“Yo ho! Yo ho! A pirate’s life for me!”
The song from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland was imprinted upon my soul long before it was turned into a movie franchise. As a child I spent many hours in those little boats, circling around the Pirate’s ride, listening to the chorus on repeat. I dreamed of the day that I could be a pirate and sail around the Caribbean, looking for treasure.
Of course, now that I’m older and know more about the history of pirates and Colonial America…it’s still a romantic notion: I listen to the Pirate’s soundtracks at work; I watch the movies; I once collected Pirates of the Caribbean snow globes. How many times have I taken one of those silly online quizzes to “discover” what my pirate name would be or which famous pirate am I reincarnated as?
(I got Jacquotte Delahaye, just so you know)
So when my friends got engaged and decided to be married in the Caribbean, I decided to stay a week and let my imagination take off! I envisioned myself on the top of a hill, overlooking my kingdom with a patch on one eye and a sword in my belt, while my crew loaded my overladen barrels of gold and glittering jewels into a cave, hidden by the rising tide.
While most of that didn’t happen, I happened to find myself at Blackbeard’s Castle. That’s right…THE Blackbeard.
Who was he? Why is he so memorable? Anyone who has seen Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies can probably answer these questions, but for those who haven’t, here’s a brief intro:
Blackbeard, or Edward Teach (or some other variation), was a notorious pirate who worked the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Eastern North American area during the late 1600s-early 1700s. He wasn’t the most successful pirate of his time, never buried treasure, and ended up purposely running his ship aground in a sandbar.
Well…that doesn’t sound too bad. Why was he so feared?
Fact: Blackbeard was intimidating. Before battles, he would light pieces of fuse or candles and put them under his hat. The smoke emanating would give him a slightly demonic and extremely intimidating aura, striking terror into the hearts of his enemies. And, his flag was of a skeleton stabbing a red heart with a spear. In today’s world, that doesn’t seem all that bad, but hundreds of years ago it was enough to turn ships around.
Blackbeard’s Castle sits atop Government Hill in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI, and is one of 5 historical landmarks in the USVI. Built in 1676 by the Danish people, it was originally known as Skytsborg Tower and was used as a watch tower against enemy ships. It’s unclear when the name officially (or unofficially) transitioned over to Blackbeard’s Castle, but it adds to the mystery and romanticism of piracy in the Caribbean.
The combination of a historical landmark and pirates was enough of a draw for me to visit. The Castle has crazy hours (open only Tuesdays and Wednesday from 9-3), so my only option on this trip was to visit on my last full day on the island. I arrived towards the end of the introductory monologue in front of Blackbeard’s statue, but what I saw was amazing. The guide was so animated and was waving around a long sword. So awesome. After she was finished, she offered to let us take turns holding the sword in front of the statue for pictures. Of course, everyone was just holding the sword down towards the ground. As per usual, I didn’t want to follow the crowd and take the same picture.
Needless to say, I am now in a bunch of tourist’s camera rolls as they all started taking pictures of me wielding the (heavy) sword around. When I got my fill fighting off the imaginary bad guys, I got in line to ascend the stairs to the top of the tower. It’s narrow and smallish, so we had to go up in groups to the top.
It was an amazing view and I could instantly see the vantage points. I hummed “yo ho” all up and down the tower, completely grinning from ear to ear. From the top, you can see St. Croix and Puerto Rico (Islands I could picture within my domain, should I ever resort to piracy).
Can’t you just imagine pointing your spyglass out onto the horizon, keeping watch for enemy ships?
Blackbeard’s Castle has an Inn attached to it, along with a few pools. WHAT?? Thankfully I had looked ahead online and was prepared. There’s nothing that can compare to floating in a pool while staring at a castle.
Part of the tour included a self-guided walk down to some historic villas and mansions that were built in the 1800s. The villas were cute, but the views were incredible. I could see myself settling down here for sure.
And a random amazing waterfall. This wasn’t what I expected, but I loved it. The courtyard it resides in is probably what the Imagineers used for inspiration while creating the motifs surrounding the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It was so peaceful and as I found myself alone, I took a few minutes to meditate.
One of the villas was transformed into a mini museum with statues of the most notorious pirates and privateers, both real and fictional (Jack Sparrow has one). My favorite had to be the ones of Blackbeard and his ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
After touring the villas, I had to make my way back up to the Castle to get my car. I failed to mention that the walking tour is downhill the entire way and the only route back is to hike up the famous 99 stairs. Although I wasn’t super excited to hike up some stairs after swimming, they were beautiful.
I highly recommend paying Blackbeard’s Castle a visit. If you want to spend about $100/night, you can find accommodations pretty close to the castle. Be prepared for a step back in time, to a much simpler age. Oh, and the inner child will come bursting out and you’ll find yourself thinking and talking like a pirate. Maybe you should wear an eye patch…
PIN ME
