Beach to Beach Power Swim 2008

The Caneel Bay Resort is offering a Dive into Relaxation Package for swimmers and spectators attending the ninth annual St. John Beach-to-Beach Power Swim. The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, will take place on Sunday, May 27,2012. There will be three options for swimmers: Maho Bay to Cinnamon Bay, one mile, Maho Bay to Trunk Bay, two and a quarter miles and Maho Bay to Hawksnest Bay, three and a half miles.

The Caneel Bay Resort Dive into Relaxation Package will include: 30% off room rates, breakfast for two per day, a complimentary Sunset Cocktail Cruise for two and a special welcome gift.

“…HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM AST THIS EVENING…” NOAA

Surf Breaks Over Johnson Reef

Waves breaking on the beach at Trunk Bay

The surf has been up on St. John’s north coast since Wednesday afternoon and is predicted to continue until this evening. On St. John the old timers call this condition “ground sea.”

The breaking surf comes from ocean swells in the North Atlantic generated by storms or low pressure systems. The waves arrive from the northeast and effect the northern coasts of the Virgin Islands as well as Puerto Rico and the rest of the Greater Antilles.

Because the Island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin islands is situated to the north of St. John, most of our island’s northern shoreline  John is not in the direct path of the northerly swell. Consequently the waves breaking on St. John are not as strong as the ones that arrive on Tortola and St. Thomas, which explains why surfers head over to these islands when the surf’s up. The two places on St. John that are relatively in the direct path of the swells are Johnson’s Reef and Cinnamon Bay.

Full Moon Tonight

The full moon will rise at 6:38 pm just four minutes after the sunsets. Should be a good one!

Bomba Shack

Stuff to do on the full moon:
For the physically active – Ram’s Head moonlight hike
For a wild and crazy party – Full Moon Party at Bomba Shack – Capoon Bay, Tortola – famous for psychedelic mushroom tea
For a more normal good time – Fireball Full Moon Party – Trellis Bay, Tortola – famous for fire sculptures and good music.

V.I. Good Friday Alcohol Ban in Effect
By Source Staff — April 5, 2012
Licensing and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Wayne L. Biggs Jr. reminds all bars, restaurants and establishments that serve alcohol of their obligation to comply with the V.I. Code, which prohibits liquor from being served on Good Friday.

“Full compliance and cooperation of all establishments that serve alcohol is mandatory,” Biggs said.

Distilled liquor and “drinks prepared therewith shall not be served in public places of refreshments” between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Good Friday” read article

No Blues Fest Blues Fest
Tomorrow Night – Coral Bay, St. John
The St. John Blues Festival will not be happening this year, but there will be the “No Blues Fest Blues Fest” instead, with local bands preforming at the Tall Ship and Shipwreck Landing parking lot on Saturday between 1:00 and 5:00 pm. A shuttle service will be available from the Coral Bay triangle.

St. John Live Music Schedule Friday April 6

Aqua Bistro – Steve Sloan – 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336
Castaways – Mikey P – 9:00 – 777-3316
Cinnamon Bay – Eddie Bruce Drum Circle – 6:30 – 8:00
Cruz Bay Prime – James Cobb – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693 -8000
Driftwood Dave’s – John W Lee – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
Island Blues – Slammin – 776 6800
Morgan’s Mango – Lauren – 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 – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

See Weekly Schedule

St. John Weather

Today:Isolated showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. East southeast wind between 9 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Water Temperature: 83 degrees, Sunset: 6:34 pm

St. John’s Beach to Beach Power Swim will be part of the recently established West Indies Bluewater Swim Series.

The races will begin with The StarMile2.5 Nevis-St Kitts Cross-Channel Swim between the  islands of Nevis and St. Kitts.

The second event is the Beach to Beach Power Swim on St. John with three catagories, the one-mile swim between Maho and Cinnamon Bays, the 2.25-mile swim from Maho to Trunk and the 3.5-mile swim between Maho and Hawksnest Bays.

The third event will be the Race For The Conch Eco-SeaSwim, which will include a 1- mile and a 2.4-mile swim and be held on on 7 July 2012 in the Turks & Caicos.

Finally, there will be the Maracas Bay Open Water Classic, in Trinidad with three categories, a 750-meter, a  2.65-kilometer and a five kilometer race.

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Thursday, March 1

Banana Deck – Steel Pan by Lemuel Samuels – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693-5055
Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Just Mike – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Inner Vision – 8:00-11:00 – 714-6169
Miss Lucy’s – David Reed – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693-5354
Morgan’s Mango – Mark Wallace – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:00- 693-3304
Skinny Legs – Lauren – 6:00 – 779-4982

See the weekly St. John live music schedule

Rainbow seen from the Trunk Bay Overlook

Trunk Bay 8:00 AM - Nobody on the beach

It was a particularly beautiful morning at Trunk Bay. I arrived early in the morning and swam until about 8:00. No one was on the beach the whole time. I showered and walked back to my car at the parking lot and there were seven taxis there already, but not a soul on the beach and not a fare in sight.

The water was still warm, but the occasional cold currents that came in from around Trunk Cay foretold the end of our Virgin Islands summer.

I noticed a squall heading east through the channel from Tortola and waited at the Trunk Bay Overlook hoping for a rainbow and I was rewarded for my patience. I did the same at the Caneel Bay Overlook, but a rainbow didn’t form there. The sun went behind some large clouds so I called it a day, but am pleased with the photos that I did get.

Rainbow Seen from Trunk Bay Overlook	Squall Seen from Caneel Bay Overlook
Rainbow	pelican and squall

St. John News
St. John’s Roller Moving up in Laser Radial Sailing
By AARON GRAY (Daily News Staff)
Published: October 20, 2011

U.S. Virgin Islands sailor Mimi Roller (Hugo and Josephine Roller’s daughter) is starting to make a run in the Women’s Laser Radial Division, taking a third-place finish in the second of two races Wednesday at the Pan American Games sailing competition in Puerta Vallarta… Read more

Blue Flags Raised Over Four Virgin Islands Beaches
By SEAN McCOY (Daily News Staff)
Published: October 20, 2011

ST. THOMAS – A blue flag denoting green eco-symbolism soon will fly over four Virgin Islands beaches.

The Virgin Islands have been awarded four Blue Flag designations by the Blue Flag International Jury.

The Blue Flag is an internationally recognized voluntary eco-symbol that means a beach or marina meets stringent water-quality, safety, educational and management standards. The symbol has been awarded to more than 3650 beaches in 44 countries worldwide.

The first four Blue Flag beaches in the Virgin Islands are at beaches highly impacted by human use – Lindbergh Bay and Great Bay on St. Thomas; Pelican Cove on St. Croix; and Trunk Bay on St. John.

The beaches were chosen because they are popular but still remain beautiful with work and education… Read more

Frank Bay Sunset

I took a swim at Trunk Bay this afternoon, which, by the way is a delightful experience especially late in the day, when there’s hardly anyone around. There was a wedding happening when I arrived at the beach. Two musicians were performing for the wedding party. I took a long swim and then changed my clothes. (For those of you who like the Trunk Bay afternoon experience, but like me would rather not drive back all sandy, remember that the showers are turned off somewhere around 3:30. With no running water to wash off with, you might want to bring a bottle of fresh water as an alternative.)

I had a nice conversation about Reggae music with taxi driver and music promoter and old friend, Spencer, who I met on the way to the parking lot, after which I headed home.

The sun was going down and it promised to be a beautiful sunset. I kept looking for an appropriate spot to get a clear photo, but it wasn’t until I reached Frank Bay that a real opportunity presented itself.

I braved an attack of sand flies that seem to enjoy the beach in the late afternoon and notwithstanding, caught a few good shots.

Barracuda

teeth

Every once and a while I like to check out the Trunk Bay Underwater Trail. It’s not the most colorful reef close to the St. John shoreline, but it does have the advantage of being right off of beautiful Trunk Bay. Moreover, whenever I put on my mask fins and snorkel and dive into the clear blue waters of St. John, wherever it may be, I’m almost guaranteed to see something very cool and this time was no different.

First, there was that big old barracuda hoovering seemingly suspended from the one big healthy elkhorn coral on the reef. It even opened its mouth and showed me its big old sharp teeth.

Then there was the school of squid, one of which let me in close for some cool photos.

TS Ophelia Update
The somewhat unreliable five-day forecast shows Ophelia turning northwest and passing by well to the north of St. John. Ophelia is presently packing sustained winds of 60 mph with gusts of 70 mph. She is moving west at 16 mph and is predicted to be nearest the Virgin Islands sometime Sunday afternoon. The storm is not predicted to strengthen over the next five days.

Trunk Bay

This is undoubtedly the most photographed scene in all St. John. It’s a magnificent vista and is always beautiful no matter what the conditions. On Monday afternoon, however, the conditions were just about perfect, clear skies and white fluffy clouds.

More Monday Afternoon Photos

Cruz Bay from North Shore Road Overlook

Cruz Bay Sunset, from Taxi Parking Area, Cruz Bay Beach

Two Earthquakes Last Night
Last night we experienced two moderately strong earthquakes. I was awake for the first, a 5.3 at 12.28 am and slept through the second, a 5.1 at 4.28 am.

It was a pretty good shake that only lasted a few seconds. I thought about going outside, but it was over before I made my move. A Facebook friend wrote this: “…The cat climbed onto my chest and then the shaking started and when a pan fell over in the kitchen it scared us both pretty good…”

St. John Music Schedule Wednesday April 13

Castaways – Steven Sloan – 7:00 – 777-3316
Coconut Coast Studios – St. John Flutes – 5:30 -7:00 – 776-6944
High Tide – Chris Carsel – 7:00 – 10:00 – 714-6169
Larry’s Landing – James Jams – 10:00 – 693-8802
Sun Dog Cafe – Open Mic – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693 8340
Westin, Cruz Bay Prime – David Laabs – 6:30 – 10:00 – 693-8802

Note: 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.

See Weekly Music Schedule

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