Beach-to-Beach Swim Come Soon on St. John USVI

2011 Beach-to-Beach Swim (photo credit friendsvinp.org)

Flex those swimming arms and get ready to dive in with the strong, the fun-loving, and the brave!  Friends of the VI National Park are sponsoring their 9th annual Beach-to-Beach Swim on St. John with categories for all levels of swimmers including relay teams and those equipped with snorkel mask and fins.

Each year the competition begins at Big Maho beach and finishes at Hawksnest with a party to celebrate everyone who participates in the event.  The swim will be held over Memorial Day weekend on the morning of Sunday, May 27.  The short course is about 1 mile between Maho and Cinnamon, the intermediate extends to Trunk Bay and  is 2-1/4 miles, and if you'd like to go the distance it is 3-1/2 miles to complete the race at Hawksnest.  Read more about this exciting competition and find out how to register or volunteer at http://www.friendsvinp.org/swim/.

Sailing on St. John

The annual 2012 St. John racing season is upon us!  Kicked off this weekend with St. John Yacht Club’s 39^th Annual Around St. John Race, the regatta name tells it as it is: a race starting from Two Brothers’ rock formations just outside Cruz Bay harbor and circumnavigating the island of St. John clockwise on a southerly route.  The race took the spinnaker and non-spinnaker class boats about 3 ½ hours to complete and boasts the unique experience of seeing the entire beautiful island of St. John from crystal clear, turquoise waters. Thirteen boats registered for Around St. John this year with the spinnaker class award and raffle award going to Wild ‘Ting, a Dufour 40 out of St. Thomas, and the non-spinnaker award going to Botox Barbie a Hunter 54, also from St. Thomas.  The awards event, held at Banana Deck in Cruz Bay, included a raffle for all entrants.  The prize?  A boat haul-out to any boat yard of choice – a $400 value – not too shabby for a day of racing on pristine St. John waters at 12 knots!  

Nothing fake about this girl: Botox Barbie in a quiet moment 

Wild 'Ting crew -- enjoying their busy 2012 race season!

Regattas competing with regattas?  Also this weekend, the neighboring BVIs’ hosted the multi-day Dark and Stormy Race, usually racing from Tortola to Anegada and back (although this year the “and back” was cancelled -- due to lack of wind!).  Many Coral Bay vessels chose the Dark and Stormy this year -- Around St. John is the longer haul of the two for boats moored in Coral Bay Harbor.

The next Virgin Islands race of the season will be the Coral Bay Yacht Club Commodore’s Cup on Derby weekend May 4-5, 2012.  If you are here on St. John and don’t have your own boat to race, simply show up at the Captain’s meeting and sign up to crew -- most boats won’t refuse extra hands on deck and you will have a unique opportunity to be part of the action, not to mention the unique perspective of enjoying St. John at sea! For more information about the CBYC race call Commodore Steve Hendren 340-513-4955.  St. John Yacht Club information is found at http://www.stjohnyachtclub.org/

Meet our St. John USVI Manta Ray at Francis Bay!

This photo was taken only 20 yards out from shore at Francis Bay last weekend.  Christy McMannus of the VI National Park Service was determined to find the juvenile Manta Ray that's been cruising up and down Francis and Maho Bays close to shore now for a couple of months and has been spotted by many delighted beach goers.   Visitors have been flocking to these beaches to get a rare glimpse of this elusive creature.

Once it came into site, Christy snorkeled out to it and got this great shot with her camera and noticed that its wing span was about 10 feet wide (this was a juvenile - the average width is 15 ft and they can be up to 20 ft).  Manta Rays come to our warm waters at this time each year to feed on krill, and who knows, maybe to enjoy our gorgeous bays!

Kids will love Unique St. John Activities

Thar she blows!  The sails of Silver Cloud, that is!  Affectionately known as the pirate ship of Coral Bay, Silver Cloud will set sail once again as the highlighted feature of the 16th "Almost Annual" Guy H. Benjamin Elementary School Benefit Flotilla on Saturday, March 24, 2012,  sponsored by the Coral Bay Yacht Club!  The benefit is an event that kids young and old wait all year long for: a fun day of sailing, reggae beats on the beach, great grub, and fun for the whole family!  Locals, visitors to St. John, everyone is invited!

Choose to either daysail aboard local volunteer sailboats ($40) departing from the brand new Coral Bay Dinghy Dock starting at 9am or arrive via land at the gate ($20) and party with a purpose: all proceeds go to the Guy H. Benjamin School.  And buy a raffle ticket towards a $500 cash prize.  All, for a good cause.  Either way, end up at Vie's Beach and Campground on the East End of St. John at high noon.

Sway to Inner Visions Band, enjoy burgers and hot dogs grilled by Coral Bay Yacht Club's very own Captain Will, or gobble down tasty West Indian cuisine made by Guy H. Benjamin School parents.  Bring your own beverages or enjoy "cash bar" on the beach.  Since all proceeds go to Guy H. Benjamin School, in addition to an unforgettable day for all the kids in attendance, all Coral Bay kids are the recipients of the Guy H. Benjamin School Benefit!  Special thanks to Skinny Legs, official clubhouse of the Coral Bay Yacht Club, for providing hamburgers and hot dogs galore!  Mmmm, I can taste one already!  See you there! General information Mary 340-513-8141

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!