Back in 1917, the US made a deal with an ally – Denmark would sell what has become the US Virgin Islands to the US for $25 million to allow the building of a military base in the run-up to WWII. In exchange, the US agreed to recognize Denmark’s claim to Greenland.
After that deal resulted in the USVI becoming a territory of the US, the islands also eventually became a favored cruising ground for Laurance Rockefeller, who was so smitten with the area that he bought up a lot of the third largest island in the group, St John. In 1956 Rockefeller donated the land he had accumulated to the National Park Service under the requirement that it not be further developed, and the result is the Virgin Islands National Park.
Over 60% of the land area, and a substantial part of the underwater geography surrounding the island, is part of the park, and that offers a fantastic opportunity to enjoy views of completely undeveloped hillsides and beaches. To protect the seagrass and coral that surround the island, the park requires the use of permanently installed mooring buoys for visiting boats.
And there are plenty of visiting boats enjoying the park. But even with all of those visitors, the vibe is completely different than the neighboring British Virgin Islands, a short 4 nm hop away. Instead of the party-forward, beach bar atmosphere of the BVIs, St John seems to attract boats and crew that prefer a quieter environment, and the nighttime noise ordinance in the park means that evenings are mostly peaceful.
With sugar sand beaches galore, numerous well-protected bays to choose from, and a criss-cross of hiking trails across the island, St John is a fantastic place.
