Dolphins play in St. John waters
dolphins play in our waters
mother & baby dolphins in St John waters (photo courtesy of KatiLady)
Palm Tree Charters captured this very
The waters of St John never cease to amaze. Recently, there have been more dolphin and whale sightings than in recent years, some beautifully captured by both the professional photographers of St John and the lucky boater who happened to be in the right location.
St John Photographer Steve Simonsen's magnificent photo taken on the waters just south of St John
photo Courtesy of Tradewinds
March & April St John news flashes & fun St John clips:
Fast & Furious was this year's headline for the 41st St Thomas International Regatta (previously known as the St Thomas Rolex Regatta). Held March 28 - March 31, the weather was blustery and waters rough with sustained 20+ knot winds making the 3 day regatta one of the most exciting in years. Pillsbury Sound was alive with color as 69 boats from all over the world and well represented by the Virgin Islands which held its own in many of the classes (unofficial results).
March 29th marked the 45th anniversary of Project Tektite I, the unusual underwater activities of UVI’s Virgin Islands Environmental Resources Station(VIERS) located in Lameshur Bay on the East End of St John. This project established an ambitious underwater habitat research project for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the spring of 1969 on St. John. The celebration featured a short historic film about Tektite I and a panel of original Tektite aquanauts, who used the underwater habitat to study living conditions similar to what future NASA astronauts would encounter in space.
The US Virgin Islands and St John, in particular, made the Destination Wedding Magazine's '10 Caribbean Islands Perfect for Weddings' list and that comes as no surprise to us since many of our guests have been brides & grooms. Whether you want a beach wedding or small wedding right at the villa, each and every one is special. This past month we congratulate our recent guests, Allison and Trevor, who were married while staying at Great Expectations.
Great Expectations is now partnering with another wonderful charter operator. If you are interested in getting out on the waters around St John you can now sail on the popular Calypso, a 40' sailing catamaran able to accommodate up to 32 people or if power boating is more your style think about Bad Kitty, a 49' wave piercing power catamaran which is able to cover lots of distance in one day. Guests of Great Expectations will be offered a 20% discount; you must confirm, at the time of booking your reservation that you are a registered guest. They also have dinghy rentals for which our guests receive a 15% discount. All boats can be privately chartered, in you wish.
We were delighted to hear about the opening of De' Coal Pot, the new Cruz Bay restaurant featuring local Caribbean food. Serving truly authentic (and we hear, delicious) roti, curried goat, garlic herb conch, as well as Caribbean lobster, this new restaurant is sure to be a hit. Check out their menu and stop by on your next visit to St John. If you like West Indian food another great choice is to give Etta's Place a try. Etta's, open only for lunch, is located on the second floor at the Marketplace and serves up a great takeout meal. While Etta's does not have a website or Facebook page, she serves up some pretty fantastic goat, conch, and mutton. Her menu changes daily so best to call (340) 693-0090 ahead to ensure she has your favorite items.
CNN has placed St John's Trunk Bay in the #1 position on their list of 'Beach Photos that'll make you drool' list. If you have been to St John, you have most likely stopped at the overlook of Trunk Bay to take a picture. It is said that Trunk is one of the 10 most photographed beach in the world (how they know that, we know not!).
Next time you go past Mongoose Junction be sure to stop in at Mongoose's newest, and soon to be most popular shops -- St John Scoops which is serving up to 16 flavors of home-made ice cream. The flavors are fun for kids of all ages since there is an 'adult' variety including champagne sorbet and burgundy wine sorbet. It would not be St John without a rum version so they are also planning to offer 'real rum raisin' and 'painkiller'. For those traditionalists amongst the crowd, do not worry they promise to have some of better known favorites such as cookies & cream, pistachio, and chocolate peanut butter cup.