I have great news to share with all of you today! The new ferry dock is almost complete!
As you may or may not know, the ferry dock has been under construction for the past year, and we’re finally nearing completion! The updates include new restrooms, which is something it did not have before. There is also a brand new roof that covers a majority of the dock, so no more waiting in the hot sun or getting drenched in the rain. Winning! And lastly, there is a backup generator, so credit cards can still be processed during the outages.
Speaking of outages, we have had very few the past few days. 🙂 But back to the ferry dock…
If all goes as planned, the Port Authority is expected to complete construction at the ferry dock and adjacent taxi area within the next two weeks, just in time for St. John’s Festival. Fingers crossed!
Looking good!
For those of you who enjoy watching our webcams, you have probably seen construction happening on the Spice Cam. You can view the ferry dock in real time, which is always fun. Check out the Spice Cam and more than 20 others at www.explorestj.com/webcam.
A screenshot from the Spice Cam taken Wednesday morning.
Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourSee 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.
I was hoping that I didn’t have to write this story, but I guess it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room – the ongoing power outages.
I have to admit, I am a social media lurker. I’ve been reading your questions and comments on the Facebook pages, on TripAdvisor, and I understand your concern about the current state of the islands. You are spending a ton of money to visit us, and you want to make sure there is power. I 100% understand that. Please know that this is not normal, and I do not expect this to occur forever.
I received an email from a guest who was curious if they should cancel their October vacation. I said absolutely not. I received another email from a guest asking is their upcoming visit would be a burden to the island seeing what we have been going through with WAPA, our power company. Again, I said absolutely not.
St. John is a community that relies on tourism. Without tourism, we do not have much of an economy. We experienced this twice over the past seven years. Once with the hurricanes, and again with Covid. We need you all to continue to visit us.
I know you have heard that businesses have been forced to close due to power issues. Yes, it’s true that Wharfside’s generator was broken for a bit, which was forcing Beach Bar, Rum Hut, Parrot Club and La Tapa to close, among other spots. Well I am happy to say that the generator was fixed last week, and everything is running as normal, despite the rolling outages. Check out the Beach Bar’s webcam here to watch the action live.Â
The majority of the restaurants inn Cruz Bay have generators and remain open. Skinny Legs over in Coral Bay has one too, so the burgers continue to be served over there regardless of the status of WAPA. Did someone say fresh-squeezed margaritas? Yes, please!
The beaches are open and beautiful no matter what the status of power is. I saw that question asked on Facebook too.
What is currently happening is rolling outages. We are having bouts in about two-hour increments where power is turned off. This is happening due to old equipment and the inability to generate the amount of power that the islands currently need. Yes, it is frustrating, but, again, this is not the norm. This will not last forever. We’ve had less this week than last week, and hopefully they will stop altogether soon.
I have also read a lot from repeat and future guests about securing a rental that has backup power. I completely understand that, although I feel for the property owners who do not have backup power. It’s not their fault that the outages are happening.
There are two types of backup power sources – generators and solar. The Westin, Grande Bay and Gallows Point, for example, all have backup generators that automatically kick on when the power goes out. You wouldn’t even know it happened if it happened to occur when you were staying at any one of those properties. Lots of our vacation rentals have generators too, as well as solar panels with battery backups.
Speaking of solar, I just signed the contract to get solar at my house -woohoo! I am able to get numerous solar panels and a Tesla battery backup without a single dollar paid upfront… winning! I opted to lease the system, rather than buy, and I could not be happier! (However if I chose to buy, I still wouldn’t have had to put any money down for that either. Again, winning!)
If you own a vacation rental on St. John and you would like to know more about how I was able to get solar without killing my bank account, please feel free to email me at jenn@explorestj.com or call/text me at 203-376-3786, and I will tell you all about it. It was so easy that I want everyone to do it!
This, too, shall pass. Please continue to book those vacations. Please do not let these outages deter you from visiting us. I appreciate each and every one of you. -Jenn xoxo
Some of my favorite days are spent on the water. I know you have a lot of options when booking a boat trip, so, today, I’d like to introduce you to one of the top-rated companies in St. John – Sunshine Daydream Boat Charters.
Sunshine Daydream Boat Charters has been operating on St. John for the past nine years. It has more than 400 five-star reviews on Google, more than 800 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor, and they’ve received TripAdvisor’s coveted Travellers’ Choice Award eight times. It’s a solid choice for a US-based boat charter or a fun day exploring the British Virgin Islands.
Sunshine Daydream Boat Charters is owned and operated by Rob Woodworth, a former ski bum who chose the sun over snow (and we’re happy he did!). Rob spent several years living in Steamboat and Telluride, Colorado where he was living the life of a professional ski bum – his words, not mine! 🙂 He lived in Maui prior to that where he captained a 58-foot catamaran while also teaching guests how to scuba dive. Rob launched Sunshine Daydream Boat Charters back in 2015 and never looked back!
The Fleet
Sunshine Daydream charters three, newer model 32-foot World Cats. This is ultimate boat for exploring our waters as it is spacious and stable, allowing it to handle our sometimes-choppy waters very well. Sunshine Daydream has spacious and comfortable bow seating with cushioned backs for six adults, as well as a double-wide forward console seating complete with armrests. Each of its three boats can take up to 12 guests per boat. With three boats, Sunshine Daydream can accommodate groups up to 36.
Captains Nicole, Joel & Lee fueling up the fleet before a day out on the water.
Prefer the shade? Sunshine Daydream’s fleet includes a dual captain’s chair, plus comfortably-cushioned Yeti coolers, complete with backrests, which allows for plenty of seating in the shade once you’ve had enough fun in the sun. Lastly, the boats all have a sturdy, three-step ladder with handrails, which makes getting in and out of the water a snap.
Easy to get in & out of the water
Meet Your Captains
You’ve already met Rob. Now let’s meet the three other captains.
Captain Lee (left) with Captain Joel (right)
Captain Lee is a 100-ton Master Captain who’s been working on sailboats and power boats in the Virgin Islands for more than 10 years. He is also a PADI-certified scuba instructor. His knowledge of the our waters coupled with his passion for the ocean and the underwater world make him an excellent host for what’s sure to be the best day of your vacation.
Captain Nicole
Captain Nicole is a 100-ton Master Captain who was born and raised in St. John. Nicole is a former competitive surfer and sailor with many years experience as a surf and ocean safety instructor. She loves to share her vast knowledge of the ocean with her guests and spread the joy it gives us all. Hop on board with Nicole for a local’s guide through the idyllic Virgin Island waters that she grew up in.
Captain Rob (left) and Captain Joel (right)
Captain Joel has lived on St. John for the past 27 years. He started out his captain career daysailing and racing monohulls and catamarans around the USVI and BVI. After eight years of daysailing, he moved into the powerboat industry where he captained a 46-foot Sea Ray around the USVI and BVI. After that, Joel worked in the yachting industry for a bit too. He’s worked on several yachts ranging in size from 112 to 191 feet. Joel knows boats and he knows our waters. He is a great choice for your next boat day.
How to Spend Your Boat DayÂ
There are so many great places you can visit during your boat day. If you prefer to stay in US waters, you can circumnavigate St. John and all of the outlying cays and islands, making snorkel stops at some beautiful offshore reefs only that are only accessible by boat. You can enjoy world-class snorkeling, cliff jumping, and, of course, a whole lot of sightseeing. Looking to grab a bite to eat or perhaps a frosty beverage? You can always stop at Lime Out, St. John’s floating taco bar, Pizza Pi, the floating pizza boat, or even Dinghy’s Beach Bar on Water Island. The possibilities are endless.
Visit Lime Out, St. John’s floating taco barOr hang out at Pizza Pi, one of my favorite spots!
For those of you who prefer to check out the BVI, you can visit the world famous Soggy Dollar Bar and grab an original Painkiller. You can jump off of the Willy T over in Norman Island, or perhaps check out the Baths up in Virgin Gorda. The BVI opens a world of possibilities, including beach hopping, bar hopping, snorkeling, sightseeing and more.
Spend the day in White Bay.Visit Leon at he Soggy Dollar Bar & try a Painkiller!Jump off the Willy T at Norman Island!Check out the Baths in Virgin Gorda.
What Will the Day CostÂ
Full Day USVI Trip: $1,050 plus fuel
Four-Hour USVI Trip: $800 plus fuel
Afternoon Snorkel & Sunset: $550 plus fuel
Full Day British Virgin Islands (BVI) Trip: $1,350 plus fuel and customs
Best of Jose Van Dyke BVI Trip: $1,095 plus fuel and customs
Extended Day BVI Trip: $1,595 plus fuel and customs
Hello everyone from a very soggy St. John! What a week we’ve had here on island!
Let me start by saying St. John is such an amazing place. But like everywhere, we have our own issues at times. That being said, I wouldn’t trade this place for anywhere in the world, and neither should you. 🙂
My son Dalton woke up his dad in the middle of the night earlier this week after having a nightmare. He dreamt that St. John was flooding, and it truly scared him. Fast forward just a few days later, and we are actually having flooding rains. Is my son a psychic??!! (I hope he dreams that we win the lottery next!)
I’m not sure what happened, but Dalton looked at the window this morning and yelled, “we’re trapped!”. His dad and I were super confused, so we looked outside and quickly realized that Dalton was somewhat right. We weren’t trapped, per se, but we did see that two large tree limbs had fallen in our front yard. That’s going to be fun to clean up once the rains stop. (Pic above)
On top of that, we are dealing with rotating power outages again. My generator has become my new best friend.
On a much more positive note, Dalton graduated kindergarten yesterday! Time certainly flies when you’re having fun!
And after fostering two of the cutest kittens in the world for the Animal Care Center, I am happy to share that it looks like they have found their fur-ever home! A big THANK YOU to all of you who adopt pets. The world is a better place because of all of you!
It was a blast fostering these two for the past two weeks!
That’s all I have for today, folks! I am about to head out now and take guests on an island tour. The weather looks like it finally wants to cooperate … fingers crossed!
Looking to take an island tour? Off-season is upon us. If you would like to book an island tour for June, July, August or September, please email me at jenn@explorestj.com to reserve your spot now. I travel on and off during the summer months, so please secure your date to ensure that I am available. Thanks all!
One great thing about life on St. John is that everyone has a good sense of humor. Take our signs, for example. Chances are, you’ve been driving through Cruz Bay when you’ve seen the “Thou Shalt Not Park Here” sign beside the Catholic Church, or the “Don’t STOP Believing” stop sign right behind it. We’ve had a lot of good signs here over the years.
One of my favorites! (Pic from 2019)
Sadly, we lost a bunch during the storms and shortly after, and while many were replaced, they were replaced with the same old boring sign that basically describes what it is warning you about or alerting you to. What fun is that??? Well today, I am happy to share that someone has been giving a few of our island signs a makeover, and I absolutely love it!
I was driving to work the other day when I noticed that a “Speed Hump” sign in Chocolate Hole had been altered to say “Speed Chump.” And when I was in Coral Bay this morning, I noticed how someone recreated the classic Stinky Donkey Dip sign of yesteryear!
Love this!
One of my all-time favorite St. John signs appeared one day beside the dump on Route 104. It read, “Caution: Watch For Falling Goats.” And the best part is that there were usually goats standing behind the sign!
I couldn’t find a pic of this on my phone, but thankfully I found one on the internet!
If my memory serves me correctly, this sign actually made it through Irma, but it disappeared shortly afterward. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. Either way, this sign is amazing, and I would love to see it again on island.
I know that many of you reading this have visited the island for many years, so I am curious… What is or was your favorite St. John sign? Feel free to email me a pic if you have one. I’d love to share your favorites!
Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I wanted to post a quick update regarding the current ferry schedule. We’re heading into the off-season, and the ferry schedules are reflecting that. Here’s the latest…
Varlack Ventures announced over the weekend that its downtown ferry service to Charlotte Amalie will be suspended until November 1st for off-season. The hourly ferry service between Cruz Bay and Red Hook will continue without any changes. The ferry schedule between Cruz Bay and Crown Bay will also continue without changes.
As a reminder, the people ferry leaves Cruz Bay every hour, on the hour from 6 a.m. through 11 p.m. daily. The ferry leaves Red Hook on the half hour in the early morning hours, and then begins on-the-hour service starting at 9 a.m. Here is the complete Cruz Bay-Red Hook schedule:
The Crown Bay schedule is more limited than the Cruz Bay ferry. The benefit of the Crown Bay ferry is that you have a longer boat ride and much shorter taxi ride if you are using it for transportation to or from the airport. Here is the full schedule:
Visit www.stjohnticketing.com to learn more about the Cruz Bay-Red Hook ferry. You can also buy your tickets in advance online.
Visit www.interislandboatservices.com to learn more about the Cruz Bay-Crown Bay ferry. You can also buy your tickets in advance online.
Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourSee 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.
