Salty Dog Day Sails of St. John USVI makes worldwide news headlines for witnessing an active FBI raid on Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean Island, Little St. James.
Monday August 12, 2019, Salty Dog Day Sails of St. John was on charter and media outlets including @NBCNEWS, @CBSNEWS, @DAILYMAIL to name a few, shared images, video footage and quotes from Captain Kelly and crew who inadvertently sailed into an actively unfolding FBI raid on Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean Island, Little St. James. Salty Dog Day Sails is a boutique boating and sailing charter company based in St. John, US Virgin Islands. With a fleet of 4 boats, namely sailing catamarans, Salty Dog Day Sails offers sightseeing and snorkeling tours around the USVI and nearby British Virgin Islands. As part of some of the itineraries, tours often visit the idyllic shorelines of neighboring islands within the vicinity of St. John and St. Thomas including, but not limited to, Little St. James and Great St. James both owned by the recently deceased and controversial news headliner, Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was formerly known for his high profile business dealings, associated, philanthropic endeavors with massive donations to scientific research and education, however a seedy undercurrent of aberrant behavior including alleged sex trafficking of under-aged young girls whom he had associates recruit for his personal pleasure has once again resurfaced with his recent arrest and subsequent death on Saturday, August 10th while in prison in Manhattan.
While on a Private sailing charter on Monday, August 12th, Salty Dog Day Sails owner, Captain Kelly Quinn, inadvertently sailed into an actively unfolding FBI raid on Epstein’s private island, Little St. James. The trip departed with guests from St. John and sailed approximately 3 miles west-southwest, crossing the sound and entering into the protected waters in between the two Epstein Islands: Little St. James and Great St. James with planned snorkeling stops at particular favorite reefs located just offshore of each.
As part of the normal trip protocol, Captain Kelly Quinn entered those protected waters of the cove in between the two Epstein-owned islands to roll in the jib and round up to windward to drop the main in set up for snorkeling portion of the day. In doing those maneuvers, luxury catamaran OFF CAY was steering close but clear of the main dock that gives access to Epstein’s Little St. James Island. Being in such close proximity—roughly 150 feet—there was a clear vantage point and rather immediate cognition that the dock area was a flutter with obvious law enforcement agents activity. With a cell phone at hand at the helm, always ready in case of emergency, Captain Kelly took some timely video footage as well as numerous photos of the agents offloading from boats, organizing teams and dispersing into golf carts in a seemingly real-time raid situation. The charter guests were out front on the nets looking on to the rapidly unfolding dynamic with front row seats to this intense situation: Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean Island FBI raid was underway at 10:24 AM Atlantic Standard Time in the United States Virgin Islands and Salty Dog Day Sails had inadvertently sailed right into the middle of it.
With far-reaching power of social media, the internet and hot hashtags, the images were noticed and went viral.
And to think that our goal of sharing what we love with those who will love it too morphed into an entirely different kind of charter experience for the guests. Another memorable day on the water with Salty Dog Day Sails—just another day in paradise?
Links to Worldwide Media Outlet Coverage of the Epstein Island FBI Raid - images, video footage and quotes from Captain Kelly, Owner of Salty Dog Day Sails of St. John USVI:
