US Virgin Islands News

St. John ferry rate going up 20%

Despite opposition from two VI Commissioners, the Public Service Commission approved fare increases for St. John ferry service this week.

The new rates, $6 from Red Hook to Cruz Bay and $12 between St. John and Charlotte Amalie, will go into effect Monday, Nov. 9, according to the St. John Source.

The PSC approved the rate increase after twice reviewing financial records from the ferry companies, Varlack Ventures and Transportation Services.


In its report of the PSC meeting, the St. John Source said there is reason for concern about continuation of St. John-Charlotte Amalie service.  The ferry companies complain it is a money loser during the summer.  They have proposed eliminating the route July to November, as well as cutting two Red Hook round trips.

It's interesting that Gov. de Jongh released statements in opposition to the ferry rate hikes just a few days before the PSC meeting and vote.  As the Inquiring Iguana pointed out this week, too, it's verrrry interesting that in reporting his own Commissioners' resistance , the Governor didn't make his own position known. By the way, the he appoints the PSC's voting members.

The Iguana thinks the Governor looked the other way on this one, tried to still have his cake and eat it too. A cynic would ask, at the least, whether Varlack or TS contributed to the Governor's election campaign.

Read the Source story at http://stjohnsource.com/content/news/local-news/2009/10/30/psc-approves-ferry-rate-hikes.

Ferry fare hike gets two 'No' votes

Commissioners of two VI departments agree that this is no time to raise ferry fares. 

Statements against proposed rate increases were released by Gov. John de Jongh although he, personally, did not say he's against them.

The Commissioners of Licensing and Consumer Affairs and Public Works did. 

DCLA chief Wayne Biggs wrote to the Public Service Commission, which is weighing the requests from Varlack Ventures and Transportation Services, saying "Our residents cannot currently entertain any ... additional burdens."

Darryl Smalls, head of Public Works, agreed. He said, "The department recommends that the current fare structure remains the same," although he did encourage the ferry companies services to seek more subsidy money from the VI government.

DLCA chief Biggs explained his opposition citing the recession and its impact on St Johnians (and visitors).  "The current cost of basic needs is substantially higher ... Power and basic utilities have also increased significantly. Prices at the grocery checkout are easily described as astronomical." He also pointed out St. John’s relative reliance on St. Thomas ... places its residents in a unique situation where frequent travel to St. Thomas is a necessity rather than a luxury."

Animal Care Center benefit raised $5K

The annual "No Fleas" flea market raised $5,100 for the Animal Care Center and assured its operation through the end of the year or until the next fund raiser.

Shoppers hunted for great deals among a large variety of goods and furniture donated by local residents and businesses. More than 20 vendors also contributed by donating $25 for a space at the event to sell stuff, too.

An energetic addition this year's event was "Top Dogs" hot dogs, who were able to raise significant funds thanks to generous donations from Island Blues Bar & Grill, Tyson Trucking, Cute Cozy Cottage and KateNDesign.

The next ACC fund raiser is Christmas for the Animals, scheduled for Dec. 12.

• Photos courtesy of Tropical Focus, http://www.tropicalfocus.com

Livin' large at Lovango

 Friends of the Inquiring Iguana built a fantastic house on Lovango Cay, a tiny island north of St. John. They have now begun renting it.

The Iguana is not in the business of writing fluff about rental houses.  But when something makes a villa stand out, that's a different story.  Like Villa Serendipity's Webcam. You might even call it news. 

Well, what makes The Love Shack different is the fact that it's not on St. John.  Lovango is a short dinghy ride away. The property has both a beach cottage and a main house, including 2 1/2 bedrooms and 2 baths. There are no roads.  There are no restaurants.  The ocean, literally, laps at your front yard. 

If it's privacy you want this is the place.  Which apparently is what MSGColleen and her husband wanted because they stayed at the Cottage a few weeks ago and live blogged their Trip Report at Virgin-islands-On-Line.

"We felt like teenagers whose parents just left and we had the whole place to ourselves," MSGColleen wrote. "Ahhhhh - paradise.  Also, the great thing about being right on the beach with the constant breezes is NO MOSQUITOES.  We were eaten alive last year in Coral Bay."

MSGColleen stayed about a week and wrote a report each day, complete with photos.  Despite this having been their seventh trip to St. John in eight years, they found new things to do, made new friends, and had a great time.

• http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14011
• http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14024
• http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14035
• http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14037
• http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14085
• http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14096
• http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14115

VI National Park in peril

The Virgin Islands National Park is endangered by climate change, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization.  The park is especially threatened by rising global temperatures, as are 24 other of the country’s 351 national parks.

“In 2005, the Caribbean basin saw unprecedented water temperatures and some dramatic bleaching, followed by coral disease and mortality,” the U.S. Climate Chance Science Program found last year.

“The most dramatic monitored bleaching took place in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where National Park monitoring showed that at some sites 90 percent of the coral bleached. To date there is an estimated 50 percent combined mortality from bleaching and disease in the Virgin Island National Park surveys. As of yet, there are no reports of recovery as amounts of mortality continue to increase.”

Other likely effects of global warming for the VINP include higher seas, stronger storms, more downpours and flooding, the report said. 

• You can download the study at http://www.rockymountainclimate.org/website%20pictures/National-Parks-In-Peril-summary.pdf

Dolphins, Ahoy!

No, not Dolphin Market.  Dolphins.  Like fish.  The real things.

On his blog, Gerry Singer reports a pair of dolphins put on a show for kayakers, swimmers, and boaters near Maho Bay on Saturday. 

Gerry was there and, fortunately, had his camera.  See the photos and his post at http://seestjohn.com/st_john_life/life-on-st-john/st-john-virgin-islands-maho-bay-dolphin/

Parking lot plan revealed

The Inquiring Iguana learned from reading the Virgin Islands Daily News yesterday that the Port Authority wants to create a parking lot at the Enighed car barge dock.  The plan calls for 150 parking spaces.  The lot will be built using about $2 million from a PA bond issue, the Daily News said.

To get to Cruz Bay from the lot, most people would either walk north, past the fire station, then take a left and walk into town; probably a 10-minute trek.

Of course, parking has been a critical problem for Cruz Bay for years.  One recent idea was to building a parking garage where the tennis courts are, which is also close to the Moorehead Marine Facility aka the Enighed car barge dock.

There’s little question whether people would prefer free or paid, but the Authority says it will make that decision when it awards the construction contract. 

The Inquiring Iguana is urging the PA to make the lot free.  That will insure it gets used, which is the point after all, to decrease the stress of going downtown.  Furthermore, the PA’s record on overseeing the finances of the barge company revenues is pretty poor.  It doesn’t make sense to put another cash business under the agency.

• The Daily News story is at http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17640523

House shopping video (again) in Coral Bay

A recent House Hunters International episode on St. John was on cable last Saturday night.  The HGTV channel will broadcast it at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. In the show, Remax’s Diana Beam shows a couple from North Carolina three villas. And they buy one.

The Inquiring Iguana found another St John HGI episode that was new to him.  The Web site has a three-minute digest version of the show,  You can see Hareth and Grace “look for their perfect vacation home” at http://www.hgtv.com/videos/st-john-us-virgin-islands/38942.htm.

New tunes at the Beach Bar

Jazz VI is the quintet carrying on the tradition of Sunday afternoon music and good times at the Beach Bar. 

Founded years ago by St. John’s Steve Simon, the  4 p.m-7:30 p.m. island-wide meet-up draws locals, cruise shippers, campers and everyone else to gather around the BB’s four-sided bar.  Good times, good conversations, new friends make it the place to be at least once when you’re visiting.

PS ... there is now a Beach Bar theme song ... hear it on the Web site, www.beachbarstjohn.com.

Steve Simon has turned over the Beach Bar to Jazz VI, partly because he’s doing more and more to evangelize the blues around the world.  He’s just announced he’ll be producing the first annual Charleston Blues Festival in February.  Performers include Shemekia Copeland, Zac Harmon, aka ‘The Soul of the Delta’, and Billy Gibson, aka ‘The Prince of Beale Street.’

24 hours of St. John

'Weather Weirdness’ appeared in force this weekend on the mainland.  Four days of rain from the Carolinas to Canada and eight inches of snow in State College, Pa.

In October! The calendar says winter doesn’t begin for another month. Is it time to dream about St. John, already???

Well, in case you need some shots shot of sun and sand, here’s a gimmick the folks at Villa Serendipity have done.  And I am jealous because it’s a great promotion for their rental villa.  (The Inquiring Iguana’s favorite villa is Blue Tang.  :)

Ya gotta give Serendipity credit for putting this together ... a video mash-up of about 13 hours (October 14th, from 5:50 AM to 7:06 PM) of their Webcam's stills overlooking Chocolate Hole. Watch for the rainbow at 8:00 AM. Click the watch in HD button for better results,