St. John Activities -- DIY!

Youth Flag Football Association Opening Night Festivities, Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S.V.I.

One of the best things about St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands is that it is such a small community -- about 4000 living on-island and 2/3 National Park -- which means if there is an activity you are passionate about and it isn't already organized, you can do it yourself!  For instance, did you know there is a Bocce Ball League on Monday and Tuesday nights at 6pm in front of the Beach Bar in Cruz Bay?  Did you know Ultimate Frisbee is played every Tuesday night at 5pm in Coral Bay on the Guy Benjamin School ball field?  And did you know there are very serious adult and youth Flag Football Associations that play every Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30pm on the Winston Wells ball field in Cruz Bay?  All, due to locals living on a small island, who had a passion and made it so!  Guests and locals alike can be seen getting together to enjoy all of these activities on St. John.  So, whether you are on St. John for a week, a month, or three, come by and watch the action!  Who knows -- maybe you will go home with a new passion, thanks to the spirit of St. John!

Ultimate Frisbee in Coral Bay, St. John, U.S.V.I.

Adult Flag Football Association, Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S.V.I.

For more information:

http://www.accidentalphotography.com/blog/2011/03/ultimate-frisbee-with-the-catch-and-keep-team/

http://www.facebook.com/stjohnfootballusvi?sk=info

Bocce Ball League Information Kevin 340-227-0520

St. John Art Created By Local Filmmakers

Last night was the Academy Awards in Los Angeles and here on St. John, film afficionados and movie buffs were found holed-up in front of big and small screens to watch the proceedings.  From St. John vacation villas to public venues like Fatty Crab in Cruz Bay, the movies were front and center, popcorn was popped, and in some locations, champagne flowed for the festivities.

It stands to reason.  St. John has a healthy filmmaking community as evidenced by the recent Virgin Islands Productions (VIP) Mini-Film Festival of shorts screened at St. John School for the Arts on February 18. The film festival was the kick-off event for the 10th annual St. John Arts Festival.  Curated by Janet Cook-Rutnik and Sigi Torinus, the VIP Mini-Film Festival featured local filmmakers Andrea Leland, LaVaughn Belle, William Stelzer, Tommy Ferrell, and the curators.  Ranging from art-house imagery to a commercial music video, to documentaries on diverse topics such as the invasive lionfish, and traditional vs. modern medicine, the festival even included a rare, home-movie archive of Peter and Dorothy Muilenburg's maiden Breath launch in Coral Bay, circa 1983.

In addition to festive Oscar parties and an annual film festival featuring local talent, St. John is also home to St. John Film Society, a free, monthly, independent-film festival whose mission is to inspire a positive appreciation for Caribbean and U.S. Virgin Islands' history, culture, and environment, often featuring off-island filmmaker question and answer forums and post-film discussions.  The next documentary screening will be "Proceed and Behold" on March 6th, 7:30pm, at St. John School for the Arts in Cruz Bay.  Director Laura Zinger and internationally-recognized letter presser Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., the subject of the film, will be in attendance for an On Screen/In Person forum made possible by the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts' Regional Touring Program.  For more information on St. John Film Society visit http://www.stjohnfilm.com

St. John Arts Festival Feb. 18-23

In the midst of high season here on St. John, USVI, it's time to celebrate the arts with a week of special performances in a variety of arts....dancing, music, fine arts, and a mini film festival.

The festivities begin on Saturday, Feb 18 with steel pan music from Love City Pan Dragons and that evening short videos will be shown in the small scale film festival.  Sunday brings dancing and singing in the Cruz Bay park with St. John church choirs and dancing by "Mongo Niles Cultural Dancers".  Throughout the week different performers will take the stage including Koko and the Sunshine Band, Inner Visions, and student performances featuring children from a range of ages.

Be sure to visit the arts and craft tables set up at the VI Dept of Tourism area near the St. John post office.  Each day artists will be displaying their handcrafted pieces for sale which make perfect keepsakes to remember your trip to St. John. Check local postings for times and dates of all the activities during the week...and enjoy!

8 Tuff Miles...soon come to St John USVI

First to cross the finish 2011 (photo www.8tuffmiles.com)

The time is drawing near for all those runners (and walkers) preparing for the 8 Tuff Miles race here on St. John, USVI.  The upcoming race is Saturday, Feb 25 at 7:00am and is celebrating its 16th year.  For those familiar with the island hills, you know how tough it is to just drive along Centerline Road from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay...we sure hand it to all those hearty runners who complete the race and receive their well-deserved t-shirts to show they are among the few and the proud.  To learn more about the race take a look at the website http://www.8tuffmiles.com/.  Come cheer them on as the 1100 runners make their way to the Coral Bay ballfield to cross that finish line on Feb. 25!

St. John Snorkeling Reveals Manta Rays

Most visitors who take a St. John vacation spend a good amount of time in the crystal clear aqua waters either swimming or snorkeling.  For those who have snorkeled in Maho or Francis Bays within the last few months, you may be among the fortunate swimmers to see the graceful sightings of two Manta rays who have made their home of Mary's Point along St. John's north shore.

Take a look at the video to see what one visitor captured while he was snorkeling in shallow waters just off the beach.  These Manta rays have up to a 6-foot width to their wing-like bodies and are a real thrill to spot while enjoying a day's swim.

Roseway Sails into St. John USVI

Schooner Roseway under sail (photo from the ship's website)

Roseway at anchor Caneel Bay, St. John USVI

It's a beautiful day on St. John USVI and looking out to sea you may spot the Schooner Roseway with its amber sails billowing in the wind and be transported to the days when schooners sailed these waters.  The Roseway spent a week off St. John USVI as part of its mission as a nonprofit organization teaching school children about the history and culture of sailing www.worldoceanschool.org.

This beautiful 137ft schooner was host to local students here on St. John USVI where they learned about the adventures the Roseway has experienced since its inception in 1925.  In recent years the schooner has made its winter home St. Croix and sails north to Boston each summer to take day charters out of Boston harbor.  It's been a treat for St. John students to experience a registered U.S. National Historic Landmark and we wish Roseway smooth sailing back to neighboring St. Croix.

Magical Moments in Maho Bay, St John USVI

This had to be the most amazing animal encounter I've had on St. John, and I've had many over the years. My 2 daughters and I discovered a large Hawksbill turtle in the shallows near Lilly Maho beach on the North shore.  I thought for sure we'd have maybe a couple of seconds with him before he would disappear from sight, the way all turtles do. The turtles here have a shy nature usually, and if they do let you swim along with them, it's usually at a distance, and you have to swim hard to keep up with them after they discover that you're watching them.  This guy was different.  He was large, about 2 and half feet across his shell, and the barnacles covering his back and the weathered look on his skin made him appear like he'd traveled these warm waters for decades.  What amazed us was that he didn't leave us in a rush.  He hung out with us!  When I first came closer, he spun around quickly to face me, then seemed to relax as though he trusted me. The three of us stood in the shallow water around him, leaving him an open space to swim away if he wanted to, as if he were a tamed animal.  Maybe he felt safe with my youngest daughter (age 8) since she found him first, then let us all get closer to him since he sensed our love.  He slowly swam into deeper water, but stayed on the surface the whole time with us circled around him, still leaving him room to swim away if he desired.  We made our way with him to about 50 yards off shore, then he began to slowly move deeper, and come back up to the surface where we were waiting. We felt he must have nowhere important to go, probably had just eaten and had a full belly, so he didn't mind taking time out of his daily routine to be with us. We hope he even enjoyed our company, perhaps a nice break from his lonely travels from cay to cove to grass bed searching for food.  My watch told me that he kept company with us for 20 minutes, before he took his last dive into the deep and out of sight while we yelled our thank yous and goodbyes to our old sweet friend.  We were sad to see him go at last, but we felt so lucky, blessed even, to have had this magical, amazing, once in a lifetime experience!  (Hawksbill photo from Wikipedia)