White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

White Bay Rainbow

Rounding the east end of Great Thatch en route to White Bay

White Bay Jost Van Dyke BVI
White Bay was jumping yesterday, and will be probably even more so today. It certainly has become one of the biggest party places in the Virgin Islands. Big  power boats from Puerto Rico joined those from the US and British Virgin Islands, music blasting, people dancing, a real happening spot…

St. John Music Schedule Sunday April 24

Aqua Bistro – Lauren Jones – 3:30 – 6:30 – 776-5336
Concordia – Bo – 4:00 – 8:00 – 693 5855
Miss Lucy’s – Sambacombo – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – 693-5244
Ocean Grill – David Laabs – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693 3304
Rhumb Lines – T-Bird – 7:00 – 10:00
Shipwreck – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693-5640

See Weekly Music Schedule

Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

The above photo was taken from the washed out road that leads west and up from White Bay. I remember driving the full length of this road shortly after it was created. The road washed out and became unusable just a short time later.

St. John Music Schedule, Sunday April 10

Aqua Bistro – Lauren Jones – 3:30 – 6:30 – 776-5336
Concordia – Bo – 4:00 – 8:00 – 693 5855
Miss Lucy’s - Sambacombo – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – 693-5244
Ocean Grill – David Laabs – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693 3304
Rhumb Lines – T-Bird  – 7:00 – 10:00
Shipwreck – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693-5640

A word of caution: I’m doing the best I can to present an accurate music schedule, but to be sure, it would be a great idea to call the restaurant or bar beforehand to confirm.

Weekly Music Schedule

Virgin Islands Photo’s From the Archives
Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands circa 1995
Hasn’t Changed Much

Live Music on St. John Monday, February 21

High Tide – Steven Sloan – 7:00 – 10:00 – 714-6169
La Tapa – Sambacombo – 6:30 – 9:30 – 693-7755
Maho Bay – Cool Session – 8:00 – 10:00
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:30 – 693 3304
Rhumb Lines – David Laabs – 7:00 – 10:00

A word of caution to my visitors: I’m doing the best I can to present an accurate music schedule, but to be sure, it would be a great idea to call the restaurant or bar beforehand to confirm.

Weekly Music Schedule

Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

Abes Restaurant, Little Harbour Jost Van Dyke BVI

Dining out in the Virgin Islands can be a very unique and rewarding experience.The above photo is “Abes” restaurant on Little Harbour, Jost Van Dyke. A little “Off the Beaten Track,” but probably the best conch and lobster in the Virgin Islands.

Live Music on St. John Sunday, February 20

Aqua Bistro – Lauren – 3:30 – 6:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – The Fiddler – 4:00 – 8:00 – 777-4220
Concordia – Bo – 4:00 – 8:00 – 777-4220
Miss Lucy’s – Sambacombo – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – 693-5244
Ocean Grill – David Laabs – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693 3304
Rhumb Lines – T-Bird – 7:00 – 10:00
Shipwreck – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 7:00 – 10:00 -693-5640

A word of caution to my visitors: I’m doing the best I can to present an accurate music schedule, but to be sure, it would be a great idea to call the restaurant or bar beforehand to confirm.

Weekly Music Schedule

Ivan’s Stress Free Bar and White Bay Campground’s 20th Anniversary Celebration

Ivan Chinnery

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Ivan Chinnery and friends will be celebration the 20th anniversary of Ivan’s Stree Free Bar and White Bay Campground today. There will be food, drinks and music performed by the Fiddle and Chris Carsel.

Read the New York Times article about today’s event on Jost

Live Music on St. John Today, Sunday, February 13

Aqua Bistro – Lauren – 3:30 – 6:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – Inner Visions – 4:00 – 8:00 – 777-4220
Miss Lucy’s- Live Music – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – 693-5244
Ocean Grill – David on Guitar -6:00 – 9:00 – 693 3304
Rhumb Lines – T-Bird – 7:00 – 10:00
Shipwreck – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 7:00 – 10:00- 693-5640
Westin Pool – Daddy Chin and the Wailers – 1:00 – 4:00 – 693-8000

Weekly Music Schedule

In the following video, Ezius Ashley demonstrates how to climb a coconut palm and pick a coconut. Notice how he uses the natural grooves in the palm trunk foothold. Grasping the trunk on the opposite side and pulling inwards he transfers weight to his feet thus allowing them to adhere to the trunk. Good going Zi!

Abe’s Restaurant, Little Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

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

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

The Home of Dr. William Thornton, Little Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin islands

Home of Dr. William Thornton

Dr. William Thornton, the designer of the US Capitol Building, was born in Great Harbour Jost Van Dyke in 1759. In later years he lived on Little Jost Van Dyke.

The remains of the Thornton residence lie on a ridge on the Western side of the island overlooking Tortola to the south and Lost Van Dyke to the west.

The following photos illustrate the hike I took with Curtney “Ghost” Chinnery to Dr. Thornton’s home.

Ghost and I put in at the old dock that lies on Little Jost Van Dyke across Long Bay from Foxy’s Taboo. It’s a tough approach and you’ll need a shallow draft boat and some creativity to tie up here.

Once we accomplished that we hiked along the coast and picked up a trail of sorts leading to the remains of an old structure once destined to be a bar and restaurant on the western beach south of Dim Don Point. As we approached the old structure, we needed to keep alert for the numerous suckers that seemed to be just about everywhere.

From the old unfinished and crumpling, bar we bushwhacked up the hill to the ridge where we came upon the remains of the old Thornton residence.

Visit to the Home of Dr. William Thornton, Little Jost Van Dyke BVI

old dock	hillside	coconut grove
large rocks	abandoned bar	? Interior of the bar
Thornton ruin	view from thornton residence	baby goats