The Virgin Islands are Magical

We could not resist sharing Steve Simonsen's recent Facebook photo and posting. It is priceless:

One of the subjects of last week's water shoot in the BVI. Now here's the back story:

We went to the Baths early in the day before anyone was there. Staying on a private 58' Hatteras made that easy. When we began photographing the captain's mate in a mermaid tail, I had an idea. I told the mermaid that when people would enter the rock labyrinth know as The Baths on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, that our mermaid should swim away quickly so that know one can see her. They are mythical creatures, after all. After more than a half an hour we heard our first voices of people coming into the cathedral. It was a young girl and her mother. The mermaid swam away but not out of sight and Janet and I hid where we could watch. As luck would have it the little girl entered the cathedral first. See stopped dead in her tracks when see saw the mermaid frolicking quietly in the back of the cave. She bounced up and down on her feet and called softly, but excitedly, to her mommy... "Mommy a mermaid!" The little girl was still and didn't move, eyes locked on our mermaid. The mermaid began motioning her to come closer. The little girl inched into the shallow water of the cave closer to our playful, but shy, mermaid. Eventually the mom saw us hiding behind a rock and all three of us watched the little girl in total amazement get ever so closer to her discovery, still floating playfully and motioning the little girl to come closer. All this in complete silence, except for the gurgling sounds of waves entering the cave and the echoes. Eventually the little girl, we learned was from Brazil and she had a fascination for mermaids, got close enough to touch the mermaid to see if she was real. She recoiled after touching the wet, scaly skin and began to swim next to our mermaid. Everything about this encounter was precious, unbelievable and fantastically surprising for us and the little girl and her mother. For more than an hour and a half we were the only ones there to witness this mythical encounter except for the little girl from Brazil and her mommy. Upon exiting the cave the second people of the morning were about to enter when I told them what they had just missed. They looked at me like I was lying. I said "No really, there was a mermaid here just minutes ago" They looked at me like I was nuts. I said "Look I'll show you" I produced my camera from my bag and showed them one image similar to this and said "Really I told you" all they could say, with eyes wide open was "Wow!"

St John's 18th Annual 8 Tuff Mile Race Tomorrow - Walk, Run, or Watch and Celebrate Those Who Do!

If you have ever driven from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay you know that those who venture out this weekend to participate in the '

8 Tuff Mile

' race are a different breed -- special, all!

The course map below is a very accurate account of the 8 Tuff Miles Road Race course. The race begins on the west end of the island of St. John, Virgin Islands and travels in an east direction. This map shows each mile of the course and the elevation at each mile. Note that the course measures 8.38 miles. The starting line is located at the National Park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay at an elevation of about 5 feet. As you can see here in this description the highest point on the course is 999 feet and the finish line is back to near sea level in Coral Bay. Over the years many stateside residents have programmed their treadmills and turned up the heat in their home gyms to mimic the course for their personal training proposes.

Climbing to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building (using the stairs) and reaching the highest point of the 8 Tuff Miles course you are close in elevation. There is about 51 feet difference between the two but I would like to know"...

Who do you think has the better view?

What is especially cool these days is that the race founder, organizer, overall good guy race-guru Peter Alter, has set up the race to

support a number of great causes

and fund college scholarships for St John's wonderful children.  The race also has become another great 'excuse' to gather 'post race' to celebrate, brag, party, and in typical St John fashion support great causes. So, if you are on-island this weekend participate in the race by running, walking, or cheering those that do and post-race head on over to

Oppenheimer Beach for the 2nd annual post-race party

which supports the St John Cancer Fund.

Can't make it to St John this weekend but, if you are as passionate about St John as we are you might want to tune into the 'Live Streaming' of the 8 Tuff Mile Race finish line!

Foxy is turning 75!

The one and only Foxy is having a major birthday!

This Saturday, August 31st, from 1 PM - 6 PM (and probably way beyond!) will be the party that beats all parties! The one and only Foxy is turning 75 and celebrating this weekend by throwing himself - and all who want to attend a - a birthday bash!

If you have ever been to the Virgin Islands (either US or British) most probably you have heard or been to Foxy's Bar on Jost van Dyke.  It is known as THE 'in' spot for boaters to spend New Years Eve (or as it is called in the BVI's 'Old Year's Weekend' - not limited to just one night but a whole weekend of activities).  It is also a great destination if you are out and about on the waters around St John to just stop by and enjoy the music for a while. Livin' is easy @ Foxy's.

As Trip Advisor reports: "This bar is full of character, particularly the character of Foxy himself, who greets visitors with impromtu songs to a calypso beat." 

This hammock has your name on it!

If you are anywhere around Jost van Dyke this weekend stop by to say happy birthday.  Regardless of where you are on Saturday, raise a glass (or two) to wish Foxy a happy birthday and many, many more!

It is that time of year around St John & St Thomas - look out for the whales!

This whale was spotted off St John, near Jost Van Dyke, during last year's migration

Spending the day on the water out and about around St John is a wonderful time any time of year; however, as we enter the whale migration season you might just be able to experience something extra special - a whale sighting! While there is never a 'guarantee' since these creatures move to their own tempo, it is well worth the journey - just in case.  If you happen to be around St John during one of the EAST outings hop join one of their tours. While they depart from St Thomas, it is an easy ferry ride over to St Thomas's Red Hook to grab a cab.  You might also consider going out on one of the many St John sail boats that charter out.  The folks on Kekoa and Wayward Sailor have had great luck with their whale sightings (and, even if you do not get to see a whale you will have a whale of a time! - sorry, could not help myself!).

This photo was taken aboard The Wayward Sailor

For more info see what St Thomas Source reports:

Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John Plans Whale Watchings

BY SOURCE STAFF — JANUARY 25, 2013

 Join the Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John (www.eastvi.org) as it heads out on one of the three scheduled annual whale watches on The Spirit of Christopher. The first one will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, in the Sapphire beach parking lot (directions to parking will be provided at the gate for confirmed passengers). The other two will be held on Feb. 23 and March 2.
Enjoy the day as the Environmental Association searches the high seas for humpback whales, dolphins and sea birds just off the coast of St. Thomas and St. John. A light lunch and drinks will be provided, and later in the day, there will be a brief stopover at one of the many coves in the area for a refreshing swim or snorkel dive.
Available spots move fast so please register today. On line reservations available at www.islandtimestours.net

Caribbean skies light up with meteor showers

An E-Space reader captured this shot of the Geminids meteor shower

St John is spectacular during the day, that is well known. Many call the magnificent vistas of the Caribbean seas and the fabulous hillsides of St John 'candy for the eye' and it is! What is not as well known is that the viewing at night can be just as spectacular!  Far from city lights, the stars seem so much more plentiful, clearer, brighter, and just more fascinating.  This is true at any time of year but, right now, it is true on steroids!

This week marks the peak of the Germinids meteor shower and it is also coupled with the time the moon is newest which makes the stars ever more vibrant.  The Germinids meteor shower is also called Winter's Fireworks and it is the final meteor shower of the year and often the most spectacular. 

Here is a first hand opinion as posted on our son-in-law's Facebook page this morning (needless to say I was not up at 1:30 AM!):

Good news for those of us that are not up in the wee hours of the morning, e-space reports that the Germinids meteor shower 'unlike many other major meteor showers, the Geminids can be viewed early in the evening. This is due to the radiant (the constellation Gemini) being about 30 degrees above the eastern horizon by 9 PM'.  We are also told while the peak days are December 13th and December 14th there should be great viewing for the next week while stragglers fly by...keep your eyes to the sky - to the east - and enjoy!

Information from Spacedex.com

BVI Festival 2012 Schedule

BVI's Festival 2012 Schedule

Now that St John's Festival season has come to a close, it is time to enjoy Tortola's Festival which starts July 15th and runs through August 11th.  

Flamingos reintroduced to the Virgin Islands - the BVI's

Photo Credit: Charlie Smith

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Now the Virgin mogul has announced he is reintroducing three species of tropical birds to the chain of islands.  Since he set up home in the British Virgin Islands in the 1970s, Richard Branson has worked tirelessly to restore his idyllic corner of the Caribbean.

Residents of the British Overseas Territory will soon be able to see the flamingo, the scarlet Ibis and the roseate spoonbill for the first time in over 100 years.

Returning: Two birds Richard Branson has reintroduced to the Virgin Islands. The roseate spoonbill, left, and the scarlet ibis, right

Mr Branson made the announcement yesterday on his blog.

Revealing 70 flamingos have already been born in the BVIs in 2012, the tycoon hailed the programme 'a fantastic success'.

Richard Branson announced a breeding programme is well under way in the Virgin Islands and 70 flamingos have been born there so far this year

The spectacular birds were once commonly found in the islands but modern development and hunting rendered them extinct.

He added: 'We hope in time to have the same success with the Scarlet Ibis as we have had with the Flamingos, so the British Virgin Islands as a whole can enjoy the beauty of these birds.

'(The) Ibis, one of the most beautiful birds in the world, is also doing fantastically - we had our first baby born recently.

'They are completely different colour to their parents, which I suspect is so they are not so noticeable to predators when they are young. They turn the incredible scarlet colour after a couple of years.'

The third species, the roseate rpoonbill, is a wading bird, common in South America and other parts of the Caribbean.

He spent more than £6 million turning it into a luxury resort, charging guests up to £33,00 day to stay there. In August 2011, the Island - which sits just 13 miles off the coast of Tortola - was struck by Tropical Storm Irene. A fire broke out burning the Great House to the ground. Mr Branson bought Necker in 1979, paying just  £150,000 for the 74-acre island.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We, on nearby St John USVI sure hope that they venture over to our island! They will be welcome with open arms and space!

Hurricane Season 2012 is only 1 day old & we are already up to 'Chris'

This is the map of the Atlantic for the first day (June 1) of Hurricane Season 2012 Let us hope it stays this clear!

While we have already bid goodbye to Alberto and Beryl, the first two names on the list of names for the 2012 hurricane season on the first official day of the season, the experts say that is no indication that we are in for a particularly nasty hurricane season.  Phew.  That is not to say we are out of the woods for we have until November 30th to sweat out this season.  Colorado State University's William Gray today just updated his forecast for the 2012 hurricane season.  While he has upgraded his forecast slightly, the good news is that he is still predicting 'a below-average probability of US and Caribbean major hurricane landfall' this season.  However, as we know, it only takes one good blow to ruin your vacation or your day!

Here are the names for this year's tropical storms.  Let us hope we never see most of the folks listed below, at least nowhere close to landfall: 

2012
Alberto Beryl Chris Debby Ernesto Florence Gordon Helene Isaac Joyce Kirk Leslie Michael Nadine Oscar Patty Rafael Sandy Tony Valerie William This is NOT a picture you want to see anywhere close to you or land: