Flying Away In The Virgin Islands

The cliffs of East End were on our port as we rounded the bend and pointed the bow to the north. Destination, Jost Van Dyke, BVI.

During our trip to St. John in August to document the recovery of the islands, one year after Irma and Maria came through, I knew that a trip to Jost was in order to see how recovery was going there as well. That meant finding a charter boat company to make the trip happen.

There are pros and cons to traveling in the height of low season in the Caribbean. You can read our story about them by clicking the link, but to summarize, prices are more affordable but you run the risk of some places being closed. I ran into that a little bit when I was trying to find a charter boat for our trip to Jost.

A few boats were already on the hard (on land for maintenance or storage) for low season or the owners/captains were off island for vacation. So I reached out to a St. John local friend and she recommended Flyaway Charters out of Coral Bay. Thanks Jenn!

I reached out to Flyaway Charters via their Facebook page and introduced myself and that we were going to be on island to document the recovery. Owners, Captain Colin and Leah set us up and told us amazing stories of recovery, inspiration and resiliency. Castaway Crystal and myself were ready to hit the seas with Flyaway Charters to meet more people and hear their stories of island unity.

A Day On The Water with Flyaway Charters

We met Captain Colin in Coral Bay. There’s a little dock behind Skinny Legs which made parking and pick up a piece of cake. We loaded up in the twin-hull, open-bow powerboat and got situated. He had coolers ready to go for our cold Caribs and Island Ales.

Colin was prepared and ready to go with customs forms being that we were heading over to the BVI for the day. So do remember to bring cash for customs fees, that and cash is easier when purchasing at the rustic beach bars. Cash is always king!

Colin pushed the throttles forward and we cut through the calm waters of Coral Bay with ease and speed. After what was probably a 30 minute journey out of Coral Bay and north to Jost Van Dyke, we pulled up to the dock in Great Harbour, JVD. Captain went ashore to handle customs and we chilled in the boat and watched fish and crabs do what they do in the crystal clear water.

Our itinerary was to explore Great Harbour for an hour or so, talk with some folks and grab a rum punch at Foxy’s. Then we would bounce over to the B-Line Beach Bar on Little Jost, then to White Bay to say hello to the folks at Hendo’s Hideout and Soggy Dollar Bar. We were suppose to end the day at the Willy-T, but you know how time moves at ludicrous speed (Spaceballs reference!) when you’re beach hopping on Jost, so we didn’t have time.

Flyaway Charters gave us the opportunity to have the conversations (and rum) we were looking to have with local Jost islanders. We saw with our own eyes how far the recovery has come, and how far it still has to go. We heard with our own ears the stories of giving that made you glad to be a human. You can read all about the conversations we had and what the islands looked like to us one year after the storms here.

Big ups and a big thank you to Colin and Leah for helping us see more of the islands!

If you are looking for a boat charter on St. John, I would love to point you to Flyaway Charters. No trip to the VI is complete without a day out on the water. Many people head straight to the BVI, but don’t forget about all the great stops in the USVI. Places like Water Island, a pizza party at Pizza Pi, beach hopping the North Shore of St. John and snorkeling Waterlemon Cay, just to name a few.

We were missing STJ as soon as we boarded the departing ferry, but after writing this, I’m having even more serious withdrawals. It’s time to go back. #JustGo

Cheers!

Ryan