What you can see on the Frederiksted cams
One camera looks along the beach in town, over pale sand and the rocky shore, to the long cruise pier reaching out into the bay and the waterfront beyond it. The other is on a beach north of town, where the sand curves away past the sea grape towards the green hills of the west end, with the calm Caribbean on the left.
The beach and the pier, Frederiksted
From a beachfront hotel in Frederiksted, this camera looks along pale sand and a rocky shore of the west end to the long cruise pier reaching out into the bay, with the waterfront of the town and the hills beyond.
The west coast is sheltered from the trade wind, so the water is usually glassy here; the cam shows it, the pier and, on cruise days, the ship alongside.
The beach north of Frederiksted
From a group of beach cottages north of town, this camera looks along a wide sandy beach past the sea grape to the curve of the coast and the green hills of the west end, with the calm Caribbean on the left.
It is a good cam for the sea on the west coast: the small waves on the sand, the colour of the water and the light late in the day.
The beach at the West End, Frederiksted
From a water-sports shop on the beach near Frederiksted, at the west end of St Croix, this camera looks along the sand and the shoreline to a green point, with the calm Caribbean on the left. A small panel in the corner gives the weather.
The west end faces the sunset, and the beach is sheltered from the trade winds: it shows the calm of the water and the colour of the evening sky.
A town on a grid
Frederiksted was laid out by the Danes in the 1750s on a regular plan of streets, around the red walls of Fort Frederik. It was here, in 1848, that the governor proclaimed the emancipation of the slaves of the Danish West Indies, after an uprising on the island. Much of the town burned in the labour riots of 1878 and was rebuilt in wood, which gives it its Victorian look. The pier is also known for its snorkelling: turtles and seahorses live among its pilings.
When to watch Frederiksted
St Croix keeps Atlantic Standard Time all year, four hours behind UTC. The west end is sheltered from the trade wind, so its water is usually the calmest on the island, and the sunsets over the sea are the reason many people come. The hurricane season runs from June to November.
Nearby
Rainbow Beach and the beaches north of the town run along the coast towards Sandy Point, a national wildlife refuge where leatherback turtles nest in spring. Inland, the rainforest of the west end and the Estate Whim plantation museum are a short drive away.
Getting there
The town is about 30 minutes' drive from Christiansted and 15 from the airport. Cars drive on the left. The beaches close to town are easy to reach and have beach bars and water sports.
