Author: Jenn Manes

I hate to discuss politics, but a possible government shutdown is looming. Two-thirds of St. John is National Park, so we will definitely see some effects should the government shutdown occur. Here is what I know based on what occurred here during the last shutdown in 2018.

The National Park will remain accessible to visitors. This means that all roads, beaches and trails will remain open, but emergency and rescue services will be limited. Other services, such as trash collection and road maintenance will cease. The National Park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay will close.

When there is a government shutdown, restroom facilities typically close too. This includes the restrooms in Cruz Bay beside the Visitor Center and also at Trunk Bay. The showers at Trunk Bay would typically close too. However, we are fortunate here on St. John to have Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park. They helped out during the last shutdown by cleaning the restrooms and showers at Trunk Bay, helping to keep them open. I cannot recall whether the fee booth at Trunk Bay closed in 2018, but I assumed it did.

Trash pickup will cease if the government shuts down. Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, as well as residents here on island, will step in if the shutdown happens. This is our home, so we will do what we can to keep it clean.

The concessions at Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Caneel Bay will all remain open as these are approved concessionaires within the National Park.

(The tiki bar at Maho Bay is not located in the National Park, and therefore is not affected.)

If the government shuts down, the National Park will not update its website or social media to reflect the current changes and/or happenings. So your best option is to check back here. I drive around the island almost daily, so I can tell you firsthand what is happening here on St. John. You can also look for updates on our social media pages.

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There are a lot of great events being planned here on St. John. Here are a few that you might want to add to your calendars:

• Saturday, October 25th: Woody’s Annual Block Party
• Thursday, October 30th: Haunted houses at The Windmill Bar
• Friday, October 31st: Trunk or Treat at the gravel lot – All children are welcoming whether you are a resident or visiting.
• Friday, October 31st: Haunted Houses at The Windmill Bar
• Saturday, December 13th: The All-Island Holiday Party aka The Prom – Mongoose Junction courtyard
• Saturday, January 24th: The Animal Care Center’s Annual Gala at The Last Resort villa
• Saturday, February 7th – Friends of the Park annual gala at Lovango Resort + Beach Club
• Saturday, March 7th – Gifft Hill School’s annual gala at Gifft Hill School

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Book Now. 

Hello everyone, and happy Monday!

So I’ve read your posts and comments online, and I see that many of you are curious what the current sargassum situation is. So that’s exactly what I plan to chat about today. 🙂

Let’s start by saying that sargassum is not an issue at the most popular beaches around the island. We did have a storm a few weeks ago, which caused the winds to shift a bit and that did push some sargassum onto beaches that typically do not get it. Hawksnest, for example, has some dried up sargassum currently. Trunk Bay does too. There hasn’t been any new sargassum floating around these bays, which is good. And the sargassum that has come onto the beaches is dry; therefore it does not stink.

There are few stinky areas, however, most notably Coral Bay and Fish Bay. The entrance of Fish Bay stinks to high heaven, as does the area around the curve where the dumpsters are in Coral Bay. There is an abundance of sargassum in those areas still, and quite frankly, it just stinks.

I did see some on little Reef Bay beach the other day, but that’s normal because it’s an east-facing beach.

The winds here typically come out of the east. If you are looking at the water at Cinnamon Bay, for example, east is to your right. The winds blow the sargassum past most of our best beaches, and then it lands on the eastern-facing beaches of St. Thomas. Unfortunately, this induces the Ritz, Sapphire and Margaritaville among other places.

So if you are coming to visit us in the near future, you have nothing to worry about in terms of the sargassum. It is super rare for it to land on the popular spots like Caneel, Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon and Maho. So no need s=to stress. 🙂

Want to know more about the places I’m referencing and more? Then please consider taking an island tour with me! I offer three and five hour tours.

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a longtime resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Book Now.