The Next Trip.                    December, 1999 edition


I was thinking about a trip to St. Croix in December of 1999, 
to be there during January of 2000. It is the prefect place to 
be for the y2k event. If power fails and the civilized world 
is plunged into chaos, the west coast of St. Croix will hardly 
know the difference.

But since hurricane Lenny has done extensive damage to the island
and electric power has been slow to return, I have made plans to 
spend that time in Aruba.  It is not as good a place to be in case
of a power failure, since  Northside Valley has bottle gas 
(+ enough fruit on the trees to live for weeks), but it is much 
better than Wisconsin in January without power.

A St. Croix trip would be much less expensive if there were a
group to share the cost of a van. But for just me and my wife,
the costs are about the same since we don't need a car in Aruba. 

Some people who have expressed interest in a St. Croix trip
in the past the include.

bamitche@execpc.com (BRIAN MITCHELL)
"Meyers, Shirley" 
dietzsl@jmu.edu (Stacie Dietz)
paul.borowski@ohr.gatech.edu

Brian Mitchel is a diving instructor who has been there with me
before. 


If you might be interested in a future St. Croix  trip, contact me at:


jeblair@facstaff.wisc.edu


Here is some information from the last time I was there in
January 97.



       CRUZAN DIVERS (now "Capt'n Dick's Scubawest")

The resort course was $60. Tank rentals were $8 per day for a 
full tank, and weights may be $2.50 extra (but Tom Long has
traditionally thrown it in. I talked to Steve Hess and he will
check with Tom). Besides I now have about 35 lbs of lead at
Northside Valley: this was enough for 3 divers on the last trip.

A weekly tank rental rate was $40 per week which includes 7 air
fills.


Boat dives were $45 for one or $60 for a two tank dive trip.
Packages wer 2 day (4 tanks) = $110
             3 day (6 tanks) = $155
       up to 5 day (10 tank) = $250  

I suppose we will want to combine shore and boat. Think about it.

The non-certified can do the resort course with CRUZAN DIVERS and 
then can do boat dives with them.

If they don't want to go to Salt River, we may want to make a
separate trip there. Anchor Dive Center charges $65 for a two
tank boat dive, and this is the best dive site on the island (or
in the Caribbean!) when the weather is good. From their shop, the
dive sites are about a 5 minute trip, (or about a half hour from
CRUZAN DIVERS.)



The cost for housing and the van was $50 per day. 

In general, it is not a good idea to take a lot of cash (or other
valuables). Money for incidentals is better as travellers checks. 

Be sure to bring sun lotion, a facemask, snorkel and fins. It is
a good idea to pack a swim suit sun lotion and what you need for
the first night in your carry on, just in case your luggage is
delayed a day (it has happened!). 

Bring a flashlight; divers bring an underwater one for night dives.
Sandals are useful, and bring a beach towel, soap and shampoo.

I will have a blender, and powered drink mixes are useful. We
should have fresh limes and sour oranges which go good with the
local rum.  

There is usually good fresh fish in the local market.  

Enough food for the first night and a breakfast is a good idea. 
I have found powered milk handy.  

Even if there is fresh papaya (and with all the rain this fall there 
should be), it needs to ripen for a few days after bring picked.
There are plenty of fresh limes growing on the estate.

You may want to bring along extra food items, but the local
stores are better stocked than they used to be.

Dress in the islands is casual: shoes and long pants is
considered "formal".  

                 

The best time to be in the Caribbean 
is during the winter. I have been
there as early as Christmas and as late 
as St. Patrick Day. Both are
celebrated, as is Three Kings Day.


Summers are nice in Wisconsin and late summer into fall is the rain and
hurricane season in the islands. Watch the weather channel on TV at 50
minutes after the hour to see how the storms, tropical depressions and
hurricanes are doing. 

The rainy weather usually clears up about Christmas making

January is beautiful and green, February is nice.  By late March it is 
sometimes rather dry.


I will use this file to keep people up to date on the next trip details. 
 
                         ,,,,,,,
____________________ooo__(_O O_)__ooo_________________________
                           (_)

Jim Blair (jeblair@facstaff.wisc.edu) University of Wisconsin, Madison
 "This message is brought to you using biodegradable binary bits and
                    100 % recycled bandwidth."
 

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