The banana variety seen in the above photo is locally known as the horse or donkey banana. It is a fatter than most varieties and here on St. John it is normally harvested while green. In this state it is a starch and is used as a provision food, boiled and served with native dishes.
The horse banana can also be allowed to ripen fully as seen in this photo and in this state the starches become sugars resulting in an exceptionally sweet banana treat.
St. John News
Haulover Bay has been added to the Virgin Islands National Park.
Thanks to the efforts of Lauren Mercadante and a group of like-minded St. John residents, Haulover Bay has been added to the National Park Service.
Lauren formed the not-for-profit St. John Land Conservancy and recruited donors in order to buy the is 3.5-acre narrow strip of land that runs from Haulover Bay on the north to Round Bay on the south. The Conservancy purchased the property for $800,000 and then transferred title to the Virgin Island National Park.
St. John Weather: High Surf Advisory
...HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM AST THIS EVENING...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN JUAN HAS ISSUED A HIGH SURF ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM AST THIS EVENING.
WAVES AND SURF: NORTHERLY SWELLS BETWEEN 6 TO 8 FEET WITH BREAKING WAVES OF 8 TO 12 FEET.
* TIMING: THROUGH AT LEAST 6 PM AST THIS EVENING.
* IMPACTS: LARGE BREAKING WAVES WILL CAUSE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE SURF ZONE AND STRONG RIP CURRENTS. WAVE ACTION SURGING UPON THE COASTLINE AND HIGHER THAN NORMAL WATER LEVELS MAY POSE A THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY.
St. John Live Music Schedule
Sunday 2/1
Aqua Bistro Lauren Jones 4:30-7:30 340-776-5336
Beach Bar
8:00
The Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano feat.
The Dirty Femmes!
8:00
340-777-4220
Concordia Brunch with Bo 10:00 am – 1:00 pm 340-693-5855
Cruz Bay Landing Jazz 5:00-8:00 340-776-6908
Miss Lucy’s Jazz Brunch 10:00 am-2:00 pm 340-693-5244
Shipwreck Landing Chris Carsel 6:30-9:30 340-693-5640
Virgin Fire
Sunday Night Jam
Hosted by Mark Wallace
7:00-10:00
340-244-9713
Abe’s by the Sea is one of my all time, world class, favorite restaurants. Specialties include fresh lobster and conch in creole sauce and the ambiance can’t be beat!
St. John Live Music Schedule
Wednesday 12/24
Aqua Bistro Mark Wallace 5:30-8:30 340-776-5336
Beach Bar
Barefoot Davis
8:00
340-777-4220
Castaway’s
Karaoke Night
9:00 pm – 2:00 am
340-777-3316
Coconut Coast Studios
St. John Flutes
5:30 – 7:30
340-776-6944
Cruz Bay Landing Matt Mirkut 6:00-9:00 340-776-6908
Shipwreck Landing Chris Carsel 6:30-9:30 340-693-5640
Virgin Fire
Hot Club of Coral Bay
6:00 – 9:00
340 244-9713
“I hate wild tamarind. They’re ugly, untidy and unruly. They spread rampantly and take over the place. They’re prejudiced and intolerant. They grow close together and won’t let any other plants live in their neighborhood.
They’re resilient and tenacious. Their sturdy taproot goes straight down into the earth and holds on tight. They can withstand drought, flood and even come back after a fire. There are no insects, predators or diseases that can cause them any significant harm.
They’re hard to get rid of. If you cut them down, they’ll grow right back. If you try and pull out the small one, you’d better have a lot of time and a lot of patience. If you try and dig out the big ones, you’d better have a good hoe-pick and a strong back.”
Nonetheless, their flower is kind of pretty!
The Ghost vs the Wild Tamarind
St. John and Virgin Islands News
Sahara Dust Impacts Territory By Source Staff — May 28, 2014
Dust from the Sahara Desert has caused an air pollution alert to be issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Alicia Barnes, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
The dust causes the skies around the Virgin Islands to be hazy, reducing visibility and resulting in poor air quality, Barnes said in a statement issued Tuesday night.
The cloud is raised from dust storms in Africa and a rise in the warm air. These sandy dust particles are transported by prevailing winds from the North African desert westward over the Atlantic Ocean across the Caribbean.
Carlos Anselmi, a meteorology intern at the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico, confirmed that there are traces of Sahara dust over the territory and that the satellite indicates it will show a stronger presence over the next week.
While the haze may not be an immediate threat, people with allergies or respiratory ailments should remain indoors when possible and consult their physicians or health care professional for further guidance, Barnes warned.
Sahara dust storms pass through the region several times a year, but mainly in the spring and summer months. While the dust can be a nuisance and even a health threat, it is also known to hamper the development of tropical storms…. read more
St. John Live Music Schedule
Barefoot Cowboy Lounge Ike
6:30 -9:30
340-201-1236
Castaway’s
Karaoke Night
9:00 pm – 2:00 am
340-777-3316
Coconut Coast
St. John Flutes
5:30 -7:00
340-776-6944
Cruz Bay Landing
T-Bird
5:00 – 8:00
340-776-6908
High Tide
Lemuel Callwood Steel Pan
4:00 – 6:00
340-714-6169
Ocean Grill
David Laabs
6:30 – 9:30
340-693-3304
Pickles
Michael Beason Open Mic
6:00 – 9:00
340-776-6908
Iguana burrowing in rocky soil – Chocolate Hole, St. John, Virgin Islands
On April 15, I wrote a blog in which I presented a photo of an iguana burrow, which I found in the sand by the boat ramps in Great Cruz Bay. At the time, I didn’t actually see the iguana making the hole.
Yesterday, however, I did catch an iguana in the act of burrowing and captured some of the project on video. This time it was in back of my house in Chocolate Hole, a more difficult endeavor for the iguana due to the rocky nature of the land. At one point it actually looked like the iguana was thinking about moving the big rock that was in its way.
What is now the modern Cyril E. King Airport was originally a simple runway and airplane hanger built for the use of the US Air Force. In 1950, this facility was upgraded and became the Harry S. Truman Airport. When jet aircraft began flights to the Virgin Islands, the short runway (4,658 feet) could barely accommodate them. Jets could land at the airport, although with some difficulty, but the runway was not long enough to allow them to take off with a full fuel tank. For this reason, jets would have to take off from St. Thomas with only small amounts of fuel and then make a stop at St. Croix to refuel.
In 1976, American Airlines Flight 625, ran off the runway killing 37 of the 88 passengers and crew on board. Although it was pilot error and not the short runway that was ultimately found to be the cause of the crash, American Airlines suspended jet service to St. Thomas after the incident.
Subsequently, the runway was lengthened by cutting away the mountain on one end and filling in the bay on the other. The terminal was renovated and on October 3, 1984, the present airport was dedicated and renamed the Cyril E. King Airport, after a former governor of the Virgin Islands.
The 7,000-foot runway, the same length as the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, can now accommodate wide-body jets.
Virgin Fire
Aussie Guitars
The David T Carter Duo
6:00 – 9:00
340-779-4982
See Weekly Schedule
St. John Weather
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 78. East northeast wind around 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN DEVELOP AFTER MID-MORNING AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING ACROSS THE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT WATERS.
DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN TODAY FORMING A CLOSED LOW NORTH OF OUR AREA BEGINNING TONIGHT. AS IT DOES SO…THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME MORE HUMID AND UNSTABLE WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING MORE NUMEROUS AND INTENSE ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY. MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL…GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. THIS WET AND ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND.
Seaborne was not the first commercial seaplane service to operate in the Virgin Islands. That distinction belongs to Antilles Air Boats, started by flying ace, renowned test pilot and author Charlie Blair in 1964.
Charlie Blair distinguished himself, among countless other achievements, by flying his scarlet-red P-51 Mustang, named Excalibur III, non-stop from New York to London in 1951. In May of that same year Charlie Blair made the first solo flight over the North Pole delivering personally through the cockpit window a letter addressed to Santa Claus from his son, Chris. Excalibur III is now on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
In 1968, Charlie Blair married the famous movie actress Maureen O’Hara and the couple lived on St. Croix.
By 1977, Antilles Air Boats, with a fleet of 23 amphibious aircraft including 19 Grumman Goose seaplanes, was making more than 100 flights a day, carrying some 250,000 passengers a year. Virgin Islanders often referred to Antilles Airboats as “The Streetcar Line of the Virgin Islands.”
Charlie Blair died in 1978 when the Grumman Goose he was piloting developed engine trouble and crashed between St. Croix and St. Thomas. (Excerpted from St. Thomas USVI)
Between 1967 and 1995 there was seaplane service between Cruz Bay and San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Croix and Tortola. What is now used as the Virgin Islands National Park boat launch once housed the ramp, rustic offices and ground facilities for Antilles Airboats, a seaplane company that lost its planes to Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Afterwards, other companies took over, until they too lost their aircraft to a hurricane. This time it was Hurricane Marilyn in 1995. After that, the National Park announced that it would no longer lease the seaplane ramp and that wonderful scheduled seaplane service that at one time enabled visitors to change planes in San Juan and fly directly to Cruz Bay is no more. (Excerpted from St. John Off the Beaten Track)
St. John News
Murder in Coral Bay: A Tale of St. John by Wilson Roberts
Murder disrupts the calm of Coral Bay on St. John in the United States Virgin Islands. One of the world’s most unique communities, it is a place where many people are known by nicknames, their birth names often buried in life histories some-such as the woman known only as X-would rather forget. Robert Palmer, once a husband, father and physician from the hills of Western Massachusetts, staggered by the sudden breakup of his marriage, finds work as a bartender at Dante’s Landing, a restaurant and bar at the edge of the water. The Landing is a haven for many of Coral Bay’s inhabitants and Robert is quickly accepted as one of them. On his first day at the Landing he is befriended by Bethany Wren, whose rosy image veils a troubled and troubling past. The murder of a loud and abusive tourist outside Dante’s Landing is the first of three violent deaths. A corrupt police sergeant investigating the murders is as much a threat as the unknown murderer to the peace of Coral Bay, a laughing, singing, dancing, drinking, hard-working, sailing, swimming, fishing, eating and loving corner of St. John. Murder in Coral Bay is the story of how Robert, native St. Johnian Moonie, and Dante, owner of the Landing, find the murderer despite the ineptness and corruption of members of the Virgin Islands Police Department. Rich in descriptions of character and place, readers who know Coral Bay will find that Murder in Coral Bay will remind them of why they love this rare and lovely community. Readers who have yet to visit will find themselves drawn to discover it on their own. Wilson Roberts has published six previous novels with Wilder Publications. The Cold Dark Heart of the World; Incident on Tuckerman Court; The Serpent and the Hummingbird; Borrowed Trouble; Poet’s Seat, and All That Endures.
St. John Weather
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, then periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. High near 78. East wind 10 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN DEVELOP AFTER MID-MORNING AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING ACROSS THE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT WATERS.
DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN TODAY FORMING A CLOSED LOW NORTH OF OUR AREA BEGINNING TONIGHT. AS IT DOES SO…THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME MORE HUMID AND UNSTABLE WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING MORE NUMEROUS AND INTENSE ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY. MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL…GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. THIS WET AND ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND.
Late Afternoon Snorkel on the Salomon/Honeymoon Reef
Red Hind
Elkhorn Coral
Garfish
There is a large section of Reef between around the point between Salomon and Honeymoon Beaches, which provides good snorkeling and easy access from the beach. Although it’s always a pleasure to snorkel this reef, I’ve found that the time to see the most activity is in the late afternoon. On yesterday’s snorkel, every nook and cranny of the reef was really buzzing with activity.
Hawksnest Bay takes the prize for the best Elkhorn Coral, but the Salomon Honeymoon Reef might be a close second.
St. John News
May 15 Meeting Will Gather Input on St. John Schools By Source Staff — May 7, 2014
A meeting will be held May 15 at the Julius E. Sprauve School cafeteria to gather public recommendations for a new school under consideration for St. John, according to a news release from Government House.
The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be sponsored the Office of the Governor and the Departments of Education and Public Works. Preliminary educational program requirements and key milestones in the process to date will be outlined….
St. John Live Music Schedule
Barefoot Cowboy Lounge Ike
6:30 -9:30
340-201-1236
Castaway’s
Karaoke Night
9:00
340-777-3316
Coconut Coast
St. John Flutes
5:30 -7:00
340-776-6944
Cruz Bay Landing
T-Bird
5:00 – 8:00
340-776-6908
High Tide
Lemuel Callwood Steel Pan
4:00 – 6:00
340-714-6169
Ocean Grill
David Laabs
6:30 – 9:30
340-693-3304
Pickles
Michael Beason Open Mic
6:00 – 9:00
340-776-6908
Virgin Fire
Gypsy Jazz
Hot Club of Coral Bay
6:00 -9:00
340-779-4982
St. John Weather
Isolated showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. East wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS
THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY:
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WEST OF THE AREA WILL DEEPEN TODAY AND THURSDAY FORMING A CLOSED LOW NORTH OF PR BY FRIDAY AND THEN MEANDER NORTH OF SAINT THOMAS THROUGH SATURDAY. AS IT DOES SO… SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS AND INTENSE ESPECIALLY ON THURSDAY. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING INTENSE RAINFALL…HAIL…GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND MOVE AWAY FROM THE REGION SUNDAY WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS GRADUALLY IMPROVING THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
A History of Religious Tolerance in the former Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands)
Christianity arrived on St. Thomas with the first European settlers in 1666. The Lutheran Pastor, Kjeld Jensen Slagelse, who had run afoul of church authorities in Denmark, ministered to a congregation of some 100 parishioners, only half of whom were Danish Lutherans. The pastor also served as governor of the settlement when the original governor died.
This first expedition ended in failure due to high mortality from disease, hunger and raids by buccaneers and Pastor Slagelse sailed back to Denmark along with the few survivors of that ill-fated mission.
Pastor, Slagelse joined the next expedition to St. Thomas in 1671, but died aboard ship before reaching the island. He was succeeded by another minister, who died shortly after taking over the position. The third minister had to be sent back to Denmark for drunkenness. (The matter was turned over to the Danish courts where the minister argued that his drunken states were the result of the poor quality of rum: a white, unrefined, high alcohol content concoction known a “kill devil,” produced on the island.)
Life expectancy of Lutheran ministers, as well as for many of the other colonists, was quite short. During the first 100 years that the Lutheran Church conducted services on St. Thomas, there were 31 different ministers.
Lutheran services were originally held in the courtyard of the fort and all colonists were required to attend services regardless of religious affiliation.
When settlers sent back accounts of hardship and disease, the Danes, who were generally comfortable at home, became extremely reluctant to settle the new territories. Even prisoners promised freedom after six years of labor on St. Thomas responded to the offer with riots and mutinies. In order to recruit settlers, the Danish government and its representative in the colonies, the Danish West India Company, resorted to inviting foreigners to settle the islands. One of the incentives employed to entice foreigners to settle on St. Thomas was the prospect of religious tolerance.
The majority of these foreign settlers on St. Thomas were Dutch. So influential were these foreigners that a Dutch Creole, called Creolsk soon became the common language of St. Thomas and St. John.
Cooperation and religious tolerance began with the Dutch being allowed to use the Lutheran Church inside the fort to conduct services until they were able to build a church of their own.
By 1675, the Dutch and French Reformed Churches had built churches just to the east of the fort.
Jews and Catholics were granted freedom of religion in 1685. In the early 1700s, an Anglican Church was set up to serve English settlers and in 1736, the Moravians established a slave mission on the island.
St. John Events
St. John Film Society presents: ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT
At the St John School of the Arts in Cruz Bay – 7:30 pm
Screen shot 2014-02-02 at 8.43.39 AMTen years in the making, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT follows the poignant journey of circus producer David Balding as he tries to find a nurturing and permanent home for Flora, the 18-year-old African elephant that he rescued as an infant, raised as his “daughter” and made the star of his circus. David’s love for Flora is put to the ultimate test when he realizes he made a terrible mistake keeping her as a solo elephant, and decides to retire her from the circus after 17 years of performing.
Knowing Flora will outlive him, and with his health and finances becoming an issue, David sets off on a quest to find a home for Flora can live freely with other elephants. This complicated task begins with Flora’s final circus performance in St. Louis and takes us on an emotional trek across America, then to Africa and back.
We follow David’s journey as he discovers just how difficult it is to find a proper home for an elephant in a world that reveres these animals for their majesty yet slaughters them for their ivory, adores them as cuddly Dumbos yet brands them “rampaging creatures”.
ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT raises critical issues about the well-being and future of the hundreds of thousands of endangered and exotic animals kept in captivity, the over development and destruction of their natural habitats, our intense and often damaging relationship with wild animals, and how all these issues have impacted the life of one very lucky elephant.
Come early to help set up the chairs! Thanks in advance!
Description of the Charlotte Amalie Harbor in 1701, written by the Dominican missionary Père Labat, also known as “the pirate priest.”
“Denmark, being almost neutral in the wars of Europe, the port of St. Thomas is open to all nations. During peace it serves as an entrepôt for the commerce, which the French, English, Spaniards and Dutch do not dare to pursue openly on their own islands; and in time of war it is the refuge of merchant ships when pursued by privateers. On the other hand, the privateers send their prizes here to be sold when they are not disposed to send them to a greater distance. Many small vessels also proceed from St. Thomas to the coast of South America, whence they bring back much riches in specie, or in bars and valuable merchandise, In a word, St. Thomas is a market of consequence.”
St. John and Virgin Islands News
Island Profile: Gary Emmons Keeps ReSource Depot on Track By Lynda Lohr — May 4, 2014
With a job as manager and “chief cook and bottle washer” at Island Green Living Association’s ReSource Depot, St. John resident Gary “Buddha” Emmons found his niche.
The ReSource Depot is a place to drop off unwanted construction materials and household goods that include everything from toilets to brass bric-a-brac. For example, ReSource Depot has two containers filled with just windows.
“We get a little of any and everything,” Emmons said.
It’s also the spot where frugal folks go to buy what they need or want. The purpose is to keep items out of the V.I. Waste Management Authority’s Susannaberg Transfer Station.
He wants to get the word out to those who may not be in the know about this island treasure, which is located across Gifft Hill Road from the V.I. Waste Management Authority Transfer Station. Emmons said he’s bothered when he sees perfectly good items left at the island’s Dumpsters when they could find a new home with someone who’s looking to save a few dollars…
‘The place that is on the way to every other place,’ is the mariners terse way of describing St. Thomas. When he lays his course for any part of the Caribbean Sea, the tip of his horny finger points to St. Thomas. To call the little island the gateway to the Caribbean is not mere poetic fancy. The shortened and best course from England to any Central American port, for steam or sail, is by St. Thomas. The route from Spain to Cuba or Mexico is by St. Thomas. For the lines from the United States to Brazil, the most convenient port of call is St. Thomas. To go from the Greater to the Lesser Antilles one goes by the way of St. Thomas…
– William Drysdale, Harpers Weekly,
January 20, 1900, “The Gateway to the Caribbean”
All about St John in the beautiful US Virgin Islands (USVI) American Paradise
The banana variety seen in the above photo is locally known as the horse or donkey banana. It is a fatter than most varieties and here on St. John it is normally harvested while green. In this state it is a starch and is used as a provision food, boiled and served with native dishes.
St. John Film Society presents: ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT
