St John -- Post Irma status report (Sept 18)

Thanks for all your messages and good wishes!  There have been numerous press reports of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma to St. John, unfortunately flamed by an effort to draw attention to the Virgin Islands so that the Federal government did not forget us in the midst of the wider spread damage in Texas and Florida (the Governor of the Virgin Islands told everyone last week that President Trump called him and said he would visit, but that has yet to happen). To the best of our knowledge, the damage is no worse than the last major storm to strike the Virgin Islands, Hurricane Hugo, in 1989. As has just occurred, the islands back then looked bare and awful, the result of the high winds denuding all the green, leaving just brown trees and bare earth. Wooden houses were badly damaged with FEMA blue tarps served for months as roofs. Being the tropics, the landscaping grew back within weeks. New building codes prohibited building any new structures out of wood. We bought our property in 1990, one year after Hurricane Hugo. Will St. John recover as quickly this time? We do not know for sure, but we fully expect it to! Our Webmaster and friend extraordinaire, Steve Butcher, arrived on St. John on Saturday (he had to fly from Vermont to San Juan via JFK, then take a supply boat from Puerto Rico to Cruz Bay). He has confirmed what we have seen from FEMA aerial photos and the initial report a week ago from Kristen Cox, our property manager, that Great Expectations survived Hurricane Irma incredibly well. Our thanks to our architect, John Sloan and our contractor, Bill Osborn and his construction crew, who designed and built the Villa to withstand hurricane-force winds with 8 inch thick reinforced concrete walls, no overhanging roofs and hurricane clamps to hold the roofs on, and hurricane shutters over all the glass sliders! We expect to be open for business within 2 weeks after power is restored to the island, however, we still do not know when that will be and there is yet another hurricane, Maria, bearing down on the Virgin Islands!

To help rebuild St John, please make a contribution to St John Rescue and keep St John on your ‘bucket’ list for the beauty of our island is amazing!

Many thanks!

Kristin and Chuck

Our hurricane shutters secured pre-Irma:

hurricane shutters

Our Webmaster and friend extraordinaire, Steve Butcher, enroute the airport last Friday:

butcher on way to Burlington airport

Saturday night, after inspecting the Villa, Steve got to watch the sun set:

butcher pool post irma

Help is on the way to the US Virgin Islands

The US Navy announced today that the USS Wasp, USS Kearsarge and USS Oak Hill support relief mission in Virgin Islands. The amphibious assault ships USS Wasp (LHD 1), USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) along with the Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are supporting the lead federal agency in providing humanitarian relief efforts for Hurricane Irma. Wasp, the first Navy platform to arrive in the vicinity of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is providing medium and heavy lift helicopters to transport people and supplies. Wasp's helicopters are conducting medical evacuations for intensive care patients from St. Thomas to St. Croix and conducting site assessments on the initial damage in St. Thomas.

And, we also learned that St John Rescue has arranged for 2 jets to fly in needed supplies including high tech equipment and highly qualified first responders. They are deploying with Global Dirt Disaster immediate response team.  They plan to 'insert' on St John in the next 36 hours (posted on Facebook Sept 7 at 2 PM).

If you can, please consider donating to the St John Rescue Relief Fund.

Great Expectations and St John is braced for Hurricane Irma

Great Expectations should be okay; the Villa is constructed of 8-inch thick reinforced concrete and all our outdoor furniture, hammocks, pool floats, hot tub covers and 21 hurricane shutters have been secured, thanks to our great staff, for Irma's arrival tonight! [button title="Live Webcams" icon="" icon_position="" link="/webcam" target="" color="" font_color="" large="0" class="" download="" onclick=""]

building 3 closed

closed room closed

pools closing up

pool closing up

Here are a few ways to help those on St John who will need assistance after the hurricane passes:

donate

St John Rescue:An all-volunteer non-profit organization on the small island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands dedicated to providing emergency rescue and medical support services to the St. John's EMS, Police, Fire, National Park and Health Clinic personnel.

donate st john foundation

St John Community Foundation: Created in 1989 after the devastation of Hurricane Hugo, the St. John Community Foundation has successfully been carrying out the mission of providing services and supporting programs that positively engage people, build resources and strengthen the St. John community since 1989. They continuously look for ways to fill service gaps and cultivate community assets including people, organizations, programs, and resources to effectively respond to changing needs of the community now and for future generations.

donate animal care center

St John Animal Care Center: The Animal Care Center (ACC) of St. John is located in Cruz Bay, near the library. The ACC addresses the problems of cruelty to, neglect and abuse of the island animals. The shelter provides kennels for homeless dogs and inside cages for a limited number of homeless cats. The ACC has volunteers across St John who establish and maintain feral cat feeding stations. At these locations, feral cats are trapped and taken to the local vet who tests for disease and if clear spays or neuters the cat.

St John -- How to Lend a Helping Hand (Volunteer, Donate or Fundraise)

Over time, we have experienced that people who visit St John become passionate about St John. We have often been asked how people can help give back to an island they have grown to love. There are lots of ways to connect and help St John organizations (and people) whether you are on island or back home and just longing to be here.  Here are a few ways of helping either by contributing to one of the many St John organizations or by volunteering while you are on island:

St John Animal Care Center (SJACC)

The St John Animal Care Center has done a wonderful job of rescuing and caring for the island dogs and cats (and sundry other creatures).  They maintain feral cat feeding stations and manages a no-kill shelter with indoor kennels for dogs and a limited number of cages for cats.  They have developed a foster care program as well as programs to transition their charges to forever families both on island and stateside.  If you are coming to St John as you pack your suitcase tuck in some pet supplies (food items, leashes pet toys) which are always a welcome donation.  If you are already on island and want to help head on over to the Animal Care Center and volunteer to walk a dog or help with the feral cat feeding program.   And, if you are back home longing for St John, you can donate to some of the SJAAC fundraisers which happen every year.

Friends of the VI National Park

Our National Park is very fortunate to have the Friends of the VI National Park (FVINP) as their advocate whose mission is to: advance the protection and preservation of the natural and cultural resources of Virgin Islands National Park and promote the responsible enjoyment of this unique national treasure while educating and inspiring adults and children to be stewards of the environment. And, boy, do they do it well!

The Friends supports environmental education, natural resource protection, cultural preservation and scientific research. Their accomplishments and goals are clearly detailed on their website. Each initiative shows how much money was raised, or is needed to fund the initiative. So, find an initiative you are interested in and feel free to donate on-line.

Great Expectations is proud to be a Preferred Partner of the Friends.

St John Rescue

One of the most wonderful, all volunteer, organizations on St John is St John Rescue.  It is a bit like insurance, you hope you never need to use it but, if you do, you want it easily accessible. St John Rescue's mission is: dedicated to providing emergency rescue and medical support services to the St. John's EMS, Police, Fire, National Park and Health Clinic personnel.  They have the capability to help out both with land and water based emergencies and over the course of a year respond to over 150 emergency situations. If you live on island consider volunteering and if you are an occasional St John visitor, please consider donating to this very important life-saving organization.

St John Community Foundation

The St. John Community Foundation is committed to collaboratively identifying and addressing community needs to enhance St. John; A True Paradise in which to live, work and visit!  This is an 'umbrella' not-for-profit organization that supports all sorts of good causes that benefit St John residents such as supporting St John's recycling program, Dial-A-Ride which helps St John seniors, disabled residents & visitors, St John Film Society, and Using Sport for Social Change. We (Great Expectations) were privileged to support a wonderful initiative, through the St John Community Foundation, to teach St John school children with disabilities (or in their case -- super-abilities) tennis. They are currently organizing fundraising initiatives to buy: supplies for the homeless, home repair supplies, shredder/chipper for our community parks, a vehicle for the St John Animal Care Center, and equipment for our recycling program. If you are interested in donating to a specific project or just to support this amazing organization, you can do donate online.

St John Cancer Fund

Unfortunately, many St John residents do not have health insurance and, even if they do, they often need to go 'off island' to get health care.  Many times their travel expenses, or even basic health care expenses, are not covered by insurance.  The St John Cancer Fund is often a lifesaving organization since their support of individuals can make the difference for people to receive necessary medical care.

Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station

VIERS camp

Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) was established to, as its name indicates, promote environmental educational activities and scientific research. VIERS is a biology field station, an eco-camp, located on the remote southern shore of St. John at Lameshur Bay. They operate a wonderful summer eco-camp and science camp for young residents of St John. Kids experience hands-on activities which give the campers a better understanding of the wonderful environment of St John.  As an adult, if you have the time of spending a couple of weeks (or even a couple of months) volunteering might consider helping with the youth camps during the summer or helping out to provide staff support.  Donations are, of course, always welcomed and appreciated. Or, if you are interested in volunteering with an organized group consider the trips to St John that are planned through REI Adventures to the VIERS Campground.

Giving back to St John, the island we love, will help ensure it thrives for decades to come.

April 2015 News from St. John

Rx to Survive Winter

Enjoy the winter winds -- St John style

Congratulations - you survived the winter of all winters. Spring has finally sprung in most places in the country. Now is the time to reward yourself for having survived the 'winter that would not quit' by planning a trip to St John for this year or even better, next winter.  As a reward, we are offering a 20% off discount for our June openings; check our currently availability to secure your piece of mind.

We recently received this photo from a recent guest (who has already booked his return trip). He captured this picture at Great Expectationsthe morning of his 50th birthday. We sure think he found his pot of gold on St John. Hopefully, you will as well!

March St John news flashes & fun St John clips:

• St John's Honeymoon beach made the Condé Nast's 'Top 10 Beaches for Chillin' by saying: Located within the Virgin Islands National Park, Honeymoon Beach is one of the seven beaches that make up the Caneel Bay Resort. It's arguably the loveliest and also hardest to get to; the only means of access is via boat or a mile-long hike. But it’s worth the trek: Besides the requisite ivory sand and crystalline waters, you’re rewarded with views of St. Thomas and the British Virgin Islands.

• ABC News reported that St John's Maho Bay made Trip Advisor's 'Top 10 Traveler's Choice Caribbean Beaches' A TripAdvisor reviewer said, "The snorkeling is absolutely amazing. Huge sea turtles, schools of fish and stingrays are just some of the sea life found regularly here in Maho Bay. It's a postcard like setting with some of the coolest palm trees you'll find anywhere in the world. In my opinion this is the best place on the island to take pictures. Don't visit St. John without checking out Maho Bay".

• One of St John's most important volunteer groups is asking for our help. St John Rescue is often the first on the scene to help a victim of a car or boating accident, a lost or injured hiker, or just about any other sort of emergency one can think of happening - day or night. A couple of weeks ago they were at the scene of a very bad accident and rescued a truck driver, by cutting open the bottom of the truck with their Jaws of Life, saving his life. Unfortunately, during the process the Jaws of Life was destroyed. The St John community is rallying together to help raise monies to fund a new critically needed Jaws of Life for St John Rescue. Please consider supporting this initiative by donating on-line through Go Fund Me.

• St John Blues Blowout Festival is ON! March 28th will bring lots of music to Cruz Bay's Winston Wells Ballpark. All proceeds to benefit the St John School of the Arts and the Sprauve School

• Check our availability calendar and contact us today to secure your reservation! We will be happy to work with you to, as best we can, accommodate your needs. Our goal, always, is to meet or ideally, exceed your expectations!

Summer Over? Never on St John

Our October Newsletter is published for your reading enjoyment:

St John Offers Amazing Views Both Beneath and Above The Caribbean Sea

This Fabulous Photo is courtesy of Sail Pepper

The Virgin Islands is often called 'Candy for the Eye' and understandably so.

As the above picture illustrates, snorkeling around St John is full of colorful (and friendly) fish.  Virtually every one of the 30+ beaches around St John offer great snorkeling opportunities and, if you want to get out on a boat, you are in for a extra treat since most every captain knows 'hidden' snorkel spots only accessible by (just their) boat. Great Expectations has arranged special discounts for our guests for some terrific sailing or power boat options.

There are wonderful views and colors above the waterline as well. A recent guest sent us this picture he took from Bordeaux Mountain of Coral Bay in the foreground and the British Virgin Islands in the distance:

As another former guest said, when she first saw this view, it struck her it was what she imagined Peter Pan's Never Never Land looked like

October St John news flashes & fun St John clips:

• The St John community is wonderfully supportive as are the people who visit our island. If you are going to be on St John Sunday, November 2 head on over to Maho Bay to support the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park's 2nd Annual 'Paddle in the Park' Race. You can either participate yourself or root on others, either way it is sure to be a great day.

• It's on! The 2nd Annual Rib Cook Off to benefit St. John Rescue is happening on Saturday, November 8 at the Coral Bay Ball Field. The event will kick off at 4:30 pm with 10 competitors for the honor of Best Ribs On St. John. Music, drinks, games and YES, THERE WILL BE RIBS! There might be no more important community volunteer organization than the St John Rescue folks. They literally save lives, often at the risk of their own. Show your support for them by eating ribs if you are going to be on-island (not a hardship!) or donate on-line.

• North Shore Deli opens (in same spot as the very popular Deli Grotto) and reports as of this morning have been fabulous! Yes, they have the same yummy breads that made the Deli Grotto the 'go to' place. Check them out when you are next on St John -- and, say hello DJ, the proud new owner.

• Seaborne Airlines adds United Airlines to its Partner list making getting to St Thomas/St John even easier. United joins Seaborne's other partners -- American, Delta, and Jet Blue.

• St John's Trunk Bay claimed the #1 position on the Islands 'Best Snorkeling Beaches in the Caribbean Islands' list saying in part "Trunk Bay's beach stretches for more than a quarter-mile, with white powdered-coral sand backed by palms and sea grape trees. A spit divides the bay and points directly at Trunk Cay, a rugged little isle that's a short swim from the beach. The entire bay is part of the Virgin Islands National Park and offers full facilities, including showers, a snack bar and a shop where you can rent snorkel gear, beach chairs and umbrellas."

• Halloween will be kicked up a bunch this year with addition of theMongoose Monster Ball. Virgin Fire and The Sun Dog Cafe will be co-hosting a blow-out party featuring great food, music, and lots of prizes so get your best, funniest, wildest costume on and go for the prize.

• New partner - Kids Night In! St John has a great relatively new resource (for both parents and kids alike!) in Kids Night In. Just as the title hints, this is a child care (much more than babysitting) service offered by Leslie McKibben, a physical therapist who has specialized in pediatrics for nearly 30 years. Leslie engages the kids with artwork, cooking (if parents allow), reading, and games of all sort. Kids have a blast and parents can enjoy a night on the town (it is your vacation after all).

• Winter 2015 is Completely Sold Out! Great Expectations is already totally reserved this coming winter season as well as much of the 2015 Spring and Summer season. We never want to disappoint previous guests -- or potential new ones -- so please contact us as soon as you can when you start your trip planning. Please check our availability calendar and contact us today to secure your reservation! We will be happy to work with you to, as best we can, accommodate your needs. Our goal, always, is to meet or ideally, exceed your expectations!

St John Blues Blowout: Bring it On and All for a Great Cause

The headliners of the all blues fest will be: 

Samantha Fish

 - Kansas City based

Johnny Rawls

 - Mississippi born

Anthony Gomes

 - blues guitarist from Canada

T.C. Carr

 - on the harmonica hence his nickname 'Harmonica Man'

Thanks to St Johnian Ronnie Klingsberg, owner of Ronnie's Pizza, and Ian Samuel who are organizing this year's Blues Fest.  Partnering with them is the St John Rotary  so all donations will be tax deductible with proceeds going to support the amazingly important and all volunteer

St John Rescue

.  Starting at 7 PM on March 29th, the Winston Wells Ball Field will be alive with music. Tickets are available at Chelsea Drug, Connections, Kilroy's Laundry, Greko Gazebo, Cruz Bay Landing, St John Hardware, and, of course, Ronnie's Pizza.

First (Now Annual) St John Ribs Cook Off a Sold Out Event!

They had all the ingredients the good people from St John need in order to turn out:

1. a great cause - Supporting St John Rescue

2. great food - 6 restaurants and cooks grilling up some mighty fine BBQ Ribs

3. some fine libations - St John Brewers, West Indies & Bellows International providing the liquid refreshments

4. music - a St John event just isn't without music

5. great weather

 

While all ribs were considered 'delish', it was The Tourist Trap that captured 'the Best Ribs' title with their Asian Deep Fried Ribs! The event was a sold out which surely means it will now be an annual happening and, possibly best of all, money raised to support St John Rescue's goal of buying a building to be their permanent home. If you missed the Cook Off (sorry) you can still support this great cause by donating on-line.  Check out their website to learn more about the great work this all volunteer organization does for the St John community.

St John Rescue loading injured person onto their boat

UPDATE 2016: