Private Sailing Tour: Excursion Through Historic Pirate Waters of Salt River Bay, St. Croix
4.8
17 Ratings
Northcentral
Embark on a private sailing tour through the historic pirate waters of Salt River Bay, St. Croix. Explore the pristine bay, learn about its pirate past, and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of this ecological preserve.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve - Park near the boat ramp in Salt River Marina. FOLLY docks on the wall beside the restaurant–look for the red sloop with the pirate flag. We sail into the bay and relive the battle between Columbus and the Indigenous peoples and learn how Conquistadors used St. Croix. The crew hears about notorious pirates who once lived along the shores of the bay, including Ponce de Leon, Michiel du Ruyter, Henry Morgan, Michelle de Grammont, and Samuel Bellamy, also stories of other famous visitors like Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and many more. FOLLY takes you into battle with Pirate Captain Jean Martel’s 22-gun JOHN AND MARTHA and 8-gun RENOWN against the 32-gun HMS SCARBOROUGH, sailing over cannons, bones, ballast stones, and, somewhere, 1000 pounds of silver.
What's Included
- Carbonated beverages included
Additional Information
Salt River Bay, St. Croix, was a pirate nest for two and a half centuries, used by Kalinago, Conquistadors, Buccaneers, and Pirates, and appears almost as pristine as when they anchored in the bay, sold their plunder, and partied ashore. Salt River Bay is also an ecological preserve filled with natural tropical beauty, mangroves, sea turtles, large tarpon, palm-covered beaches, and coral reefs.
- Travelers need to contact vendor to ask for an available time.
- Travelers with a service animal need to let vendor know ahead of time.
Location
Salt River
Pin Salt River Marina. Upon entering, take the left side, and FOLLY is moored by the restaurant space. Look for the black flag!
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(17 Ratings)
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Mummys_problems
May 4, 2024
Something you need to do in St Croix USVI - This was the highlight of my St Croix USVI vacation! Captain Stan and Oscar (his incredibly cute dog) did a great job telling me the pirate history of the area and his families ties to the history! Capt Stan made sure to have cold water/soda if I wanted any. And don't forget Capt Stan wrote a book about this! I definitely recommend buying the book, there are signed copies at the marina. Overall a great way to spend a couple hours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cheryl_p
Mar 2, 2024
Sailing, history, and all around good time - My husband and I had a fantastic time! Captain Stan was very knowledgeable about the history of St. Croix. We learned so much about the local indigenous people, the buccaneers and the pirates who lived/visited the island all while having a beautiful sail throughout the salt river bay.
Review provided by Viator
Vern_m
Feb 11, 2024
Perfect way to spend an afternoon - Captain Stan and his first mate Oscar the dog, delivered a most enjoyable afternoon on Salt River Bay. Stan is a knowledgeable historian, engaging storyteller, not to mention a ninja sailor, check out his final approach. Highly recommend this to anyone seeking a casual, comfortable sail with witty friendly company.
Review provided by Viator
Adventure797274
Jan 26, 2024
Adventure, History and Oscar - The day of our trip was windy and there were small craft advisories. We were hesitant, but Captain Stan put us at ease and gave us an incredible sailing adventure. At no point did we feel unsafe, and knew we were in very capable hands. Captain Stan spun the incredible history of the bay we were sailing, and of St. Croix, while he and his first mate Oscar (his cute little dog) expertly handled his craft. It was a highlight of our trip and can highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Skippytwd
Dec 29, 2023
Low key great time -- Good for a small family - Informative and relaxing -- nice to be able to go out as a private group without a big crowd of other folks. Stan is a knowledgeable sailor, teacher, historian, and musician. He is a pleasant and talented storyteller and presents history in the context of the island's geography -- so many of the stories of the island of St Croix lie below the surface of the water. The duration is long enough to be fun and get to see some stuff and short enough to not take up the whole day -- good small family option. To quote another reviewer, this excursion brings fantastic pirate stories, a cute dog, and fun sailing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wizofid
Mar 26, 2023
Fun for the Whole Family - Three generations of our family, ages five to 71, set sail with Stan. Everyone had a great time and learned a lot. Indeed we were so impressed we bought his book. Now if we can just pry it out of the elder grandson's hands. Finally, for the sailors among us, Stan's skills are impressive, especially his return to the dock. Take notes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johnpb8976re
Jul 1, 2022
Great cruise - Great and informative trip! I would highly recommend it. We learned a ton and the sail was a lot of fun.
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Lindsay
Jun 4, 2022
Great experience! - Such a beautiful and relaxing sailboat trip. The history behind the pirates and buccaneers was amazing. He didn’t skip a beat. Highly recommend!
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John_a
Apr 6, 2024
Great Sunset Cruise - Learning about the history of the area and being on the water was great. The Captain is a skilled sailor with amazing knowledge of St. Croix's history.
Review provided by Viator
Navigate42711156825
Mar 20, 2024
Pleasant sail - Stanford got the time mixed up so off to a questionable start. He told us a lot of the pirate history of the island and an enjoyable sail. His dog Oscar is very cute and a good sailor also. You don’t see any shipwrecks as the remains are under water. We never received a free drink.
Review provided by Tripadvisor