Lovango Cottage Project: August 2018

Impressive to see the progress that has been made since our last visit (which admittedly was 6 months ago). Cruz Bay still shows some signs of damage- the customs building and a few others still in tatters- but it's business as usual with stores, bars and restaurants all stocked, staffed, and open serving and no one paying much attention to the roofless buildings that remain. Word is that generous patrons like Bloomberg, Chesney, and Sussman gave money to restaurants like Morgan's Mango and Skinny Legs wanting to get the basic building blocks of the tourism infrastructure back in place (and provide outlets for all the support staff on the island for rebuilding). Morgan's Mango has never looked better; Skinny Legs, the same as ever.

Most amazing is the damaged boats that have been plucked off beaches and shallows and either returned to service or scrapped. In November they were everywhere, by May, all gone. Had to be an enormous undertaking both financially and logistically. Word is that Clewless, the 40'+ sailboat that washed up on our beach was ever so gently righted and put back in the water, only to be dragged to STT and trashed.

Lovango's return to normalcy has been slower. Dan who is now living in the Smith Beach cottage with a pair of 20' containers serving as storage and workshops, got an excavator over and fixed the driveway in April but the dock is still a war zone. There's a beam that clings between pilings where we can tie off the dinghy but then it's a swim from there. Billie and Corey fashioned a clothesline-designed ferry with an inflatable raft that can be used to (relatively dryly) move goods or people between beach and boat if needed. The target date of having the dock fixed (this May) seems to have come and gone... and while there is much discussion about how the dock will be fixed there is no discussion of when. Dan has drafted plans for his new place and is adamant that he will be rebuilding on his old foundation at the top of the hill. This is wonderful news since his energy and competence are critical to all restoration, and even day to day logistics, on the island.

The (still unnamed) cottage(?), camp (?), house(?)- code named Shit Shack until a more appropriate label surfaces- received alot of attention over our two weeks. The four solar panels that blew to hell-knows-where have been replaced and the battery situation seems better. The three parts for the Polaris Ranger EV that were hauled down- a solenoid, switch, and throttle pedal- were installed with no effect whatsoever. Still dead as a door-nail: porch art for the foreseeable future. Drywall in the bathrooms was "finished" and painted as was the floor of the upstairs bedroom. "Uncle" on that one. The last wall in the last bedroom (west) was sided.

Sand seems to have returned to the beaches (mother nature decides all) and the reefs are looking pretty vibrant if a little less densely populated with fish life.

With help from Tira, Allie, Sam, Karina, and Parker (the Barker) we left the place a little better than we found it.

Living Room rustic but comfortable.

The always popular porch dining area.

All island dinner party. Literally.

Sand back at Honeymoon Beach. Caneel Resort not moving as quickly. Looking for longer term guarantees before re-investing.

Tira finishing her last paper for pre-requisites.

Lingering evidence- K-Mart only 1/6th open with (random) goods on pallets vs shelves. If you want kitty litter, paper towels or a refrigerator, you've come to the right place. Otherwise...

Ship to shore ferry thanks to Billie's dad, John.

Puzzling with Parker.

Making of BBC's.

Local lobster from Fran who oversees the fancy development on the east end.

Palms planted on Gibney to replace those lost in 2017 hurricanes.

Book group.

Dan's new ride- the Miss Savori... great for getting material over... right to the beach and drop the bow to unload. Also a great floating picnic area.