Fri Jul 15, 2022 - BVI OPENS UP
As of today, the British Virgin Islands have “passed an amendment to the COVID-19 Control and Suppression (Entry of Persons) Regulation on July 13 that revokes COVID-19 testing requirements.” What does this mean for the normal USVI resident or tourist?
The BVI has rescinded pandemic requirements for entry to their territory and returned to “pre-COVID normal with regards to travel to the Territory.” No more proof of vaccination, more more testing hours before entry, no more travel insurance requirement.
Time to charter a boat or grab the Inter Island Boat Services ferry and get Soggy!
Weds June 1, 2022 - Travel Portal go bye bye
The governor announced today ton June 1, 2022, the USVI travel portal will no longer be required for entry into the USVI. Incoming visitors will no longer have to prove vaccination or show a negative test.
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Today Governor Bryan removed the indoor mask mandate for all but a few circumstances (schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and marine ports) effective immediately. On my way home from work, I stopped into the villa to inform our current guests. Two years almost to the day.
Mon Mar 7, 2022
Exciting news! As of today, incoming domestic US travelers that are fully vaccinated no longer have to test before arriving in the USVI. The governor relaxed the rules, and, for those partially vaccinated (or, oddly, not vaccinated at all), they still need to get tested within 5 days of arrival and submit their test results to the USVI travel portal.
Tues Mar 1, 2022 2:30pm
Well yesterday I was on Lovango Cay’s north shore lighting up some fiber optic cable for the resort’s network, and when I came down to the resort side I noticed no one wearing masks. Everyone was smiling and someone said “the governor eased the mask rules!”
So, apparently as of Feb 28, 2022, if you are outdoors or partially outdoors, masks are no longer required. This means just about every where on St. John except the closed in Air Conditioned businesses (retail, grocery, and 2 bar/restaurants. Wow. Almost 2 years later.
Word on the rock is that within a few weeks, the testing requirement for inbound travel to the USVI will be removed for anyone who can show proof of vaccination. Big carrot, big stick, big progress.
Tues June 22, 2021 7:20am
The state of affairs
For some reason the territorial government is struggling on 2 fronts:
Getting 50000+ vaccinated by July 1
COVID Colors and Statuses
50,000 by July 1?
First on the vaccination front. The USVI currently shows ~42,700 with at least one dose and ~34,700 with both doses. We’re not sure if these numbers include only residents or if they are number of doses administered WITHIN the territory. If the latter, we personally know 10 tourists who were vaccinated here. That would probably put 5-10% of those doses back on the mainland and our number 2500-5000+ lower than stated. I'm not trying to be a downer here, just slowly realizing that a large majority of tourists coming here are vaccinated and moving forward, while our own population seems to have stagnated when it comes to continued vaccination.
To make matters worse, there are frequent mass testings setup at places like Home Depot on St. Thomas. Fifty plus cars can be seen in a snaking line on the one side of the parking lot - with masked passengers - waiting for a COVID test. Why are these testing sites setup with quick shot vaccinations and say a $20 bill for your time and gas? We hear 2 frequent ads on the radio focused on families and youth suggesting you get the shot. Our vax numbers are not increasing steadily - they are stagnant.
Second, we have had bars open for nearly a month, all businesses are open, and restaurants have been able to sit unlimited number at a single table/area for over 2 months. To me this looks like BLUE status in our “phased reopening” color chart, yet nothing has changed for over 10 months. Reminds me of the same color-coded terror alert system devised back in early 2002: handy, visually interesting, simple, and worthless if not updated to reflect new science and realities.
We have guests leaving today, new ones checking in this afternoon, and then a turn on Saturday and every week on until Aug 21. Then we shut down for 6 weeks for some construction projects during the peak fo storm season.
If you haven’t gotten vaccinate, answer this - Why Not?
Then think about your answer and hear the question in a sarcastic, disappointed tone: Really, why?
Tuesday May 25, 2021 5:30p
A return to more normal!
It hasn’t been posted online yet, but we just received the press release from the governor’s office announcing more return to normalcy with
May 25, 2021: You can sit at a bar again!
adjustment of eviction suspension restrictions
taxi capacity limit raised to 75% and if the same party, then full capacity
removal of ‘sitting at bar’ restrictions
Yes, that last one is the big one. Most St. John restaurants are built with considerable bar seating. Take the Beach Bar - they have more than 30 seats at their bar that have been closed off for 14.5 months. This is a huge return to normalcy for tourists and locals alike. While there will probably be some kinks with the expanded space and staffing, this should mean a much more normal flow of business and seating and most likely a bit more space for everyone to relax, eat, drink, and enjoy themselves with friends and family.
Our latest pandemic reporting shows a high number of vaccinations and a low number of active cases on St. John.
We were both fully vaccinated back in March (Moderna) and continue to sanitze, wash, and distance. Get vaccinated and keep wearing your masks when around others :)
Mon May 24, 2021
Starting today travel into Puerto Rico (non-international) will be allowed with proof of vaccination, no more need for PCR test if you can prove you have been vaccinated. That tied with our positive antibody tests bring us a lot closer to near open travel.
Last week our governor announced that we were the first to close, and we’ll be the last to open. Science-based thinking. Although I bet it also has to do with Carnival on St. John being July 4 week and that we will just wait and see and probably lift the remaining restrictions soon after that. We will see…
Tues Mar 2, 2021 7:57a AST
Even closer to a return to normalcy down here. As of yesterday, the territory has 6,800 people fully vaccinated with another 14,000+ of us having had their first dose! Also vaccination eligibility was opened up to all residents 16 years and older! We have sadly lost 25 people in the territory but none in the last many months. St. John is currently steady at 3 active cases. We have weekly testing and many of the people we know and work with are either vaccinated or scheduled to receive the vaccine soon. The government has set a goal to have half the population (50,000) vaccinated by July 1. We even hear radio ads explaining the process and urging people to sign up.
Gov Bryan announced more loosening of the pandemic restrictions starting next Monday March 8:
Restaurants can seat 50% more people (going from 50% capacity to 75% capacity)
Restaurants table-size restriction removed (from 6 people maximum to no limit)
Taxi limits removed to maximum seating if all riders are from the same ‘group’
Weekend Beach closing extended to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays (*this has been 4pm for months)
All good news. We just booked a November wedding group, are working with groups for October and December and are pretty much booked up for the entire summer. Things are looking up weekly.
Keep washing your hands, wearing your masks, and avoid large groups. Be safe!
Sat January 2, 2020 8:58p AST
Our New Year’s guests just left this afternoon. They weren’t our planned New Year’s guests, they booked last month. They booked after our 16th week of guests cancelled and rebooked their dates - primary reason = COVID-19. We were so glad to have them come. On leaving they commented on how perfect Great Expectations was laid out for friends and family, and how they would be returning. Perfect!
We haven’t updated this in a while because, well honestly, there hasn’t been much to say. Everything but bars & nightclubs (without kitchens) are closed again as of last week. Masks are mandatory everywhere inside and where you cannot distance 6+ feet or more from others. October was deserted, November picked up and got real busy, December was slow but then these last 2 weeks have been as busy as last Christmas. No cruise ship visitors, but busy.
We peaked in early December at i think 47 active cases, and are now back down to 14 active. Everything up north seems a lot worse. The latest announcement from the Governor this week was that they (finally!) are going to require travelers boarding a plane bound for STT airport have a negative COVID test result. This as opposed to the last 6 months where you could arrive on St. Thomas and then display your test results. A step in the right direction.
We’ve heard first responders and medical people are getting vaccinated and there is pop-up testing on St. John almost weekly.
Our next 2 weeks are empty from last minute cancellations (from home state return quarantine travel rules). Our next guests arrive on Jan 16th.
So we do some upgrade projects and we wait.
Weds October 7, 2020 | 5:52a
Most mornings we receive a text from the USVI government with a brief list of territory pandemic numbers and a link to a website with more data. It was pretty clunky the first few months, but they’ve done a decent job of honing it down into a very useful delivery.
I believe today is the first day since March that our little rock has ZERO active COVID-19 cases. It’s kind of a cool feeling. St Thomas and St Croix have 6 and 7 active cases respectively. While I have often been critical of the early lack of access to testing and missing contact tracing elements in the response down here, I have to say it feels pretty good seeing only 13 cases active out of 100,000 people and almost ¼ of our population tested. I remember when they loosely banned visitors in March and then brilliantly cut the number of people ferries in half and the number of passengers on those ferries in half. No one likes a pandemic, but it’s good to see numbers going in the right direction - including an increase in accommodation bookings on ours and many other villa’s parts.
Seems like a pretty good micro-case study of how you can lick this thing.
Weds October 7, 2020 | 5:52a
The governor spoke yesterday afternoon. Nothing new to the status of things:
Guests are allowed but must have a negative COVID-19 test result in hand
There is now a USVI COVID-19 Traveler Screening Portal website for all incoming visitors to fill out
Beaches and most businesses are open, except you cannot sit, stand or be served at a bar. Most businesses are coping well with it.
We (and many of our rental management friends) are getting an increased amount of inquiries for this year and next year. Our jeep rental friends are seeing a steady increase of weekly bookings and walk-in day rentals as of early last week.
Nice to see our daily tracked current pandemic numbers are some of the lowest in the country. Back to the day job…
Weds Sep 9, 2020 | 1:52p
Well it’s been more than 3 weeks since the last 2 steps backward. All non-essential operations (including churches, restaurants, bars, schools, etc) have all been closed for 3 weeks and just reopened yesterday and today.
The numbers for the entire territory seem to have crested and then dropped back down to where our number of open cases is once again low.
The governor announced yesterday that while citizens in the VI can travel inter-island, new overnight guest will be allowed starting Saturday September 19, 2020. We are closed for the entire month of September but looking forward to our October guests!
Sep 8, 2020 Summary: 103 Active cases territory wide with ~15% of the population tested
The pandemic hit close 3 weeks ago with a friend and 3 business people we work with getting the COVID. It was interesting seeing how some were open about exposure, quarantined themselves, got tested, and rode it out, while others were quiet and almost embarrassed about being infected. Testing + Contact Tracing + Isolation = Containment
We are just starting work on a small but significant upgrade to the villa that will be a triple WIN for guests, us, and our staff. More to come next week >
Thu Aug 13, 2020 | 1:20p
Well, we’ve had 3 sets of guests since March. All went well. We wear masks, we don’t go out and about much except for supplies and the occasional takeout. But St. Thomas and St. Croix have not faired as well. Cases are on the rise. So today the governor announced he is putting us back TWO steps to Stay At Home (Orange) as of Weds Aug 19, 2020 for a month. Crap. Stupid Pandemic.
While it is in the middle of storm season, we do have guests coming in 15 days and now we have to reschedule them.
The rules next week are basically this:
Effective Monday, August 17th, the Territory returns to the orange "Stay at Home" Phase for a minimum of two weeks.
Non-essential businesses closed.
Non-essential government employees stay at home.
Lodging are to cease booking new reservations, effective immediately.
As of Wednesday, August 19th, accommodations are barred from checking in any guests except business related travelers, government workers, or emergency workers.
Schools & Churches closed.
Beaches are closed on weekends and holidays at noon.
Restaurants open for take out only.
Reevaluation in 2 weeks.
Thu July 16, 2020 | 10:26a
The territorial government clarified, simplified, and made the process of traveling here more complex at the same time. They no longer refer to a list of specific states that must have ≤5 day old negative COVID-19 or ≤6 month positive antibody tests. Now they simply require one of those test results for anyone coming from a state that is ≥ 10.0% percent positive on Johns Hopkins COVID Testing Tracker website.
July 16 morning “percent positive” by state. Anyone residents from an orange state are required to bring a test result.
Oddly, yesterday Wyoming residents had to have a test. Today, none needed. None of us are quite sure how this is going to play out at the airport.
But today, we have 34 Texans showing up to stay at Great Expectations and 2 other other villas for 5 nights - tests in hand. Exciting times!
Mon Jul 13, 2020 | 2:21p
High Tide and Skinny Legs both announced on Facebook this morning that a close family member of their staff is showing COVID signs and therefore they are temporarily closing. Reaction: smart. It’s decisions like this, along with hand washing, social distancing, and masks in proximity to others that will get us through!
Another press conference from the government. Puerto Rico made the list! No arrival without a negative COVID test within 5 days or a positive antibody test. It seems strange to me that anyone could get tested, then be out in public or at a party and get infected, then travel with an apparent clean bill of health. Also, everything I’ve read about both the COVID tests and antibody tests have massive error margins AND no studies have shown that having antibodies is a guarantee from protection of future infection. 🤷🏼♂️
Our latest USVI DOH COVID report shows 6 total cases confirmed positive on island since they started tracking months ago. Two of the island’s 6 cases were from March.
Sunday July 12 STJ Confirmed Cases to date. Note they removed the graph - 2 of our 6 positives were. from March
A summary of the COVID phased reopening as of today is:
School opening has been delayed to after Labor day in hopes that they can return to classrooms
States requiring negative COVID test or positive antibody test are now Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Puerto Rico, Utah, Kansas, Mississippu, Nevada, South Carolina, and Texas. Alabama residents arriving no longer required to present test like they had to last week.
Reversion back to Stay at Home is always on the table, specifically for STX.
Our Texas guests arriving this Thursday are getting test results as I type.
On a more positive note, we just booked our last week available in both November and January!
Thu Jul 9 , 2020 | 3:10p
So last week the VI Governor announced that anyone coming into the territory from Arizona, Florida, and Texas would be required to provide proof of negative COVID test within 3 days of arrival OR a positive antibody test. Our incoming guests from Austin cannot get tests that fast. So we get on the phone and work out that they will make the decision on whether to cancel in a few days.
Source: Johns Hopkins https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/testing-positivity
Then today the “Open Doors” blue phase was modified again. The COVID tests could be taken within 5 days. The list of states of residence expanded to 10 states (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas). Oh, and no more bars open starting right now. Quiet Mon closed. Drink closed. If your restaurant has a bar, you can stay open but no one can sit or stand at the bar. The same “last call at 11pm, closed at 12am” stands. The threshold was explained as any state with 10% positivity (“10 cases per 100k of population” - although my math says that is 0.01%).
Brave new world. Time to call our 2nd to next guests for late July - they are from South Carolina.
Mon Jul 6, 2020 | 7:35a
Well, the Governor announced last Thursday a surprise set of changes that really don’t amount to much:
Bars will stop serving alcohol at 11pm and close by 12am
Beaches will close in the territory at 4pm
Saturday evening we went downtown with our friends who are on island visiting. The health department officials were out walking the streets in Cruz Bay. They were talking to managers, measuring table distances, checking masks, etc.
We have been in touch with our June guests who arrived mid June, stayed 12 days, then went back to Ohio. All is well.
Apparently there is a big update coming Monday. Until there is near universal access to testing (even if we have to pay for it), then this is all made up bunko. The virus is invisible and it’s worldwide. Forty plus percent of those infected have no symptoms. If a group of service workers gets notified that someone they were in contact with tested positive cannot get tested because they don’t have symptoms, then it is all just window dressing.
The territory is seeing more and more visitors. We just booked a group for a week in November and one in August. We continue our cleanign & disinfecting plans. We check our temp and bloodOx each morning, wash our hands and faces religiously, and wear masks whenever we are within 10ft of others.
Onward!
Tues Jun 16, 2020 | 7:20a
Our guests have been to 3 beaches, hired a steel pan drummer to play music while they commemorated their 50th anniversary, and are having Shaibu prepare and serve a celebration meal for them tonight. Not a bad 2 and a half days on island so far!
We learned last night that the territory has 2 new confirmed cases: one on St. Croix and one on St. John. Oddly the health department has chosen to list total number of cases, even though the island’s previous 2 were diagnosed in March.
I’m not going to get all political or speculate on what is happening up north on the mainland, so i will leave it at this. We wear masks when within 10’ plus of anyone else, still just send one person to the grocery stores, and discuss island guidelines with all guests.
We feel safe and see other locals doing their best to adhere to the rules. I think the invisible nature of the virus, the cooped-up-then-let-loose feeling of many, as well as the sun and fun here make visitors forget. Many of us take time to politely say “Hello” and “Welcome back” to visitors we see on the streets and then remind them to don masks and respect others’ space. We always have been, and are now still more than ever - all in this together.
Jun 13, 2020 | 7:57a
Guests Return!
Last time we emailed our subscriber list in early April, we wrote "we haven't seen a guest since Sunday March 22nd. We're healthy and working." That ended today. A family of 14 is in the air and headed down for a 12 night stay to celebrate the grandparents 50th anniversary and her daughter's 15th anniversary.
The saddle of land Great Expectations was ingeniously built on is going to be alive with island visitor life once again tonight — and we couldn't be happier. We'll meet the guests at the ferry dock (no handshakes or hugs), they will pick up their Jeeps, and head straight to the villa - which we've already provisioned with a fridge and cabinet full of groceries.
They will wake up tomorrow to a cool Caribbean breeze and a gorgeous sunrise. They will go to Maho. They will swim at Trunk. Lunch might be enjoyed Sam & Jack’s Deli. They might even snorkel Hart Bay (the waters are super calm). They will sit by the big pool sipping an icy drink watching some amazing sunsets.
We will smile, sleep well, and make plans to bring in the next guests.
This isn’t the end to the corona virus or COVID-19 or my writing about our navigation of the pandemic. But it’s the end of the extremely long and tumultuous 2nd chapter.
20% off + No-Fee Provisioning
We’ve got a fair amount of the next 6 months booked with guests, but have 10 nights in July and a few weeks in October and December still available. So we’ve decided we’re going to give any future summer/fall 2020 bookings 20% off the top and also provision the villa before your arrival at no additional cost to you. Reimburse us for the groceries and we’ll do the shopping and load up the Great Room for free.
20% off remaining 2020 stays + pre-arrival no-fee provisioning
Just take a look at our current availability calendar and contact us using our online form and let us know the dates you are considering and the size/make-up of your group. We’ll do the rest.
Hope to see you on island soon.
Sunday Jun 7, 2020 | 10:17a
Yesterday while working at St. John Car Rental in the morning, I got to witness a few minutes of Black Lives Matter march in Cruz Bay. Looked like about 180 people of all sizes and colors, peacefully marching through town with various banners and chants. It was nice to see our community bringing attention and love to Love City.
June 6, 2020: Protesters peacefully turn from Strand St. onto Kongens Gade in Cruz Bay
Yvette, Portia, and Maria came back yesterday after 7 weeks away. They cleaned the entire villa, and we made a few lists of things to get done before next weekend’s guest arrival from the mainland.
We mailed a couple of unique gifts these last few weeks to guests who postponed their vacations from the pandemic, and received many nice texts/emails as well as a special selfie from the orginal #VillaOwners Chuck & Kristin.
Kristin & Chuck sporting their new branded buffs while staying-at-home in southern California
Friday June 5, 2020 | 10:12a
I was finishing a virtual conference with a bunch of independent telcos yesterday afternoon when i got 2 calls:
1) Woody’s Seafood Saloon needed help - they couldn’t process credit cards and their IT guy was off-island.
2) “Pickup Carrie and meet us at the wine shop for a late happy hour.”
Talk about feeling like back to normal.
First, a Cruz Bay restaurant needs help…because they have customers!
Second, go out after work in town? Again, hasn’t been the norm - just like everyone else around the world - for months.
So I picked up Carrie, dropped her off at Island Cork (now called kati ligo), and fixed Woody’s problem. Walked back and enjoyed a cold beer while they sipped some wine. Then we stopped at the Beach Bar to watch the sunset and have some apps. Steven the bartender even whipped me up a custom bushwacker as a callout to the Michigan Boys.
Got back to the villa and we’ve got another booking for a 40th birthday party vacation next month.
More normal. 😁
Tues June 2, 2020 | 8:05a
Last night after work, we closed up the transoms and fired up the AC for Sadie. We drove downtown with our friends, parked, and walked the streets of Cruz Bay. We wore our new logo buffs (thanks Rocky Coast) as masks. We said “hi” to fellow friends who hadn’t been out since late March. We entered La Tapa masked and took our reserved seats at the bar.
They served us water and our drinks. Salads came. Mussels arrived. I got ze duck. Carrie & I shared the bread pudding dessert - she had most of the ice cream. We laughed and talked about what has happened and what is happening. Visitors were here and coming. Our next guests arrived in less than 12 days. A big step in a return to something like we used to know.
When we arrived back home, there was a reservation request for late July. All we can hope for is that these reopening phases permit tourism businesses like us to get back to the business of serving up paradise.
Here we go!
Fri May 29, 2020 | 10:51a
Yesterday a villa-owner friend landed for the first time since January to check on their place and start making lists for upcoming renters.
We woke up to booms and flashes at 2:30a this morning as a powerful storm blew over. Sadie got a little scared and we all got a little wet (from the sideways spraying moisture before we got the doors closed).
The weather station clocked the max gusts at 38mph and measure just over 6/10ths of an inch of rain. That should be about 2500 gallons of water in the cisterns and more in the pools. The rain dances worked!
When we woke up, Carrie’s first thought was how this would do wonders for the mangos and bananas.
We met with an engaged couple yesterday who live and work on St. John. They are having a small wedding this summer and want to have their group stay at Great Expectations. Things continue to look up!
Weds May 27, 2020 | 6:01a
We got some great rain last night a few hours after sunset and it looks like some more in the forecast. Soon come - some St John Car Rental Jeeps in our driveway with guests!
Last night we confirmed a week in July for a family of 15 and are talking to another group who wants to come over the 4th of July. The common theme I keep hearing is a variation on “we are dying to get away and sit on a beach.”
Makes me want to edit the age-old idiom:
Good things come to those who [are forced to] wait.
News is flying all over St. John of openings and plans it seems by the hour. Feels like October.
Tuesday May 26, 2020 | 9:05a
Sneak peak — the governor has allowed restaurants and bars to open 5 days ahead of the original plan to go from Yellow to Blue Phase of reopening on June 1.
Exciting? Sure.
Strange? Yep.
Scary? A little bit.
Sensible? Who knows, but it does seem better to have a healthy, safe group of island residents take on the job of being post-pandemic responsible citizens prior to the arrival of hundreds, if not thousands of mainland guests. I guess if I were to guess at the risk of being on this island, separated from almost everyone else except St. Thomians for a full 2 months now with no new cases, I would put it at close to the safest place under the US flag right now.
Easing into Phase Blue this week…guests returning very soon.
I went to breakfast at Cruz Bay Landing. Everyone wore masks. There were only 8 seats at the bar (down from maybe 20). They continue having their sanitizing squirt bottles on the counters. The Eggs Benedict was delicious.
I put on my mask after I paid my bill and sanitized my hands again.
I am soooo looking forward to taking Carrie out to dinner at La Tapa in the coming days.
Friday May 22, 2020 | 10:20a
Yesterday I finished putting a new, more efficient pool pump in for a friend’s villa out on Ajax Peak. It will pump more water around longer and at a much lower electrical cost. When your local electrical company is $0.43/kWhr, every couple hundred Watts saved is $30 a month. This pump will be about $3/day less, paying for itself in less than 7 months!
While out in Coral Bay, I heard news that the governor announced that Bars & Restaurants can open next Tuesday with 50% capacity or 50 people, whichever is less. I have to admit I got a little excited. Driving back I started to think about how this might be a 5 day trial without tourists to get us from Yellow to Blue. While I still believe that we should have blanket tested 10,000 people on STJ & STT, I guess this is a good start to move things toward a “more open” status.
Before I made it back to Carrie and Sadie for dinner, I pulled over and confirmed a booking for 2 weeks over Thanksgiving. It is hard to describe how ‘normal’ that felt. I even high-fived Carrie when I walked in. People still want to get away and come back to St. John. Which made me realize this was probably happening all over the country (and world). Sure you could argue the level of caring leadership and execution has been one big mess and we need about 5x more testing, but boy it feels good to be a part of the train beginning to chug chug chug again.
Three weeks until our first post-outbreak guests…
Weds May 20, 2020 | 7:36a
Only 12 days until the territory moves into Phase Blue! “What does that mean,” you ask?
Well, first off - ALL BUSINESSES OPEN.
Second, Indoor Facilities open.
Third, nursing homes open to limited visitation.
Fourth (although oddly not specifically listed), ‘hotel reservations systems open.’
The grand pandemic experiment is about to move on here like it is in various forms elsewhere around the world. We’ve been in our stay-at-home situation for 9 weeks now. Masks are everywhere. Fist bumping (island way of hand shake) is nearly nonexistent. Most non-restaurants/grocery/gas are slowly trickling into a form of open.
Transitioning the USVI from pandemic Phase Yellow to Blue June 1, 2020
Two mini “essentials” packages arrived yesterday from Carrie’s sister-in-law (frequent STJ visitor) and Carrie’s niece, who owns The Forked Deer store in Brownsville, TN. It was nice getting something other than a bill or part for some piece of villa equipment.
Monday May 18, 2020 | 7:54a
We took a few days off to clean out cabinets and just hang out together. Our June 13 guests have friends who were planning on staying at a villa down the road. The owners called and said they were cancelling the reservation. So on goes the concierge hat to help their friends find a new place to stay next month.
Bonus: The kennel opened partially and Sadie got groomed!
Wednesday May 13, 2020 | 7:20a
Rain! Last night we finally got more than a spritz of rain. The weather system measured 0.21” but I figure after looking at other gauges and the wind, it was more like 4-5/10ths.
Either way, it looks like we gained about 500 gallons in the cisterns. For just Carrie and me, that’s about 2 weeks worth :)
VITEMA just updated the COVID19 numbers for the USVI this morning — sadly another person died:
1259 tested
69 positive / 1128 negative (i know the math doesn’t work)
62 pending
61 recovered
6 deaths (up from 5 a few days ago)
We are now 1 month away from our first guest (barring any last minute early June people dying for some sand and sun). We got 2 more inquiries yesterday for July and November. Good to see people starting to make plans post-lockdown.
Saturday May 9, 2020 | 4:35p
We loaded up and went to Jumbie this morning - had it all to ourselves for the first 2 hours. It was hot, sunny, and the water was cool. Maho and Jumbie have always been our 2 favorites and we highly recommend to every guest.
In the case of Jumbie, with only a few parking spots, 12-16 guests staying at our villa could get there early in the morning and have an entire beach to themselves. The snorkeling is really nice on both sides of the little bay and the center is a nice quick drop off sandy bottom of clear, bright blue water.
Tonight we would have been having painkillers with the Nashville and New England nurse group - they are busy on the ‘front line’ and we aren’t able to take guests…so we have to wait another year to see them again. 😞
Friday May 8, 2020 | 9:10p
Something was in the air today. More people out and about (almost everybody with a mask). More businesses and activities opening. Carrie and I did some early morning laptop work, then shut things down.
Low Key Watersports has started running 2 dive trips a week, so Dudek and I loaded up the gear and boarded the Hey New. Max took 9 of us (including the dive guide) toward St. Thomas and we moored directly above the wreck of the General Rogers. Visibility was good and there was very little current as we swam our way around and up and over and into the ship.
We swam with all kinds of fish, speared a lionfish, saw a lobster, barracuda, and a few sharks, and just plain enjoyed ourselves relaxing in the calmness of our own breathing.
As the Hey Now pulled back in Cruz Bay, we could see a mini excavator digging a huge hole in the middle of Bay Street in front of DR!NK and Grande Bay. More cutting hay while the sun shines. Or maybe it’s digging holes while the streets are empty.
Walking back to the Jeep, I noticed that Island Cork’s lights were on. Another opening! We donned masks and walked in to see his interior rebuild complete. Owner Paul handed us his last 2 Italian sandwiches and a couple of cold Modelos. Lunch fit for a king.
I headed back to the villa, took a nap, and Carrie and I worked through a couple of reservation requests (yes!) and talked to a few upcoming guests on the phone until dinner time. We decided to get takeout: Tap & Still and Woody’s were open doing take out as well and just about everyone was smartly masked up.
Things are looking up.
Thursday May 7, 2020 | 7:10a
The Sahara Air Layer (SAL) is strong this last 12 hours or so. It hazes over the sky and makes things feel a bit off. The winds picked up to a steady 15-17mph with gusts to 30 overnight and we actually got a little cold (shhhhh!).
Desert dust rides west typically between 5,000 and 20,000 ft of elevation
Headed to St. Thomas today to replenish supplies and pick up some plumbing parts for more upgrades.
Some more restaurants are building up to open for takeout and then more in a few weeks. You can feel the pressure slowly being applied to the other pedal.
Wednesday May 6, 2020 | 2:15p
We got a confirmation our guests for June 13 are coming! So looking forward to being able to have this group come, be together at the villa, and just relax.
The government updated their phased re-opening diagram to something a little more fancy. Nothing new, just a little more detail in a printable package.
Last night Chris, Shawna and Low Key Bob came over and we we went crazy:
I made a Cinco de Mayo playlist for the SONOS
The guys drove to Greengo’s for pre-ordered takeout (I went in alone and picked it up mask donned) and sipped fresh margaritas on the way back to the villa.
We ate, had a few drinks, and were in bed by 9pm
CRAZY. Not.
But, as always, it was nice to chat with friends about the island, business, and fun things.
Today’s numbers from the govnah:
1093 Tested total
66 Positive
990 Negative
37 Pending
54 Recovered
4 Deaths
Tuesday May 5, 2020 | 8:52a
The 5th of May. Cinco de Mayo. Day 2 of Phase Yellow. Whatever all that means.
St. John (and St. Thomas) lost power 3 times yesterday for a total of 8 hours and 8 minutes. It was give hours mid day, then an hour after dinner, then 3 more hours late during the night. We ran on solar and batteries. Makes you realize how annoying a neighbor’s generator is when your villa is set for silent running.
Jeep repair today, SBA Webinar, email prep for our future guests and fans.
Might do some margaritas with quarantine friends tonight…
Monday May 4, 2020 | 6:04a
PHASE YELLOW! It’s official, we woke up and are in a new stage of re-opening. It doesn’t feel any different. I wish the territory had 25,000+ tests and were administering them. I’m not really sure how we will be able to gauge successes or failures without testing.
In short, non-essential island businesses can open except for bars, accommodation providers (us), daycare facilities, schools, and nursing homes. Masks are required in any commercial businesses, and no gatherings of 51 or more people.
My view from the hammock chair at 5:29a as I drafted this
Since there is no testing, we won’t be doing much different. We’ve got our twice-monthly STT trip planned for sometime this week. We’ll be working on our computers and in the villa. We’ll wear masks when we are around others.
Have I mentioned the logical flaws in how we tell if Phase Yellow is going well and whether or not we should get to Phase Blue sooner or later? Really can’t gauge anything without tests. Wish we had more tests.
Sunday May 3, 2020 | 5:21p
Today I replaced some plumbing valves and did an inventory of all the electrical outlets and switches we’re going to upgrade.
We had a text last night from the guests who should have checked in - they were having painkillers socially distanced in New Hampshire. They’ve rebooked for next year and hope to come this fall as well. I walked around and took a bunch of landscaping shots for them.
This is tough - being a part of people’s dreams being put on hold.
Saturday May 2, 2020 | 9:55a
More progress!
The Virgin Islands Port Authority has announced people ferry service now at 5:30a from Red Hook to Cruz Bay weekdays with the last ferry back at 9pm. Wearing face cover is mandatory for all passengers.
They also delivered an updated status on airlines to and from the territory:
American daily from Miami.
Delta resuming flights from Atlanta to STT next week with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday flights starting May 8.
JetBlue still flying into STT
Seaflight, Air Sunshine, Seaborne (Silver), CapeAir and other inter-island providers flying depending on passenger demands.
United providing Houston to San Juan then STT starting May 8.
May 2020: Ferry expansion and reopening of flights to St. Thomas from the US Mainland and surrounding islands.
Friday May 1, 2020 | 9:49a
I was a home brewer back in Vermont and had plans (and the federal license) to open a small-scale brewery before our full-time St. John adventure happened. I used to love crafting beer recipes and refining them to something I and others enjoyed. I really enjoy using ingredients we grow or can find locally. We have multiple fruit trees around the Great Expectations compound (bananas, limes, mangos) as well as lemon grass and now have 3 Jamaican Sorrel (Christmas Hibiscus) plants. I’ve made sorrel tea with the sorrel flowers. This winter I also cooked up a couple of different versions of local Bush Tea with our lemon grass.
Well, it has been 6 weeks since our last guests left; 7 weeks since we paired down our circle to 3 other friends on island in preparation of an extended stay-at-home order. While there is a semi-dim light at the what-we-hope-could-be-some-kind-of end of the pandemic tunnel, we still need something to spice up our quarantine Happy Hours.
So a few weeks ago I began playing around with some mixes and came up with something I call COVID-19 on the Rock. Feel free to replace the bush tea with maybe some steeped lemon or lemon-ginger tea.
I am not trying to minimize the danger of the corona virus pandemic or the deadly disease it causes. We’re just trying to bring a little happiness to some otherwise lonely times and give our guests and fans something to try in your own home to bring a little bit of the islands to you.
COVID-19 on the Rocks at Happy Hour May 1, 2020
Cheers!
Thurs April 30, 2020 | 7:32a
Sunset over Chocolate Hole
After some ‘good’ news yesterday that there is at least a plan and we will enter the Safer At Home phase Monday, we had a glorious sunset full of blues and oranges, a starry night with a crescent moon, and a pretty decent shower seeing us get about ½” of rain.
I popped down to Cruz Bay Landing for a Bagel & Lox and Carrie hit the road for a 90 minute walk around Chocolate Hole.
Sadie, as usual, is in the closet napping after her breakfast. #Rufflife
Per the governor’s phased reopening plan, we are planning to start taking guests in June. Our first on the calendar are arriving June 13th.
It will be interesting to see how the Yellow phase starts and progresses. I feel like we need a couple of things in bulk: tests and the ability to quickly get results and a constant reminder that we are all in this together. At times I was deeply aware of the remote nature of St. John and how we were in it alone, but also fairly easy to keep protected. Now that a plan to begin easing the lockdown has been published, I can now imagine how hard something like this will be on the mainland with different plans in different states and sub-par leadership on the federal side.
Time will tell.
Weds April 29, 2020 | 1:41p
Governor Bryan started a new video press conference! Finally some guidance and planning on a phased re-opening proposal/approach.
The USVI delivers a COVID-19 phased reopening plan
He did say this is a living approach and we may be able to open restaurants during the yellow phase (during May)… So, we have guidelines and dates. But they are fluid.
He did say something concerning everyone’s anxiousness that was quite simple yet profound — “We can make more money, we can’t bring anybody back.”
We’ve rebooked our April and May guest cancellations and are now making plans to start taking guests Saturday June 6, 2020.
We’re also modifying our current greeting, cleaning, and disinfecting plans to reflect the new normal.
Weds April 29, 2020 | 8:05a
An update from the USVI Government this morning show no new cases and St. John’s actual confirmed cases are now 4 weeks old. The current word on the beach is that while tomorrow is the end of the Emergency Declaration, the governor will probably be extending it for many reasons for 2 more months.
There is apparently a phased approached being worked out that will have intra-island easing of lock down happening first, followed by inter-island opening up (more ferries w/ more capacity?), followed by increased connectivity to the mainland for non-residents.
We sit and wait. Again.
Tuesday April 28, 2020 | 7:41a
HAPPY 39th BIRTHDAY CARRIE!
Yesterday’s USVI governor press video was another effort to talk but not really cement anything. There were some dates mentioned. There were some numbers displayed.
780 have been tested
716 of those tested were negative at the time (92%)
59 tested positive, 51 of those have ‘recovered’ including both of 2 cases on St. John
Sadly 4 people have now died in the territory from COVID19
Current Stay-at-Home expires “at midnight on April 30.” Technically, midnight is the last and first moment of yesterday and today respectively. So this could mean that Stay-at-Home ends tomorrow night after the clock strikes midnight (on April 30) or that it expires Thursday April 30th as the clock turns from 11:59p to midnight.
It is beginning to feel like a futile exercise in “let’s not talk about real things and they might just go away.” I feel like apologizing to everyone who lives here, vacations here, and owns here.
Not unlike the mainland - more vagueness from our government
We need decisions and dates even if they get pushed out. Without some target, airlines can’t build schedules, restaurants can’t order product and staff up, villas can’t prepare for guests. Without guidelines, how can we make responsible short term plans to help us in the long term.
On another note, we’ve started talking about future rentals. We are in a happy place about our compound and how we rent to a single close groups of family, friends, etc that can come and feel safe at Great Expectations. We’re discussing future cleaning guidelines, new room amenities, and possibly some sort of provisioning for incoming guests.
Time to get Carrie on the water — STAT!
Monday Apr 27, 2020 | 8:50a
It rained hard for maybe 15 minutes this morning after I was already in my window-less office. Carrie said she heard water coming into the cistern. We haven’t had much precipitation since our last guests left and the stay-at-home began. The last thing we want to do right now is have to buy water, so every little bit of water from the sky helps.
Sunday I helped build a shelf system in town and didn’t do much else. Carrie and I hung out in our little pool while Sadie slept away the afternoon. A real Sunday Funday with little interaction and no stress.
While walking down to Pancho this morning, I noticed my Mad River Antler hat drying out in the outdoor shower. My friend Ken Kenia gave me this hat as a replacement for the one I wore out the last 2 years. Today would have been Ken & Julie’s last full day of a 3 week stay in Chocolate Hole. I can’t help but think about the number of people who were planning vacations on St. John these last 6 weeks. Figure 3-6k per week x 6 weeks gone by. That’s 25,000 people or so just coming here. Now imagine we’ve got at least another 3 weeks before any trickling of guests, maybe 6-8 weeks. The governor said something about maybe only 30 off-island people coming in each day. That is amazing to me. The Virgin Islands, and in particular St. John, are a remote case study in how to lock something down. I wonder how the unlocking will pan out.
Saturday Apr 25, 2020 | 4:54p
This morning we woke up to 30mph gusts and a solid grey cloudy sky with misty rain.
There are no new cases on St. John and haven’t been for 3 weeks. We don’t have enough data, but with testing and no one reporting, I think we are either uniquely clean or very very close to it.
The weather changed over to blue skies by 1pm, but I was busy in Jumbie installing the final DC / LED ceiling fan. I took in the portable SONOS Move and jammed to some music. I’m so glad i left the easiest one to last - 90” ceiling was so much easier to work on alone. Once I got everything working and cleaned up, I put the tools away and hit the pool with a beer.
No pun intended.
Rumor has it the governor is going to do some refining of the rules on Monday. We will see.
Friday Apr 24, 2020 | 4:30p
Two days in a row off island. We went to load up on some needed plumbing supplies and food for the next month. We loaded up the coolers, prepared the sanitizer, and brought new masks.
24th spot in 6-foot-separated interior-customer-limiting Home Depot line
In a carefully planned route, we hit the top spots and skipped the non-essentials:
Home Depot: returned painting supplies for gift card, picked up a case of painters caulk for the room interiors
Cost U Less: Chicken, Cheese, Flour, Olive Oil, Berries, Wine, Beer, Rum - all the necessities
Plaza Extra: Spices, Vegetables, Butter
Just Plastics: 2.5” to 3” PVC adaptors for gutter drains
Atlantic Supply: 4 x T-Valve connectors for main villa bathrooms, Hoshizaki ice maker cleaner and disinfectant (yeah, we clean and sterilize the Great Room ice maker periodically)
Taco Chelles: 8 x tacos, 5 margaritas and a couple of beers (for 4 of us)
Carrie will read this and say “TMI!” She forgets my travel web blogging past. I have a tendency to treat things like this as a time to keep a highlights journal. I care that people read it, but it is as much for me as it is for anyone else. It was a nice Friday afternoon and the taco treats at the end of the ‘big island’ excursion - this time delivered to the Jeep window like an A&W - were just right as always. #PandemicPleasures
Thursday Apr 23, 2020 | 8:11a
We needed to get off the rock! As I have explained before, we have been consistently around only 3 other people on island for the last 5 weeks. Five of us (and Sadie) make up our quarantine family. Yesterday morning you could feel the tension on many fronts. So 4 of us loaded up after lunch and took off on the Lucy Moon, the Dudek’s 19ft Scout center console.
Apr 22 Get off the Rock via boat 3 hour tour
We puttered around, we sipped on cans of Truly and snacked on pistachios. We listened to music. We sang a little. We got some sun. We stopped 3 times to just float in the water. It was simple. It was only 3 hours. It was magical.
Steve & Carrie Butcher floating in the sea
Complementary Coozies
When you can’t bring in revenue for the businesses, shouldn’t go anywhere, and are finished with the latest season of Ozark, getting off the rock by a half mile or so with some wind in your hair seemed like some of the best medicine we could take.
Weds Apr 22, 2020 | 9:09a
Ugh. I called the office of the governor yesterday. Four times. I called the health department. I tweeted them. I messaged them both on Facebook. I asked them to put bullet points on their websites explaining the status of ferries, car barges, airports, restaurants, beaches, trails, government offices, etc. The vagueness and refusal to admit verbal communications relayed in videos they published is beyond annoying. I asked them to just clarify for their citizens where we stand, capacities, allowances, dates.
Their answer: governor’s state of emergency currently expires on April 30, 2020.
The misinformation game can only be beaten by clear, concise, and up-to-date facts. Maybe I have to think about running for office next election. 🤔
Monday Apr 20, 2020 | 3:10p
‘THERE’S NO ROOM AT THE INN.’ — Governor Bryan, USVI, Apr 20, 2020
So, as we guessed, the Governor had another press event today and announced a few updates:
The stay-at-home order currently ends on April 30, 2020 - The government will consider if and what can be opened up at the end of the month.
No new reservations maybe we’ll see until at maybe May 15, 2020. A little vague and soft, but at least there is a date.
Probably no large gatherings until July 2020.
Better than expected, but still another extension. So we’re going to stick with our end of May as the first time we can have guests staying with us again.
Be safe and be kind everyone.
Monday Apr 20, 2020 | 7:51a
THE BEACHES ARE OPEN!
I’m sure everyone has their quarantine thing. Ours is pretty simple, and it’s the same reason you love living here or coming here on vacation. It’s the beaches and the trails. They’ve been closed for 2 weeks and it has gotten a little edgy - just knowing they are there, all warm and sparkly. We couldn’t touch. They are re-opened today and hopefully people will distance and not get them closed down again.
We have spent more time in the pools. We worked on a 2nd monster puzzle. We prepared some more villa work. I started working with our local Landowner’s association to continue the cleanup, repair, and improvements in Chocolate Hole.
Saturday I met a woman from Hibiscus Jazz and got our newly sewn St John masks. I look like a bandit with my sunglasses on.
We got an inquiry for an April 2021 stay for 15 people. First one in a many weeks. They are interested but in the early stages. It hasn’t rained in weeks - in more ways than one.
We just want to meet some more guests. June?
Friday Apr 17, 2020 | 2:47p
Mixed bag update from the governor today:
Second death from COVID-19 in the territory ☹️
46 of 51 cases recovered, 3 active 🙂
Beaches are opening back up on Monday 😃(hoping people don’t mess it up)
10 individual limit on gatherings ☹️
Concerned over lack of mass testing ☹️
Evaluation about opening on the 30th of April 🙂
Gas prices dropped down to $3.05 on STJ 🙂
Beauticians and Barbers still non-essential
Airport has thermal temperature testing equipment 😃
Cloth face masks should be worn in public 😷
So not much of a change, sadly an elderly woman died. We are still staying clear of others and planning little mini excursions like driving around, Sunday Funday night at a parking lot 10+ft from some close friends.
The breezes have picked up and the water is getting a little rough off the south shore. Carrie is on her second puzzle. My job is to stack up all the edges at the start then get out of the way.
Thurs Apr 16, 2020 | 9:05a
Carrie went for a long walk over to Boatman Point this morning and I am working from home.
I went to pay our hardware store invoice this morning (they are only open half days on Weds & Thurs) and saw a sign on the door saying that you have to wear gloves and a mask, so I just called on the phone. Duh.
Today is another beautiful day with puffy clouds and a steady breeze. Two more days of computer work, and then the caulking begins inside building #1.
I have multiple friends who text me a screen shot of them watching the sunrise on our webcam. I can’t explain how that warms me inside.
Be safe and kind.
Early morning Rendezvous Bay
Weds Apr 15, 2020 | 12:12p
Yesterday was my (Steve) birthday. In 2019, friends were down from Boston. We met up with them and our island family and we walked through town eating, drinking, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. This year, we picked up takeout at Cruz Bay Landing and went to Dudek’s house. The four of us sat with our legs in the pool and chatted about COVID shutdown week 4. The food was delicious. I opted for a White Russian for all of us to toast with. Haven’t had one of those in a decade or more.
We were home and in bed with the pup by 9:30p. Up early for another day of work, news avoidance, and business planning.
Monday Apr 13, 2020 | 7:40a
Last night we hung out (separately) and listened to 80’s music on the portable speaker. We each brought snacks and talked about the last 3 weeks and the upcoming 3. Car Rentals are non-existent, Grande Bay is empty except for a few odd rooms, and we have no guests scheduled until mid June. We’re all doing projects that would normally have waited until August.
It was calm, clear, and dark last night so I started playing around with the iPhone night mode.
I just realized it’s Monday, so back to the day job.
Sunday Apr 12, 2020 | 4:40p
Carrie made pizza rolls this afternoon. We are going to the other side of Chocolate Hole east to meet 2 couples in their cars in a parking area near Hart Bay.
We’re backing vehicles up and sitting on tailgates to be 10+’ apart, have a chat and a little mini happy hour. It’s what we do for fun now.
The territory released updated Epi report a little late but it is the same for STJ - only 2 cases and they have been positive for almost 2 weeks
Sunday Apr 12, 2020 | 10:41a
I got up early this morning. Real early. I installed 3 more Pani water monitors in 3 bedrooms before 7am. I flew the drone for 20 minutes to get some sunrise photos and videos. Then i made some breakfast. Then I took a nap. All before 10:00am!
Carrie’s new entertaiment is audio books. She enjoys listening while she cooks, works on her laptop, works on the villa, or sits by the pool. I keep asking her what she’s listening to. She gets annoyed because she has to pause it to talk to me. I laugh. #QuarantineGames
The villa is now running steady on just 0.9kW of power outside of pool pump morning ramp ups, oven & microwave use, and when the water pump kicks in occasionally.
Looking forward to those guests returning…
Saturday Apr 11, 2020 | 7:10p
Dudek came over to help me finish the ceiling fans in Francis, Maho, and Cinnamon. I just scratched out some new math and figured that even at ½ power, running 24x7 each fan uses less than 3kWhr per month ($1.29 equivalent before solar) - AND they have dimmable LED lights!
Jumbie will be installed tomorrow, and then it’s on to the 6 Pani devices for the bathrooms. Fun times.
Carrie asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday this week. I thought: Greet some guests and have them enjoy the villa?
Friday Apr 10, 2020 | 8:41a
Just got off a 5 person web conference call. It went well. Our video conversation turned to laughter when someone brought up that the web developers of the world have been doing this for decades. The Geeks Will Inherit the Earth comes to mind.
The iguana are pros at social distancing.
Yvette, Portia, and Yvette’s brother showed up this morning at 7am as I was leaving for work. They started deep cleaning Francis and Maho rooms (in Air Conditioning - thanks Tesla!). We plan on starting interior painting next weekend! Exciting!
One bit of pandemic news (no update from USVI Gov yesterday) - it was truly uplifting hearing news last night of Dr. Fauci relaying that COVID-19 fatality numbers should be much lower than predicted in late March.
Thurs Apr 9, 2020 | 12:18p
We just sent an email out to 2500 friends of Great Expectations. Some of you might have just opened it and clicked to here. In short, it explains where we are at and that this COVID-19 Journal is where to find out the latest.
Tomorrow afternoon, following my day job, I’m preparing some further items for our smaller list of future guests. On the same day, Yvette and Portia, our lead cleaning staff, are coming to deep clean 2 bedrooms to prepare for painting next week.
Reason to come back tomorrow: SCUBA wild life video from last weekend!
Wed Apr 8, 2020 | 7:48a
Yesterday the National Park and the USVI Government announced that all beaches and trails are off limits for 2 weeks.
Everyone has their stay at home funny happenings and sad parts of life in the spring of 2020. But man, there is something about being on a small island surrounded by some of the most beautiful water and sand you’ve ever seen - and not being able to touch it. Now think of space and relativity. Many will get stir crazy.
The latest on our little rock is 2 tested positive and 0 under investigation. Overall the USVI has 45 that have tested positive with 39 recovered. The department of Health has started distributing a really helpful 2 page summary of COVID in the Virgin Islands.
USVI Dept of Health summary as of April 7 on COVID-19 on island.
We’re at our desks working still and will be getting the villa tools out on Saturday morning.
Be safe and kind.
Mon Apr 6, 2020 | 11:20a
There are rumors of shutting down the park and the trails. That will not be nice.
Sun Apr 5, 2020 | 7:53a
Another glorious sunrise and even calmer waters than yesterday. A friend from Vermont sent me a screen shot of our webcam that is 150ft away - he suggested we should go snorkeling. He and his wife are supposed to be here in 3 days, staying at a villa across the road for 3 weeks. They had to cancel their trip. This sucks.
Apr 4, 2020 | 2:40p
The water was glass. The wind was calm. Bob (fellow quarantine buddy) invited me out to dive. We went to French Cap. I swam with a hawkbill turtle for almost a minute. We saw nurse sharks. We killed Lionfish. We saw reef sharks. It was calming and beautiful.
Carrie hung back at the villa and made a point of taking a day off to just do nothing.
I can hear the tone in people’s voices/texts changing. Most are starting to get antsy and annoyed. Just a week or two more and we’ll be closer to some big changes.
Apr 3, 2020 | 8:52a
Yesterday I helped a friend (one of the 3 people Carrie and I have limited our interactions with) with some plumbing. He’s going to help us with ceiling fan rod adjustments on Saturday. The hardware store is closed, so we are working on things that we have the parts for.
This morning on the way to work, I helped another friend with a light switch gone bad.
We communicate via texting on $1000 pocket devices, but I like to imagine that the current level of social interaction is on par with rural America 150 years ago.
I’m not complaining: we go to sleep with the doors wide open and a cool breeze on our face, and wake up to some of the most stunning sounds and sights every day. But, boy are we looking forward to having guests back at the villa.
Apr 1, 2020 | 7:35a
Last night before dusk, I drove down to Frank Bay to capture a sunset. It was stunning.
The wind died down overnight and Chocolate Hole is calm. Makes me want to be out on or under the water. But, we continue to minimize contact with others for the 14th consecutive day. Carrie watches Sadie at home (the villa) while I drive to my new single-desk office across from Palm Plaza.
We’ve had 2 more inquiries into late summer dates and are excited to get people coming back down to enjoy St. John (and all the other things they have been avoiding for the last few weeks).
Mon Mar 30, 2020 | 6:50a
Woke up to another orange sky show at our toes this morning.
To date, 180 people in the USVI have been tested for COVID-19. That’s barely 0.2% of the population. There are 30 confirmed positive, 2 on St. John.
Carrie has been preparing food and I spent half the day Sunday repairing and cleaning Pancho in front of St. John Car Rental’s garage. We are back on our computers this morning happily doing our day jobs.
Last night I went to 1864 Restaurant to pick up some Chinese takeout. I was impressed at the setup they had for non-interaction including the sanitizing stations in Mongoose Junction. Oh, the pork egg roll and beef & broccoli was delicious too!
We’re finishing a few mini villa projects this week after work and preparing for some painting hopefully next weekend.
Sun Mar 29, 2020 | 9:10a
The breeze is blowing. The coconuts are growing.
We tried to change it up and get a little takeout last night - they were unexpectedly closed. So we made a salad and had some orzo Carrie had made. I’m headed to work on Pancho (our Jeep) and Carrie is going to do some work stuff on the computer.
Feels a little weird knowing flights are being cancelled (not sure where we would go if we could), ferries are slowing their service, and an unseen entity is on this 8 x 2.5 mile island and you can do nothing about it.
I know we’ve got about 2000 people on St. John. There must be another couple hundred visitors still here. I’m guessing we will see 100 cases by the end of next week. It doesn’t feel too bad in the calm before the storm, we’re all just hoping the storm either blows through quick enough that it only hurts for a little bit, or that it is weak and slow, annoying, but all around not that harmful.
I’m going out on a limb and predicting our Memorial Day guest s
Sat Mar 28, 2020 | 2:10p
Well, it’s official. St. John has its first confirmed positive for COVID-19. There are 3 more cases pending test results. The people ferries between STJ & STT started running half as often (every other hour on the odds from STJ) and maintaining half the capacity. The mail center where we receive mail and packages is cutting down to 4 hrs a day.
We are maintaining our close contact with only 3 others who we’ve been close to for over 3 weeks. They are doing the same.
Our early May arrivals had to just cancel (even if hopeful they could come) as their home state just enabled a May 4 cut off to their Stay-At-Home order. They moved their arrival date out a month.
Tomorrow is ceiling fan finish day. Next week we’re moving furniture in 2 bedrooms, deep cleaning, then starting to paint the interiors (as well as keep doing our day jobs). I can’t express how happy we are that the Internet is still working.
We’ll all know a lot more in a week.
Fri Mar 27, 2020 | 6:41a
I got to work early this morning in my new office (across from St. John Market) to go over some pre-day job stuff and clean up 2 more re-bookings - one week in May and a 10-day stay in June 2020 both rebooked for almost the same week next year.
Yesterday we bought 8 gallons of interior paint for building 1 bedrooms: we’re going to have the cleaners do a deep clean next week, pull out the furniture, and paint the trim, then walls of Francis and Maho. After that, we move on to Cinnamon, Trunk and the Great Room. While we paint, I’m going to take detailed photos and measurements and start making plans for some longer-term bathroom upgrade plans.
Yesterday was our 5th day without guests and the villa is 100% off grid, running on the sun and some batteries overnight - and sending almost 60kWhr of power back to WAPA daily. Sunrises and Sunsets are still stunning…daily.
Thu Mar 26, 2020 | 6:35p
Virtual Happy Hour
We just had our first virtual happy hour with our Vermont friends, the Kenias, who were planning on a 3 week stay starting April 7th directly across the street from Great Expectations. They canceled their trip a few days ago. It was fun having a happy hour chat with them - and funny to see them in sweatshirts with snow in the background. We were really looking forward to spending some time with them on island next month…but hopefully we will get them down in October for 10-14 days!
I think we’re going to have do more of these - maybe with some guests who had to rebook…
Weds Mar 25, 2020 | 8:20a
Beef leftover, avocado, parmesan omelette.
Last night our local The Facebook took off a little with someone on island who has symptoms. They were told they needed to get in an ambulance and take the ferry to St. Thomas to be tested. That just isn’t going to work. I thought about when or if we had symptoms - would I go to St. Thomas on my own and just expect that carrie would have communication and transportation guaranteed back and forth as needed? Probably not.
So, I wrote the governor this morning asking to confirm that we had tests on island as well as medical staff to collect samples, and perform testing. I also pleaded to announce that we do in his daily briefing so we can all breathe a little easier.
We will see.
Amazing sunrise this morning had us up early and making an omelette with leftovers to a cool Caribbean breeze. Sadie slept in.
Tue Mar 24, 2020 | 1:00p
Well, this is the 2nd full day since our last guests left. As a precaution, we decided it was best to keep the cleaning crew at home until Wednesday (3 days). Carrie cleaned and disinfected surfaces in the bedrooms and Great Room and just finished our 15th load of laundry cleaning 8 bedrooms worth of linens, bedspreads, blankets, and towels. These last few days have been especially breezy and we’ve have left all the rooms sliding doors screened but open.
Tomorrow the cleaners arrive to do a complete villa wash down and we are holding off on re-making the bedrooms until a few days before the next guest arrival which we are currently planning as May 2.
The island has quieted way down and we have limited 6ft contact to only 3 other people that we are around many days of the week naturally.
After a week of stay-at-home and sorting out our day jobs, we hope to start some Great Expectations improvement projects this weekend.
We are in regular communication with those close to us and are still working with guests coming this summer and beyond.
From the look of things up north, tests are finally being rolled out and real numbers are coming in that, while growing at an alarming rate, are at least becoming more and more accurate by the day.
Be safe and be kind.
Sun Mar 22, 2020 | 1:45p
Our 13 guests checked out and headed to St. Thomas to fly back to New England. After 8 days on island they are rested, tanned, and report in apparent good health. We have decided to take this time to implement some new cleaning steps including more countertops, appliances, fixtures and container disinfecting as well steam cleaning our hanging curtains.
We’re on day 1 of more than 30 days until our next guests arrive, so it’s time to settle in and get the project list going.
Mar 21, 2020 | 9:20p
Good, informed updates from our governor this evening. In short, no curfew, just recommended stay at home - with many exemptions for businesses like grocery, shipping, gas, services, etc.
Bars closed.
Restaurants take out only
Grocery, gas, big box stores, etc are open
No new guests in hotels, timeshares or rentals for 30 days starting Mar 25, 2020 (until Fri April 24, 2020).
Good that we have a plan and testing capabilities.
Mar 21, 2020 | 11:12a
We took the day off the internet yesterday to regroup. We worked on our day jobs, then went to Maho to sit in the water. It was wonderful (as always). Our 2020 winter calendar is now open up until May 2.
We have rebooked 2 of the 3 weeks from March & April and next winter is filling up.
We’re semi hunkered down here and making plans for what projects to do at Great Expectations for the month of April: Painting, maybe some small construction, new lights…we’ll see.
Mar 19, 2020 | 11:12a
Interesting happenings here:
Sadie is tired of the self-quarantine and lack of testing just the rest of us.
A few more restaurants have decided to close for 3 weeks. A few have decided to do take out only. A few more have decided to stay open. So maybe it’s now thirds: closed for 3 weeks, takeout only, open. The government sends updates and is sticking to the no more than 50 people near each other, and even then, stay distanced.
As far as our villa on this little rock, our current guests have decided to stay another day and change their tickets so a) they can fly back on the same flights, b) so they can go on a slower STT travel day, and c) so they can enjoy one more day in paradise.
On the flip side, our April 11-18, 2020 group has decided for health and employment reasons to move their booking from next month to January of 2021. We honored our cancellation policy and grandfathered the rate so their stay is exactly the same just 10 months later.
As for me, Carrie, and Sadie, we’re working our day jobs and hitting the beach this weekend.
Mar 18, 2020 | 7:44a
Beautiful morning again today. News of St. John did some legwork and organized some details on a few St. John restaurants & bars that are changing services. A few are switching over to take-out only for 2 weeks, and a few are closing for 2 weeks.
Grande Bay Residence Club (some of the units at Grande Bay Resort) are closing this weekend for 30 days. The rest of the resort hasn’t made a decision on whether to close the rest for a few weeks.
A fairly big announcement was the British Virgin Islands decision to allow only residents and work permit holders entry as of tomorrow (March 19, 2020). That is a pretty big short-term change that will drastically affect tourists, residents, and services like charter boats and ferries. It’s also interesting to me that they have had 15 people total tested for COVID-19.
We saw last night that government officials were in Cruz Bay walking into restaurants and warning them of too many patrons (beyond the 50 person gathering in one location limit suggested by the CDC). Good to see that the limits imposed are actually being policed.
Our current guests went to the beach yesterday and our plan is to keep an eye on things for another 2 days - especially any changes in airport / travel restrictions.
Mar 17, 2020 | 6:31a | Happy St. Patty’s Day
Well the little valley in Vermont we used to live in has people who know they have been exposed. People are holed up reading some truths (stop touching people and stay home) and some fictions (warm air coming, going to cure everything). Clients of my web dev company are locking the doors to ride it out - some by choice, many by government force.
I’ve spoken to each of our incoming guests through May. Everyone is patiently waiting.
Then the COVID19 data map website stopped posting infection location data and started just putting a red dot in the center of each state. Some lawyers, somewhere I am sure claimed “that’s personally identifiable health data” and forced them to take it down. A once hyper-valuable resource is now only worth the 3 gaitn numbers (infected, dead, recoved). What a waste.
The island is sunny, warm and slightly breezy. We spent a lot of time in the pool last night. I’m sure that’s a trend that will continue.
Mar 16, 2020 | 1:20p
The governor of the USVI just had a short and informative press conference. The summary is that they are standing by the CDCs recommendations of 8 weeks of lowered activity especially of groups of people larger than 50.
All USVI schools will be closed after tomorrow for 8 weeks.
Don’t congregate in groups of 50 or more.
Ferries might be limited between STT and STJ from 200 passengers to 100.
We can only assume flights are going to be cut back. So we’re going to keep watchin, but bet the next few weeks of guests won’t be arriving. Stay tuned, we will learn more in the coming hours and days.
Mar 16, 2020 | 7:01a
Our current guests are thoroughly enjoying themselves. The sunset last night was stunning as usual.
I had to drive to ‘town’ to perform a few updates on the Beach Bar’s live webcam before dinner. I pulled up in front of The Terrace and decided I might as well just sit outside with my laptop on the spare tire using the WiFi signal. Why go into the bar if it isn’t necessary?
I picked up a hitchhiker this morning who needed a ride to Cruz Bay. In broken english, he said “what do you think about this corona virus stuff?” I replied with my current, informed, and triple-checked 30 second elevator response. I also said “I probably won’t pick you up next Monday. And if you aren’t staying home, you probably shouldn’t look to get in anyone’s car either. Just walk.”
He nodded in agreement. No fist bump 🚫👊🏼.
All things being equal, the US numbers really aren’t accurate. They are low and going to become more accurate in the coming days. So we make small changes and wait for the big changes others are making. I am doubtful our end of March guests can come and enjoy the sun, but I am confident our middle of May guests will. On Saturday, we received a deposit check for a large family 10 day stay in July.
Feels like treading water and knowing no one’s coming to help you in the next few minutes, but remembering there are thousands of boats all around. We just have to be smart and maintain.
Mar 15, 2020 11:56a
Our guests made it just fine and seem to be thoroughly enjoying the villa. They said they would probably be going to the beach today. We’re seeing more and more false stuff on social media beyond even the 2016 election. The governor held a press conference and explained that one or more have tested positive for COVID19, which, considering the lack of tests, means it’s here and probably hundreds or more are infected. The curve of “other than China” seems to be flattening but how accurate can that be if the US doesn’t have everywhere-testing capabilities yet?
“Other Locations” COVID-19 infected flattening?
We work on laptops, so our plan is to stay by the pool or hit the beach, no shaking hands, hugging or fist bumping, and riding this mess out.
Mar 14, 2020 4:10p
All is well on St. John. We are about to check in a group of guests. We have added a few features to our cleaning procedures, have plenty of toilet paper (too soon?), and are also providing disinfectant wipes in both kitchens. Only news down here that has changed is the British Virgin Islands has decided to turn away all cruise ships for 30 days (April 14) and only Beef Island airport and West End will be open for international traffic (boats and planes).
Mar 13, 2020 7:50a AST
We have now spoken to each group checking in through May 2020 - all are still coming (except one person in this weekend’s 14 person group who has compromised immune system and doctor recommended staying home from everything).
There are no travel restrictions between the US Virgin Islands and the United States. If this changes, so will our policy.
Corona Virus, COVID-19, and St. John
We've been contacted by two spring villa guests about the COVID-19 outbreak and what it means for travel, vacations, and specifically their trip to St. John and Great Expectations. We figured it was best to just explain our villa rental policies, our personal take, and our plans:
Our Cancellation Policy
We have one of the most lenient cancellation policies on island: we will refund 100%
of all funds after we rebook guest's canceled dates for the same amount OR apply 100% toward a future stay if we the cancelled stay does not get rebooked. In short, while we don't look forward to it, you can cancel your stay anytime even up to the day before, and we will let you rebook for future available dates. If you give us a few months notice, we might even rebook and refund your deposit and/or final payment.
Travel Insurance
Bringing a group of 10, 12 or even 20 people to our island paradise is an expensive and sometimes complicated effort. We have always highly recommended travel insurance. That being said, unless you insured with "Cancel for any reason" coverage, you probably aren't covered unless you have a diagnosed medical reason. We refer back to our cancellation policy - cancel and rebook any time.
Resources
Johns Hopkins Global COVID-19 data map
While we don't think there is much that can be done individually other than keeping yourself healthy and minimizing contact with known infected populations, as owners of vacation accommodations for larger groups of travelers, we do keep up with the current news and data about COVID-19. Steve has many scientist friends from his past life as well as a current Biotech partnership client that is working on a vaccine for another virus (Nipah). The consensus is the same: refer to CDC's Situation Summary and keep an eye on Johns Hopkins COVID data map.
These are constantly updated, reliable, science-based sources of information about the virus, the disease. They contain massive amounts of current information about preparation, travel, care, and more.
As of Tuesday March 10, 2020 at 8:30a Eastern, the current travel recommendations for just about everywhere in the Caribbean are the same as within the 50 states:
Avoid contact with sick people
Clean hands often and for at least 20 seconds with sanitizer
Pay attention to your health for 14 days after travel
Avoid traveling if you are sick
While we don't want anyone to have to cancel their upcoming trip, we understand when circumstances demand it, and have setup our cancellation policy accordingly. We were chatting with upcoming April guests last night and remembered that our Christmas 2019 guests were originally scheduled to come in December of 2017. When we bought Great Expectations in January of 2017, we inherited 15 cancellations that have since returned to have fantastic stays with us on St. John.
On the flip side: we are working with a bride right now who planned on traveling to St. Thomas on a cruise ship in 2 weeks. Her wedding is planned on Trunk Bay. She's cancelling the cruise for everyone. We have an opening and are working with her to bring the group to Great Expectations in 2 weeks to celebrate.
We fully expect people we know (and possibly us) could be infected in the coming year. Our plan is to be smart, informed, and considerate of those around us as well as our future guests.
Sincerely,
Steve & Carrie Butcher
GreatExpectationsSTJ.com
340-643-6960