News of St. John

Hello everyone, and welcome to the weekend! Today is Small Business Saturday, so we’d like to share several St. John businesses that have online stores. If you’re reading this site, it means you love St. John, so why not support its small businesses! Happy Shopping!

St. Johnopoly
www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohopoly
It’s just like the traditional Monopoly game, but it’s completely customized for St. John! Cruise around the board using a Jeep, Petroglyph or a Palm Tree, and land on your favorite spots like the Ferry Dock and Woody’s. It’s a great gift for that special someone who loves St. John. And we’re offering FREE Shipping! You can order yours at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

Bad Kitty Boatique
www.calypsovi.com
T-shirts, tanks & hats

Bamboo
www.bamboovi.com
Island jewelry including hook bracelets, hurricane bracelets, necklaces, rings and more.

Beach Bar
beachbarstjohn.com
Scoop up some of your favorite Beach Bar swag.

Big Blue Excursions
bigblue-usvi.com
Long Sleeve Shirts & Tumblers

Big Planet
Big-planet.com
Great selection of St. John t-shirts available now.

Caravan Gallery
Caravangallery.com
Wonderful jewelry and gift shop featuring the famous St. John Hook Bracelet.

Christian Wheatley Photography
http://www.christianwheatley.com
Island photography, note cards, tote bags and calendars.

Coconut Coast Studios
http://coconutcoaststudios.com/Shopping.html
Beautiful island art by Elaine Estern that includes originals, calendars, tiles and more.

Drink St. John
drinkstj.com
Stickers, koozies, clothing & more

Freebird Creations
www.freebirdcreations.com
One of the island’s longest established businesses, Freebird has been offering it’s array of eclectic jewelry and duty free watches to St. John visitors for over 30 years.

High Tide
www.shophightidevi.com
Featuring the popular Livin’ the Dream collection.

Isla Malas
www.isla-mala.com
Mala beaded necklaces inspired by the beauty of the Virgin Islands and handmade with island soul.

Island Fancy
www.islandfancy.com
Unique items and gifts for your home, family & friends

Jolly Dog Trading Co.
http://www.thejollydog.com/
T-shirts, hats, koozies and more.

Just Beach VI
Justbeachvi.com
St. John t-shirt and hats available.

Kekoa
http://blacksailsvi.com/booty/
T-shirts, hats and more.

Love City Excursions
http://www.lovecityexcursions.com/catzilla-merchandise/
Tanks, dry fit shirts & more

Lulee
luleestj.com
Clothing & accessories for fabulous living

Made in St. John
madeinstjohn.com
Locally designed & printed merchandise.

Maho Crossroads
lovemaho.shop
T-shirts, tanks, hats & more from St. John’s newest beach bar.

Morningstar Charters
morningstarcharter.com/merchandise
Swag from one of the island’s sailing charters.

R&I Patton Goldsmithing
Pattongold.com
Fine jewelry, much of it designed and produced by Rudy & Irene Patton

Pink Papaya
www.pinkpapaya.com
Unique and unusual Caribbean-style gifts.

Portico
Porticoshop.com
Portico offers everything you need for island-style living – from gifts, décor, glassware, rugs and more.

Sail Helios
sailhelios.com
Stickers, hats, towels & more

Savannah Loftus Photography
society6.com/savannahloftus
Island Photography & Prints

Skinny Legs
www.skinnylegsvi.com
Merchandise from Coral Bay’s favorite burger hangout

STJ Creative Photography
stjcreative.com
Island Prints & Healing After Irma photoessay book

St. John Beach Bum
www.stjbeachbum.com
Beach gear, merchandise and more!

St. John Brewers
StJohnbrewers.com
T-shirts and hats from St. John’s favorite tap room!

St. John Experience Gallery
Stjohnexperiencegallery.com
Island photography.

St. John Organics
www.stjohnorganics.com
Handcrafted spa products.

St. John Spice
http://store.stjohnspice.com/
Spices, hot sauces, tea, gifts and more.

Steve Simonsen Photography
https://simonsen.photoshelter.com/index
Stunning island photography available as fine art prints, calendars and photo books.

Sugar Birds
Sugarbirds.net
Tropical gifts and photography.

Vibe Collection
https://vibecollection.com/
Island jewelry & hook bracelets.

Woody’s
http://www.woodysseafood.com/shop
Apparel and swag from your favorite Cruz Bay watering hole.

Yelena Rogers Photography
www.yelenarogersphoto.com
Beautiful island photography

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

There are so many things to be thankful for this year…

I am thankful and grateful for each and every one of you who take the time out of each day to read News of St. John.

I am thankful and grateful for each and every one of you who has chosen to spend one of their vacation days with me touring the beautiful island of St. John.

I am thankful and grateful for all of the kind emails and messages that I have received over the years. I am so appreciate that you have taken time out of your busy lives to do so. Your love is overwhelming.

I am thankful and grateful for this island and its ability to heal so beautifully.

I am thankful and grateful for my St. John friends who have become my island family. (We’re going to have one heck of a Thanksgiving celebration at my house today!)

And lastly, I am thankful for my family and especially for Dalton. He’s going to be 17 months this weekend, and it’s crazy how time flies. He’s running (not walking!) and chatting up a storm. He said “donkey” for the first time the other day, and I grinned from ear to ear. He keeps us busy and makes life so much better in every way.

Now I would like to end’s today’s post with a quick little survey which may help put an end to a yearly Thanksgiving debate… Do you call one of your Thanksgiving sides stuffing or dressing? To me, dressing goes on a salad. And stuffing is a Thanksgiving side dish. But perhaps that’s a northeast thing. Let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

-Jenn xoxo

 

Hello all, just a quick post this Thanksgiving Eve. Many people have asked to see the Caneel Bay documents that we referenced in a story earlier this week, including one of the top newspapers in the United States. We shared them with the newspaper, so we thought it would only make sense to share them with you all too. Please click the links to open the documents. A new window will open. The documents are large, so they may take a bit to lead. Happy reading.

Caneel’s Insurance Docs

MOTION TO APPOINT AN UMPIRE AND MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT

COMPLAINT FOR SELECTION OF AN UMPIRE

Letter to Caneel About Irma Payments

Letter to Caneel Saying No Additional Damage or Claim from Maria

NOTICE OF VOLUNTARY DISMISSAL WITHOUT PREJUDICE

BLUEWATER COMPLAINT & DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL – This is a lawsuit filed against Caneel for nonpayment. This is not a hurricane-related case.

Caneel Bay was “grossly underinsured” when Hurricane Irma hit, the resort’s insurer wrote in court documents filed earlier this year. The documents shed some more light on what may be happening behind the scenes at Caneel Bay. As you likely have read here on News of St. John, the property has sat in shambles since September 6, 2017, the day Hurricane Irma hit St. John.

According to the documents, CBI Acquisitions chose to obtain property and business interruption insurance for a total limit of $32 million per occurrence. This was “despite its own determination that the total insurable value was $65,413,068,” its insurer wrote in court documents. “Thus, the Caneel Bay Properties were grossly underinsured,” the insurer continued.

Caneel collected $32 million from damages sustained during Hurricane Irma. It filed a separate claim for $32 million following Hurricane Maria. The insurer denied that claim stating:

“Based on the evidence available, there is no additional damage caused by Hurricane Maria that was not considered in the scope of damages from Hurricane Irma. Specifically, the Report concludes “that there is no additional scope required to address the effects of Maria on the subject property that is not already included in the repairs required to address the effects of Irma. Thus, at this time, Insurers have not identified any damages covered under the Policy from Hurricane Maria.”

There is a clause in the insurance documents that states the two parties can go to arbitration if an agreement cannot be made with regard to claims. When the two sides could not agree on an arbitrator or umpire, the insurers filed a lawsuit.

“This lawsuit arises out of an insurance coverage dispute. Caneel Bay Resort and surrounding properties on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, owned by CBIA, suffered significant damage from Hurricane Irma,” the lawsuit reads. “CBIA and the Insurers (the “Parties”) resolved the Hurricane Irma claim with the Insurers paying out the $32 million limit of coverage. CBIA, however, contends that it suffered a separate $32 million loss as a result of Hurricane Maria. As the Parties could not agree as to the scope of covered damages arising from Hurricane Maria, if any, the subject insurance policies’ arbitration provision was invoked by CBIA. The election of arbitration triggered a requirement that each party appoint a “competent and disinterested” arbitrator and then the party-appointed arbitrators were to appoint a neutral umpire.”

It is unclear whether an arbitrator and umpire was agreed upon or whether CBI Acquisitions received an insurance payout stemming from Hurricane Maria, as the lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed one month after its filing.

CBI Acquisitions has publicly stated that it will cost an estimated $100 million to rebuild Caneel Bay. Last spring, they asked the federal government for a $70 million payout in exchange for them walking away and handing the resort back to the National Park Service prior to the expiration of their Retained Use Estate agreement. That agreement expires in late 2023. If they do not receive the payout, CBI Acquisitions could very well hold onto the property and leave it as is for the next four years. It does not appear that they are required to repair any of the damages sustained during Hurricane Irma prior to the end of their leasehold.

CBI Acquisitions is also being sued by Bluewater Construction, Inc., a company hired to renovate several units at Caneel Bay prior to the 2017 hurricanes. This is a completely separate lawsuit and is not related to insurance coverage or the hurricanes. According to court documents, CBI Acquisitions owes Bluewater Construction, Inc. $214,416.55 for breach of contract, and breach of duty of good faith & fair dealing. That lawsuit is ongoing.

We reached out to CBI Acquisitions and Bluewater Construction, Inc. for comment. We received read receipts from both, however neither have responded.

There’s a few telltale signs that high season is either pretty darn close or here… The mega yachts arrive and so do the cruise ships. Back in October, we told you about a pretty impressive 380-foot yacht that stopped along St. John’s East End. And today, we’d like to tell you that the cruise ships have arrived in Cruz Bay for the season.

But before you get a bit nervous at the thought of cruise ships overrunning Cruz Bay, the ships that stop here are very small. And this isn’t a new occurrence. Each winter, beginning in October or November, Seadream anchors just off of Cruz Bay. The boat is 355 feet long – smaller than the mega yacht that visited last month – and carries 112 passengers. Guests are ferried from the ship to the island.

Seadream first visited St. John back on November 10th. According to the USVI cruise ship schedule, it will return again on December 8, 11, 22 and 29. It has four visits planned in January, two in February and one in March. The Silver Shadow cruise ship will also make a handful of stops on St. John. It can carry up to 382 passengers. The largest cruise ship to visit St. John will arrive on Monday, December 23rd. That ship is called the Volendam and it can carry 1,432 passengers. That’s a lot of people to spill onto the streets and beaches, so keep that in mind if you are on island that day.

Want to know which ship is visiting when? You can check out the USVI Cruise Ship Schedule at www.vinow.com.

Want to know what’s happening on island right now? Then check out our webcam page at www.newsofstjohn.com/webcams

That’s all we have for your today, folks. Off to guests this beautiful island! Learn more about our island tours at www.newsofstjohn.com/islandtour

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner! This means that lots of fun events are happening soon, including the prom! Here are the details straight from the organizers…

The 22nd Annual All Island Holiday Party will take place in Mongoose Junction Saturday, December 14 from 9:00 pm. The event is hosted by The Sun Dog Cafe, Paradise Lumber and the Mongoose Merchants Association.

The All Island Holiday Party (aka “the prom”) has its roots in trying to rebuild the community after Hurricane Marilyn in 1995, and through the years has become a social highlight for many full time St. Johnians and a homecoming for many seasonal residents. It’s an opportunity to dress up and celebrate the holidays in the gracious courtyards of Mongoose Junction, with friends new and old, amid holiday cheer and festive decorations. The party celebrates diversity and unity as it brings together St. Johnians of all distinctions, reminds us of the many of blessings we have, and of the special qualities of our community.

Music will be performed by St. John’s own In the Sand Band, featuring Shimika Jones-Sprauve, performing in the center courtyard from 9 pm to 1 am. Abundant appetizers are served. Cash bars will be available. Adults only, please. No pets, please. Island Fancy Attire, please.

I’m sure this will be a great event as always! I hope to see you all there! Have a wonderful day everyone, and remember… In a world where we can be anything, be kind. 🙂

So as you all know, our barge situation has been precarious since the 2017 hurricanes. We have three barge companies – Global Marine, which runs the General II; Love City Car Ferries, which runs the Grand Vic; and Boyson, Inc., which used to run the Mister B. The Mister B, the largest of the barges, was heavily damaged during the 2017 hurricanes and was taken to the States for repairs in late 2017. That barge has never returned, and we recently learned the company lost the barge due to the company’s legal issues pertaining to unpaid debts.

We currently have two barges that are running – the General II and Grand Vic. The General II has been down for a few days, leaving us with just one. But guess what? We have a brand new barge that is here on island and ready to transport passengers between St. John and St. Thomas. This could greatly alleviate the barge mess. But it’s sitting at the dock. And it may continue to sit there. So we’re asking that you voice your opinions and help us change this.

Delbert Parsons is a businessman here on island. He owns Seashore Allure along with Delrise Varlack. The Virgin Islands Port Authority contacted Delbert after the 2017 hurricanes and basically said they needed help to fix the barge situation. So he met with the Port Authority board, and they told him to move forward with procuring a new barge for the islands. He followed all of their instructions and brought his new barge, the Big Red Barge, to the islands late last month. He was told all he needed to do was pass a Coast Guard inspection, and he would be added to the schedule. He did just that, yet the Big Red Barge continues to sit at the dock. Delbert blames island politics.

“It’s kinda crazy to see the public suffering every day ‘mon,” Delbert told me yesterday afternoon. “The competition say they don’t want it, but the public want it.”

(Random side note: The Big Red Barge has firefighting abilities too. How cool is that?! That in itself is a huge asset.)

According to Delbert, the three barge companies – Global Marine, Love City Car Ferries and Boyson, Inc. – went straight to the governor and asked that Big Red not be added to the schedule.

“They went to the governor to stop the barge from running. Why is the governor getting involved? It’s crazy,” Delbert said. “How can a company with no barge go to the governor to stop me? But they did!”

According to Delbert, Varlack Ventures – one of the two companies that runs the passenger ferries – tried to enter the barge game three years ago, but were stopped by the three companies. They told the Port Authority they could “get the job done,” Delbert said. But clearly they could not. Three years later and the barge situation is still a mess. The General II goes down from time to time, and people get stranded at both docks.

The Port Authority board is scheduled to meet today and Delbert believes his barge will be discussed. If it goes in his favor, Delbert hopes his barge will run on the half hour. Currently, one barge leaves each dock on the hour.

So we’re curious about your thoughts? Do you think we need another barge here on St. John? Please answer the poll below.

We removed the poll from the website. We had well over 1,000 votes that originated from an IP address located in a specific US city. The IP address was not a shared IP address, but one linked to a specific user; therefore negatively affecting a simple poll. 

If you’d like to express your opinion to the governor, please click this link to send him a message. 

And if you’d like to express your opinion to the Port Authority, please click this link to send a message.

We will keep you all posted on this.

Hello everyone and happy Friday! Who wants to take a quick ride on the Cruz Bay ferry with me?! I recorded the following video yesterday morning as I was traveling over to St. Thomas. I  know you all prefer to be taking the Cruz Bay ferry to St. John as opposed to St. Thomas (which usually means you’re heading home – boo to that!), but I still thought you’d enjoy seeing the beautiful scenery and turquoise waters. It’s just over a minute long. Enjoy!