I'm Thinking of Living in St Thomas or St John

[Saltwannabee]

They are around 1000 ft elevation, So, do they block Hurricanes a bit if you sail to the lee side ?

Is it like PR, as in, I can get my VA pay there ?

Marinas cost more/less/?

Costs for food, Fuel, Woman , Goats/chickens ????

[Ruf361]

i cant help you with any of those execpt the women part. i dont think it matter what part of the world you are in, women are much cheaper to rent than to own. I am kidding, of course...

[Saltwannabee]

Originally Posted by Ruf361

i cant help you with any of those execpt the women part. i dont think it matter what part of the world you are in, women are much cheaper to rent than to own. I am kidding, of course...

Go's without saying... LOL...LOL...LOL... and even the RENT costs like hell..

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

A conversation that should be over at Sailing Anarchy.

[Ruf361]

you are probably right.

[sailorboy1]

if the "women" part of the question is removed it would be worth a discussion

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

I agree.

[Ruf361]

i agree and just happen to think it was rather funny that he included it in the first place. i dont think the OP has been to St. Thomas.

[capt_douglas]

Originally Posted by Saltwannabee

They are around 1000 ft elevation, So, do they block Hurricanes a bit if you sail to the lee side ?

What goes up, comes down. As a long time resident of St. Thomas and St. John, I have to say the answer is no. Hurricane winds will go where they want. The best place to be is somewhere else. Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Cuba have significantly taller hills and they still get pounded.

The general rule is that winds are deflected about 7x the height of the obstruction. However, if you consider a cat 1 hurricane with a hurricane wind field of 10nm, I trust you can do the math.

Is it like PR, as in, I can get my VA pay there ?

Yes, both are a part of the US, although in different categories. The US Mail works just fine in both places.

Marinas cost more/less/?

Compared to what/where? I know of 3 marinas in St. Thomas and none in St. John. Most places to stay are either mooring or on the hook. Marina costs are, IIRC, about stateside prices and much higher during season.

Costs for food, Fuel, Woman , Goats/chickens ????

Food is about stateside prices but the produce and fruit aren't as fresh having made the trip via sea.

Fuel is more expensive which is perplexing as there's a honking big refinery on St. Croix, about 60nm from St. Thomas. OTOH, rum is much cheaper.

Goats/chickens roam free. However, it would be very unwise to poach what ain't yours. The locals take severe umbrage to stealing - at least by the "Continentals".

[LostAtSea2011]

I couldnt find food anywhere near stateside prices, everything was double. The rum is cheap though.

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by Saltwannabee

They are around 1000 ft elevation, So, do they block Hurricanes a bit if you sail to the lee side ?

Is it like PR, as in, I can get my VA pay there ?

Marinas cost more/less/?

Costs for food, Fuel, Woman , Goats/chickens ????

Food is substantially higher than what you would pay in most places. One of the least expensive marinas is Independent Boatyard and you will pay around $13/ft/month plus elect. and water. Fuel is roughly %20 more than states.

I've never tried to buy a goat or live chicken so can't comment on those costs.

It would be wise for you to go to vimovingcenter dot com and spend 10 hours reading everything you can there to get a glimpse of what life is like here. If you are still interested then you need to take at least one PMV (pre-move visit) focusing not on the touristy stuff, but real life. Go to the grocery store and see if $8/gallon milk scares you as much as an $8/liter bottle of rum entices you.

Do lots of research, get active on the moving center forum and ask questions. Heck you can even go to my friends blog Live De Life Living in the USVI's : Journal of the relocation to USVI Saint Thomas to get another perspective of local life and events. Read the paper Virgin Islands Daily News | virginislandsdailynews.com | A Pulitzer Prize Winning Newspaper, Virgin Islands Guide, Virgin Islands InfoVirgin Islands Daily News etc.

Good luck!!!

[Pblais]

Hurricane winds will go where they want. The best place to be is somewhere else.

Anything else about Hurricanes is just speculation. I was once some place else while our house went through one only to be hit where were 3 days later. I still think the "some place else" rule is the one to bank on. We got through both just fine but it's not a high percentage risk doing back to back hurricanes in a short period of time.

[ConradG]

For avoiding hurricanes just bring me along.
Just crewed from Nantucket to Bermuda on a tri in 30-35 kts, surfing down waves and hitting 23kts at times. Under three days. Then had to hunker down as Saryna worked her way up and developed into "gusting to 65"...but when she was due to go right over the island we got one short shot of rain and glassy water, the first of the trip. Looked on the internet radar and she had a tail wrapped almost clear around the island and then went over in a fizzle. Cranked back up to 100kt winds a few hours later that night after sliding by. Bring me along and you'll be safe...(Heck, I'll try anything to be out there, I'm back in the snow and cold and the house isn't selling!)

[CGB GAREY]

I got knocked out of the VI in 1989 from hurricane Hugo, which caused general consternation all through the Caribbean, general destruction on ST T, and caused the island of Culebra, immediately W of ST T, (where I was, in one of the best hurricane holes in the Caribbean) to change from green to an off green/orange. The winds were so strong that they ripped most all of the leaves off the trees and even some bark, hence the color change.

I agree with other posters here: if the storm is a big one it will go just where it pleases (hills or no hills). Hurricanes don't howl, they roar... and they aren't kidding. Very little stands in their way, except maybe a subterranean concrete bunker.

As to the flavor of life in ST T, I heartily recommend Herman Wouk's DONT STOP THE CARNIVAL; definitely dated now but unsurpassed in the capture of 'how dey livin' deah, mon'. As one of my friends observed: 'Manana' doesn't mean 'tomorrow'... it means 'not today'.

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by Saltwannabee

They are around 1000 ft elevation, So, do they block Hurricanes a bit if you sail to the lee side ?

Is it like PR, as in, I can get my VA pay there ?

Marinas cost more/less/?

Costs for food, Fuel, Woman , Goats/chickens ????

NO. Hurricanes,cyclones and monsoons reach up to 20klms into the sky. Which would suggest that the eddying effect caused by a hill may acually increase winds in certain areas towards the top on the windward side and create massive eddies of air on the leeward side. Dont forget that in a hurricane the wind can shift and back depending on its location to you.

Women arent so easy to predict. Just like a hurricane they can become quite unstable- particularly in groups. But hurricanes dont get more aggressive if you call them the wrong name. Women can take your house too, but the insurance company is more likely to pay out if its a hurricane thats responsible.

Sorry, I know nothing about goats and chickens other than they arent as fussy as women with what they eat and they are cheaper to maintain.

Cheers
Oz