Gym's Ramblings: Atlantic Odyssey 2025: Jersey Island, UK

After 36 hours of steady sailing out from Bordeaux, the MS Vista arrived off St. Helier, Jersey, on May 21, 2025. There was no pier for a passenger ship, so the anchor was dropped just off the shoals that protect the inner harbour. The tender boats were lowered and our hero and his fair companion then had the means to go explore this unique island.

Mr. G has always been intrigued by this place. Jersey is part of the Channel Islands and is home to 100,000 inhabitants. People there are often referred to as Jerseymen. It is a self-governing British Crown Dependancy that is physically much closer to Normandy, France than any part of England. Its power is supplied by France and it has a special relationship with the European Union, concerning trade. It was occupied by 6,500 German soldiers during WW2 and they were trapped there in June, 1944 when the Normandy invasion took place all around them. Today, it is one of those islands that is a tax haven. There is no capital gains tax, estate or inheritance tax and income tax is capped at 20%. It is 7-10 degrees warmer and on the whole, has more annual days of sunshine than anywhere in the UK. Jersey needed further investigation.

All the tours in Jersey were short ones on that day. The ship arrived at 11 am and the all-aboard time was 3:30 pm, so the groups only had 2-3 hours tops, to explore a small portion of the island's many attractions. The adventurers chose to check out Gorey Castle and they were happy that they did.

Corey Castle is the oldest of the three main castles on the island. It is a well-preserved defensive structure mainly built during the Middle Ages. The main keep dates from the 1200's but most of the defences you see today date from the 1500's. You need to climb up 200 steps to get to the top from the front gate and as you do so you pass through a series of three sets of defensive walls, each one having it's own gate and drawbridge. Two hours is enough time to get the bear minimum of a tour and climb up to the top to take in to the view. You need more time though to explore all the nooks and crannies in this very cool place.

After descending back down to street level, the dynamic duo shared a scoop of Jersey ice-cream. They had been told that the local dairy products were of a superb quality and this was proven to be correct. The odd thing though was that Gym never saw a cow on the bus rides to and from Gorey Castle. He now has a burning need to find out where the cows live on the island. They will need to come back to answer that question and explore the rest of the island.

Later on this cruise, the ship returns to the Channel Islands before it ends. Guernsey Island will be explored at that time and a comparison will be made in a future post.

That night the Vista would set a course for Honfleur, France. From there it is a 3-hour drive to Paris.

Stay tuned!