Two days boating the BVI. Private yachts. Chef dinners. Rum. Everything you need is on this page, so bookmark it.
Previously, on St. John…
Pictured: Brian Walsh, Brian Berry, Marshall Kassoff, Farrell Kellener and Dan Allaire. This time there are more of us.Before you fly
Tap each one as you knock it out. Your checkmarks are saved on your phone.
Weather and the live cam
Typical early-November conditions on St. John. Tap through for the live forecast as we get closer.
Expect sun and a steady trade-wind breeze, with quick showers that blow through in a few minutes and often leave a rainbow behind. It’s the tail end of hurricane season, so we’ll watch the tropics and text the group if anything changes.
LiveBeach Bar cam, Cruz BayA 180° view from our Cruz Bay headquarters, right by the ferry dock. Watch the sunset, or check whether Kenny’s already there.Getting there
There’s no airport on St. John. You land on St. Thomas (STT), ride to the Red Hook ferry, and cross to Cruz Bay.
- Land at Cyril E. King Airport (STT)It’s small. Stairs off the plane, one-room baggage claim, and the bathroom is on your left as soon as you walk in.
- Find SmithyDrivers and taxis wait just outside baggage claim. Smithy will have a sign that says “Walsh 50th Party,” and he’ll handle everything from there.
- Ride to Red Hook (about 50 minutes)Smithy drives each wave to the Red Hook Ferry Terminal on the east end of St. Thomas.
- Buy a ferry ticketAt the St. John ferry window, buy a single one-way passenger ticket to Cruz Bay, about $8.15. Ferries leave Red Hook every hour on the hour and the crossing takes about 15 minutes. Ferry schedule
- Welcome to Cruz BayStep off the ferry and you’ll see a string of beach bars. Walk to the third one, Beach Bar. That’s our spot, and it’s where Kenny will be if he’s on island (peek at the live cam). Yes, we’ll be spending a lot of time at these places.
- Head to your bedWharfside Hotel guests: you’re directly above Beach Bar. Everyone else: grab a taxi and say “Cruz on Inn in Chocolate Hole, the house next to the Westin.” Every driver knows the Westin; it’s the only resort on the island, and the house is right next door.
Airport pickup waves, Friday Nov 6
Find your name to see who you’re riding with. Times are approximate, so text Smithy if your flight changes.
Where we’re staying
Cruz on Inn, the host house and HQ
📍 Chocolate Hole, next door to the Westin
Home base, with a huge pool overlooking the ocean. Dinners, breakfasts and late nights happen here, and everyone’s welcome anytime.
The Westin St. John Resort Villas
📍 Great Cruz Bay
Two luxury two-bedroom villas right next door, an easy walk to the house. Home of the SUNY New Paltz crew.
The Wharfside Hotel
📍 Cruz Bay, right above Beach Bar
Holding down the fort in Cruz Bay, right above Beach Bar and steps from the ferry dock. Expect to see a lot of these guys.
The itinerary
Island time applies, but the boats don’t wait.
Thursday, Nov 5
The advance team lands
Walsh, Marshall and Brian Berry fly in a day early to stock the house so it’s ready when you walk in.
Friday, Nov 6
Arrival and sunset kickoff
Saturday, Nov 7
VooDoo to Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Sunday, Nov 8
BVI and USVI island hopping, pirate style
Monday, Nov 9
Check-out
Check out of the Westin. Heading home? Use the ferry planner below. Sticking around? Come on over to Cruz on Inn. Want to stay through Tuesday the 10th? Tell Walsh; we’ll still have rooms at the house.
Boat day rules
The captains asked, so we’re asking.
- Passport, every day. Both trips clear BVI customs.
- Waivers signed before you board. VooDoo for Saturday, and Ripple and Ramble On for Sunday. Both links are in the must-dos at the top.
- Towel, hat, sunglasses, cash and card.
- No spray sunscreen on board. It stains the decks and cushions. Lotion only, ideally reef-safe mineral.
- No glass if you bring your own drinks.
- Be early. Saturday is Westin Beach at 8:45 AM. Sunday is the van from the house at 8:30 AM.
Chef dinners at Cruz on Inn
Two nights, cooked at the house.
The house bar
We’re stocking Cruz on Inn from Cost-U-Less on St. Thomas, since St. John’s options are fewer and pricier. Expect vodka, bourbon, rum, tequila, beer and mixers, plus snacks. Want something specific? Text the group.
Money stuff
Walsh is covering nearly everything. Huge thanks to him. Here’s our part.
Packing
St. John is super chill. Leave the nice clothes and pants at home.
Heading home Monday
Ferries leave Cruz Bay for Red Hook every hour on the hour starting at 6 AM. Plan on 30 minutes to Red Hook, then about 50 minutes by taxi from Red Hook to the airport. Security can be slow and the gate area is one room, so aim for two hours early.
Island 101
Things to know, and things to impress Walsh with at the Soggy Dollar.
Mostly national park
Roughly 60% of St. John is Virgin Islands National Park. Laurance Rockefeller bought up the land and donated it, and the park was created in 1956. That’s why the island still looks the way it does.
Formerly Danish
The U.S. bought these islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million in gold. You’ll still see Danish street names and old sugar plantation ruins.
Stay left
In the USVI, you drive on the left side of the road, usually in an American car with the steering wheel on the left. Watch for it when you step off a curb.
Dollars everywhere
Even the British Virgin Islands use the U.S. dollar. No currency exchange needed.
The Painkiller was born at the Soggy Dollar
White Bay on Jost Van Dyke has no dock, so people swam ashore and paid with wet bills. That’s the name. The bar is also where the Painkiller, rum with pineapple, orange, cream of coconut and nutmeg, was invented.
Foxy’s
A Great Harbour institution run for decades by Foxy Callwood, a calypso singer and storyteller. Its New Year’s Eve party is one of the most famous in the Caribbean.
Treasure Island, sort of
Norman Island, home of the Willy T floating bar, has long pirate-treasure legends and is often said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Locals with hooves
Wild donkeys roam St. John’s roads, and roosters run Cruz Bay. Don’t feed them, and don’t be surprised by a 5 AM wake-up call.
“Love City”
That’s St. John’s nickname, and you’ll see it everywhere, from license plates to T-shirts.
A trail under the sea
Trunk Bay, a short drive up the North Shore, has a marked underwater snorkel trail with signs on the sea floor, and it regularly shows up on lists of the world’s most beautiful beaches.
One last thing
This is a small, hand-picked group of Walsh’s closest people from childhood, college and work. Please keep the trip low-key so nobody’s feelings get hurt.