Low Hanging Fruit

Not only are these mangoes absolutely delicious, they sure are easy to pick. You actually have to bend down to harvest them.

St. John Film Society Presents: The End of the Line

Tonight – Wednesday, June 19
TIME: 7:30pm
PLACE: Cases by the Sea, Coral Bay
Suggested donation $5.00
End of the Line: documentary by Rupert Murray
The world’s first documentary to examine the devastating effect commercial overfishing has had on the world’s fish populations. Filmed from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market, featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen, and fisheries’ enforcement officials, The End of the Line competed for best World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.

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

Beach Bar
Jon Gazi of West Lindy
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
Flip Flop Rock
8:00
777-3316

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

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

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

St. John Insects: Scorpion & Spider

St. John Weather

Sahara Dust
For the last few days or so we’ve been experiencing a particularly intense Sahara dust condition. The gray skies over St. John are not clouds, but dust that has traveled over the Atlantic all; the way from Africa and will continue as far as the state of Florida in the continental US.

The Good Part:
“Saharan dust is a limiting factor for tropical development in the Atlantic and sunsets are stunning as a result of dust clouds high in the sky with notable, bright red colors on display.

Origin of the Dust
The Sahara is the greatest single stretch of desert in the world, besides the Arctic and Antarctic, stretching about 3.5 million square miles across northern Africa.

Rainfall is rare across much of the Sahara, and sparing across the rest of the desert.

“Persistent high pressure with resultant sinking and drying of air is what tends to limit rainfall across the region. There is likely a ‘feedback’ mechanism at work by which dry, sparsely vegetated earth superheats, thereby further warming the atmosphere and further strengthening the area of high pressure,” AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews explained.

Persistent northeasterly winds, squeezed between an area of high pressure over the northern Sahara and low pressure over the equator, are often strong enough to stir loose sand and dust in the Sahara. Although the coarser sand is not normally raised far above the land, the smaller dust particles can be lofted 2 or 3 miles high into the sky, Andrews said.

Especially strong winds can blow over thousands of square miles of the desert can scour enormous volumes of dust from the surface. According to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study by Amato Evan, the amount of dust is said to be in the millions of tons….

During a dust storm in the Sahara, which can last for days, the visibility can drop to zero. These long dust storms yield clouds of dust that span one thousand miles or more. Large dust clouds can traverse westward across the Atlantic as they get steered by trade winds.

“Under favorable settings, dust aloft can reach customary tropical cyclone breeding areas, including “Hurricane Alley”, which stretches eastward from the Lesser Antilles,” Andrews said….” From Accuweather.com by Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

St. John Film Society Press Release:

St. John Film Society is pleased to announce a screening of End of the Line, the world’s first major documentary about the effects commercial overfishing has had on the world’s fish populations, at 7:30pm on Wednesday, June 19 at Cases by the Sea in Coral Bay.

Filmed at global locations from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market, and featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen, and fisheries’ enforcement officials, The End of the Line premiered, and competed for best World Cinema Documentary, at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

“We are very excited to bring another documentary about the environment to St. John,” said Andrea Leland, Director of St. John Film Society “Along the lines of An Inconvenient Truth, this film is important – especially here in the Caribbean where fishing is a way of life for so many.”

End of the Line will be the last film presented by SJFS as they take a seasonal hiatus until November.  “If you’ve been meaning to come out this season and haven’t yet made it, this is a great film to make an effort to see,” said Michelle Ward who heads publicity and membership efforts for St. John Film Society.  “We’d love to see the community come out for this last film until we meet up again in November.”  SJFS continues on November 5 at St. John School of the Arts with another exciting season of films.

St. John Film Society’s mission is to inspire a positive appreciation for the culture, history, and environment of the U.S. Virgin Islands by presenting independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean.  Their monthly film series is open to the local community and its permanent film collection is archived and in public circulation at Elaine Ione Sprauve Public Library on St. John.

Date: Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Cases by the Sea, Coral Bay
Suggested donation $5.00

End of the Line: documentary by Rupert Murray
The world’s first documentary to examine the devastating effect commercial overfishing has had on the world’s fish populations. Filmed from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market, featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen, and fisheries’ enforcement officials, The End of the Line competed for best World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.

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
House Band
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
Trivia Night
8:00
777-3316

Concordia
Open Mic with Lauren and Bo
3:30 – 5:30
693-5855

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

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

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

See Weekly Schedule

Virgin Islands Dissed by Google
My newly published app, “St. John Off the Beaten Track” lists on iTunes for $1.99. It’s free on Google Play. It was supposed to sell for $1.99 on both the IOS and Android platforms, but Google wouldn’t allow it: why?

Google explained in the following e-mail:
(checkout-support@google.com)
Hello Gerald,
As per one of our specialist, Virgin Island is just a US Territories, and it is not supported for selling paid applications.
Sincerely,
Nikki

JUST a Territory!!! — My feelings are hurt

St. John Off The Beaten Track App

St. John Weather
“You don’t need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows”
Bob Dylan

Hint: Go with NOAA

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Isolated showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. East wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

Weather Underground
Partly cloudy with rain showers in the morning, then clear. High of 84F. Breezy. Winds from the West at 15 to 20 mph shifting to the North in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20%

St. John Events, Sunday June 16

St. John Festival Princess 2013 Selection Pageant
6:00 PM
Winston Well Ball Field
Cruz Bay

See Full St. John Events Schedule

St. John Live Music Schedule Sunday June 16

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

High Tide
Lemuel Callwood Steel Pan
4:00 – 7:00
714-6169

Miss Lucy’s
Sambacombo
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
693-5244

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

Rhumblines
T-Bird
7:00 – 10:00
776-0303

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

See Weekly Schedule

St. John Off the Beaten Track Mobile App

Hi Everybody,

I’m pleased to announce the launch of my new mobile app for my favorite place on the planet, St. John, US Virgin Islands. I hope you’ll buy it ($1.99 in iTunes and free in Google Play) I hope you’ll like it and if so please write me a cool review.

The Concept
The idea was to put together and organize the information I’ve been collecting over the years from my books, St. John Off the Beaten Track (which has just past the 60,000 copies sold mark!) St. John Beach Guide, my website, SeeStJohn.com, my blog, St. John Life and my archived articles and photos. In addition to the physical aspects of St. John, that is the trails, beaches, snorkeling, attractions, etc., I wanted to offer a guide to the commercial aspects of the island, such as hotels, villas, inns, bars restaurants, activities and shopping.

My Goal
To present a complete, comprehensive, portable and up to date St. John guide.

The Media
To accomplish this goal, I chose a mobile app, the only media that is easily portable, interactive and which can be updated quickly to account for changes.

Maps
To guide you along the islands many hiking trails, I used the indispensable 2010 Trail Bandit Map of St. John. The trails are exactly charted and with the interactive “my location” feature the hiker can see where just he or she is on the trail. No other map would do, not Google Earth, not Google Maps and certainly not Apple Maps, which are great for roads and satellite views, but only approximately define a few of the trails, which are hidden beneath a canopy of trees and vegetation,

For all other options, beaches, snorkeling, points of interest, overlooks, villas, hotels etc., I used Google Maps in the satellite view, which works wonderfully to help find these locations. The GPS enabled “my location” feature is available while viewing these options as well.

Trails
I have included hiking information and photos for 78 trails, including official Virgin Islands National Park Trails, unmaintained secondary trails running over old Danish roadways, shoreline scrambles and hikes along the paths streambeds locally called guts, with descriptions of the trail conditions, the natural environment you’ll be passing through and the history of ruins found along the way.

Beaches
A guide to 34 of the best beaches on the island, with photos and information designed to help the user choose which beach will be the best for them that day. Beach information includes location, directions, beach facilities, snorkeling and watersports.

Snorkeling
I have chosen my pick of the best snorkels around St. John, including coral reefs, undersea grasslands and mangroves with location, directions and level of difficulty.

Attractions
Information, directions and photos of St. John’s attractions and points of interest the restored such as the many scenic overlooks, the Annaberg Sugar Mill, the Library and Museum, the National Park Visitors Center, the Archeological Museum at Cinnamon Bay and the fort where the 1733 slave rebellion began.

Bars and Restaurant
Direct connection phone numbers, (tap and call) locations, live music schedules, menus and pricing

Activities
Find out about the cool things to do on St. John available like sailing and motor boat charters, diving and snorkeling tours, watersports rentals and lessons, guided hikes and horseback riding

Accommodations
Direct phone number, text and email connections, locations, website, photos and information for hotels, villas, small inns, bed and breakfasts and eco camps.

Shopping and services

ST. JOHN (June 12, 2013) — Award-winning documentary filmmaker Andrea Leland has just launched a crowdfunding campaign for her upcoming film YURUMEIN (Homeland) — a documentary about the revival of Garifuna culture on the island of St. Vincent. Through her fiscal sponsor, the Center for Independent Documentary, Leland is trying to raise $20,000 by August 16th to complete post-production on the film. Leland is requesting help to finish graphics and animation, sound design and color correction for the film. Any remaining funds will be used towards outreach and distribution efforts.

When Leland began to film YURUMEIN, Garifuna culture had been all but lost on the island of St. Vincent for the last two hundred years. The Garifuna people, descendants of the native Carib and Arawak people and West Africans, once lived freely on the island of St. Vincent. Forced into hiding and exile by British colonial forces during the 18th century, St. Vincent’s Garifuna descendants knew little of their ancestral language, rituals, dance, music or food. While traditions may have been lost on St. Vincent, Garifuna culture flourished in the exiled communities of Central America. In the film, Leland captures the efforts of St. Vincent’s Garifuna descended population to recover their cultural traditions by connecting with their brothers and sisters in the larger Garifuna disapora.

Leland has worked with and filmed the Garifuna diaspora for the past twenty years. Her 1998 documentary, THE GARIFUNA JOURNEY, focuses on the culture of the exiled Garifuna in Belize. The idea behind YURUMEIN came to Leland during a 2005 screening of THE GARIFUNA JOURNEY in St. Vincent. Locals learned that where Garifuna culture had been suppressed on St. Vincent, it flourished in the diaspora. The Garifuna community in St. Vincent expressed a desire to reconnect with the larger diaspora, and Leland says, “the story of YURUMEIN began that very day.”

Leland has completed shooting the footage for YURUMEIN in both St. Vincent in Los Angeles. She is now in the critical stage of post-production. She hopes to raise the funds to complete the film and screen it at film festivals, community groups, classrooms and widely within the Garifuna diaspora. Also in the works is an interactive website where Garifuna worldwide can upload their own video stories.

A trailer and more detailed description of the film are available on the campaign page.

Contact: Andrea Leland, Director, Yurumein Film Project
Email: yurumeinmovie@gmail.com

St. John and Virgin Islands News

Sahara Dust Air Pollution Alert
By Source Staff — June 12, 2013

The territory is under an air pollution alert for ongoing high levels of wind-blown dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa, according to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.

The dust causes the skies around the U.S. Virgin Islands to be hazy, which reduces visibility and results in poor air quality. As a result of the dust storms and a rise in warm air, the sand rises above the desert and these sandy dust particles are transported from the North African desert westward over the Atlantic Ocean across the Caribbean…. read more

With the summer camp season just around the corner, the Friends of V.I. National Park lined up a roster of camps at the V.I. Environmental Resource Station on St. John to suit campers from ages 7 to 17. Camps are free for Virgin Islands residents.

“We’re creating future stewards of the island,” Friends program manager Karen Jarvis said. “They’re learning about underwater marine-based ecology.”

Camp kicks off July 8 with the first of the eco-camps for youths ages 7 to 12. That three-day, two-night camp wraps up July 10.

Subsequent eco-camps run July 11 – 13, July 15 – 17 and July 18 – 20.

“Our focus is on the land-sea interaction zone in the mangroves,” said Randy Fish, resource station operations manager…. read more

St. John Weather

Isolated showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. East wind 18 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%

St. John Live Music Schedule Thursday June 13

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 Lindy
9:00
777-4220

Castaways
James
9:00
777-3316

Miss Lucy’s
Jazz with Rich and Greg
5:00 – 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

Parrotfish are one of the most common species found on St. John reefs. They are extremely colorful and have fused teeth that look like a parrot’s beak. They swim using their pectoral fins.

Reef grazing fish, such as parrotfish, produce a significant amount of the sand found on our beaches. Parrotfish exist on a diet of algae, which they scrape off the surface of coral rock with their beak. They then grind this coral and algae mixture to a fine powder. The algae covering the coral are absorbed as food. The coral rock passes through their digestive tracts and is excreted in the form of sand. Snorkelers will frequently observe this process if they watch the parrotfish for a few minutes. Scientists say that for each acre of reef a ton of sand is produced by reef grazing fish every year.

St. John Live Music Schedule

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

Beach Bar
Savirti
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

Spyglass
T-Bird
5:00 – 8:00
776-1100

See Weekly Schedule

Spotted Eagle Ray

“The spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) is a cartilaginous fish of the eagle ray family, Myliobatidae…

“This ray can be identified by its dark dorsal surface covered in white spots or rings. Near the base of the ray’s relatively long tail, just behind the pelvic fins, are several venomous, barbed stingers. Spotted eagle rays commonly feed on small fish and crustaceans, and will sometimes dig with their snouts to look for food buried in the sand of the seabed. These rays are commonly observed leaping out of the water, and on at least two occasions have been reported as having jumped into boats, in one incident resulting in the death of a woman in the Florida Keys….

“Spotted eagle rays have flat disk-shaped bodies, deep blue or black with white spots on top with a white underbelly, and distinctive flat snouts similar to a duck’s bill. Their tails are longer than those of other rays and may have 2–6 venomous spines, just behind the pelvic fins…. Read more

Virgin Islands News

Police Cracking Down on Excess Tint
By Source staff — June 9, 2013

The V.I Police Department will begin stepping up enforcement of the vehicle tint law and other other rules and regulations of the road, and will hold events where car owners can have their vehicles tested to see if they comply, the department announced.

According to the Virgin Islands Code, no operator or owner of any improperly tinted, unregistered or uninsured vehicle is allowed to operate on the public streets of the Virgin Islands. Police officers will be on the road asking vehicle owners and operators to produce proof of registration, insurance and to remove illegal tint from the vehicles, the department said…. read more

@ School: Junior Lionfish Fighters Keep Sharp Eyes on the Reef
By Lynda Lohr — June 9, 2013

With the scourge of lionfish threatening reefs around the Virgin Islands and beyond, a group of eight Gifft Hill School students in the Junior Caribbean Ocean Restoration and Education program have become extra eyes for the island’s CORE members who spend time in the water killing the invasive species.

“They say when you start to take them out, it makes a difference,” Evan Jones, 14, said of the lionfish.

Skye Ehrhart, 13, said that after the first day of lionfish spotting, he knew there was a purpose to their efforts…. Read more

It’s summertime on St. John and the flamboyant trees all over the island are in bloom. Although not native to the Virgin Islands, the flamboyant can be seen all over St. John including undeveloped hillsides within the Virgin Islands National Park. It’s easy to see why this beautiful colorful tree has been a popular landscaping addition, but how did it get far up on the mountainsides where probably even the early sugar planters didn’t venture? Not that they were concerned with planting flowering trees without any commercial value, just because they liked to see spectacular colors colors in the summer.

Old time Virgin Islanders tell me that once upon a time there was a visitor to St. John who was in love with flamboyant trees. This man hired an airplane and flew all over the island dropping flamboyant seeds from the cockpit of the plane and that’s why the tree can be found in so many inaccessible locations brightening up St. John’s verdant hillsides with sprays of red….read more

St. John Events

St. John Film Society Presents: Marley Tonight 7:30 PM

St. John Film Society is pleased to announce the screening of Marley, a film documenting the life of the Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley.

Directed by Kevin Macdonald, 144 minutes, Documentary, 2012
Tuesday, June 4/ 7:30 pm
St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay

A feature-length documentary about the life, music, and legacy of Bob Marley, this exhaustive, even-handed portrait of reggae’s greatest star offers electrifying concert footage and fascinating insights. Made with the support of the Marley family, this definitive life story of musician, revolutionary, and legend — from early days to international super-stardom– features rare footage, incredible performances, and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.

Whether you are a reggae aficionado who has already seen and heard everything there is about Marley or whether you know nothing about the musical genre of reggae but would like an introduction, you won’t be disappointed by the latest documentary – it even touches on the unique and unparalleled social and political impact Marley had, and continues to have today!

For more about Marley the movie, click here.

St. John and Virgin islands News

St. John, US Virgin Islands Carnival Schedule Now Available Online
PRWEB.COM Newswire
June 03, 2013

Visit VirginIslandsThisWeek.com for the full listing.

Carnival events start on June 1 with the Pan-O-Rama and go through July 4 when the final parade and fireworks take place. The information is also available in print in the June issue of “St Thomas This Week” visitor guide. Call (340) 774-2500 to obtain a copy….

Read the full story
Read more

Forecast Team Still Sees Above-Average Hurricane Season
By Lynda Lohr — June 3, 2013

With the 2013 hurricane season just three days old, the Colorado State University hurricane forecast team is sticking to its prediction of an above-average hurricane season, due primarily to unusually warm water in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and an expected lack of an El Niño event.

“The tropical Atlantic remains anomalously warm, and it appears that the chances of an El Niño event this summer and fall are unlikely,” Phil Klotzbach of the Colorado State Tropical Meteorology Project said in a Monday statement. “Typically, El Niño is associated with stronger vertical shear across the tropical Atlantic, creating conditions less conducive for storm formation.”

The team calls for 18 named storms during the hurricane season that started June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. Nine of those are expected to become hurricanes. The team predicts that four of those will become major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater…. read more

St. John Live Music Schedule

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

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

Spyglass
T-Bird
5:00 – 8:00
776-1100

See Weekly Schedule