fbpx

Health and Environmental Impacts as the Annual Saharan Dust Returns to the Caribbean

Health and Environmental Impacts as the Annual Saharan Dust Returns to the Caribbean 1

Good morning, good morning!

The annual arrival of ethereal sunsets and a light, hazy fog is coming to the Caribbean a little early this year. Deriving from the Saharan desert in Northern Africa, a massive plume of dust is expected to bring its haze within the next few weeks. Typically not seen until May or June, the Saharan Air Layer, or SAL, will be making its first appearance on the northernmost tip of South America by today. By next week, small clouds of dust and sand will begin to coat the Lesser Antilles.

Health and Environmental Impacts as the Annual Saharan Dust Returns to the Caribbean 2
Taken from a previous NSJ article “Sahara Dust Settles Over St. John”

Read moreHealth and Environmental Impacts as the Annual Saharan Dust Returns to the Caribbean

News of St. John Villa Rentals Has Launched!

News of St. John Villa Rentals Has Launched! 3

News of St. John is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new service! News of St. John Villa Rentals is a website to showcase short term rentals and connect renters with property owners at no cost. Check it out at Newsofstjohnvillarentals.com or access it from the navigation menu on News of St. John. 

Read moreNews of St. John Villa Rentals Has Launched!

Earth Day 2021 – Things You Can Do to Help Preserve Our Paradise

Earth Day 2021 - Things You Can Do to Help Preserve Our Paradise 6

Happy Earth Day Everyone!  I hope that all of you are planning a little something to do your part in your own neck of the woods today in an effort to preserve our beautiful Mother Earth.  I always say, saving the world is overwhelming, but if we each do a few easy things each day it can make a big difference!  I wanted to take this opportunity to share some small things you can do to help out a little on St. John today, or the next time you’re visiting, to help preserve the paradise that we all love so much.

Read moreEarth Day 2021 – Things You Can Do to Help Preserve Our Paradise

A Few Minutes with… Thalia, Owner of Hansen Bay Beach

A Few Minutes with... Thalia, Owner of Hansen Bay Beach 7
Thalia owns Hansen Bay beach on St. John’s East End.

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! Today we’re continuing our new “A Few Minutes with…” feature, and we’re back out on the East End. Earlier this month, we introduced you to Ash, the owner of Saltwell Bottom beach on St. John’s East End. Well today, we’d like to introduce you to Thalia.

Thalia and her family own Hansen Bay beach, which is also located on St. John’s East End. Thalia has opened her beach to the public, allowing us all to enjoy her little piece of island paradise. But rather me tell you about it, I am going to let Thalia tell you about it. Please click the play button below to listen.

As we mentioned above, Thalia’s beach is gorgeous. It’s definitely worth the drive out to the East End. Or even better, we can take you there on an island tour!

Want to see how beautiful this beach is for yourself? Check out this quick video we made…

 

Business Spotlight: Spend a Day on the Water with Sunshine Daydream Charters

Business Spotlight: Spend a Day on the Water with Sunshine Daydream Charters 8 Sunshine Daydream 2 is a brand new 2020 World Cat.

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! One of the top questions we get here at News of St. John is “which boat should I take around St. John” or perhaps for a day trip over to the British Virgin Islands. There are several great ones to choose from, but today we’d like to tell you about one of the top companies on the island – Sunshine Daydream Charters.

We introduced you to Sunshine Daydream Charters several years back when it began operating on the island. Sunshine Daydream Charters is owned and operated by our friend Rob Woodworth. Captain Rob is a Coast Guard licensed, 100-ton captain and also a certified Padi rescue diver. Sunshine Daydream Charters is consistently ranked on TripAdvisor as one of the top boat charter companies on St. John. It offers both half day and full day trips here in the US Virgin Islands, as well as full day trips over in the British Virgin Islands. And even better? It just added a second boat! That means you can bring twice as many friends or family members with you!

One of the great features of Sunshine Daydream Charters – in addition to its great captains of course – is the fact that it can take large groups. Sunshine Daydream 1, the company’s original boat, can carry up to eight passengers. Sunshine Daydream II, the company’s newest addition which just arrived in the USVI, can carry up to 12 passengers. You can rent one of the boats on its own, or both if you have a large group.

Both boats are World Cats which offer a stable and spacious ride. Sunshine Daydream 1 is 28 feet and has twin Yamaha 200 engines. Sunshine Daydream II is a brand new 2020 vessel which measures 32 feet in length and is equipped with twin Yamaha 300 engines. Both boats are sleek, comfortable, and have ample seating in both the sun and shade. Want to hop in and out of the water? Well both come equipped with a sturdy, three-step ladder making it easy to get into and out of the water. Because if you’re in the Caribbean, we know you want to take a dip into our crystal clear waters!

Business Spotlight: Spend a Day on the Water with Sunshine Daydream Charters 9 Sunshine Daydream II has ample seating in the sun and shade.
Business Spotlight: Spend a Day on the Water with Sunshine Daydream Charters 10 Sunshine Daydream II can carry up to 12 passengers.
Business Spotlight: Spend a Day on the Water with Sunshine Daydream Charters 11 This brand new boat offers a stable and comfortable ride.

For those of you looking to stay in US waters and forgo the process of clearing through Customs in the BVI while saving some cash, you can check out several great snorkeling spots that can only be accessed by boat. There are a lot of great lunch stops in the USVI including Lime Out, located in Round Bay on St. John’s East End, or Pizza Pi, which is located in Christmas Cove off of St. Thomas.

Prefer to head over to the British side for the day? Well Sunshine Daydream Charters can take you to Jost Van Dyke – home of the popular Soggy Dollar Bar; Norman Island – a beautiful island with a restaurant and the famed Willy T.; Cooper Island, Scrub Island, Virgin Gorda and everywhere in between!

Half day prices start at $500 for Sunshine Daydream 1 and $600 for Sunshine Daydream II. Full day prices start at $750 for Sunshine Daydream 1 and $875 for Sunshine Daydream II.

For more information, please visit their website at sunshinedaydreamvi.com

 

Take a Ride with Us on Ditliff Point

Hello everyone and welcome to the weekend! We were recently invited out to Ditliff Point, one of St. John’s beautiful gated communities. Ditliff Point is a private peninsula located on St. John’s south shore. There are several vacation rentals on Ditliff Point, as well as several lots for sale.

In the video, we started at the end just before the entrance to Marea and drove toward the entrance of Ditliff Point. You can see bits of Reef Bay and Fish Bay to your right, and Rendezvous Bay to your left. Enjoy!

 

A Few Minutes with… Ash, Owner of Saltwell Bottom Beach

A Few Minutes with... Ash, Owner of Saltwell Bottom Beach 12 Ash & his family own Saltwell Bottom beach at Hansen Bay

There are so many amazing people who live here on St. John. Many were born and raised here, while others chose to relocate and make this island their home. For awhile now, I’ve wanted to share their stories with you. But truthfully, I’m a bit apprehensive about writing profiles. So I decided to try something different.

Today we’re introducing a new little thing here at News of St. John called “A Few Minutes with…” In these segments, we’re simply going to spend a few minutes with someone we find cool, interesting or unique. We’re starting with our friend Ash.

I introduced you all to Ash back in October when I mentioned how he was opening his family’s beach up to the public, so we can all enjoy the sand, the captivating views or even take a quick paddle out to Lime Out. His family owns a gorgeous stretch of land out on St. John’s East End known as Saltwell Bottom beach. Ash is welcoming, kind and has an infectious smile. Yesterday, I drove out to the East End to spend A Few Minutes with Ash…

Please click the play button below to listen to it.

He truly is a wonderful person. I hope you all take the drive out east one day, so you can see for yourselves.

Now I’m sure you heard the waves crashing in the background while Ash and I chatted. Here’s a video to show you how gorgeous his family’s beach is. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now

Cinnamon Bay campground
Cinnamon Bay campground, Sunday afternoon

It’s been more than four months since we last updated you on the status of Cinnamon Bay. It’s one of the top questions we have here at News of St. John, so we figured we were due for an update.

Will Cinnamon Bay Campground Re-Open Soon?

For starters, the campground is not scheduled to reopen anytime soon. But there is work being done there, so that’s great. When it was announced in May that Tom Secunda, a part-time St. John resident, purchased the campground contract, we were told that it wasn’t expected to reopen until the 2020-2021 season. And it looks like that’s still the case.

As we saw Sunday, crews are still in the process of installing more than 10,000 feet of pipe for water and sewer. Once that is completed, the plan is to work on the bathhouses and the main building, and then the actual campsites. So there is still a lot to do, but there is also a lot of progress happening.

What Does Cinnamon Bay Campground Look Like Now?

Rather than tell you about Cinnamon Bay, we prefer to show you. Here are several pictures we took Sunday plus a nice little video from the beach. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 13
Walking in from the parking lot area

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 14
The main path to the beach

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 15
The main building is currently blocked off with fencing.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 16
An area behind the main building

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 17
The campground areas are blocked off by fencing.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 18
The area where the cottages once stood.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 19
The main bath house

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 20
An area that led to the eco tents.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 21
Preparing to install piping beside the main bath house

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 22
The former archeology lab

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 23
Looking toward the platform tent area

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 24
An alternate view of the main building

***
Free shipping on St. Johnopoly this holiday season! All sales will end December 19th. Guaranteed Christmas delivery! Order yours today at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly