St. John Life

Drunk Bay Art
Drunk Bay has inspired the imagination of visitors to create dozens of coral sculptures, most of which can be found by going around the large rocks to your left as you enter the beach.

St. John Weather

On the Ground 5:30 AM – Chocolate Hole St. John
It’s a windy, rainy morning with some heavy squalls and thunderstorms. The temperature is a cool 74 degrees F

Official Forecast
Overcast with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 86F. Breezy. Winds from the West at 15 to 25 mph shifting to the South in the afternoon. Chance of rain 60% with rainfall amounts near 0.2 in. possible.

St. John Events

Sunday – May 26 – Beach to Beach Power Swim
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park

St. John News

NRG Energy to install 3MW solar for luxury hotel chain

NRG Energy, the largest independent power producer and solar developer in the US, has announced the installation of nearly 3MW of PV power for a luxury chain of hotels.

The global alliance will begin with three properties, including the installation of a 1.3MW solar array at the Westin St John in the US Virgin Islands. NRG will build, own and operate the project while Starwood will purchase electricity from the solar arrays…. read more

St. John Live Music Schedule

Aqua Bistro
Stephan Sloan
5:30 – 8:30
776-5336

Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
Michael Beason
7:00 – 9:00
201-1236

Beach Bar
Drunken Hearts
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
Mikey P 8:00
Dance Party 11:00
777-3316

Cinnamon Bay
Eddie Bruce Drum Circle
6:30 – 8:00

Concordia
Bo & Lauren
6:30 – 9:00

High Tide
Mikey P
9:00
714-6169

Miss Lucy’s
David Reed
6:00 – 9:00
693-5254

Morgan’s Mango
Lauren Jones
6:00 – 9:30
693-8141

Ocean Grill
T-Bird
6:30 – 9:00
693-3304

Rhumblines
Erin Hart
7:00 – 10:00

Spyglass
James Milne
5:00 – 8:00
776-1100

Shipwreck Landing
Mitch Woods
7:00-10:00

Skinny Legs
Chris Carsel & Company
6:00
779 4982

See Weekly Schedule

St. John Film Society Press Release

St. John Film Society Presents:
Films from the 4th Traveling Caribbean Showcase

Spotlight on Family
Wednesday, May 22/ 7:30 pm
Cases by the Sea, Coral Bay

Rain
Directed by Maria Govan, 85 minutes, Drama.

Teen-aged Rain lives a sheltered and quiet life with her grandmother on the tiny rural Ragged Island in the Bahamas.  When her grandmother dies, Rain travels to the city to find the mother she never knew.  Rain is surprised to discover her mother living in the poverty-stricken “Graveyard” neighborhood of Nassau where regular school attendance and a uniform are beyond reach.  Encouraged by her coach, Rain’s extraordinary talent running track spells relief from her home life, reveals inner strength, and inspires dreams of life beyond Nassau.

Preceded by…

The Guardian
Directed by Fabrice Pierre, 8 minutes, Short Fiction.

A visit to Grandfather’s seaside home is Mahalia’s favorite thing in the world – while mother cooks, Mahalia listens to him weave his oral stories made up about magic, courage, and survival.  Or are they made up?  A compelling 8 minutes of action-packed magical realism.

The Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase (TCFS) is an annual film festival representing filmmakers, producers and directors from around the Caribbean. Sponsored regionally by UNESCO and supported by ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry) in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase brings together the works of 40 filmmakers from 15 Caribbean countries including the Bahamas, Venezuela, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad & Tobago.  All films are subtitled when not in English.

This fourth edition, dedicated to the Caribbean diaspora, includes films that reflect the troubles, the culture, and the history of the Caribbean.  The films, which include feature length and short films, animation and documentaries, reveal the realities and challenges of Caribbean emigrants in the region and the greater diaspora, and promote Caribbean cultural identity.

The primary objective of the TCFS is to make the Caribbean population aware of the talent and creativity existing in the region in the film industry and is presented at different times of the year in most countries of the Caribbean.  St. John Film Society is the organization bringing some of the films from the 4th edition of the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase  to St. John.

TCFS is supported by ICAIC, UNICEF, UNESCO and MINCULT. St. John Film Society is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Virgin Island Council on the Arts.

Virgin Islands News

The Return of the Hurricane Hunters
By Jamie Ward — May 18, 2013

With June 1 just week away, that means one very important thing in the Caribbean – hurricane season is about ready to start.

If you’re on St. Croix and have driven past Henry E. Rohlsen Airport this week, there’s a good chance you might have seen an U.S. Air Force WC-130J aircraft sitting out there on the tarmac. What you might not have known is that the aircraft and others like it will be responsible in the coming months for flying a crew of five right into the eyes of hurricanes and tropical storms…. Read more

St. John Live Music Schedule

Beach Bar
3rd String Allstars
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
Mikey P
9:00
Dance Party
11:00
777-3316

Cruz Bay Prime
Mike Wallace
7:00 – 10:00
693 -8000

Miss Lucy’s
David Reed
6:00 – 9:00
693-5254

Morgan’s Mango
Luba
6:00 – 9:30
693-8141

Ocean Grill
Rascio on Steel Pan
6:00 – 9:30
693-3304

Rhumblines
Lauren
7:00 – 10:00

Skinny Legs
Hot Club of Coral Bay
6:00
779 4982

See Weekly Schedule

 

St. John News

St. John Listed Among Most Expensive Caribbean Destinations
By Greg Fields — May 16, 2013

…According to a tourism industry survey, St. John is the fifth most expensive destination in the Caribbean in terms of lodging costs, averaging $224 for a 3-star hotel’s least expensive room. Local tourism and hotel officials point to the quality of accommodations and fluctuating tourism seasons on St. John as justifications for pricey lodging costs….

1. Virgin Gorda (BVI) $321
2. Anguilla $315
3. St. Barts $295
4. Nevis (Saint Kitts and Nevis) $254
5. St. John $224
6. Tortola (BVI) $217
7. Eleuthera (Bahamas) $214
8. Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands) $197
9. Paradise Island (Bahamas) $195
10. Runaway Bay (Jamaica) $187

 Full results of the survey

St. John Live Music Schedule

Banana Deck
Steel Pan by Lemuel Samuels
6:00 – 9:00
693-5055

Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
Erin Hart
7:00 – 9:00
201-1236

Beach Bar
John Gazi of West Lindsey
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
James
9:00
777-3316

Miss Lucy’s
Jazz with Rich and Greg
6:00 – 9:00

Morgan’s Mango
Mark Wallace
6:00 – 9:30
693-8141

Ocean Grill
Chris Carsel
6:30 – 9:00
693-3304

Rhumblines
Erin Hart
7:00 – 10:00

Skinny Legs
Lauren Jones Magnie
6:00
779 4982

Spyglass
James Milne
5:00 – 8:00
776-1100

See weekly schedule

St. John Live Music Schedule

Aqua Bistro
Matt Mitruk
5:30 – 8:30
776-5336

Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
T-Bird
7:00 – 9:00
201-1236

Beach Bar
David Laab and Friends
5:00
777-4220

Castaways
Trivia Night
8:00
777-3316

Concordia
Open Mic with Ben Marr
3:30 – 5:30

Island Blues
Live Local Reggae – Bongin
4:30 – 7:30
776-6800

La Tapa
Sambacombo
6:30 – 9:30
693-8141

Maho Bay Camp
Bo & Lauren
8:00

Ocean Grill
Chris Carsel
6:30 – 9:00
693-3304

See Weekly Schedule

St. John Live Music Schedule

Aqua Bistro
Lauren Jones
3:30 – 6:30
776-5336

Beach Bar
Reckless Abandon
5:00
777-4220

Concordia
Bo
Sunday Brunch 10:00 am

Cruz Bay Prime
Mark Wallace
7:00 – 10:00
693 -8000

High Tide
Lemuel Callwood Steel Pan
4:00 – 6:00
714-6169

Miss Lucy’s
Sambacombo
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
693-5254

Ocean Grill
David Laab
6:30 – 9:00
693-3304

Rhumblines
T-Bird
7:00 – 10:00

Shipwreck Landing
Hot Club
7:00 – 10:00

Sun Dog Cafe
David Laab
11:00 am- 2:00 pm
244-9713

See Weekly Schedule

When we left New York, we were told we would go soft in the tropics…but two months after landing at Cruz Bay, we were healthier, harder, and infinitely more serene people than we had ever been before.

There was nothing softening about a lobster hunt on the reefs. Landlord Davis, on one of his visits, put us up to it and then retired with a book and a bottle of rum while we, with the Sewer boys, piled in a rowboat and made for the shallows on the other side of the bay. A brilliant moon shone down on a gently heaving sea, and we could see the rollers breaking white over the reefs where the lobsters came. A full moon makes a fairyland anywhere, but in the trade winds the effect seems more marked, and we agreed that, even if we got no lobster, it would be worthwhile.

Drawing the boat out on the nearest beach, we gathered at the beginning of the reef, and commenced an activity sufficiently picturesque to make any artist catch his breath and sufficiently sporting to warm the heart of anyone who like to see the hunted creature get a little better than an even break. We spread out fanwise, carrying lanterns and flashlights, and waded into the warm, shallow water that covered the jagged coral of the reef. The coral was brown with sea growths and the lobsters, consequently, very hard to see. In addition, the reef was honeycombed with sea eggs, round black affairs from whose cores extend long, black spines that are very sharp and armed with microscopic barbs whose removal from an injured foot is a hospital job. I am afraid that Bet and I paid far more attention to the sea eggs than we did to the possible lobsters but, when the boys started one, the six of us plunged after it in a splashing, headlong pursuit that lasted several minutes. The lobster took refuge in its color protection again, but one of the boys immediately put a forked stick over its back and held it until another one, with what seemed incredible courage to us, seized the lobster in his hands, and bore it ashore in triumph. From tip to tip, the grotesque creature was nearly three feet long and, to add to our awe, one of the boys announced that he was small.

After another hour of stumbling about among the sea eggs and sharp coral, we cornered one more, and returned home soaking wet, with our canvas shoes torn to rags, but satisfied that we had found still another way to make the island take the place of a canning factory in a town we had never seen.

From Escape to the Tropics, by Desmond and Bet Holdbridge Published in 1937

St. John Events

Sunday 05/12
Beach to Beach Power Swim Practice
Maho to Cinnamon, Trunk or Hawksnest

The practice swims will all start at 8:30 am (please note that on race day the swim will start at 8:00 am) from the north end of Maho Beach.

St. John Weather

Overcast with rain showers in the morning, then clear with rain showers
High of 86 degrees F with a heat index of 91F
Winds from the West at 10 to 15 mph shifting to the ENE in the afternoon
Chance of rain 20%

St. John Live Music Schedule

Beach Bar
T-Bird and the Home Skillets
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
Van Gordon Martin
777-3316

Cruz Bay Prime
Mike Wallace
7:00 – 10:00
693 -8000

Miss Lucy’s
David Reed
6:00 – 9:00
693-5254

Morgan’s Mango
Luba
6:00 – 9:30
693-8141

Ocean Grill
Rascio on Steel Pan
6:00 – 9:30
693-3304

Rhumblines
Lauren
7:00 – 10:00

Skinny Legs
Hot Club of Coral Bay
6:00
779 4982

See Weekly Schedule

Virgin Islands News

Virgin Islands Need Visa Waivers, More Flights and Heritage Areas
By Source Staff — May 8, 2013

Visa waivers, a national heritage area and more flights are all vital to the territory’s tourism industry, Delegate Donna M. Christensen and V.I. Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty told the U.S. Congress’s Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.

Christensen asked the first panel of testifiers, which included U.S. Travel Association President Roger Dow and Marriott International Vice President Kathleen Matthews, about the importance of the visa waiver program and the national heritage area program for the growth of V.I. tourism. Christensen has proposed both of these measures.

Dow said Tuesday that Christensen’s proposal to extend travel and health visas to CARICOM countries should be included because they are “low risk countries.”…. read more

Partly cloudy with thunderstorms and rain showers
High of 84F with a heat index of 91 degrees F
Breezy: Winds from the East at 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph shifting to the West in the afternoon
Chance of rain 60% with rainfall amounts near 0.3 in. possible
New Moon
Sunset: 6:43 PM AST

St. John Live Music Schedule

Banana Deck
Steel Pan by Lemuel Samuels
6:00 – 9:00
693-5055

Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
Erin Hart
7:00 – 9:00
201-1236

Beach Bar
Becka Darling and Hot Tunes
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
James
9:00
777-3316

Miss Lucy’s
Jazz with Rich and Greg
6:00 – 9:00

Morgan’s Mango
Mark Wallace
6:00 – 9:30
693-8141

Ocean Grill
Chris Carsel
6:30 – 9:00
693-3304

Rhumblines
Erin Hart
7:00 – 10:00

Skinny Legs
Lauren Jones Magnie
6:00
779 4982

Spyglass
James Milne
5:00 – 8:00
776-1100

See Weekly Schedule

Virgin Islands News

Air Visits Up, Cruise Passenger Visits Down
By Source Staff — May 8, 2013

The territory saw a small increase in air visitors and a larger decrease in cruise passenger arrivals in November 2012, the most recent month with figures available, as compared to November 2011, according to the latest tourism data released by the V.I. Bureau of Economic Research.

The number of air visitors, which tend to spend much more in the territory than cruise passengers, was 54,258 this past November, a 2.9 percent increase from 52,714 in November 2011. Cruise passenger arrivals, on the other hand, fell 8.8 percent to 195,979 from 214,985 the same month a year ago.

All told, the territory received 250,237 visitors in November, which is a 6.5 percent decrease from a year ago.

For 2012 from January through November, a total of 2,339,590 visitors arrived in the territory, a small decline from the 2,376,163 recorded during the same 11-month period in 2011. Year-to-date air arrivals grew a strong 9.9 percent to 667,874 from 607,986 last year. Cruise passenger arrivals declined by 5.5 percent from the corresponding period – 1,676,716 versus 1,768,177, according to BER.

There were 571 cruise ship calls during this period or 6.1 percent fewer calls than in 2011.

While air visitor numbers increased, hotel occupancy went down in 2012. Hotels averaged 47.6 percent occupancy for the first 11 months of 2012, versus 51.1 percent the year prior. Occupied room nights were 792,132 compared to 831,485 in 2011.

There were 627,710 registered hotel guests during this 11-month period…. read more

St. John Weather

Partly cloudy with thunderstorms and rain showers, then rain showers in the afternoon
High of 86 degrees F
Breezy
Winds from the West at 15 to 20 mph shifting to the East in the afternoon
Chance of rain 50%
Sunset: 6:43 PM AST

St. John Live Music Schedule

Aqua Bistro
Rascio on Steel Pan
6:00 – 8:00
776-5336

Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
Gann Brewer
7:00 – 9:00
201-1236

Castaways
Flip Flop Rock
8:00
777-3316

Coconut Coast
St. John Flutes
5:30 -7:00
776-6944

Cruz Bay Prime
Sambacombo
7:00 – 10:00
693 -8000

High Tide
Lemuel Callwood Steel Pan
4:00 – 6:00
714-6169

Miss Lucy’s
David Reed
6:00 – 9:00
693-5254

Shipwreck Landing
Chris Carsel
6:30 – 9:30

Sun Dog Cafe
Wednesday Night Jam
With Dan Silber
7:30-10:30
244-9713

See Weekly Schedule

(I found this character in my pump room, not its usual habitat. Surprised me!)

Land Crabs
Hunting land crabs for food is a part of St. John culture and probably has been so since the first human beings came here about 3,000 years ago. The primary use of the land crab is to provide the essential ingredient for the tasty West Indian dish known simply as crab and rice.

The large crabs called land crabs by Virgin Islanders, Cardisoma guanhumi by biologists, pond crabs by British Virgin Islanders and jueyes by Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, are the grayish-colored crabs that live in the network of holes found in low-lying areas near mangrove swamps, salt ponds, wetlands and marshes. They are rather large, growing to about four or five inches in diameter not including their formidable claws. During the day you may see them standing just outside a hole into which they will quickly descend as soon as they notice your approach.

Land crabs live inside these holes or burrows, which go down on an angle and lead to a larger living area, where the crab stores food for winter dry spell. Parts of the burrow go down to the water table and there will ultimately be one or more alternate openings to the surface. The crabs only venture away from their holes at night or when it’s raining in order to search for food. They eat just about anything they can find including their own young, dead things, garbage and worse. They are not effective predators, however, and as such their diet is usually limited to plants they find near their burrows…. read more

St. John Events

Tonight
St. John Film Society Presents:
Spotlight on Cuba
St. John School of the Arts

From the Traveling Caribbean Showcase of Films: 7:30 PM
“Old House”
by Lester Hamlet

Esteban’s return to Cuba to visit his dying father reveals truths and valuable life lessons for his entire family.

Preceded by the short animated film:

Cuban Missile Crisis
by Luciano

St. John and Virgin Island News

Kean Students Star at Art Show
By Lynda Lohr — May 6, 2013

When Bajo El Sol art gallery at Mongoose Junction on St. John holds its next art reception on Friday, works by close to 20 Ivanna Eudora Kean High School art students will join those of St. John artists Karen Samuel and Bill Stelzer in the gallery.

“It’s where the students can experience what it’s like to have their art work exhibited with and among professional artists,” Kean art teacher and professional artist Lisa Etre said.

She said she expects most of the students, who hail from St. Thomas and St. John, to show up for the reception from 5 to 8 p.m. This will give those who attend the traditional art reception – with light beverages, appetizers and classical guitar music by David Laabs – a chance to chat with the artists…. read more

Prosser Wines Fetch Just Pennies On the Dollar
By Bill Kossler — May 6, 2013

Bankrupt former Vitelco owner Jeffrey Prosser’s St. Croix wine collection netted $15,739 at auction last month, roughly three percent of its estimated $491,000 value when first inventoried for Prosser’s bankruptcy.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court attributed the near-total loss to Prosser’s contempt for court orders.

Prosser purchased millions of dollars of wine with company money while owner of Innovative and Vitelco. He purchased $6 million in wine with one credit card, from one wholesaler, from 1999 to 2006, putting it on a company credit card in his name that was then paid off by New ICC – and ultimately by Vitelco and Innovative Cable TV ratepayers.

The wines sold last month were from Prosser’s Estate Shoys residence. A court ordered inventory in 2008 found 980 bottles with an estimated worth of about $491,000. In 2011, a second inventory found 453 bottles worth $139,000 missing. A wine expert tested six bottles of the must durable wines among the remaining 527 bottles and “testified that none of the wines located at the Shoys Estate were marketable or had any sale value,” according to the bankruptcy court’s opinion sanctioning Prosser for misconduct.

The wine was sold at auction April 6, fetching gross proceeds of $22,709. About $2,065 of that wen to pay the auctioneer’s feee and another $4,905 in expenses were subtracted from that total, leaving net proceeds to the bankruptcy estate of $15,739. The single largest expense was $1,607 for advertising the auction in the V.I. Daily News, followed by $1,597 for hotels and meals for the auctioneers, and $1,166 for airfare…. read more

St. John Weather

Partly cloudy with rain showers, then thunderstorms and rain showers in the afternoon
High of 86 degrees F with a heat index of 91 degrees F
Winds from the SE at 10 to 15 mph
Chance of rain 30%
Sunset: 6:42 PM AST

St. John Live Music Schedule

Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
Steven Sloan
7:00 – 9:00
201-1236

Beach Bar
Whistler and Wallace and Lockette
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
Karaoke Night
9:00
777-3316

Driftwood David’s
Benn Marr
5:30 – 8:30
777-4015

High Tide
Chris Carsel
6:00 – 9:00
714-6169

Island Blues
Karaoke & Open Mic
7:00
776-6800

La Tapa
Greg Kinslow
6:00 – 9:30
693-8141

Miss Lucy’s
David Reed
6:00 – 9:00
693-5254

Morgan’s Mango
Sambacombo
6:30 – 9:30
693-8141

Ocean Grill
Rascio on Steel Pan
6:00 – 9:30
693-3304

Shipwreck Landing
Dave Gerard
7:00 – 10:00

Spyglass
T-Bird
5:00 – 8:00
776-1100

See Weekly Schedule

St. John Events

Tomorrow Tuesday 05/07
St. John Film Society Presents:
Spotlight on Cuba
St. John School of the Arts

From the Traveling Caribbean Showcase of Films: 7:30 PM
“Old House”
by Lester Hamlet

Esteban’s return to Cuba to visit his dying father reveals truths and valuable life lessons for his entire family.

Preceded by the short animated film:

Cuban Missile Crisis
by Luciano

St. John Weather

Partly cloudy with thunderstorms and rain showers
High of 86 degrees F
Winds from the SE at 5 to 10 mph
Chance of rain 50%
Water Temperature (Charlotte Amalie Harbor, St. Thomas) 90 degrees F
Sunset: 6:42

St. John Live Music Schedule

Aqua Bistro
Matt Mitruk
5:30 – 8:30
776-5336

Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
T-Bird
7:00 – 9:00
201-1236

Beach Bar
Whistler and Wallace and Lockette
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
Trivia Night
8:00
777-3316

Concordia
Open Mic with Ben Marr
3:30 – 5:30

Island Blues
Live Local Reggae – Bongin
4:30 – 7:30
776-6800

La Tapa
Sambacombo
6:30 – 9:30
693-8141

Maho Bay Camp
Bo & Lauren
8:00

Ocean Grill
Chris Carsel
6:30 – 9:00
693-3304

See Weekly Schedule