After revisiting the reefs off of St. John’s Hawksnest Beach, my new opinion is that it is, if not the best, Hawksnest is one of the best “off the beach snorkels” on St. John. As I find more and more of what used to be vibrant and alive coral reefs succumbing to disease and high water temperatures, it seem that the elkhorn coral colony of Hawksnest Bay is still doing well. Although there are signs of coral bleaching and damage from high surf, there is what appears to be a forest of bright yellow elkhorns on the shallow reef.

Snorkelers should exercise caution approaching the shallow areas and avoid touching or, worse yet, standing on the reef, something potentially dangerous to both coral and snorkeler.

In addition to the elkhorns there’s also a great deal of life around the reef, such as lobsters, sea urchin, colorful sponges, several species of fish, tube worms, rays and turtles to name a few.

Underwater Hawksnest photos by Ray Armon

Angelfish	Elkhorn Coral	Sea Fan
Parrotfish	Coral	Sponge
Southern Sting Ray	Squid	Elkhorn Forest

If you’ve been to Trunk Bay lately, you’ve probably noticed the that the ruins of the old Trunk Bay sugar mill have not only been cleared, but also are undergoing a stabilization project headed by the Virgin Islands National Park.

The Trunk Bay area was first claimed and settled by Adrian Runnels even before Denmark laid official claim to the island of St. John in 1718.

But Mr. Runnels and his enslaved entourage were not the first people to live on Trunk Bay. That honor belongs to descendants of indigenous Americans who first came to St. John around 1000 BC.

Archeological findings indicate that Trunk Bay was settled by these first Americans who called themselves Tainos around 700AD. Here they lived, planted yucca, fished, gathered fruit, fabricated pottery, tools and weapons and conducted their social and religious ceremonies until about 900 AD.

It seems that around that time these settlers left in a hurry, evidenced by the finding of cooking pots, which were still filled with food.

When Christopher Columbus sailed past the north shore of St. John on his second voyage, he either did not see, or at least did not report, any signs of the island being inhabited. This seems quite strange in that archeological evidence indicates several rather large villages along that coastline that existed until sometime around Columbus’ voyage.

The question is, what happened to the Tainos of St. John? Did they flee advancing Carib warriors? Were they in fact still on the island when Columbus passed by and were later wiped out by the depredations and diseases brought on by the European onslaught? Were they forced off the island by some natural disaster such as a hurricane earthquake or tsunami or did they just move on seeking greener pastures.

Perhaps the answer lies buried under the soil of St John waiting for an archeological discovery or perhaps we will never know what happened.

Turtle Point Trail Map

It’s always a pleasure to take a walk around the Caneel Bay grounds. Yesterday I brought my nephew, Ray, who was visiting from the big city, (NYC) to walk the Turtle Point Trail, which it seems that the powers that be in Caneel Bay have renamed “Mary’s Trail.”

Just getting to the trailhead was a rewarding experience. We saw deer and donkeys, flamboyant trees in full bloom and gourds hanging from calabash trees.

Ray says he wants to go back there and stay at the hotel as soon as he finds the right girlfriend to share the experience with.

The half-mile Turtle Point Trail, or should I say “Mary’s Trail,” runs between Turtle Bay on the north end of the Caneel Bay Resort and Caneel Hawksnest Beach. on the eastern side of Hawksnest Point.

You can pick up the Hawksnest Bay Trail from the southern end of the beach.

The trail follows the rocky shoreline of Hawksnest Point passing through dry forest and coastal terrain. Along the way you’ll enjoy refreshing tropical breezes and impressive views. The rugged natural setting of this area contrasting well with the manicured environment of the rest of the hotel grounds.

Bench on Turtle Point Trail

The best part of this trail, for me, are the strategically placed benches where you can sit, relax and appreciate the spectacular scenery made up of islands, cays, rocks and reefs lying within crystal-clear, multi-hued Atlantic waters.

Albert circa 1974 (photo from Stephanie Johnson collection)

History of St. John Car Rental
by Lonnie Willis for the St. John Car Rental Website
The next morning we returned his car and told him we were going to think seriously about buying the car rental. Months later we wrote him, and made arrangements to move to the island, and become the new owners of his car rental.

Early on a cold morning, January 4, 1975, we packed up our two children Aaron, 10, and Robert, 7, our dog, Pooh-bear, and our cat, Ikie, and flew out of JFK airport in New York for the Harry S. Truman Airport (an old World War II hanger) in St. Thomas. Forest picked us up at the Cruz Bay dock and drove us to our house rental in Chocolate Hole. The children were enrolled in Julius E. Sprauve Elementary School that week, and Albert & I went to work as car rental owners. Forest was kind enough to give us an extensive period of training, which proved invaluable.

The car rental was originally located at the foot of the Cruz Bay dock, and our 14 cars, mostly VW “Things” and Mini-mokes were parked in the space in front of where the Dockside Pub and stores are today. The office was the old water barrel from Trunk Bay with an opening on the side, and coconut thatch on top. We had a telephone, no credit card machines (we didn’t take credit cards!), no fax (they hadn’t been invented yet), and no copy machine. All paper work was done by hand. In addition, all customers had to buy a Virgin Island temporary driver’s license, and leave a cash deposit. The one gas station on the island, Texaco, was often closed on Holidays, open only a half a day on Sunday, and was often just out-of-gas!

Hours of operation in those days were flexible. If someone needed help in the community, everyone would close his or her business, and go to the person’s rescue. Spotting whales in Sir Francis Drake passage, the downing of a seaplane in the harbor, or just a very rainy day could be the excuse for a total closing of the car rental and half the other businesses in town. Gradually, we got into the rhythm of the Island. (We got used to taking two hour lunches on the beach next to the car rental!) … read more

Forest Fisher (photo by Hannele Koivumaki)

ST JOHN, USVI — Starting in late July, the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) will initiate a second inventory of the forests of US Virgin Islands. The survey begins on the island of St John and continues an effort to measure and monitor the public and private forest lands of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Tom Brandeis, forest researcher with the SRS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, will lead an expert team of biological scientists conducting the work…read more

!!! Free Movie Tonight !!!
Marketplace Third Floor
Cruz Bay, St John

St John Film Society Presents:

The remarkable Fez Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco

SOUND OF THE SOUL by Stephen Olsson (70 min) 2005

“Imagine the feeling of arriving in North Africa without ever stepping on a plane.”

This striking documentary is set in Fez, the ancient Moroccan city known for its tolerance of all inhabitants, whether Muslim, Christian or Jew. The film highlights the historic city itself, as well as the annual music festival staged there. Musicians travel from around the world to perform in Fez. A chorus of African Berber women, players and vocalists from Afghanistan, England, France, Portugal, Russia, Ireland, Mauritania, Turkey and a gospel band from Harlem intermingle with a group of amazing Sufi whirling dervishes.

“In a world increasingly polarized by religious conflicts and fundamentalist forces, Sound of the Soul reverberates with unity, understanding, and most of all, hope.”

In these tough economic times a good discount is greatly appreciated and the discounts at St. John’s Dolphin Market keep getting better. In his effort to entice new shoppers to his establishment, despite the parking and traffic problems presented by the construction of the roundabout, the owner of Dolphin has upped the discount ante – the 25% discount on purchases over $50, excluding alcoholic beverages and already discounted items, previously a weekend special, will now be in effect every day for the remainder of the month of July.

Pretty good, I’d say!

My mom and dad used to come to St. John to visit me from time to time. They stayed at Caneel Bay and usually traveled with their friends, Dolores and Bill Gallo. My father was a dentist, practicing in the Bronx and Bill was the sports cartoonist for the New York Daily News.

As they got to know people, my parents got involved with the rhythm and flow of daily life on St. John.

Rodney Varlack 1973 (photo by Hannele Koivumaki)

Dr. George Knight, David Knight, Stephanie Johnson 1974 (photo from Stephanie Johnson collection)

My dad befriended Rodney Varlack, who had the first, last and only Jeep dealership on St. John at the time. Dad would often bring down parts from America that Rodney, for reasons that I’m sure had something to do with operating a business out of St. John , was not able to get from ordinary sources.

He would also help out St. John’s dentist, Dr. Knight, at the clinic bringing supplies and at times tending to patients. My parents also brought down 16 mm films, which were shown at the church across from the Cruz Bay. I, of course, was supplied with all kinds of culinary stateside delights, fishing equipment and  clothing.

When I first arrived on St. John in 1969, Gallows Point was the expat hangout the denizens of which tended to be a little older than myself, and whose drug of choice was alcohol often in copious quantities. The slightly younger hippies had their own vices.

Gallows Point bar and restaurant, rumored to be the actual sight of hangings on St. John, was run by one Duke Ellington, our own Duke Ellington, not the famous jazz musician. Today the restaurant at Gallows Point is named after him.

Duke Ellington at Gallows Point: St. John USVI

In the above photo Mr. Ellington stands behind the infamous “Rumor of the Day” blackboard.

Postcard from 1964

“That postcard is from around 1964.
Richard “Duke” Ellington, a mystery story writer from New York, bought Galge or Gallows Point from the VI Government in the early 50s and built a small “cottage colony” of rentals. The bar became the hang-out for what we used to call continentals–white people–and produced a lot of martinis throughout the 1960s. In the early 70s, “Duke” retired from behind the bar and a younger, hipper, and more diverse crowd took over. “Duke” is the older of the two men behind the bar in the picture.
The Ellingtons sold the property around 1980 and the present resort was built within a few years.”
From a post by Hugo in VI Now

Eddie Johnson bar tending at Gallows Point

My friend, Eddie Johnson” (See St JohnVirgin Islands Memories: Voyage to Anegada) was once a bartender there as was  Charlie Deyalsingh (Trinidad Charlie).