If the recent invasion by the British fleet on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront is any indication, the Winter 2001 tourist season is, indeed, upon us.
The British didn't actually invade, but several imposing yachts dotted the waterfront this week, each bearing the Union Jack. The yachts are registered in Bermuda, Guernsey (in the English Channel) and the Cayman Islands.
The Leander, at 246 feet in length, is by far the largest by more than 100 feet. It is registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, and is at present accompanied by crew only.
According to Ken Huskey, owner of Yacht Services, V.I., the Leander's captain, Giles Cope, said the crew chose St. Thomas out of all the Caribbean islands for its vacation. Even with crew only, it merits a night watchman while on the waterfront. The yacht can be chartered for $420,000 a week, and can sleep 20 in 10 luxuriously appointed staterooms.
The Leander's prestigious crew roster is populated with former Royal Navy personnel, a Cordon Bleu chef and deckhands sporting college degrees.
Compared to the Leander, the 128-foot Talon, registered in the Cayman Islands, sleeping 10 and hiring out at $52,000 a week, looks like small potatoes.
So does the glistening white Silence, out of Guernsey, measuring a little more than 100 feet of sleek workmanship. It is captained by Jules Cope, brother of the Leander captain. However, his crew isn't having a vacation. The owners arrive Wednesday for a sail.
Crown Bay is again brimming with elegant marine tonnage. "We're going to have the best season ever," Huskey predicted. The marina's big berths are all full now, with just the smaller ones still available.
Huskey's firm handles all the larger yachts and the monster Super Servers that bring many of the big boats to the territory.
"So far we've had four sailings, about 35 big yachts," Huskey said. "Tomorrow we're getting the 250-foot Talitha G, which will tie up at the Sub Base piers. It's picking up charter guests." That is good news for local businesses who will be provisioning the boat.
Huskey is enthusiastic about seeing the waterfront covered with the big yachts. The 250-footers cannot fit in the Crown Bay slips.
"The waterfront looks great," he said. "It's a good place to accommodate the large boats. I'd like to see 20 or 30 in the foreseeable future, but it's about a half-dozen for now."
