Remembering the Rhone One of the most tragic hurricanes to ever befall the British Virgin Islands happened 151 years ago. The year was 1867. My great-great-grandfather was 9 years old. His name was Henry Osmond Creque. Six of his siblings along with his parents were huddled together for safety in a cramped, two-roomed cottage. It […]
DWI Boats
New Book Launched, Twice She Struck, The Story of RMS RHONE
New Book Launching I recently attended a fascinating presentation on the launching of a new book about the fate of the RMS RHONE ~ 1867 Congratulations to Dr. Mitch Kent on a well researched and beautifully presented timeline of actual events that occurred before and after the Rhone’s demise off Salt Island. I spent the […]
The Yacht, Diablesse Visits St. Thomas ~ 1914
#OnThisDay in 1914, one of my favorite authors sailed into Charlotte Amalie harbor. Captain Frederic A. Fenger, was an adventurous explorer with several Caribbean books to his credit. Books About the Virgin Islands One of my favorites was his 1926 novel, “The Cruise of Diablesse”. He also wrote Alone in the Caribbean which chronicled his […]
The Disappearance of the Fishing Sloop, KITE ~ 1901
Note: This image is a part of the Estus H. Magoon Collection, Item No. 1398. It was used to share this story and is not an actual image of the Kite.. The British sloop, Kite was a popular vessel sailing between the islands of Tortola and St. Thomas during the 1890s. Like so many island boats, it […]
44 Ships Belonging to the North Atlantic Fleet Pass St. Croix ~ 1917
Imagine looking out to the horizon and seeing a flotilla of battleships coming into view. This happened in 1917 on a cloudy, January morning when citizens in Christiansted witnessed an unusual fleet of Naval ships just beyond the three-mile limit. As word spread, residents rushed down to the shore to see for themselves. When they noticed the first battleship […]
Rebuilding a Sunken Sailboat ~ 1916
The Schooner, Eagle Last year, I shared a fascinating story about the inter-island sloop, Eagle. Included were rare photographs of her crew and some of her passengers. The Owner In late 1916, the owner of the Eagle was Captain Oswald Waldemar George of St. John. His route spanned the seas between the British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. The Eagle, like the Zuhrah, Fancy Me, […]
Lost at Sea! A Jost Van Dyke Sloop Vanishes Without a Trace ~ 1916
Imagine saying farewell to your loved one at the dock as they boarded a boat, then discovering later that they never made it to their destination. On a dark and rainy evening in January of 1916, Mr. C.H. Berrian hugged his wife goodbye as she boarded a boat destined for West End, Tortola. She had been […]
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 […]