Hello everyone, and happy Friday! It’s been an extremely windy week here on St. John, and the waves have been pretty big at some of our more popular beaches because of it. Today I am going to tell you how to best navigate these blustery days.
First, I suggest downloading the Windy app or visit Windy.com. You can zoom into our location here in the US Virgin Islands. (This app shows you winds from around the world. It’s pretty cool.) You can choose to look at knots or miles per hour, and you can even see what the wind gusts are. I looked this morning, and the winds are blowing consistently at around 20-25 mph and the gusts are around 30-35mph. That’s a pretty windy beach day.
Winds typically come out of the East, which is what’s happening today. When they are strong out of the East, you can guarantee that there will be big waves at Cinnamon, Trunk, and Hawksnest. The right side at Trunk will be better (if looking at the water) because it is protected a bit by the hillside. I spent a few hours at Maho yesterday, and it was even breezy there.
The East End beaches are better on days like these. Saltwell Bottom and Hansen are both located near the end of Centerline Road, which is Route 10 on the map. Both are pay to park beaches because the land beside them is privately owned, so please plan accordingly. Salt Pond will also be calm and Lameshur should be good too.
On the flip side, if you like waves, head out to Cinnamon today. That is going to be the best spot to either sit back and watch the waves, or grab a boogie board and play in them.
And here is a comment that a friend who owns a boat charter company asked me to share with you all – if your captain cancels your trip due to wind, they’re doing it for safety purposes. She said she routinely gets calls from potential customers asking for a trip after another trip gets cancelled due to wind. It’s a safety thing. Trust me, they all wish they could take you out. 🙂
Looking ahead, it seems that the winds will calm down by Monday afternoon, but the winds will switch to the south then. So the south side beaches – Hansen, Saltwell, Salt Pond, and Lameshur, for example – will likely be pretty wavy. And if the weather holds true, the North Shore beaches – Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon, and Maho, for example – should be super calm early next week.
That’s all I have for you today, folks! Back on the road for another island tour today! February is nearly full and March is filling up quickly. I even have December bookings! It’s never too early to reserve your island tour. Learn more at www.explorestj.com/tour or email me at jenn@explorestj.com.
Have a great day!
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