Meet the first turtle hatchlings of the 2024-2025 season! (Image credit: Friends of VI National Park)
I have such great news to share with all of you today! The first sea turtle nest of the 2024-2025 season hatched over the weekend, and several baby Hawksbill turtles successfully made it into the ocean!
Fifty-five nesting activities were documented during the 2023-2024 nesting season, which resulted in 29 confirmed nests. We had 2,491 hatchlings successfully make it out to sea during that time. How amazing is that! Let’s hope those numbers are even larger this season!
One of this year’s protected nests. (Image credit: Bogie’s Villa)
So what should you do if you come across nesting activity? Please report it. You can either email vinpturtles@friendsvinp.org or call/text 760-470-8995. Please do not disturb the area, but send photos, if possible.
If you see someone touching or mistreating a turtle, please contact the National Park Service at 866-995-8467.
If you see a turtle in distressed, please contact the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rescue (STAR) hotline at 340-690-0474.
If you would like to learn more about St. John’s sea turtles, you can attend a virtual seminar tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. EST. Join Friends of the VI Park Education Specialist, Kaitlyn Cummings, and learn about the Virgin Islands National Park Sea Turtle Program, the general life cycle of a sea turtle, the three species of turtles found in the US Virgin Islands, and the things you can do to protect our turtles. Click here to register for this free program.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
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.
Did you know that there used to be a Wendy’s in Wharfside Village?
Can I be honest for a moment? It’s not easy being creative every single day. It’s especially not easy being creative every single day when you live on a teeny tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean, and it’s low season, and not too much is happening. So, I’ve decided to share some random facts that I know about St. John with all of you. Today we’re talking fast food!
St. John does not have a single fast food restaurant or any sort of chain business for that matter. (I know you’re all thinking- thank goodness!) But that hasn’t alway been the case. Imagine wandering through Wharfside Village, gazing out toward the beautiful turquoise waters of Cruz Bay and passing by a Wendy’s fast food restaurant. Sounds terrible, right?! Well back in the early 90s, this is exactly what would have happened! Wendy’s was located in the section of Wharfside Village where La Tapa is today. It closed in 1992 after a fire caused extensive damage to the restaurant, and never reopened.
Subway was the second and only other fast food chain to operate on St. John. It was located in a trailer across from Woody’s where Tap & Still is today. Subway closed in 2008, and then was transformed briefly into a campaign office. Since then, numerous restaurants have been in that spot including Iguana Grill, Across the Street, Umami and currently Tap & Still.
Pusser’s Bar used to be located on the second floor of Wharfside Village. I guess that can somewhat be considered a chain considering there have been several in the British Virgin Islands, there’s one in Ponte Vedra Florida, and there’s even one in Germany! Greengo and Tap & Still are technically chains too, but I was really referring to more mainstream chains, and Wendy’s and Subway are the only two that come to mind.
Another random fact: I lived in an apartment on the second floor of Wharfside Village from 2017-2018, and we had an original Pusser’s pendant lamp in our hallway – so fun!
That’s it for today, folks. As the island ramps up, so will may creativity. 🙂 Have a fantastic day, everyone!
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
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.
Another great event is happening this weekend! Several businesses are getting together to hold a block party to support the St. John Cancer Fund. The party is happening Saturday, October 19th from 6 p.m. to midnight. It’s being held in the heart of Cruz Bay, on the street near Woody’s and Tap & Still.
There will be satellite bars around the street, plus games and activities for the kids. Live music will be provided by RVP Band, DJ Adonis, RC Sanders and Mother Goat.
340 Real Estate Co. and Cinnamon Bay are the top sponsors. A big thank you for that! Other sponsors include St. John Brewers, The Windmill Bar, Sam & Jack’s, Shambles, The Beach Bar, Love City Strong, The Refiner, High Tide, Upstairs Bar, Tap & Still, The Pelican Post, Cruz Bay Landing, The Westin, Dave & Jerry’s.
I hope to se you all there!
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
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.
Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! I was out doing some real estate showings yesterday, and just before the potential buyers and I parted ways for the day, they asked what they may be missing here on the island. They have visited numerous times over the years, but were curious if there was anything specific that I recommend doing or seeing. And, of course, my answer was yes!
If you are planning a St. John vacation, you should definitely consider taking a hike, I know the island is hot, but some hikes – like the hike to Murphy Great House that I am about to tell you about – has nice breezes along the way. It helps to keep you cool, which is always a bonus. And the views at the top are some of the most beautiful on the island. See for yourself:
The view from the Great House
But first, the history…
The Murphy Great House, which is located at the Annaberg plantation, is named for James Murphy, an Irish shipowner, St. Thomas merchant and slave trader. Mr. Murphy bought Waterlemon Bay back in 1796, and renamed it Leinster Bay soon thereafter, according to the St. John Historical Society. Within a year of owning the parcel, Murphy acquired Annaberg and Mary Point estates and then added a portion of the former deWintsberg estate, known as Betty’s Hope. He then started to build what was considered at the time to be a state-of-the-art sugar factory at Annaberg.
(The Annaberg site still remains and is maintained by the Virgin Islands National Park. You can view the former windmill, horse mill, boiling house, remnants of the enslaved laborers’ village, cook house (built later on), and a beautiful garden, which is lovingly maintained by my friend Charles.)
Mr. Murphy continued to acquire land, and in 1803 added the Munsburry plantation to his landholdings. Four years later, he purchased the nearby Brown Bay estate. By that time, he had amassed 1,245 acres of land. And off that, 494 acres were planted in sugar cane. According to the St. John Historical Society, this was the largest amount of sugar land ever controlled by one person in the history of St. John.
Murphy’s land. Image source: Estate Consolidation, Land Use, and Ownership: A GIS Archaeological Landscape Survey of St. John, Danish West Indies (1780-1800), with a Particular Focus on Annaberg Plantation
Murphy House, the destination of this hike, is the former homesite of Mr. Murphy. It is located high on a hill, above the Annaberg plantation site, and overlooks Leinster Bay and the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The site has spectacular views of the British View Islands and beyond. The views, in my opinion, are some of the best on island. Mr. Murphy controlled this land until his death in 1808. The land was then appraised separately. Some was sold off to his creditors, while some was split among his heirs.
Murphy Great House location
The hike to the Murphy Great House takes about 30 minutes or so in each direction. The time varies based on your pace, of course, and how often you choose to stop and take pictures along the way. I recommend sneakers for this hike, although it is doable in flip flops or sandals. I usually carry a bottle of water with me, although there are typically nice easterly breezes that cool you along the way. It’s all about staying cool, folks!
To take this hike, you’ll want to park in the small lot below the Annaberg plantation. Then walk toward the water where you will see a sign for the Leinster Bay Trail. Follow the rocky path along the shoreline and through the mangroves. After about 15 to 20 minutes, you will arrive at the beach at Waterlemon Bay.
The trail to Murphy Great House starts here.
Walk across the sandy beach until you see an opening into the woods. Take a right into the woods, and, almost immediately, you see a sign for the Johnny Horn trail. You’ll want to walk toward the left and up a slight hill.
The path is to the right here near the end of the beach.The path up to the guardhouse and Great House is to the left of this sign.
After less than five minutes, you will see a small path on your left that leads you to the former guardhouse site. This structure was purposefully located in a strategic spot, so the overseer was able to keep an eye on the the Fungi Passage, between Whistling Cay and Mary Point, and the Narrows, which separates Great Thatch and St. John.
Remnants of the guardhouse
From the guardhouse, continue your walk uphill. After a roughly five minute climb, you will come to an intersection. Take a left to visit Murphy Great House. (The trail continuing straight leads to the Brown Bay trail and ultimately out to Coral Bay.
(This sign has been updated since I took this pic, but it remains in the same spot.)
Once you arrive, be careful of the loose stone at the bottom of the stairs. From atop the site, you will see Annaberg in the distance off to your left, Tortola to your right, Waterlemon Cay below, Great Thatch to the far right, and glimpses of St. Thomas and Jost Van Dyke, among other islands, in the distance. There is a picnic table up there as well, so perhaps pack a lunch or a snack or two, and soak in the beauty St. John has to offer. Check out some more pics I took for you…
Pretty incredible, isn’t it?
If you’d like to see more of the island or perhaps learn a thing or two about St. John’s amazing history while having an amazing day during your vacation, please be sure to check out Explore STJ island tours at www.ExploreSTJ.com/tour.
Everyone who knows me knows how much I love animals, so I am thrilled to be a part of a fun “Mutt Mixer” event that’s happening this Friday.
Our friends over at The Refinery are holding a fundraising event for the Animal Care Center this Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Refinery is a great little spot in Cruz Bay that serves tapas, craft cocktails, and more. It’s located in the former La Tapa location beside Woody’s.
For every Tito’s cocktail purchased, $2 will be donated to the Animal Care Center. There will also be a 50/50 raffle, Tito’s swag, and more.
This event is being held to support the Animal Care Center’s massive spay and neuter event that’s happening next month. We are still a little short of our fundraising goal for the event, so please donate if you can. You can donate securely online at www.stjohnanimalcarecenter.com/donate.
Varlack Ventures announced earlier this week that ferry service between Cruz Bay and Charlotte Amalie will resume November 1st. The Charlotte Amalie ferry is a great option for people who’d like to shop or dine in downtown St. Thomas, hop on one of the BVI ferries or get a little closer to the airport, among other reasons.
Once the Charlotte Amalie ferry resumes, there will be three options for people traveling via passenger ferry between St. John and St. Thomas. The main ferry is the ferry that travels between Cruz Bay and Red Hook St. Thomas. This ferry runs between 5:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. at night (times vary on whether you are traveling to or from Cruz Bay). The Crown Bay ferry runs between the bulkhead area in Cruz Bay and the Crown Bay marina, which is about five minutes from the airport. And the third option will be the Charlotte Amalie ferry when it resumes November 1st. All of these ferries will run seven days a week.
You can also take a ferry to Jost Van Dyke three days a week – Sundays, Tuesdays and Friday. You can take a ferry to Virgin Gorda once a week – on Thursdays only. These trips depart from the bulkhead dock.
For more information, schedules or to purchase tickets for the Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie ferries, please visit www.stjohnticketing.com.
For more information on the Crown Bay, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda ferries, please visit www.interislandboatservices.com.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
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.
