St. Thomas - Pirate Tales

While in Charlotte Amalie we climbed the 99 steps to get a closer look at Blackbeard's Castle tower. The steps were built in the mid l700s with bricks brought from Denmark, used as ballast on incoming ships.
The watch tower was built in the l7th century as part of the pirate "Blackbeard's" castle.
Pirate tales abound in St. Thomas and the lore has been marketed extensively. The local brewery is bottling under the label of "Blackbeard's Ale", many of the shops offer a full range of pirate regalia and doubloons (replicas) can be purchased. Many flags of piracy fly over the area, our favourite being "the beatings will continue until morale improves". Tales are in the air of ruthless scoundrels such as Blackbeard (Edward Teach), Capt. William Kidd, Gustav Wilmerding, Anne Bonny and Calico Jack Ratham, and Bluebeard (Eduard de Barbe - Bleue).