thinking of moving to usvi

alana, i looked back at some of their other posts and they were equally rude and offensive.

Don't feed trolls. Report offensive posts and don't comment on them.

thank you for the reminder, i wish i had done that in the first place. i appreciate the reminder.:-)

I did report when I read it before I left the house this morning so was wondering why it was still there when I returned late afternoon/

Sounds like my kind of day Tart! What am I up to? Hour 9 of my 16 hour workday but looking forward to sitting on the back of my boat smelling the roses on the Lake Erie Islands tomorrow.

I know I might catch some heat for writing this, but I think a boat is a necessary item for the islands. My dad gave me a 13' Whaler with a 55 when I was twelve, and I spent a LOT of time using it. I water ski'd every Saturday and Sunday. I liked keeping my boat down at the old shoreline marina between Sub Base and Frenchtown, which gave me a day range around either the west or east end of STT to Megan's, or a bit down island to the west end/north side of STJ, and had access to my boat at night to take girls out from the bars in town =)

My father also had a 28' Cape Dory that we could stay for a three day weekend down to Virgin Gorda in the BVI, or go for a day sail to Sandy Cay on the north side of Tortola, two of my favorite spots. Sandy is a proverbial desert island, and here is my description of VG from my book:

We spent a lot of time at what I consider to be the most beautiful place on Earth, The Baths. The Baths is a group of huge, some the size of a large buildings, granite boulders that have paths and grottoes throughout the bath temperature water that is between the boulders. This is a unique place on Earth, thought to be formed from the expulsion of material from an ancient volcano.

we wouldnt mind having a boat. that would make the weekends a bit more fun

"A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money."

A simple little runabout you can store in your yard and can be hauled with your vehicle on a trailer is one thing but anything more and you'll spend more time fixing it and scrubbing its bum than you will enjoying it - not to mention insurances, dockage/mooring fees and much more. If you just want to play around for a weekend here and there, rent a boat and save the headaches! Better yet, make friends with people who own boats!

Gotta agree, OT. Been there, done that and over it!
I've owned both sail and power boats in the past.
Easier to go out with friends or rent one when you wish, especially if you are not living on board or wealthy enough to maintain a home and a boat. Let's not forget registration fees, fuel, maint. and all the other fees and stuff you're not focusing on while picturing you and your sweet little boat at an idyllic, beautiful bay in tranquil, clear, blue waters!
As always, be prepared for reality vs. your imagination/dream.

"A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money."

A simple little runabout you can store in your yard and can be hauled with your vehicle on a trailer is one thing but anything more and you'll spend more time fixing it and scrubbing its bum than you will enjoying it - not to mention insurances, dockage/mooring fees and much more. If you just want to play around for a weekend here and there, rent a boat and save the headaches! Better yet, make friends with people who own boats!

Years ago had a ski boat. Used it a gazillion times the first year, a hundred the second and nearly zero the third year when we sold it.

Without a doubt, the best boat is someone else's!

Yeah the small Whaler I had was pretty easy to take care of, it was kept on the rack at Shoreline, so I didn't have to scrub the bottom often, but about once a year or two I would strip and varnish the wood and repaint the bottom. It was a good exercise for a kid =)

yep, lived on a boat for about 5 years in florida. liked the atmosphere but not the actual living on a boat. not enough room.

I think it might be more about how much you love going out. Chartering without a group is expensive and waiting for an invite from friends kinda stinks. My husband and I have a boat, keep it in the water and with a lot of help from experienced friends do most of our own maintenance. It is really nice to be able to go out with no schedule. For example, doing some cleaning and then going to buck or Christmas cove for the afternoon. We also researched a ton and picked a fuel efficient, safe and used boat.

definitely pros and cons to owning a boat .
one time when hubby was here and i was in the keys, the water heater burst. i had no idea why we were flooding. went and found the guy in charge, he turned off the water. called a friend and he got it all cleaned up for me. fridge went out. a mess. i was living out of a cooler for a couple of weeks until hubby came back for visit. i know NOTHING about boats. we moved into a land house when he got back.

My husband and I have a boat, keep it in the water and with a lot of help from experienced friends do most of our own maintenance..

Which is the whole point - for those who don't want to get into the expense of owning their own boat, there are those who are happy to take you out in exchange for help with the chores of upkeep. Win-win!

it never hurts to have a dream. i wish all of you luck. i am curious though. WHY do you all want to move down here? specifically

Speee1dy, to answer your question... I want to move to the islands for a number of reasons:

Of course everyone who is thinking about moving to the VI wants the year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, coral reefs etc. I mean that's a given... But if I was solely interested in that I would just move to the Florida Keys (that would be a lot easier of a move, less expensive, less intimidating, a lot safer, and easier for family to come visit) But I'm not just looking for an easy laid back vacation.. I want an adventure, a challenge, and an experience while I'm still young and learning. I think for me the challenge of moving there is half the draw. I want to challenge myself, to step outside my comfort zone and experience an entirely different way of living. I want to learn an entirely new and foreign culture, learn how to cook Caribbean food, learn how to garden organically, learn how to live a more simple lifestyle, I want to learn and experience things that you can only pick up living down there.

I chose the USVI because it is a territory of the USA and while it is still a challenge, it would be a lot easier to move to the USVI than somewhere like Belize, St. Maarten, or the BVI, and etc.

I chose STX as the island I want to move to because it is seems to have more of what I am looking for over STT or STJ.
It is less touristy than STT, slower paced, more farmland ("the Breadbasket of the Caribbean"), not as expensive as STJ and has a larger population, amongst other reasons...

It is kinda scary and a bit overwhelming sometimes planning this move, but one thing I can guarantee is no matter the outcome of my move, I will learn a lot.. I will learn a lot about the island and more importantly about myself... it may end up being a very expensive learning experience, but I have never wanted to trade back an experience I have had for the money I have spent on it (except for the Hobbit movies... I wanted my money back after 4 hrs of nothingness that is loosely based on the book)

now that is an answer. thank you most people say they want to escape, and if you do thats fine but usually you will not find what you are looking for and what you escaped from will find you.
that was my thought on the question

i lived in the keys for 3 years and loved it.

Spee1dy, Which Key did you live on?

My Mom grew up on Key West. Her house was on the corner of Simonton and Southard, which is now a restaurant called Sarabeth's.

I too love the Keys.

I'm with you wcpalmtree. Thought I was going to move to the keys but going to chose one of the USVI Islands for all the reasons you mentioned. I am leaning toward STJ. My boat on Lake Erie is a 27 footer but I don't think I'd want to own a boat in the USVI unless it was a small whaler mentioned earlier but not really sure I'd want the expense when I am semi retired.

I LIVED IN MARATHON, WORKED AT BOA, AND THEN AT THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING. as much as i miss living there, i think i would like to live closer to stores etc, especially the older i get. it is hard driving 3 hours to go to walmart, target, michaels etc.

and living here, there is no driving to those things. it is beautiful here too, but to me the keys are more beautiful