The words, “Last call for crabs! Does everyone who wants crabs have crabs?”, are actually quite common here on St. Croix. Each week, people line up in bars, resorts, and restaurants to get crabs… hermit crabs. Why? To, hopefully, win Tito and Sue’s Crab Races.
Every two weeks, Tito and Sue pick a bunch of new, feisty hermit crabs to compete in their race. People come from all over the island to bet on the hermit crabs and name them funny names.
It was good that Zane, Chip, and I got to the bar early. We didn’t realize how much of a crowd the hermit crabs drew in! The line to pick a hermit crab was across the entire restaurant. Once we got to the front of the line, we chose the fastest-looking hermit crabs in the bin and gave them a name on their shell. The crabs were only $3 each, so some people got as many as 10! Others even brought their own crab to compete. We were worried our chosen racers would get lost in the sea of crabs, but we stayed hopeful.
After carefully choosing our hermit crab names- Skull, Smithy, Prince, Kid Rock, and Beef- we hopped to the bar and ordered some appetizers. Our food came quickly, which was a blessing. Even after 30 minutes of eating, the races hadn’t begun. The line to get crabs was still across the bar! Crowds of people were still showing up to choose the victorious crab. We watched as each person gave their crab a quick wish of good luck and sent them on their way to, hopefully, win them some prizes. It hadn’t even begun, but we loved the competition.
When it was time to start the races, Tito and Sue called everyone over and explained the game. There were four heats of crab races, each with one winner crab. After the four heats, the finalists would compete to see who was the ultimate hermit crab champion. Finally, there were two “drink races”, which raffled off drinks or gift certificates for local bars and dining around the island.
At the sound of Sue’s kazoo, the buckets filled with crabs were lifted, and the race began. Everyone, from toddlers to retired folks, screamed out the names of their crabs, urging them to go faster. It was hilarious watching the crowd get so spirited over hermit crabs crawling. The round ended as soon as the first crab crossed the outside line of the circular course. Sue and Tito scooped up the crabs, saying each name of the crab as they got picked up, and got ready to do it again.
We definitely need some practice picking crabs. Despite our cheers to make them go faster, our crabs were not even close to making the top ten. Skull stayed in the center of the course the entire time; Beef was doing circles; I don’t think we ever even saw Kid Rock, but we still had so much fun. I wish every bar had hermit crab races.
Check out the crab race schedule if your family wants a fun place to eat in St. Croix. Everyone has a great time watching the crabs scramble to victory. Adults appreciate the budget-friendly entertainment. Kids appreciate the surprise toys Tito and Sue hand out at the end. Families leave the races feeling like winners no matter their crab’s outcome. We left Tito and Sue’s Crab Races and already were wishing to do it again.