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Kayak, Hike & Snorkel to Historic Hassel Island

Hassel Island sits at the entrance to one of the busiest harbors in the Caribbean. Yet, virtually no visitor to St. Thomas' capitol of Charlotte Amalie has ever had the opportunity to visit this historic and cultural jewel - until now.

Virgin Islands Ecotours began offering its 'Kayak, Hike & Snorkel to Historic Hassel Island' tours in November, 2009. Some 124 acres of the 136-acre Hassel Island are owned by the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP) and offer visitors the opportunity to paddle back in time and explore Danish and British Napoleonic era forts and ruins of a 19th century marine railway that kept St. Thomas afloat as the hub of maritime trading in the Caribbean during the mid 19th century. Beautiful beaches and fish-filled reefs rim the island too.

"Hassel Island is a wonderful resource that was not being interpreted due to no public access," says Sybille Sorrentino, owner of Virgin Islands Ecotours, a kayak tour company that operates trips in other protected natural locations such as Cas Cay in the Mangrove Lagoon on St. Thomas and Caneel Bay, within the VINP on St. John.

A three-hour professionally guided tour departs from Virgin Islands Ecotours Frenchtown Marina base twice daily, at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The tour begins with a 20-minute paddle aboard two-man, easy-to-paddle, sit-atop kayaks along a scenic route where bustling Charlotte Amalie and its beautiful harbor serve as backdrop while in the foreground soon appears a small beach and ruins of the Garrison House. This nearly 200 year-old structure built by the British between 1807 and 1815 once served as a powder magazine. A 10-minute moderately steep and rocky trail leads to Fort Willoughby. Constructed in 1802, the remains of structures such as a parapet wall, gun platform, guardhouse, small magazine and troop's sleeping quarters are visible today. Picture-perfect views from this spot sweep south to the Caribbean Sea, east to Frenchman's Reef, and north to the Havensight Cruise Ship dock.

Next, paddle north along the protected northern coast of the island to Careening Cove. Raft up here and listen to a short talk about the ruins that surround the bay and how ships from Europe were 'careened' or repaired and cleaned.

The tour comes ashore for a second time at the ruins of the Creque Marine Railway. Built in the 1840s by a group of Danish businessmen, and now undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation by the National Park Service, this is likely the oldest surviving steam operated marine railway in the world. At its peak in the 1870s, the railway could haul vessels as heavy as 1200 tons.

Finally, paddle through the stretch of channel that separates Hassel Island and Frenchtown-and that was first dredged in 1860 to create the island from a peninsula attached to the mainland-to secluded Garden Beach. A view of Shipley's Battery, a fortification built by the British in 1802, is clearly visible. Enjoy a dip and a guided snorkel tour of the reef before paddling back to the Frenchtown Marina.

Virgin Islands Ecotours also offers a 5-hour tour, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., which includes lunch from the Frenchtown Deli and visit to Ft. Shipley.

Rates for the 3-hour tour are $89 per person and for the 5-hour tour are $143 per person. Tour prices include kayaking and snorkeling equipment and instruction, snack and beverage, restroom facilities, changing rooms and free lockers. Lunch is also included on the 5-hour trip.

A portion of each visitor's ticket price is donated by Virgin Islands Ecotours to the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the natural and cultural resources of the Park. Visitors will then receive a free one-year membership in Friends of the Park. Friends' members receive the organization's newsletter, a discount in the Friends store, discounts with the businesses in the Friends Affinity Program, an invitation to the annual meeting and discounts on Friends Seminars with priority reservations.

To participate in Virgin Islands Ecotours' 'Kayak, Hike & Snorkel to Historic Hassel Island' tours, visitors should be age 16 and over, able to swim and in good physical condition.

For information and reservations, call (340) 779-2155, Email: info@viecotours.com or visit www.viecotours.com

Visiting the United States Virgin Islands and want to go fishing or diving, charter a yacht or sailboat for a week, or rent a boat or sailboat for the day? Check out the Activities Directory for contacts and information.