Launching The Fancy Me The Fancy Me was a locally-built schooner that became infamous when she was lost in a hurricane with most of her passengers who were returning home to their families. It was one of the most tragic events that occurred in the maritime history of the British Virgin Islands. The schooner was built on Hassel […]
BRITISH Virgin Islands
Follow Along as the YAKABOO Island Hops Through the British Virgins ~ 1911
It was Thursday, June 22nd, the Coronation Day of George the Fifth, when a little sailing canoe anchored in the pretty harbor of Tortola! 🇻🇬 He had just arrived from visiting Saba Island in the Dutch Antilles. The skipper, no stranger to the West Indies, went ashore to announce his arrival and was welcomed warmly by […]
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Enjoy their Visit to the British Virgin Islands ~ 1977
Queen Elizabeth II visits the British Virgin Islands By Valerie Sims In 1977, my uncle, Ron Walker, photographed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as they arrived on Tortola for a short visit. As a tribute to Her Majesty for her 90th birthday, I made this slideshare presentation of the photographs he took that […]
Find Your Family on this 1918 Passenger List!
During the early twentieth century, sailing vessels were the lifelines for island residents. Below are the stories of some of them and their tragic fates. 📚 1912 – SYRIA 1916 – SPIDER 1920s – EAGLE 1923 – LA GRACIA 1930s – TO WINDWARD 1930s – FANCY ME The Courageous Captain Sewer The Danish sloop, Irma II carried mail, supplies, and passengers as far […]
How Harvest Festival was Celebrated in Tortola ~ 1912
Harvest Festival celebrations were an integral part of life in the British Virgin Islands! It was a time when families appreciated the crops grown and the nourishment they provided. The week was traditionally honored with Church celebrations and family festivities. Decorating the Church On November 20, 1912, St. George’s Anglican Church celebrated the Harvest festival with a Thanksgiving Service. According to […]
Sugarcane Laborers Return Home on a German Cargo Ship ~ 1912
During the summer of 1912, many seasonal sugarcane laborers from the British Virgin Islands, working in the Dominican Republic, returned by steamer to St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies. SS Prasident At the end of July, the German passenger-cargo ship, SS Prasident departed Kingston, Jamaica with eight passengers en route to Santo Domingo. She picked up at […]
Carrying Cane Workers ~ 1917
Between 1914 and 1939, the Dominican Sugarcane plantations employed hundreds of seasonal cane workers from the British Virgin Islands! 🇻🇬 According to Canefields of the Dominican Republic, by Will Johnson, the sugar factories in La Romana and San Pedro de Macoris paid between $20 and $30 weekly for six consecutive days of work. In the Leeward islands, the average salary was barely $12 per […]
Sad Sea Catastrophe: The Loss of the British Sloop, SYRIA ~ 1912
The history of the Creque family is filled with intrigue and adventure! However, it also has its fair share of calamities. Six branches of the family have been involved in terrible sea catastrophes! Six Sea Catastrophes In 1902, J. Creque, a fireman aboard the cable ship Grappler, lost his life after Mount Pelee in Martinique erupted. In 1941, a relative of a […]