T’rushie

Pearly-Eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus), aka Thrushie Bird

Pearly-eyed thrashers have been described as aggressive and opportunistic. The one in the above photo was waiting for a waitress to step away from a plate of food so that it could descend and steal a bite or two before someone chased it away.

The t'rushie gets my mango

I’ll most likely be fighting my own battle with the Thrushie, which will be coming up when my mangoes are just about ready to eat. My mango tree is in flower and baby mangoes are beginning to form. It looks like a good mango year for both me and the t’rushie dem.

The not so melodic call of the thrushie – Turn Volume Up (mp4)

The not so melodic call of the thrushie – Turn Volume Up (mov)

St. John Live Music Schedule Tuesday March 20

Castaways – Karaoke Night – 9:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Michael Beason – 8:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Erin Hart – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Island Blues – Karaoke & Open Mic – 8:00 – 11:00 – 776-6800
Morgan’s Mango – Greg Kinslow – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Rascio on Steel Pan – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-3304
Shipwreck Landing – Chris Carsel  – 6:30 – 9:30
Spyglass – T-Bird – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

See Weekly Schedule

Dead Chest Island, British Virgin islands

“Fifteen Men on the Dead Man’s Chest”

Dead Chest Island lies a little less than a half mile north east of Deadman’s Bay on Peter Island in the British Virgin islands (BVI). It’s a small scrubby cay with no fresh water and no big trees for shade. Legend has it that the notorious pirate Blackbeard punished a number of his crew by marooning them on the island for 30 days leaving each man with only a cutlass and a bottle of rum. By the time Blackbeard returned to the cay, most of the pirates had perished.

When Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island, which was modeled after nearby Norman Island, he included the well known ditty:

“Fifteen Men on the dead man’s Chest,
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.”

Dead Man’s Chest, being one of the names given to what today is called Dead Chest Island.

In 1994, the record of the surviving pirates of dead Chest island was broken by journalist, Quentin van Marle who marooned himself for 31 days on the inhospitable island. Van Marle wrote the book, Marooned, 31 Days on Dead Man’s Chest about the ordeal.

Van Marle explains: “In 1994, in conjunction with the Sunday Times, and in some sort of honour to Robert Louis Stevenson and Treasure Island, I deliberately marooned myself on the uninhabited island of Dead Man’s Chest (part of the British Virgin Islands). Surviving for a month on a barren rock of 300 square metres by 100 metres high was a tough call. The book is a weekly diary of what became quite an ordeal. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again.”

St. John Live Music Schedule Monday March 19

High Tide – Mikey P – 8:00 – 11:00 – 714-6169
La Tapa – Samba Combo – 6:30 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Maho Bay Camp – Open Mic with Lauren -6:30
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304

See Weekly Schedule

St. John Photo of the Day

Carib Tide leaves Cruz Bay, St. John Bound for Red Hook, St. Thomas

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

St. John Live Music Schedule Saturday March 17

 Beach Bar – St. Patrick Day Party – Groove Thang – 4:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Spyglass – James Cobb – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100
Driftwood Dave’s – Guitarist James Milne – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
Morgan’s Mango – Luba – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Rascio on Steel Pan – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-3304
Rhumblines – Lauren – 7:00 – 10:00
Shipwreck Landing – Mike Miknut – 6:00 – 9:30
Skinny Legs – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 6:30 – 9:30 – 779-4982

See Weekly Schedule

Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

Diving For Lobsters

St. John Live Music Schedule Friday March 16

Aqua Bistro – Steve Sloan – 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – The ISH – 9:00 – 777-4220
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
Inn at Tamarind Court – Groove Thang  – 6:30 – 776 6378
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 Cobb – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

See Weekly Schedule

Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

View of Tortola From Little Harbour Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands - Photo by Ezius Ashly

Westin Hotel on St. John Makes Number 11 on RedWeek.com’s List of Top 25 Timeshare Rental Resorts.
For the fifth year running, leading timeshare marketplace RedWeek.com releases its list of Top 25 timeshare rental resorts. The Top 25 ranking is calculated using statistics from the site’s more than 1.5 million registered users. Read more…

Summer Opportunity for Virgin Islands Students
By Lynda Lohr — March 12, 2012
With a goal of developing the next generation of the territory’s leaders, the V.I. Scholars program will holds its second annual Summer Leadership Institute at Gifft Hill School on St. John. Read more…

St. John Live Music Schedule Wednesday March 14

Aqua Bistro – Rascio on Steel Pan – 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336
Castaways – Kenny Floyd – 8:00 – 777-3316
Coconut Coast Studios – St. John Flutes – 776-6944
Cruz Bay Prime – Samba Combo – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693 -8000
Driftwood Dave’s – Paradise People – 7:00 – 10:00 -777-4015
High Tide – Chris Carsel – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Shipwreck Landing – Groove Thang  -7:00 – 10:00
Sun Dog Cafe – Wednesday Night Jam – 7:30-10:00 -244-9713

See Weekly Schedule

Surfers at Apple Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Winds out of the ENE have brought some waves to the Virgin islands for the last week. In this photo, surfers at Tortola’s Apple Bay enjoy the relatively small swells in the late afternoon.

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Tuesday, March 13

Castaways – Karaoke Night – 9:00 – 777-3316
Beach Bar – Van Gordon Martin Band – 9:00 – 777-4220
Driftwood Dave’s – Michael Beason – 8:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Erin Hart – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Island Blues – Karaoke & Open Mic – 8:00 – 11:00 – 776-6800
Morgan’s Mango – Greg Kinslow – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Rascio on Steel Pan – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-3304
Shipwreck Landing – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:30
Spyglass – T-Bird – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

See the weekly St. John live music schedule

St. John Springtime: Vanda Orchid

We’re slowly seeing the signs of spring here on St. John. Albeit not as dramatic as springtime in America, we do, contrary to what many believe, have definite seasons. Today, for example marks the day that America goes back on Daylight Time, making Eastern Standard Time (EST) equal to our Atlantic Standard Time (AST). The seawater has become warm enough not to be so shocking (for  baby like me anyway, but not warm enough for a baby like my friend Mario). More scientifically demonstrating the coming of a new season is the appearance of flowers on my mango tree and the aloes in bloom a buzz with bees and hummingbirds in the morning.

Mango Flowers	Aloe Flowers
Key Lime Flower	Christmas Palm Fruits

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Sunday, March 11

Aqua Bistro – Lauren – 3:30 – 6:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – The Blood Gypsies – 5:00 – 777-4220
Concordia – Bo – Sunday Brunch – 10:00 am
Driftwood Dave’s – Live Music – 1:00 – 4:00 – 777-4015
Miss Lucy’s – Samba Combo – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – 693-5354
Ocean Grill – David Laab – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304
Rhumblines – T-Bird – 7:00 – 10:00
Shipwreck Landing – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 7:00 – 10:00
Skinny Legs – Groove Thang – 6:00 -779-4982
Sun Dog Cafe – David Laab – 11:00 am- 2:00 pm – 244-9713
Westin Beach Bar – Rich Greengold  – 6:30 – 9:30 – 244-9713

See the weekly St. John live music schedule

St. John Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

Fishing From the Dock with Hand Lines

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Friday, March 9

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
Miss Lucy’s – David Reed – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693-5354
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 Cobb – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

See the weekly St. John live music schedule

Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

Dock at Abe's by the Sea, Jost Van Dyke British Virgin Islands. That's Great Thatch and St. John seen across the channel.

The above photo was taken from one of my favorite restaurant in the world (and I’ve been to my share over the years), Abes By the Sea. It’s rather remote, located at Little Harbour on Jost Van Dyke in our neighboring British Virgin Islands. It was even more remote years ago. Now you can take a ferry to Jost Van Dyke and a taxi to Abe’s, but when he first opened, there was no ferry and no roads. You had to get there by boat.

Abe is a native Jost Van Dyke fisherman who decided to open a restaurant to serve the growing number of yachtsmen visiting the island. If you like big portions of fresh lobster, conch, or fish, deliciously prepared this is the place.

Abe's at Night

Chin & Boopy Enjoy Lobster & Conch

View from Window

St. John Weather

High Surf Advisory!

High Temperature: 85 degrees

Water Temperature: 80 degrees

Winds: From the east at 10 – 15 mph with gust of 25 mph or more

Sunset: 6:27

Moon Rise: Full Moon rises at 6:55

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Thursday, March 8

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
Island Blues -Ike – 7:00 – 10:00 – 776-6800
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
Shipwreck Landing – Slammin – 7:00 – 10:00
Skinny Legs – Lauren  – 6:00 – 9:00 – 779-4982
The Tap Room – Van Gordon Martin Band – 9:00 – 998-1333

See the weekly St. John live music schedule

Virgin Islands government offers a five percent discount on property tax if paid by March 15

The Lieutenant Governor’s Office, which is where you pay your property tax, was busy yesterday. The government’s offer of a 5% discount to those paying up before March 15, seems to be working. If you’re paying at the office, which is probably a good idea (save your receipts), you can count on a wait unless you’re really lucky. Also, despite what it says on the door, the new hours are 9:00 to 4:00 not 9:00 to 5:00.

St. John Weather

We have a wind advisory, which will be in effect until 3;00 Thursday and a high surf advisory in effect from 8:00 am this morning until 8:00 am tomorrow morning.

High temperature is forecast to be in the low 80s. we should also see some rain squalls passing through from time to time, especially during the morning. Winds are from the NNE at 10 – 15 mph (Surf’s up!) Water temperature is 80 degrees and sunset will be at 6:27 pm. The moon will rise at 6:00 pm and will be 99% full.

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Wednesday, March 7

Aqua Bistro – Rascio on Steel Pan- 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336
Castaways – Kenny Floyd – 8:00 – 777-3316
Coconut Coast Studios – St. John Flutes – 5:30-7:00 – 776-6944
Cruz Bay Prime – Samba Combo – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693 -8000
Driftwood Dave’s – Paradise People – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Chris Carsel – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Miss Lucy’s – David Reed – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693-5354
Sun Dog Cafe – Wednesday Night Jam – 7:30-10:00  – 244-9713

See the weekly St. John live music schedule