Welcome back!

This Earl character is giving me a tropical depression.

Presently a Tropical Storm, he’s forecast to become a Cat-1 hurricane later today.

Well it’s that time of year folks. St. John as well as the rest of the US and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are officially under a Hurricane Watch, meaning that “Hurricane conditions are possible within the next 36 hours.”

Yuck, yuck and more yuck. There’s so much to be done and I feel like Maynard G. Krebbs … “WORK!” And I’d rather go snorkeling.

It was such a nice week so far, calm seas, perfect weather. But in the words of my friend from Jost Van Dyke, Foxy Callwood, “such is life.”

It’s still early though, and a sharp northward turn would be nice.

For information about Earl check out the Weather Underground

Trunk Bay Snorkel Trail

Just off the east end of Trunk Bay is a small island called Trunk Cay. On the west side of the island the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP) has created a snorkeling trail for visitors to this the most popular beach on St. John.

Trunk Cay

I revisited the snorkel trail a few days ago with an underwater camera at my side and the following is a recap of my snorkel adventure and what waits in store for others planning to see for themselves.

Trunk Bay Snorkel Trail Experience

Beginning of the trail

The first sign is located under the red buoy just off the beach on the west side of Trunk Cay. The next sign is informational. Follow the arrows or the orientation of the signs to reach the next one in the series.

Directions

Sign Three

Please Don’t Touch or Stand on the Coral

The third sign is there to warn those that don’t know any better not to touch the coral. Even light touches can be damaging and in these days of extra warm waters, which have resulted in the kill off of the symbiotic algae that nourishes the coral, corals are more susceptible than ever to disease. Also worth mentioning is that touching the coral often leads to flesh wounds that take some time to heal.

Sign Four	Sign Five
Yellowtail Snapper	Sand Diver

Sign Six	Elkhorn Coral
Star Coral	Finger Coral

Sign Seven

Sign Eight

Parrotfish

Ram Head Point, St. John US Virgin Islands (USVI)

Ram Head

The above photo was shot yesterday at sunset rounding Ram Head Point.  Ram Head, on the southeast of St. John is always a dramatic place, but at sunset it is particularly beautiful.

Not for Everyone!
You can snorkel around the point at Whistling Cay and return through the passage between the cliffs on the cay.

Passage Through Whistling Cay

Whistling Cay Snorkel Map

There’s a really cool snorkel route around the reef and rocks on the eastern side of Whistling Cay. It’s not for everyone though as you will need to be an experienced snorkeler for this one.

Beginning from the moorings head out north to the rocks on the eastern tip of the island. It’s really a beautiful snorkel, still very colorful and very dramatic.

Instead of returning the way you came, however, you can continue around the point and come ashore on the little passage through the rocky cliffs of Whistling Cay. The water on the north of the cay can be rough and you’ll need to take care climbing on to the island, particularly to avoid sea urchins and corals.

From land you can now walk through the passage and snorkel back to your boat avoiding the slight northerly current that sometimes makes getting back from the rocks on the point to the moorings a little more difficult than heading out.

Whistling Cay Satellite Image from Google Earth

See Whistling Cay Snorkel Blog Entry

See Whistling Cay Website Description

Sandcastle Hotel, White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
The founders of the Soggy Dollar Bar and Sandcastle Hotel are George and Marie Myrick. They first came to the Caribbean and cruised the island- on the Water Lily, a 53-foot motor-sailer, which they ran as a charter operation and for the owners. They then leased Little Thatch and ran a hotel there. They built the Sandcastle in 1970 and ran it for ten years after which they returned to the America and toured the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Belize. The couple, now in their 80s, live in Florida. They wrote a book about their experience called Incredible Virgin Island Adventure (Which I’m having trouble finding.) and have at least one post on their blog.

More Soggy Dollar Bar 40th Anniversary Party videos:

Lets Have a Party

Conga Line

Paddle Cactus

Paddle cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica)

Both the fruit and the paddles of this commonly found St. John cactus are edible.

Nopales or nopalitos are the grilled paddles of the cactus. The fruit is also edible, but you have to be sure and get rid of all the spines.

A friend of mine, the Ghost, told me that he knew how to eat the fruit without peeling it first. He ended up with a tongue full of cactus spines and spent the next half hour plucking them out.  I know you shouldn’t be laughing at the misfortunes of others, but I couldn’t control my laughter.

Soggy Dollar Bar, White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
Saturday the owners of the Sandcastle Hotel and Soggy Dollar Bar celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment.

Originally built by George Myrick in 1970, the Sandcastle passed through two more hands, before evolving into it’s present incarnation.

The Soggy Dollar Bar is, among other notables, renowned for the drink invented there by George Myrick, the Painkiller

Anatomy of a Pain Killer:
Caribbean Travel and Life [April 2009]
PAINKILLER
4 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce Coco Lopez coconut cream
2 1/2 ounces Pusser’s rum or dark Jamaican rum
Powdered cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Shake juices, Coco Lopez and rum with plenty of crushed ice.
Pour unstrained into a tall glass.
Dust with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge, cinnamon stick and orange wheel.
by George and Marie Myrick
Soggy Dollar 1971

Trish and Jerry, Owners of the Soggy Dollar Bar and Sandcastle Hotel

Liston DJ's

Gerald, Mario and Darth Vader

More Videos

Teri and Chin Dancing

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

ST. JOHN, USVI – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Steve Simon, the creator, producer and Blues Boss of the world-renowned Johnnie Walker St. John Blues Festival proudly announces that the 9th annual Johnnie Walker Blues Festival will have 2 nights of celebrity concerts in the Coral Bay Ball Field…….Friday evening March 18th and Saturday evening March 19th. “With record breaking attendance year after year, we have decided to add another evening of world class Blues under the stars this coming March.  For the very first time the Johnnie Walker St. John Blues Festival will be held on two consecutive nights with two star studded shows,” stated Steve Simon.

On Friday evening at 8:00 pm we will present International Blues Challenge winner Grady Champion and his band, the Superhero herself Ms. Candye Kane and Blind Pig Records recording artist Albert Cummings.

And then taking the stage at 8:00 pm on Saturday evening will be Telarc recording artists Moreland & Arbuckle, the “Queen of Memphis” Reba Russell and her band and then the man who inspired John Belushi to create the Blues Brothers, Curtis Salgado and his Big Band.

Tickets will go on sale right after the 1st of the year and will be available on St. John at Connections in Cruz Bay, Connections in Coral Bay, Chelsea Drugs in the Marketplace and on St. Thomas at Chelsea Drugs in Red Hook.

Advance tickets are $25 for each night or $45 for a two night pass.  Tickets purchased at the gate will be $30 each night.  All children under 16 are admitted free.

There will be $5 safari taxi rides to the Coral Bay Ball Field from the Cruz Bay passenger ferry dock and from the Coral Bay Ball Field to the Cruz Bay passenger ferry dock all night long both evenings.

There will also be a late night ferry from Cruz Bay to Red Hook at 1:00 am both nights.

Food and beverage will be available both nights so bring a blanket or bring a chair but please be cool…….no coolers.

The 9th Annual Johnnie Walker St. John Blues Festival is brought to you by Johnnie Walker, The Lumberyard Complex, Merchants Commercial Bank, the U.S.V.I Department of Tourism, Rotary of St. John, The Gifft Hill School, Shipwreck Landing Restaurant, Rhumblines, The Beach Bar, Sun Dog Cafe, Jeff & Bonnie Simon and Steve and Helen Simon.

For additional information please go to stjohnbluesfestival.com or contact Steve Simon directly at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com or call Steve at 340-643-6475.

Rainbow
The rain keeps coming.  Not normal July weather here on St. John. Looks like our weather system has developed into a tropical storm, TS Bonnie, heading into the Gulf of Mexico.

Yesterday was clear most of the day and I did get to see a cool rainbow late in the afternoon.

Earthquake
21st July 2010 –An earthquake measuring a magnitude of 4.48 on the Richter scale was felt throughout the Virgin Islands at approximately 8:00 pm July 21st 2010.  The report indicated that the epicenter was located in the Virgin Islands Platform near 18.55 latitude and -64.96 longitude … read more