Shirley L. Smith, the spokeswoman for the V.I. Port Authority, announced late Thursday afternoon the ports on St. Croix had been reclosed due to dangerous sea conditions.
Smith said the St. Croix ports would open on Friday morning at 8 a.m.
The ports had been opened earlier in the day on Thursday, but Smith said the U.S. Coast Guard determined sea conditions made keeping the ports open unsafe.

The Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John has postponed its fund and friend raiser St. Thomas harbor cruise aboard the Kon Tiki that had been set for Saturday, Oct. 23. Fund raising chair Heidi Windel says efforts will be made to reschedule the event, but it probably won't take place for a couple of months, so those holding tickets should take them to the place of purchase and obtain refunds.
The three-hour outing was to feature dancing to the music of Sammy Watts, a complimentary wine and cheese buffet and a cash bar, plus raffles of donated items and cash.

For details of the event go to Things to do.

The annual meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Arts Council, set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in Tillett Gardens, has been postponed due to Hurricane Jose. The program, to be rescheduled at a date to be announced, will feature a presentation by Dee Baecher-Brown, executive director of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, and Mary Blazine, executive director of the St. John Community Foundation, on the insights and inspiration they brought back from a recent national conference of such organizations.
Business to be conducted will consist of the election of board members. In order to vote, Arts Council members must be current with their 1999-2000 dues, which may be mailed to PO Box 6692, St. Thomas VI 00804, or paid in person at the rescheduled meeting. Any member who has not received the October newsletter with the slate of board nominees is asked to call 693-7765 or 776-4812.

The 290-room Renaissance Grand Beach Resort has weathered Hurricane Jose without any damage, according to General Manager John Murphy.
"We were extremely fortunate," said Murphy. "We never lost power or phone service, and had no injuries or damage to the property. Our resort is as beautiful and peaceful as ever, and it's business as usual here."
The AAA Four Diamond Renaissance Grand Beach Resort is situated on the northeast shore of St. Thomas overlooking the blue Caribbean waters and neighboring St. John and the British Virgin Islands.
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A weakened Hurricane Jose passed St. Thomas and St. John early this morning without doing serious damage.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull announced he was not aware of any injuries or substantial damage as Jose headed in a west northwest direction away from the Virgin Islands.
Similar reports came from St. Croix.
Turnbull did say wind gusts of 30 to 40 miles an hour were expected through the remainder of the morning.
Once the worst was over, the National Weather Service downgraded its hurricane warning to a tropical storm warning for the Virgin Islands. Jose may lose its hurricane status later today, weather reports said.
Already, there were signs conditions in the islands were quickly returning to normal.
Turnbull said a curfew on St. Thomas and St. John will end at 1 p.m.
Only essential government employees were to report to work Thursday. Turnbull said all government offices would reopen Friday.
Lt. j.g. Jose Quinones of the Coast Guard in San Juan said the ports in the territory remained closed Thursday morning as port assessments were being done.
Quinones said he expected the ports to reopen by Thursday afternoon.
The shelters on St. Thomas and St. John are scheduled to close at 1 p.m., according to Turnbull.
Shelters on St. Croix closed at 9 a.m.
Brenda Boone of American Airlines called WSTA Radio to say American would not be bringing in any flights today.
And Delta Airlines was unable to bring in aircraft on Wednesday, so their morning flight will not go out.
The Cyril E. King Airport reopened at 8:05 a.m., according to V.I. Port Authority spokesperson, Shirley Smith, who called WSTA. The Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix reopened at 8:30.
Katrina White-Comissiong, spokesperson for the V.I. Telephone Corporation, said all category one employees, managers and supervisors on St. Thomas were to report to work.
On St. Croix only VITELCO managers, supervisors and the assessment team were to report to work.
Director of Office of Management and Budget Ira Mills has asked members of the damage assessment team to report to the VITEMA office at 9:30.
Mills said, "The team members know who they are."
He said the team is made up of officials from Planning and Natural Resources, the Public Works Department, Internal Revenue Bureau, Housing Authority and the Tax Assessors Office.
No one was available at the inter-island ferry services for information on when service between St. Thomas and St. John would resume.

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Numerous positive reports continue to come in from the U.S. Virgin Islands as telephone communications remain intact throughout the night and today. St. Thomas and St. John are experiencing some wind gusts and rain, while St. Croix didn't experience any tropical storm effects.
Acting Commissioner of Tourism Michael Bornn said, "We were fortunate to have escaped the storm. By the time Jose was getting near us, it had been significantly downgraded. I was in my office all day yesterday and am again here today . . . we prepared for the worst, but luckily, did not experience any hurricane-force storm effects."
The power was voluntarily turned off during the night by the government as a precautionary measure. When asked how the weather was now, a St. Thomian reported that is was just a rainy October day.
Richard Doumeng, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, said, "Literally, not a palm frond was on the ground as I traveled to work this morning. This is the biggest fire drill that we've had in my lifetime. We are indeed thankful that the storm did not hit us, but it's now time to get back to business as usual."
Reports from St. Croix were even better. "We are fine . . . things look great and we received no ill effects of the tropical storm," said Peter Ross, president of the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association. "St. Croix was lucky on this one, we wouldn't have even known there was a storm nearby if we hadn't heard about it on the news. Christiansted, King's Alley and the rest of the island look great and we are continuing with our daily activities as usual."
Peter Locke of St. Croix's Chenay Bay Beach Resort said, "This was much ado about nothing . . . thankfully. Most of my guests elected to stay here when they heard reports of a possible storm. When we met for breakfast this morning, the visitors all told me they were glad they didn't listen to the pessimistic reports and are very happy to have stayed here on St. Croix."
"We know that we dodged a bullet on this one," said Acting Commissioner Michael Bornn, "and we are thankful. We look forward to serving our guests that are with us today, and welcoming our new visitors who will fly in tomorrow. St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas are green, lush, beautiful – and, of course, blessed. We want to thank people for their calls of concern. The USVI is fine, and we'd like the media to truthfully report that we are fine."
According the National Weather Service, Jose has been downgraded to a tropical storm this morning as the storm moves northward into the Atlantic.

Numerous positive reports continue to come in from the U.S. Virgin Islands as telephone communications remain intact throughout the night and today. St. Thomas and St. John are experiencing some wind gusts and rain, while St. Croix didn't experience any tropical storm effects.
Acting Commissioner of Tourism Michael Bornn said, "We were fortunate to have escaped the storm. By the time Jose was getting near us, it had been significantly downgraded. I was in my office all day yesterday and am again here today . . . we prepared for the worst, but luckily, did not experience any hurricane-force storm effects."
The power was voluntarily turned off during the night by the government as a precautionary measure. When asked how the weather was now, a St. Thomian reported that is was just a rainy October day.
Richard Doumeng, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, said, "Literally, not a palm frond was on the ground as I traveled to work this morning. This is the biggest fire drill that we've had in my lifetime. We are indeed thankful that the storm did not hit us, but it's now time to get back to business as usual."
Reports from St. Croix were even better. "We are fine . . . things look great and we received no ill effects of the tropical storm," said Peter Ross, president of the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association. "St. Croix was lucky on this one, we wouldn't have even known there was a storm nearby if we hadn't heard about it on the news. Christiansted, King's Alley and the rest of the island look great and we are continuing with our daily activities as usual."
Peter Locke of St. Croix's Chenay Bay Beach Resort said, "This was much ado about nothing . . . thankfully. Most of my guests elected to stay here when they heard reports of a possible storm. When we met for breakfast this morning, the visitors all told me they were glad they didn't listen to the pessimistic reports and are very happy to have stayed here on St. Croix."
"We know that we dodged a bullet on this one," said Acting Commissioner Michael Bornn, "and we are thankful. We look forward to serving our guests that are with us today, and welcoming our new visitors who will fly in tomorrow. St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas are green, lush, beautiful – and, of course, blessed. We want to thank people for their calls of concern. The USVI is fine, and we'd like the media to truthfully report that we are fine."
According the National Weather Service, Jose has been downgraded to a tropical storm this morning as the storm moves northward into the Atlantic.

Well, Jose: no way! Ole, Jose! I've always liked the name Jose. It has such a nice ring to it. This is, definitely, my kind of storm.
It was yesterday that did the damage, damage to my already delicate nervous system. Although I think myself calloused, these days do still get to me. John in the coffee shop says he has all his boats in Virgin Gorda, where it's just been predicted to hit first.
"Oh no," says Judy, "it's going way south."
"Well, you've got it all wrong," says boatperson Howard, "I've been through enough of these and I should know – it's a direct hit coming right between St. Croix and St. Thomas at 8 o'clock tonight. And by then it'll be a category two."
And so on throughout the day. By then the most terrifying thing that has happened to me is trying to ease my auto onto the highway by Addelita Cancryn. The demolition derby is practicing up for the next few days without stop lights.
I finally make it to Pueblo, which is always terrifying in one way or another, the prices, the personnel, whatever. I do battle in the checkout line and find I have emerged with a few bananas which may ripen by next week, a wrinkled copy of People magazine (a hurricane indulgence), a dented frozen turkey roast, and some chocolate peanut butter cookies (ditto hurricane indulgence).
Girding myself for the very short but treacherous drive home, I turn on the radio. "It" is now working up to a category two, and destroying an island south of us, perhaps. There is actually no communication with that island. Oh, well. I am looking carefully for the "tropical wind gusts," previously announced to start about 3 p.m., but I make it home without incident.
I hide my shopping from my husband, except for the dented turkey roast. Where are the potatoes and cranberry sauce? I guess the bananas and cookies wouldn't do. Down to the corner store where the cranberry sauce costs more than the dented turkey, and a bargain at that, as it turns out.
Now, on to the serious business of "preparation." We live in a tiny wooden house in Frenchtown that requires little doing. It is a valiant, trustworthy and thoroughly wonderful home. But, it has its quirks. We board up most of these and move some of the outside, inside. To explain, the kitchen is outside. Or was.
Quite frankly, the major reason my nervous equipment is in such testy condition is the last 26 innings of the Mets and Braves. Right down to the last walk, yes walk, home. No subway series, alas.
After a perfectly awful dinner, I grab a book and go to bed with no solid idea whatever of where Jose is spending the night. I keep waking up to the sound of – nothing. About 5 a.m. I creep out to the kitchen and smugly make a pot of coffee and bring it into the house along with some crackers and peanut butter. Oversights of my husband's. But then, he doesn't drink coffee.
There's no news on the radio, whatever. A talk show, of all things. Back to my old, yellowed copy of "Our Man in Havana," which is just as funny as the first time, and a whole lot funnier than the radio.
I awaken again about 7:30, and peer out to view the damage. The floor mats I had bundled my little car up with are still in place, and so is the house, yard and kitchen. A walk down to the bayside reveals the unharmed boats stored in the ballfield, the usual suspects thankfully huddled in front of the grocery, and a damp, deserted and perfectly calm neighborhood with everything gleaming peacefully in its place.
Gracias, Jose.