Island Characters: Peter Hoschl

"Angel's Rest" Bar, Coral Bay St. John

As time goes on, I plan on introducing some of the "characters" I've met during my island travels.  What is a character?  A character to me is someone who stands out among others.  A character is someone who stands out not because they dress funny or because they seek childish attention in shock value like present day "celebrities", but rather because they have an interesting story to share.  There is something about them that draws others to them.

Peter Hoschl, owner/creator, "Angel's Rest"

Peter Hoschl is the owner and creator of "Angel's Rest" bar.  If ever there was a horse of a different color - this bar is it.  Anyone who has ever spent time on a pontoon boat will appreciate this.  Peter is a self described hippy, with a background in construction.  He rescued this 40 foot - yes I said 40 foot - pontoon boat and did a frame-up build of Angel's Rest himself.  On top of the massive pontoon frame, Peter constructed a typical island bar, complete with glass table and chairs, entrances to port and starboard, day beds for lounging forward, and a ladder leading to an upstairs "porch" complete with loungers aft.  Under the glass table and chairs is a circular cutout in the floor, allowing for easy viewing of graceful sea turtles swimming below.  I'm not even sure what to call the bathroom aboard Angel's Rest.  On land in a house, it would be called a bathroom.  On a boat, it's called a head.  I'll leave you to decide whether Angel's rest is a floating house/bar, or a boat.

Cutout under the table

Tim swimming from S/V Magewind to
Angel's Rest for cocktails

Angel's Rest resides on a mooring in Coral Bay on the east end of the island of St. John in the USVI.  St. John has only two towns - Cruz Bay to the west, Coral Bay to the east.  Each day Peter fires up the two Evinrude outboard engines fitted to Angel's Rest, and leisurely motors to Hansen Bay in the far east tip of St. John where he sets anchor and opens up bar for anyone that wants to swim or dinghy to him.  Pricing?  That's easy.  Every drink is five dollars no matter what you order.  Drinks come served with entertaining jokes and stories as tall as the hills that make up the surrounding island.  Listening to Peter describe how he "checked out", and how Angel's Rest got its name is in and of itself worth at least a few rum cocktails.  I will warn you though - Peter pours with a heavy hand...  The swim back to shore or back to your yacht can be tricky.

Sharon saying good-bye for another year

Bar is closing - everybody off!

When the day is growing old and the sun flirts with the horizon, Peter will promptly exclaim with a grin - "Bar is closing.  Everybody off my boat".  Like a school of fish, patrons file off the side into the cool Caribbean water and swim off in their respective directions.  With anchor pulled up, and the sun now sinking into the sea, Peter motors off into the distance like a cool Caribbean cowboy.  Time to restock, a new day will soon come.

Usually I go home after the bar - here the bar goes home after me