acres. It is
situated at the entrance to the harbor of
St. Thomas and at the nearest point is about
3/8 miles off shore. The Island is very
irregular in shape with many bays and
peninsulas. |
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The highest point is 300 feet above sea level and
there are fresh water ponds at the low point. There
are several beaches, coves and rocky headlands.
The large beach is one of the finest in the region.
The soil is rocky and dry with acres of scrub brush,
that live on the modest rainfall. There are
approximately 100 private homes and families on the
island. There are several bays. One has a town dock
in a calm harbor, another has a magnificent beach
and others have been left in their wild condition.
The island was a military site between the World
Wars and there are buildings that date from that
era. These have all been converted into homes or
villas for the hotel. The island has power and
telephone service from St. Thomas and the road base
is fully developed. There is a 100 room hotel
structure with tennis courts, recreation complex and
marina that is currently out of use. The majority
of the homes have been built during the period of
the lease and are relatively new. |
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Location
Water
Island is separated from St. Thomas by a ˝ mile wide
stretch of water. It is close enough to draw on all
of St. Thomas' life support.
Easy Access
There is a regular water taxi to a
mainland marina and mall. The route continues into
the city downtown waterfront. The marina/mall ride
takes ten minutes. There is a major food store and
gourmet shop in the mall as well as other typical
mall shops. This proximity to St. Thomas also means
easy access to all resources. The trip from the
airport to the island takes less than 30 minutes.
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Accessible from all major air hubs
Every major air hub in north America provides
service to St. Thomas, which is a short trip from
all major American locations. The trip from the
airport to the island is also a breeze.
Stable Climate - All Year Round
The St. Thomas climate is legendary.
Never cooler than 70 degrees Never hotter than 95
degrees. There is sunshine and blowing trade winds.
It typically rains for a few minutes each day, but
seldom for more then a few minutes.
The island has pristine clear water. The fish
life is legendary and draws divers to explore the
waters. There are no noxious bugs, no scorpions or
poisonous snakes nor any unpleasant wildlife.
Honeymoon Beach
One of the principal attractions of Water
Island is Honeymoon Beach. When Walter
Phillips came to Water island, this beach extended
for about 50 feet along the shore and about 10 feet
back from the shoreline. The trees and brush were
removed, 200 truck loads of rocks and gravel were
hauled off. The sand was sifted to remove debris, a
dredge removed the seaweed and deposited sand on the
shore. Today, Honeymoon Beach, is a most
beautiful beach. It is frequented by international
boat traffic.
Power and phone
The island is served by a series of
underwater cables from the St. Thomas telephone and
power companies. These systems are maintained by the
public authorities.
Shopping
There is no commerce on the island. In
the past the hotel maintained a store with basics,
but now there is no business at all. St. Thomas has
it all from McDonalds at the mall, to Ralph Lauren.
Botanical garden
Another important feature of the Island
is the Water Island Botanical Garden. This is a
brainchild and hobby of Walter Phillips. Plants from
all over the world have been brought in and
established. It is a member of the International
Association of Botanical Gardens and of the
Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.
Status
The island is part of the US Territory of
the Virgin Islands. It has its own US post
office and zip code (00802). US law governs and the
public administration is in the US chain of command.
Population
The home owners range from retired
couples to wind surfers and boat denizens to normal
All-American families. They tend to be well educated
and quiet. There is no poverty pocket or depressed
area. There is no congestion.
Layout of a typical home
There are a dozen buildings that are based on
the Army structures. These are long houses with 18"
thick cement walls. They are spacious and cool. A
typical floor plan looks like several apartments
have been made from one building. Other Army
buildings are single family dwellings. |
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La Muralla Que Encierra Al Viejo San Juan
La Calle Fortaleza
El Canario by the Lagoon
Empress of the Seas
Cruising and Volksmarching
by Annette Tollett
Three of our club members, Barbara Washburn, Shirley Boyd,
and I, as well as eleven other participants, recently participated in a Bad
Pennies Club Caribbean cruise and volksmarch. We did two volksmarches: one
thru Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and one on Water Island. Many past cruises
in the Caribbean have done the Old San Juan volksmarch, but this was the
first ever sanctioned volksmarch on Water Island.
The Old San Juan volksmarch toured most of the historical
section of San Juan. We walked outside the old walls for a portion of the
walk and then the rest was within the walls.
 We toured the El Morro fort,
and walked by one other fort. The walk ends along the shopping area of Old
San Juan. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you want to look
at it, the shopping district was closed by the time I arrived in the area.
On Water Island, we walked out to Carolina Plantation, where
there is an old storage bunker from World War II. Also, we walked up to the
old fort that is located on the island. Dee Schrum (from Lee Lepus
Volksverband) and I managed to get separated from the group on this walk, so
we walked up to the top of the hill on Water Island. There was little shade
on this route so we got a good deal (burned) of sun.
After the Water Island volksmarch, we all took the ferry to
Saint Thomas and some of us did some shopping. I, for one, spent a "little"
money on some beautiful jewelry.
On Sunday, we had sailed to St. Marteen and here some of us
did shopping, some tours. Dee and I went for a timeshare presentation that
was really informative and interesting. No, neither of us bought a
timeshare, but we were tempted.
We did some shopping in the afternoon and, again, I spent a
"little" money on jewelry. I won't give you my definition of "little", but
I do hate to see my credit card bill when it comes in.
On the ship, there was plenty of food to eat and the rooms
were quite comfortable. For this particular cruise, the ship was our means
of transportation (and our bedroom) from one island to the next. We left
port in the evening and arrived at the next port in the early morning (about
7 or 8 am). We had one formal night in the main dining room where the
participants of the volksmarch portion of the cruise proved that we can
dress for dinner (if necessary).
If you get an opportunity to go on a cruise and to volksmarch,
as well, I would highly recommend that you take the cruise. It was a lot of
fun in the sun (temperatures in the mid 80s in the afternoon and in the low
70s in the mornings). Of course, the ship was comfortable at all times.
On Monday, after arriving back in San Juan, Matt Pernick
(President of The Bad Pennies) had made arrangements for us to do a land
excursion to the Rain Forest and the Bacardi Rum factory. The rain forest
was terrific. We even did a short walk (about three kilometers) down to a
beautiful waterfalls
 and back up to a different parking area (wasn't an
out-and-back). We saw lots of different types of trees and flowers, and a
couple of small critters in the rain forest.
The Bacardi factory tour was okay, but since I don't drink, I
didn't sample their wares at the end.
We had an interesting time getting back to the airport for
our flight back to Washington DC. We were in rush hour traffic that
reminded me of DC, except there was only two or three lanes (none of which
were moving at times) that looked like parking lots. We all made it to the
airport on time and caught our flight.
We left mid 80s temperatures to return to DC for the start of
their really bad snow and ice storm (it was snowing when we left to drive
back home the morning after our flight).
I, for one, want to thank Matt Pernick for all the effort and
time that he put into the cruise and walks. He made the trip very
enjoyable.
Sail Away
by Peggy Bercher
Sure, I had seen the flier for The Bad Pennies
Adventure 37. Sure, a Caribbean cruise in February seemed like a great
idea. There was just one problem. I had never been on a cruise before and I
wasn’t completely sure if the whole idea appealed to me. But I let myself be
persuaded by Betty Strawderman and Ruth Watkins to be their roommate and the
next thing I knew, I was winging my way to San Juan to be part of a band of
14 Bad Pennies.
Upon arriving in San Juan, we made our way to our
hotel, the El Canario by the Lagoon. In usual Bad Pennies style, we were
given just a brief time to wash up and gobble, I mean eat, a quick meal.
Once we gathered at the hotel again, off we went to walk in Old San Juan.
 It was a lovely albeit hot walk and we had the opportunity to see quite a
few impressive sights. As we marched along the streets, we saw things like
the Old City wall, which was built between 1635 and 1641, Casa Blanca, a
mansion constructed for Juan Ponce de Leon between 1524 and 1530 and El
Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a mammoth fort. Some intrepid Bad Pennies
traveled to the top of the fort while others chose to stay below and admire
the beautiful vista from a lower level. One very interesting fact is that
many of the streets in San Juan are paved with adoquines, or small gray-blue
blocks. According to the directions, the stones were cast from the residues
of iron furnaces in Spain and used as ships’ ballast. It was a lovely
variation of the cobblestones we have seen elsewhere in our travels. San
Juan is also the place to shop although many of the businesses were closing
for the evening when we passed. Oh well, it helped us save some pennies for
what was to come. That evening we had supper at Barrachina, a restaurant
that advertises itself as the 1963 birthplace of the famous Pina Colada.
The menu said to ask for a free sample but quite a few of us went whole hog
and ordered one (or two) with our meal. I must say they were delicious!
The next day we said goodbye to the folks at the hotel
and made our way to our water chariot, The Empress of the Seas. Launched on
June 25, 1990, Empress of the Seas is 692 feet long and weighs 48,563 gross
tons. It has a 2,000-guest capacity and while I’m not sure exactly how many
people joined the Bad Pennies, the ship seemed pretty full to me. To ward
off any possible germs, they had hand-sanitizing stations everywhere and
gently “made” you clean your hands about a million times a day. The stuff
must have worked because everyone remained healthy.
Our first stop on the cruise was St Thomas. We docked
and were quickly herded off the ship. The plan was to find our chartered
ferry, its pilot Steve, and make our way to nearby Water Island to do our
second walk of the trip. With just a bit of fuss, we found both Steve and
the ferry and were off. Steve lives on Water Island and as he took us to
our destination, he told us some very interesting facts about the Island and
the area in general. As we approached Water Island, Steve pointed out the
Communication Center. For such a small building, it serves a big purpose.
 Not only does it include mailboxes, a small lending library and notices
about current events, as Steve put it, it was the place to hear all the
island gossip. Water Island really is a pretty place but in my opinion one
of the prettiest sights was Honeymoon Beach.
 With its beautiful turquoise
water and lovely white sand, the beach seemed to be calling to some of us
and we answered. What a treat it was to wade in the water and think of the
poor shivering souls at home. All too soon though it was time to put on our
walking shoes back on and depart Water Island for some serious shopping in
St. Thomas. Suffice it to say I have never seen so many jewelry shops in
all my life. For a price, you can find just about any gem you wanted.
After seeing lots and lots of sparkly things it was time to get back on the
ship and head to our next port of call, which was St. Martin or St. Maarten.
After a repeat of the previous days herding, we were
off the ship once again to see the sights. Some of us chose to take a tour
of the island with a very entertaining driver named Victor. He was a font
of information and really seemed to know quite a lot about all kinds of
things. Who but Victor could have told us that on the Dutch side of the
island the cows say, “Moo” but on the French side, they say “La Moo?” Who
but Victor could have pointed out the practical reasons for having a funeral
home directly across the parking lot from the hospital? In the course of
touring the island he graciously stopped at an open-air market and gave us
time to make some purchases. In what seemed to be no time at all we were
saying au revoir and/or tot ziens to Victor and
spending the time we had left just soaking in our surroundings. Too quickly
it was time to be back on the ship to begin making our way to our port in
San Juan.
Of course what Bad Pennies adventure would be complete
without the traditional drawing to determine the Baddest Penny? The drawing
was held during our last dinner on board. The lucky winner was Dee Schrum
who received a lovely paperweight for her prize.
Early the next morning, we arrived in San Juan, said
goodbye to the hand sanitizing stations and made our way through customs and
off the ship. Matt had done a bit of sleuthing and had found a tour driver
who would take us to see a rain forest and the Bacardi Rum distillery. Our
first stop, the Caribbean National Forest has to be one of the loveliest
places on earth. We began with a stop at a 69-foot high observation tower, Yokahu Tower that was supposed to offer a spectacular view of the
rainforest. After climbing a million steps (okay, so it was only 96), we
had a birds eye view of 28, 000 acres of rainforest. It was spectacular and
well worth the climb. Next we walked on a trail that gave us a brief tour
of the rainforest close up.
 The end of the trail was a killer but it was a
testament to how lovely our little tour was that no one whined (much) about
not getting his or her books stamped. After a quick lunch it was on to our
last stop of the trip, the Bacardi distillery. That was fun as well. As a
measure of their hospitality, we were given tickets to “purchase” two drinks
of our choice. I am now a fan of the mojito.
Finally it was time to return to the airport. Our trek
there gave us quite a few anxious moments. Afternoon rush hour in San Juan
is every bit as bad as any I have seen around the Washington D.C. area. You
have never seen a group of people jump off a tour bus and unload luggage at
the speed of light as we did that day. Fear of missing a flight sure can
make you move FAST. I have never been so happy to see an airport terminal.
All in all it really was a wonderful trip. I spent
time with some very nice Bad Pennies, I saw some beautiful places and I got
to do one of my favorite things, volksmarch. What more could you ask of a
Bad Pennies adventure?
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"you hold an event and we turn up"
