Well folks, we have great news to share with you all today. A landowner on the East End has opened up his property to the public, so we now have a new beach that we can all enjoy! And even better, he’s renting out kayaks and paddle boards, giving everyone a new way to visit the popular Lime Out floating taco bar!
We were taking guests out to the East End on a News of St. John Island Tour the other day, and were excited to see numerous lounge chairs and umbrellas set up on a skinny stretch of sand just past the Hansen Bay beach property. We chatted with the owner Ash, and he said he is now offering free parking to all guests who would like to enjoy his beach and rent water sports equipment.
The company is called Ashville Watersports and it’s located at Saltwell Bottom beach, which Ash told us is the name of the estate it sits on. Ash offers glass bottom kayaks for $25 an hour and paddle board for just $20 an hour. The paddle to Lime Out is a relatively short one from Ash’s beach. Check out a few pics…
Looks great, doesn’t it??!
As we mentioned above, Ashville Watersports is located on the skinny stretch of roadway on the East End past the Hansen Bay beach property. The ladies over at Hansen Bay beach also rent kayaks and paddle boards. They charge $3 per person to park and $30 for 80 minute rentals for both kayaks and paddle boards.
I’m not sure about all of you, but I love and appreciate how landowners are opening up their properties for all of us to enjoy. Have a great day everyone… Now go and plan your next St. John vacation!
I see “No trespassing” signs in the photo and it appears to violate our VI laws about access to beaches, unfortunately. Will have to check it out.
Those are years old.
You’re uninformed about the law. Without more, you can’t cross someone’s property to get to the water below the high water/vegetation mark without permission. Doing so would be trespassing. Many beachfront hotels, for example, have within their development requirements a caveat that allows public access to their beaches through their property. You can access from the sea or where access is granted by private property owners. Many people are uninformed about this.
Now I can check that one off the list on our return in February to the USVI and BVI’s.
People used to enter the water here, to swim out to Pelican Rock. If I recall correctly, 4 or 5 years ago, he put up the no trespassing signs and blocked access. He must figure now he can capitalize!
We rented on the East End for years and used to call it the “rusty boat beach” b/c of an old (rusty!) boat that was there. We also swam to Pelican Rock from there until the fence and signs went up a few years ago. Wonder if you can just sit on the beach or do you need to rent a kayak or paddle board to use the beach? Always changes….be there in exactly 21 days!!
Unfortunately these boat rentals are tourist traps. We were told we could not snorkel or swim out to the Lime Out. The lady at Hansen Bay collected 5 dollars for parking and 30 dollars for a kayak. We will never return!
That is true. The owners of the Lime Out do not allow it due to safety rules. Therefore you must paddle out or arrive by boat.
Chill Gayle. The folks at Hansen are wonderful and need to make a living. In the scheme of things their charges are not significant. Beautiful beach, nice people, enjoy STJ!
We love to hang out at Hansen’s. They furnish rest rooms, chairs etc. They have worked so hard to make their beach nice. A small charge is no big deal.
It used to “look great” with its natural beauty. Now it’s an eyesore. Couldn’t the same results have been accomplished without the fences and red graffiti? Oh, and you were able to swim out to Angel’s Rest…just sayin’. Memories of the good ole days….
That used to be a great snorkel spot. I’ve spent many days just hanging out right there. It was a great loss when it was closed down. Glad to hear it’s open again.
No Jen , it doesn’t look great . What part of the fence looks great and inviting , or the no trespassing message vandalized on government property ? Shame on you
Shame on me? Ouch, well that’s a bit harsh. Do I like the spray paint on the fence? No. Perhaps he wanted to make people aware and didn’t have the ability to get a sign made. It’s not easy to get things done here like it is in the states.
There was an issue years ago about property rights. Thats when the spray painting happened. If you look back at my articles, you will see that I did not condone that.
People are not as kind to each other online these days. I will continue to spread love and not meanness. I thank you for reading Bob.
Jen,
This is a wonderful response. Keep smiling, spreading the love and sending the positive vibes. Kindness, politeness and civility take a great deal of strength in today’s society. Thank you for showing us your strength!
Much love to you…and Bob
Need a hug Bob?
It is nice there is an additional option to have access to the Lime Out, but it is a shame to have a fence that was spray painted red. A sign would of been so much nicer.
Nice umbrellas, glass bottom kayaks, a big happy smile. I nice addition to East End
Will Ash allow you to launch your own kayak from his beach to get to Lime Out? Would there be a fee for this?
He’s such a nice guy that I bet he would. And I’m sure a tip wouldn’t hurt. 🙂
Ash really is a nice gentleman. We stayed on the East End in October and due to a cement truck blocking the road were unable to get back to our Villa for several hours. My friends wanted to go to Lime Out so we went to Ash’s and they rented kayaks. Not only did he allow us to come back and pay him after the road reopened but he entertained me with stories and the history of STJ while they were enjoying Lime Out. We were happy to see his big happy smile every day when we were out and about.
I lived in the VI for over 20 years, and Tony Ash is a friend of mine. He’s one of the nicest true St. JOHNIAN’s you’ll ever encounter.
He has spent a lot of his resources developing his ancestral land. So what’s the big deal if you have to donate to keeping it clean. Keep doing what you’re doing Ash. See you on my return from Babylon. Give a shout-out to Delroy for me in a salt pond. Stay Irie.
Hello to all these wonderful people of St. John VI. We are visiting in a few weeks. We are all (5) looking forward to see your beautiful island, snorkeling and unwinding.
It was interesting to see comments and knowing you all have concerns and also enjoy life. Please keep the island as natural as possible and we will respect it and enhance all areas we visit.
AMEN