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Support St. John Students: Gifft Hill Auction Happening Now!

Jenn Manes 0 Comments
Villa Copa is one of the items available at the Gifft Hill Auction.

Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! As I mentioned last month, it’s gala season here on St. John! Gifft Hill School is holding its annual gala this weekend, and it’s holding an auction to coincide with the event. There are a lot of great items up for bid, including trips to Iceland and Portugal, as well as children’s artwork, boat trips, villa stays and more!

Gifft Hill is a private, independent school that educates children as young as two years old and continues through twelfth grade. My son Dalton is a kindergartener at the school. Gifft Hill is currently the only high school on St. John. The public high schools are on St. Thomas, so several of our children take the ferry to school every day. There’s a St. John fun fact for you. 🙂 But back to the auction!

There are 147 items up for grabs as of this morning. Here are a few items that are available:

  • Villa stay at Cruz On Inn
  • Villa stay at Coqui villa
  • Villa stay at Chase the Sun villa
  • Villa stay at Villa Copa
  • Villa stay at Fiddlewood Cottage
  • Vacation at Concordia Eco Resort
  • Vacation at Estate Lindholm
  • Full day charter on Island Roots Boat Charters
  • Sunset trip on Palm Tree Charters
  • Day at Lovango Resort + Beach Club

There is also numerous pieces of jewelry, artwork and more.

One of the cool features of the Gifft Hill Auction is the Golden Ticket. For $200, you can enter to win the Golden Ticket. The winner gets to choose one of the live auction items that includes trips to Iceland, Portugal, New Orleans, Alaska, Vail and more. Only $200 Golden Tickets are sold, so you have to act fast for this one.

Click here to view all of the items and to bid. Good luck everyone!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour  

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

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–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

Yes, That is Dust from Africa in the Sky.

Jenn Manes 2 Comments
The dust mixed with some clouds on Monday.

For those of you who are on island this week, or perhaps you’ve been watching our webcams from home, you may have noticed a haze in the skies around St. John. That haze is actually dust that’s traveled to the region from Africa, which is something that happens every year.

Each year, typically during spring and summer months, dust and sand from the Sahara Desert float up from Africa and travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean via the trade winds. When the dust arrives in the territory, our typically bright blue skies are replaced by a grey haze. Visibility is reduced, and our air quality becomes poor. The dust can last for a day, a few days, or even a week in some cases. The dust has arrived a bit early this year, but luckily it won’t be around long.

Yesterday’s dust mixed with some clouds and rain, so visibility was extremely poor, more so on the Coral Bay side of the island and out toward the East End. One cool thing about this Saharan Dust is that you can track it on radar, just like you can track a rainstorm. I like to use myfoxhurricane.com to track it. The first image below is the dust as of this morning. The second shows that it will clear out of the region by Thursday afternoon.

The Saharan Dust will continue today. Here is the forecast from Tuesday morning.
The Saharan Dust will leave the region by Thursday.

And here is a picture taken on top of Bordeaux Mountain on a clear day and another that shows the dust:

Picture Point – no dust
Picture Point – dust

It’s currently down pouring, so it’s hard to see the actual dust, but it’s here for sure. The forecast calls for thunderstorms this morning and then scattered thunderstorms this afternoon.

Want to see for yourself what the dust looks like or perhaps you want to check out the skies? Check out nearly two dozen webcams positioned around the island at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour  

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

Well That Was Fun!

Jenn Manes 0 Comments
The 2024 Mile 8 Water Station crew!

Hello everyone, and happy Monday! What a great weekend! We finally were able to hold 8 Tuff Miles after a four-year break, and it was just as fun as ever!

There are only two reasons in life that will prompt me to set an alarm in the morning. One: To catch the ferry/plane. Two: 8 Tuff Miles. Have I mentioned how much I love this day??!!

Am I a runner? No. Will I ever run 8 Tuff? Probably not. But will I greet runners and walkers at mile 8 every year with water, Gatorade, and a variety of shots? You betcha!

We did our jobs for the first hour and handed out water and Gatorade, as instructed. And then the party started. I was joined by numerous friends including Bridgett and Jimmy, who own Palm Tree Charters, and Tracy and Juice, who own Into the Mystic in Coral Bay. We had a variety of Cruzan Rums, Painkillers courtesy of The Beach Bar, Love City Seltzers, Tequila, Fireball, and more! Someone has to keep these runners hydrated!

In total, 1,119 people crossed the finish line Saturday morning. The winner was Matias Porporato of Christiansted, St. Croix. He finished the 8.3 mile race in just 53 minutes and 57 seconds. Unbelievable! The first female finisher was Elise Yoshioka of St. Thomas. She finished in 58 minutes and nine seconds.

Congrats Matias!
Congrats Elise!

The youngest runners were five-year-olds Aksel Tarr and Kai Reinbold, both of St. John. Aksel is Dalton’s classmate, so we were super excited to see him pass by us! And on the flip side, the oldest runner was 80 years old. Amazing!

Click here to see all of the runners. 

Here are a few more pics from Saturday:

Thank you for inviting me back every year 8 Tuff!
Keep filling those waters Dalton!
Cheers to Tim Hanley, one of the owners of The Tap Room!
Dalton was super excited to see Coach Emma from Gifft Hill School!
Thanks Bridgett and Jimmy!
Thanks Tracy!

Again, this was such a great day. The next 8 Tuff is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. See ya there!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour  

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Happening!

Jenn Manes 0 Comments

Well folks, I have great news to share with you all! The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is happening again this year!

The future of Quiet Mon Pub’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade was up in the air following their unexpected closure last December. Well today I am happy to tell you that our friends over at The Beach Bar are going to continue the tradition with the blessing of Quiet Mon, of course!

The parade will be held on Saturday, March 16th at high noon. The route will be a little different this year. The parade will start in Frank Bay near Coconut Coast Studios. It will go up the hill and past Gallows Point Resort, Lavender Hill and Grande Bay. It will pass Cruz Bay beach and will end over at The Beach Bar.

The 2024 parade route

As always, everyone is allowed and encouraged to participate. Please contact Mike Hedy at mikehedy340@gmail.com if you’d like to join the fun.

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour  

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

Airport Update: Changes Upon Arrival Starting Next Week

Jenn Manes 1 Comment
Flying over Water Island near the STT airport

For those of you who are traveling to St. John soon, there are some changes at the airport to be aware of.

Starting next Tuesday, the regular passenger pickup area will be temporarily relocated across the street and in front of the new parking and transportation center. A new crosswalk will be painted and a ramp will be construction to ensure that travelers can easily cross the street when waiting for taxis or to be picked up.

The new passenger pickup area will be behind the white Jeep.

The existing passenger pickup area will be demolished, so a new lane can be constructed. Soon we will have two lanes exiting the airport, which will allow for smoother travel, according to the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA).

The new parking and transportation center has been under construction for quite some time. According to VIPA, it is expected to open in April. Fingers crossed!

Another nice update at the airport is airline signs. You can now see exactly where your airline counter is when getting dropped off at the airport.

New airport signs!

For those of you who haven’t flown out of STT yet, it could be a four-step process if you are checking a bag. And even if you are not, you have to go through Customs before security. Click here to read all about navigating the St. Thomas airport when traveling home. 

That’s all I have for you today. Have a great one everyone!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour  

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

8 Tuff Miles is Back! Expect Road Closures Saturday

Jenn Manes 0 Comments
The last 8 Tuff Miles race was held in February 2020.

I don’t know about you, but I am super excited for this weekend. For the first time in four years, St. John will welcome more than 1,000 runners to the island for the annual 8 Tuff Miles road race. If you are lucky enough to be on island Saturday, you aren’t going to want to miss this!

8 Tuff Miles is an annual road race that starts in Cruz Bay and ends in Coral Bay. The last race was held in February 2020. It has been cancelled ever since due to Covid and other circumstances. I am thrilled to welcome it back this weekend!

Runners participating in 8 Tuff Miles will start behind the National Park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay at 7:15 a.m. Saturday morning. The race goes through Cruz Bay and up to the roundabout before heading up Centerline Road (Route 10 on the map) and all the way out to the ball field in Coral Bay. The race starts at sea level (technically five feet about sea level), reaches an elevation of 1,000 feet out near the Bordeaux Mountain and Mamey Peak areas and then heads back down to sea level where it ends in Coral Bay. The race is 8.38 miles to be exact.

Centerline Road (Route 10) will close at 7:10 a.m. on Saturday morning and will not reopen fully until 10:15 a.m. when the race is over. The road will reopen from west to east (Cruz Bay to Coral Bay) after the last walker passes that point. If you are staying in Coral Bay, you will not be able to drive down Centerline Road during this time. So if you want to head to the beach before 10 a.m., if you need to fly out, if you need to return your rental car Saturday morning, you need to plan accordingly. There are not any exceptions. The road is completely closed to traffic during this time.

The 8 Tuff Miles race extends along the dark blue path on the map. This road will be closed Saturday morning.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 1,265 runners registered for 8 Tuff Miles.

For those of you, like me, who aren’t runners but want to get in on the action, you can head to Centerline Road and cheer on the runners. Bring a Bluetooth speaker and play some music for the runners along the route. Find one of the eight water stations along the way and help hand out water and Gatorade to the runners and walkers.

I have been in charge of the eighth water station for years, and I am excited to do so again this year. Once the runners and walkers get to me, there is only .3 miles of mostly downhill road before the end of the race. We actually hand out more shots than water at my water station, so be sure to stop by and say hello. It becomes a fun little party. 🙂 If you’d like to join my water station Saturday, please email me at jenn@explorestj.com for details.

Life seems normal again! Isn’t it great??!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj