Alert! Alert! Alert! The food truck craze is coming to the Virgin Islands, but with a twist. They are actually food boats. Haha. First we had Pizza Pi set up…
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The US Virgin Islands are a contradiction. They are more populated than the British Virgin Islands, just to the east, and St Thomas is a cruise ship magnet, but on the other hand it is easier to find quite secluded coves.
The US Virgin Islands started off as a settlement of the Danish West India Company as they settled St Thomas in 1672, St John in 1694, and purchased St Croix in 1733 from the French. It was not until 1917 that the United States bought the islands for 25 million dollars (the equivalent of more than half a billion dollars today). The US did this because they feared the Germans would take them over and turn it into a submarine base.
Helpful Info
Population – 104,900
Money – uses the US dollar
Language – English
Religion – 94.8% Christian (with 65.5% being Protestant)
When to go – Dec-June is most popular. Summer is nice also, but a little hotter and more humid. Hurricanes most active Aug-Oct.
World Heritage Sites – 0 – None
Country formed – Purchased from Denmark in 1917 by the USA for $25 million
The petroglyphs on St John
My Visit
I spent eight years running charters out of St Thomas, so I have spent ample time around it and St John. I have sailed my boat 40 miles south to St Croix for two different week long get-aways.
Likes, Dislikes, and Recommendations
The swell is crashing over the wall to make waterfalls….AWESOME
Many people feel St Thomas is crowded, dirty, and loud, while I cannot disagree with that assessment there are some cool things on the island. The downtown area has some historic building, Frenchtown is nice, hiking Hassel Island is well worth it, and the turtles at Buck Island are always a hit.
Now St John is a totally different island. If you want snorkeling and hiking better than the BVI with WAY less boats around, then this is the island for you. Two Thirds of the island is a National Park and most of the bays have zero infrastructure. Almost any bay you go into will be quiet and give you time to simply relax, but my personal favorite part is the southern coast.
Swimming with turtles at Buck Island
St Croix is 35-40 miles south of the other islands and is larger than St Thomas, St John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda combined. There is a lot of great stuff to do on the island, but surprisingly there are relatively few protected harbors. My favorite things are the downtown area of Christiansted, Annaly Pool, Whim Historical Plantation, and the Cruzan Rum Factory.
My biggest dislike in the USVI is the fact that customer service is atrocious compared to US standards. If you want to try and get in with the locals saying good morning, afternoon, or evening will go a very long way.
Below you can get even more helpful hints by watching the travel videos I made for the US Virgin Islands. Also, you can read all about the USVI in my blog posts located below the video.
All Blog From The US Virgin Islands
Over on Water Island in the USVI they show movies on the beach every Monday night during the cruising season. Heidi’s Honeymoon Grill puts this on by stringing a giant…
Two months ago I had guest that did not show up until 5pm, so we chose to spend the first night on the dock instead of rushing around. Well one…
Here are some of the turks head cactus I told you about yesterday. You will find these all over Ram Head if you hike to the southern most point on…
Every now and then I get guest that let me take them to the south side of St John instead of the BVI and they are rewarded with beautiful, quiet…
I decided today I was going to write about my typical day when I am not on charter. How I get up, have breakfast, stretch, write, work on boat projects,…
What can make getting a deliscious pizza in paradise even better? How about the same pie with dolphins swimming around the boat? That is exactly what happened a while back…
I am very honored to be featured on Amateur Traveler‘s very popular podcast hosted by Chris Christensen. Chris has been hosting a travel podcast for over 13 years now and…
After seven years of living and working in the Caribbean has shown me that we have amazing sunsets down here. It is as if God pulls out a different color…
Would you believe the last place in the Virgin Islands they did pistol duels is also today’s photo of the day? This is Waterlemon Cay on the north shore of…
If you’re going on a cruise around the Caribbean with a boat like Guiding Light let’s see what you should pack when you’re getting ready! Suitcases – First of all,…
As I told you on Thursday, I am interrupting our adventures to share with you an article I wrote several months ago for some magazines. Given the damage the two…
Now that I have finished writting about our time in Morocco, I want to talk about the Virgin Islands for a bit before I get back to telling you all…
Today’s photo of the day is one I took last season and I think is appropriate now that two catagory 5 hurricanes have ripped through the Virgin Islands and Puerto…
Many people ask me what is my favorite anchorage in the Virgin Islands. They are expecting me to list one from the BVI, and are surprised when I say Salt…
Today’s photo of the day is of a US Coast Guard rescue helicopter buzzing the light tower on Buck Island four miles off St Thomas, USVI. The older looking building…
Have you heard of the pizza boat anchored at Christmas Cove on Great St James Island in the US Virgin Islands? It is called Pizza Pi and in my opinion…
As some of you read, last week marked the 100-year anniversary of the United States buying the US Virgin Islands from the Danish. All of a sudden, the Virgin Island…
Today’s “photo of the day” is a sunset with my favorite person at one of my favorite spots in the entire USVI, Ram’s Head on the south side of St…
Many people do not know that the US Virgin Islands were once owned by Denmark. The Danish West Indian Company settled St Thomas in 1672, St John in 1694, and…
[Shane – Melek hits it square on the head. Exactly what I have written several times] Sometimes we can fear something with no real reason and hesitate to try it!…
As many of you know I am finishing my sixth season of chartering in the Virgin Islands this year. After over 100 charters and only three complaints (97% success rate!!!!)…
On the south side of St John there is a small town called Coral Bay (I estimate 1000 people live there, at most). It consists of a couple roads, churches,…
All around St John the National Parks Service has mooring balls for vessels to hook up to. These balls coast $26 to stay overnight in some of the most perfect…
One of the favorite things people see are the “wild” donkeys on St John. I put the wild in parentheses because the more accurate term would be feral. This is…
So we have been talking about the hike down to Reef Bay and today we will see the end results as we tour the sugar factory that is right on…
Yesterday I wrote all about the Petroglyphs on the south side of St John. Well today I wanted to share a “photo of the day” from there. As I was…
The petroglyphs are on the south side of St John and can be reached with an easy walk from Reef Bay or a more challenging hike for Lameshure Bay. It…
If guest are willing to spend a couple days around St John, then one thing I like to take them to is Reef Bay. This bay is rather exposed, so…
If you are ever hiking around the swampy areas of a Caribbean island and noticed mounds in the trees? Do you know what they are? Well they are termite nest….
On Sunday I told you about a great little hike I did on the south side of St John. Today’s photo of the day is from the end of the…
As many of you know two thirds of St John in the US Virgin Islands is a national park (bought up and donated by Lawrence Rockefeller in the 1950’s) and…
Today’s photo of the day is along the road that I walked from the dock in Great Lameshur Bay to the museum about the Tektite Project that I wrote about…
My second favorite snorkel site in the Virgin Islands is Tektite Point in Great Lameshur Bay on the south side of St John. In the late 60’s and early 70’s…
If you read yesterday’s blog you know about the swiming horses on St Thomas. Today I wanted to show them as the “photo of the day”. Of course this begs…
How would you like to be laying in bed on your boat relaxing after a long flight back to the islands when all of a sudden you hear snorting out…
Here is another “photo of the day” from Hurricane Hole on the south side of St John. This is some of the best snorkeling I have found in the islands….
If you ever visit the Cruzan Rum factory on St Croix you will be greeted with today’s “photo of the day”.
This is the first triton trumpet I have found and it was in the mangroves on the south side of St John.
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I want to start this particular blog off by saying that I have no affiliation with Pizza Pi except that I like their business concept, the pizzas are delicious, and…
This is the final blog about much less crowded locations outside of the BVI you can visit. Let me know if you have enjoyed this short series. HISTORY – A…
On Sunday I started a blog about different things to see outside of the BVI if you want to get away from the crowds. Today I am going to continue…
If you want to partake in beach bars and a very cool and fun party scene then the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a great place to visit. Almost every…
In the town of Cruz Bay on St John there is a shop that everyone loves called St John Spice Company. They sell loose teas, coffees, and spices plus an…
Last week I had some guest come back for another adventure. Last time they were here we cruised around the Spanish Virgin Islands and this time we spent 10 days…
The first time I visited St Croix in 2013 I got a tan t-shirt with a pirate skeleton laying in a hammock. The tag line was “A pirate’s weekend is…
When I was on St Croix two weeks ago another activity we did was tour the Cruzan Rum factory, where rum has been made by the same family since 1760….
I love the drama this sign provides. For the record I proceeded to climb to the Annely Pool. 🙂
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Four to five miles from Christiansted on the north coast of St Croix is Buck Island Reef National Monument established in 1961. If you have a chance you do not…
If you are on St Croix and want to do a good fun hike, I suggest going to the Annaly Pool, I do suggest to search for: pool management companies…
So you are planing a vacation to the warmth and relaxing Caribbean? In fact you choose to visit the Virgin Islands. Now regardless of whether you came on a cruise…
I have had the last couple weeks off due to a canceled charter and after spending more than the first half of the time in Charlotte Amalie taking care of…
The mooring fees in the National Park around St John went from a great $15 a night to $26 a night on January 1st and I now know why. Turns…
I was able to capture two of my guest watching just as one the fireworks exploded.
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If I only have 24 or 48 hours to turn my boat around between charters, I go to American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook. I am not going to lie…
The other week I had five or so days off and a friend came to visit. She had already seen the BVI and I wanted to check out the entire…
Last week I hike up American Hill on St John. This trail is a spur off the Cinnamon Bay Trail, but is no longer on the NPS trail map. They…
On the south side of St John you can get away from other boats and still enjoy all the wonders of this fantastic island. For example, in Reef Bay you…
Christmas Cove of course!!!!!! This wonderful bay is on the west side of Great St James island and is half a mile away from St Thomas. My first year down…
The Cow & Calf rocks are two rocks a mile or so off the south side of St Thomas. They were named because they resemble a whale and her…
A couple of years ago I had my friend and his family down for a week. His kids were 4 and 6 at the time. We ended up spending…
Today I was asked a question I get all the time and that is “does it rain a lot and should I bring my rain gear?” The truth is that…
On my last charter of the season we spent one night at Waterlemon Cay, which is a fantastic spot and I take guest there all the time. This time we…
If you ever are looking for something to do in St Thomas, you should think about walking up to Paradise Point for an absolutely amazing view of the Charlotte Amalie…
A couple weeks ago several of my charter boat buddies got together for my birthday and to have an end of the season get together. The best part was that…
If you are ever in a bay in St John I suggest you check out the underside of the floating pay station, where you pay for the mooring each night. …
Before I sent it to some magazines to publish, I would like to share the walking map of historic Charlotte Amalie I wrote to my loyal readers. Enjoy! CHARLOTTE AMALIE…
I took my first charter on a hike to the petroglyphs on the south side of St John. I was so amazed at how much the waterfall was flowing. Usually…
Salt Pond Bay is on the south coast of St John and is a bay on the western side of the Rams Head peninsula. This is my favorite anchorage in…
Cruz Bay is the western bay and town on St John. It is important because it is the easiest place to check into the US. When you are entering…
After spending the day exploring the wonderful little town of Christiansted it was time to see the rest of St Croix, which is larger than St Thomas, St John, Tortola,…
As a charter boat captain in the Virgin Islands I am often asked which is my favorite island. As of this week I think I have a new answer…St Croix!…
I have done several festivals in the last four years of travel, but Carnival on St Thomas was the first to let me down. It last for about a week…
Sometimes in life we participate in an activity that is just asking to be a metaphor for life itself. This week I partook of one such metaphor when I went…
I know this is out of the normal for me to post twice in one week, but I wanted to make a trail map of Hassel Island, which I wrote,…
Hello everyone! I am Captain Shane’s brother, Vance. Since Shane’s charters are in the Virgin Islands I had the unique opportunity to visit St Maarten as I was asked to…
If you need to get around St Thomas you can always get a taxi, but I prefer the local bus. As a non local you will be approached by taxi…
This week I flew to Denver to help run the Relay For Life, which I will tell you about next week. What I want to tell you about this week…
In the middle of the south side of St John you will find Reef Bay, where two mooring balls have been placed for boaters. The balls are considered day use…
Ronnie & Monica’s daughter came into town and we took her to St John for several days. The beach at Cinnamon Bay was a hit as was Waterlemon Cay. Waterlemon…
I have been doing some buddy boating with Ronnie & Monica aboard Eos, who were dock mates of mine back in Kemah, TX. They arrived last week from Puerto Rico…
If I did not already know it then the island of St John let me know this week. You see Sunday I had a day charter with some returning guest…
The Annaberg Sugar Mill is the most famous site on the entire island of St John. It was a state of the art sugar production factory built at the very…
Hassel Island is owned by the NPS and use to be attached to St Thomas and forms the western side of the main harbor. As you can see in thefirst…
On Sunday I met a couple renting a condo on St Thomas for two weeks and wanted to have a day snorkeling sites they could not reach from the shore. …
Joel and I have been overwhelmed with the amount of wildlife here in the Virgin Islands. When we were in St John we walked from Francis Bay to the Annaberg…