How's the electric current?

Travel discussion for St. Thomas
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sapphirecat
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:43 pm
Location: Turtle Bay, NYC

How's the electric current?

Post by sapphirecat »

Hi everyone!

We're on our way on Tuesday (AA 655) and I'm wondering what is the electricity situation like? We had several blackouts during our last two stays, both long ones -- 3 days -- and short ones (afternoon).

I don't mind them so much except the food gets spoilt.

So, just wondering how things are going as of now?

Thanks much!

cat
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TouristTrapCheryl
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:43 pm
Location: Salt Pond, St John USVI

Post by TouristTrapCheryl »

FIRST: If there is a power outage at night while you are here, grab some drinks
and snacks and go outside where you can see the sky and watch all the shooting
stars. You will not believe how many stars and how many shooting stars you will
see in the sky when the island is dark. It's amazing.

NOW, ABOUT POWER OUTAGES:
Not wanting to jinx it, I can report no power outages of an hour or longer here near Salt Pond for weeks. BUT you never know.

To keep the food from spoiling in a fridge you can put a big bag of ice - or if you know it's going to be a long power outage, a block of ice - in the fridge. I
put mine inside a dishpan or baking dish to catch the melting water and put it on the highest shelf in the fridge it will fit on. BE CAREFUL: it will be heavy,
make sure the shelf can support it.
I then set up a separate cooler with ice for my beer, soda, water, wine, cheese, fruit, etc... so I do not have to open the fridge when I
want to grab a quick cold drink or snack. If you ice down the fridge with a store bought bag of ice, then you can use that ice for drinks after the power outage. You can
call WAPA and ask how long they think the power will be out. Sometimes they know, sometimes they don't.

WAPA: 776-6446. IMPORTANT when WAPA answers the phone you say "Good Morning" "Good afternoon" or "Good Night".
(If you forget to say that, you're screwed.) Then tell them you are calling from St John about the power outage. You'll want to ask these questions: "Do you have an estimate for how long the
power will be out." "Is the power outage Island wide on St John?" "Is the power out on St Thomas?" "Is it a line down or is this a problem at the plant?"

A line down means a crew will find the line problem and repair it, usually a faster fix than any problem or accidents at the plant.
(Anytime they tell me it's a problem at the plant, I always express my hope that no one was injured because chances are, in our small community, the person I
am speaking to has family working at the plant.)

But there are no definites when it comes to our power and how long any repair may take on any given day.

Hope some of this helps, but mostly I hope the power stays on for your visit
except for one night for an hour so you can see all the shooting stars. -c
-cheryl

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sapphirecat
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Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:43 pm
Location: Turtle Bay, NYC

Post by sapphirecat »

Thanks much for the tips, Cheryl.

re that block of ice -- if I knew there would be a long outage, I wouldn't stock the fridge! :-)

Thank you for WAPA's direct line. Hopefully this is just the fetish I need to keep the current flowing.

Beside the shooting stars -- have you noticed that the whole perfume of the island comes forth in a split second when the power goes, that the hidden animals start calling and the whole place is truly a paradise under a great blanket of stars, planets and other lights? It's almost, for this mere mortal, too much beauty. (Spoilt only by my resort's outdoor generators that turn the security lights on in a flash smothering the whole God-given scene. Oh, well, sadly, gotta have the security lights.)
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sapphirecat
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Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:43 pm
Location: Turtle Bay, NYC

Post by sapphirecat »

P.S. Cheryl, I see you're in STJ -- must be a world of difference on the hills regarding light pollution. (Meaning -- there isn't any!)

Lovely pic of the dawn. Can't wait to see it soon. :wink:
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mrscaptainjay
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Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:27 am
Location: Saint Thomas, USVI

Post by mrscaptainjay »

We continue to have short outages regularly, every other day or so, on the north side of STT. But nothing bad enough that would spoil food if you leave the fridge alone. We don't even bother setting the time on our microwave and other electronics because the power flashes off so much it's never right anyway lol. What do you do. Grin and bear it. Enjoy your trip :-)
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sapphirecat
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:43 pm
Location: Turtle Bay, NYC

Post by sapphirecat »

Thanks, MrsCJ!

I'll tell Mr Cat not to go around resetting the microwave and the bedside clock 2x a day, since it's for naught.

Our tradition is to buy a couple of containers of the STT Dairy coconut ice cream upon arrival. Should the outages cause it to melt, I'll just have to add rum and a straw.

Everything's fixable :-)

See you tomorrow. (YaY!!!!!!)
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