Last time I went by the guard was there, with dog, keeping people off the beach.

Where is Lindqvist,( can't find it on the map) and why is it off limits?
Thanx, sleeper18

Carla:

You can see it from PP (on the right side just beyond the Wyndhum).

F.I.

The beach is on private property and the developer who owns it is having trouble with the VI government so the developer has decided to deny the public access to the beach:

http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1142054067

The big issue here is that the open beach law is not well written. It is not written in the law that public access has to be given to the beach across private property. But in the planning stage during development of private property the DPNR states that an easment must be created to allow people to access the beach. BUT the owner of this property says my property is undeveloped and no where does it state that he must create an easment unti lhe develops.

The beach can be accessed from the water by boat. He cannot deny ussage of the beach. But his argument is that he can deny access to the beach by private property.

This has been a dirty fight for 3 years now. The government is trying to take the property from the owner under eminent domain. The beach has been a local beach for a long time and the givernment is angry he has taken away access to the beach.

Lindqvist is the most beautiful beach on St Thomas as far as I'm concerned.

Regards
Larry

thanks F.I. I've never heard of it, of course I'll look to the right for a peek when I get there. Also I enjoyed reading the link onepaper.com, guess that explains it, too bad it was littered.
Carla

Carla:

We went to this beach in early March....it has become my favorite beach (Coki Beach, 2nd place). It's too bad that the public is being prohibited from going there.

F.I.

F.I. Maybe it was clean when you went there? Unfortunately there's an element of the population which gives not a darn about keeping Lindqvist as it always used to be - pristine. In the last 18 months I went riding (horse) there several times and it was disgusting. Dirty diapers, cast-off take-out food containers, bottles and cans littered everywhere.

That combined with the criminal element which took over the beach and the land after dark (assaults, rapes, a murder) while the present owner allowed access to the property was, I'm sure, a contributory factor in their decision to close it off.

The VI Government shuffled its feet for years, failing to buy the property when it came up for sale, and then got their knickers all in a twist when a legal sale with a private entity went through.

The present owners seem to be well within their rights for now but this is going to be a very protracted affair, as JETPILOT pointed out.

I've been here 2.5 years and it's always been full of trash. I think it's the locals way of telling the owners they're unhappy with the current state of affairs about access. The guard has been there about 3 weeks - day and night from what I remember.

There was also an article in the VI Daily news yesterday about it - I"ll see if it's online yet ( they're sadly slow about updating their website) and post the story link here when I find it

When I was there in early March I really didn't see much trash (except for the abandoned car). But then again I wasn't looking for it.

The beach was beautiful. It's a shame that the public can't use it.

I don't think it's accessible, but whose fault is that?! Territorial court was wrong.

I don't think that the newspaper articles are accurate. They reported that the court never deposited the government's check and then found that that because the court never "got" the money (even though the government gave the check to the court with the papers), the government never had title to the property. The court refused to deposit the money, and that was the reason. But now it turns out that the court did deposit the money. So where is the actual reason for dismissing the case?

Whose pocket's involved this time?

I was at Lindqvist last week and the guard wouldn't even take $20 to let me walk through and use the beach. I was also told by the guard that an underwater net was erected to block access from the water as well.

Regards
JET

To Manta: Sorry, but I totally disagree with your comment that, "I think it's the locals way of telling the owners they're unhappy with the current state of affairs about access."

The general littering both at Lindqvist and on many other beaches both private and public throughout the Virgin Islands is perpetuated by both locals and visitors, although the locals seem to have the heads-up when it comes to the dirty diapers, food containers, soda cans, condoms, etc.

The beachfront resorts regularly clean up trash left by both entities and Magens Bay does likewise. It costs a lot of money.

To misc: I think you have been misinformed but I would stand corrected if your summation that the "Territorial court was wrong.." turns out to be correct. I wonder how much experience you personally have in dealing with local government on any issue.

To JETPILOT: Well, I'm glad the security guard on duty didn't take a bribe from you. Given all the melee we have to deal with here regarding pay-offs my accolades to him!

I stand by my post of April 3rd in its entirety.

There are numerous beaches to go to on all four Virgin Islands, all with their own very special attributes. The sometimes furor concerning Lindqvist beach is a very minor issue in all. Cheers!

Man,it sounds like PEOPLE NEED TO STOP LITTERING.We have already messed so much of the earth up,PLEASE not the islands.

I am so sorry to hear that this beautiful beach is no longer acccessible. A visit to Lindqvist has been a highlight of every trip. We would "day trip" over to STT from STJ mid-week just for this beach and the solitude. Sometimes we found it a little messy after a weekend but the color and clarity of the water more than made up for the little bit of trash we sometimes encountered on the beach. What a scene - quiet water right in front with small rolling waves off to the left - just perfect! I guess we will have to treasure our photos. I hope this matter gets resolved and that eventually folks will be able to experience this lovely spot. So sad -