Browsing: US Virgin Islands

Cruising Life
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New Resort To Open on Private Island in U.S. Virgins

A new resort will open next month on a private island just a ten-minute boat ride from Cruz Bay in St. John. The resort, the Lovango Resort & Beach Club, will be the first resort to open in the U.S. Virgins in 30 years. And it will have moorings and tender service if you want to arrive on your own boat. The Lovango resort is the third boutique property in the Little Gem Resorts portfolio, which already includes The Nantucket Hotel and Resort, and the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. It will open in stages over the…

Charter
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Charters Can Reopen in the U.S. Virgins on June 1

Good news: The U.S. Virgin Islands can open up their charter operations on June 1. The Virgins, of course, include some of the best cruising grounds around, with beautiful water, white-sand beaches, and great dive sites. And you’re still in the United States; no passport needed. Albert Ryan, Jr., the Governor of the U.S. Virgins, just issued an executive order spelling out the protocols for when and how the islands will reopen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was his sixth executive order about the crisis. Reopening the charter business is good news for those of us who love…

Cruising Life
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The Recovery in St. John: Cruz Bay Is Lively, Major Hotels Remain Closed, but Beaches and Vistas Are Still Beautiful

Here’s a pretty thorough update from The New York Times on the recovery in St. John in the U.S. Virgins, six months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, reporting that major resorts are still closed and the cleanup is continuing. The story quotes a frequent visitor from Connecticut who says, “There are two ways to look at it. Some people say, ‘What a mess.’ On the other hand, you still have the beautiful views and the beautiful beaches.” Flights from the U.S. are about half of what was normal before the hurricanes, and the head of tourism says tourism is down…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Finds 459 Derelict Boats in US Virgins after Irma and Maria. Now Trying to Find Owners

Three months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Coast Guard has found 459 derelict boats that remain damaged or sunk, resting in marinas, coves, bays, mangrove swamps or washed up on shore. Some are hazards to navigation, others are simply in the way. But in all the cases, the Coast Guard is trying to find their owners, taking out ads on the radio and TV and websites, while working to recover the damaged boats and salvage those that can be fixed. Many boats were damaged so much that the owners won’t take them back. The…

Cruising Life
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Virgin Islands Still Devastated by One-Two Punch of Irma and Maria

Two weeks later, St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, the three islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands and that are generally regarded as beautiful and peaceful cruising and charter boat havens, are still reeling from the damage done by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. People there are now realizing how bad it is. “Maria broke our spirit,” one homeowner on St. John told The New York Times. He had lost part of the upstairs of his house in Hurricane Irma, and then the downstairs was under two and a half feet of water after Hurricane Maria. The government…