St. John Tradewinds,
I am writing this letter to St. John Tradewinds because I am confused and concerned. My wife and I first discovered St. John and its amazing beauty and culture in 1992, when we vacationed at the Hyatt (now Westin) on our honeymoon. When we returned from that trip, we had fallen in love with the island and vowed that we would come back, and hopefully bring our children.
Our good fortune allowed us to come back in 2002, to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and we have been back each year since to celebrate our anniversary. Each year, we have rented a villa on the south shore.
Last year, we brought our 9-, 7-, and 4-year-old children for the first time, and they fell in love with St. John just as we had in 1992.
This is where I have become confused and concerned.
Although we cannot yet afford it, my wife and I have a goal to eventually own property on St. John and, with a little luck, retire there. Our interest is so high, that I decided to subscribe to St. John Tradewinds to keep up with island happenings and to keep an eye on the real estate market.
We certainly do not want to spoil St. Johns beauty by investing in a controversial real estate development; rather, we want to find an existing home that we can nurture, and easily transition into productive island citizens.
Well, I have to tell you that the last eight months have completely made us rethink our dreams. I do not know if it is simply the fact that we now receive weekly updates from the paper, but I have to tell you we are concerned and saddened by the crime and general negativity that seems to be erupting on St. John.
What is going on? There are few spots in this world that people can live in peace and natural beauty. Please act now to make sure that St. John stays one of the special places in the world! Tell us what we can do as annual visitors to the island to help improve thingswe will do it!
You all are so lucky to live in such a special place in this world. Dont let the actions and mistakes of a few ruin the beauty, love and warmth that St John is about.
God Bless, Ted Clair