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Hello, my husband, our German Shepherd, and myself are planning our relocation to STX. We looked into/visited the other islands but found:
STT - Too busy, it seems like the entire island, especially the drivers, are all on an adrenaline rush.
STJ - No marinas to put our boat
We are currently living 6 miles south of Baltimore, 15 miles north of DC. So we are aware that there is crime everywhere, even the good neighborhoods. Pay attention to your surroundings, don't go places alone in the dark, when possible, always have my 100 pound German Shepherd with me. She's a big baby, but intimidating to look at. 🙂
We already switched our cell phones over to At&T from Verizon.
My husband is a professional drummer, almost 30 years construction experience, and over 10 years doing boat repairs. The plan is that he will look for a job after we get there. I work from home as a programmer, so I am taking my job with me, so even if it takes a while for him to find a job, financially we should be okay.
We really can not do a pre-move visit. So we are doing, what we consider the next best thing. Our plan is to take our sailboat down there and live aboard for a few months, if we don't runaway screaming at that point, then find a place to rent.
We have checked with the Salt River Marina, and plan to bring our boat, and live there when we first get there.
I need good internet service, it doesn't have to be the fastest, but it has to be dependable. I'm not playing online games, or anything like that, so again, speed not a big issue. Here I have Verizon Fios, which isn't an option there on the island. I have heard very bad stories about DSL and stuff like that. I'm thinking that what I want is just a wired router from the cable company. Again, speed not the biggest issue, dependability is.
What company would you recommend? I have also used cell phone based wireless connections with great success, but how consistent is the cell phone service there? Speaking of that, I need my cell phone to get good service, without being crushed by roaming charges. Is At&T the company to go with for that?
My dog...on the visits we did there, we saw many stray dogs roaming around. My dog is fixed, so I'm not worried about that, but how welcome are dogs on the Island? Currently we bring our dog to every restaurant that has out door seating, that allows us to. What about the beaches? Will she be allowed on them? We always clean up after her where ever we go, but I want to know how welcome she will be.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Aurore and Mike
Posted : January 29, 2014 2:42 pm
Welcome to STX!
We also office from home and can tell you that wireless broadband (Broadband VI) was the best choice for us with the fewest outages. Innovative (cable) is less reliable and takes longer to be restored after storms, in our experience. BBVI was very reliable and always gave us good service too. Not sure how it would work for someone on a boat, but you could call them and find out.
There is almost zero AT&T service in the Salt River marina. I'm pretty sure it is the same with Sprint, but someone with Sprint will need to tell you that. You will surely need a booster or work from another location. AT&T and Sprint are your primary two choices, and both are good, but the choice of which is best for you will depend upon where you're going to work from as different areas are better for each one.
Dogs are welcome on STX but dogs on a LEASH (who stay on a leash) are more welcome. There are people who will say different from this, but too many people let their dogs go loose running around and even if they are not aggressive it is not welcomed by many - and there are those who may hurt her because of her appearance, thinking she will be dangerous. I do not know of any of the major restaurants that will let you have her by a table, even outdoors ones, unless something has changed recently. And be aware that many of the loose dogs running around are not friendly - even aggressive - and you will need to watch out for her getting in dog fights. Lots of people take their dogs to the beach and take them swimming (off leash) and I don't ever see anyone getting upset unless she's just really obnoxious and can't leave other people alone.
Good luck with the trip and have fun! 🙂
Posted : January 29, 2014 2:56 pm
Topic starter
Thank you, we will check into the booster starting today. On the plus side we can mount the booster to the top of the mast, so that may just do the trick.
We always keep Anya (our dog) on a leash, luckily for us that usually means just having it attached to her and resting on our laps. For the most part she doesn't really want to wander far from us, ever (not even when I'm going to the bathroom :-). But you are right, her appearance, although beautiful, to some could be scarey looking. She is a large German Shepherd. We will also keep in mind that the strays may want to start a fight with her, and will watch out for that.
The other thing I meant to bring, was that after reading the posts on this thread we do not plan on bringing our cars with us. What we were thinking was, again based on comments on this thread, buy a used car there for the first few months or so. Then if we don't runaway screaming, buy something in Miami and have it shipped. Both of our cars that we currently own are very old, and really not worht the cost. Is that still the best way to go? Buying a used beater upper, then decide if we need long term transportation.
Thank you again for the info.
Posted : January 29, 2014 3:17 pm
This is what you'll need for AT&T. It works via your broadband internet, so no need to mount it to your mast.
http://www.att.com/standalone/3gmicrocell/?fbid=IowZnSdX9KT
Posted : January 29, 2014 3:45 pm
Programmer? Please call me at (340) 201-2115 as soon as possible.
Posted : January 29, 2014 3:49 pm
You're welcome, have fun!
Posted : January 29, 2014 4:03 pm
Topic starter
Thank you Ericw. So with that, I get the broadband internet, buy that thing, and all will be good in the world? That would be great!
Native Son - I am on a conference call right now, so I can't call for a little while.
Posted : January 29, 2014 4:07 pm
i would seriously reconsider bring your car. it is a vehicle you already know. to give that up for a car you know nothing about? would cost about the same either way. the debate over that is pretty equally divided. people who did not bring it wish they had and i for one am glad i brought mine. it was cheaper than buying a used car.
dogs are not welcome everywhere. so please be respectful of others who might be afraid or allergic. german shepards are beautiful !
there are a few of us from the md/dc area. where are you from. i am from southern maryland.
btw, no blue crabs to speak of here.
welcome and have fun
Posted : January 29, 2014 6:34 pm
Green Cay Marina is much nicer than Salt River Marina and will match prices. Plus, Green Cay Marina is much closer to Christiansted.
Posted : January 29, 2014 6:36 pm
Dogs are not allowed on beaches in VI whether on a leash or not.
Especially not on any National Park Service lands/beaches. The Rangers will fine you.
I know people do it, however.
Due to health laws/restrictions pets aren't allowed in restaurants.
Posted : January 29, 2014 8:47 pm
Dogs are allowed on beaches in the VI. They must be on a leash. They are not allowed on Park Service land or Turtle nesting beaches (those do have signs).
Posted : January 29, 2014 10:15 pm
Excerpt from a 2011 St Thomas Source article:
"As for dogs, the law does not expressly forbid them on all beaches. However, according to Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner St. Claire Williams, dogs are generally forbidden on public beaches that are maintained by the V.I. government, such as Frederiksted Beach, St. Croix's Cramer Park and the Vincent Mason Coral Resort.
On shorefront maintained by the National Park Service in the St. Croix district, dogs are prohibited within Buck Island Reef National Monument but may be on leashes by the waterfront around Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted, according to National Park Service Superintendent Joel Tutein.
Publicly owned Magens Bay beach on St. Thomas, maintained by the semiautonomous volunteer Magens Bay Authority, forbids dogs on the beach except for seeing-eye dogs.
On St. John, no pets are allowed on the beaches within the V.I. National Park, only seeing-eye dogs, but dogs may be on hiking trails so long as they are on a leash, according to park Public Information Officer Paul Thomas.
While dogs are not legally prohibited on other public beaches, the territory does have a leash law, requiring all dogs to be on leashes of six feet or less in length when in public, with fines starting at $200."
Posted : January 29, 2014 11:08 pm
