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)

St. John is at its Peak of Gorgeous Now

Want a reason to come to St. John in September, smack dab in the middle of hurricane season? Because you can be the only human soul on Francis Bay to watch hundreds of boobies, pelican and terns take flight, and circle overhead, while verdant green Mary's Point and Ajax Peak provide a mountain backdrop of phenomenal Beauty. There are no charter boats in the harbor, nobody else to share space in the shade with, just you, the birds, the sting rays, and the soft pulse of lapping turquoise water. This truly can be heaven on earth!

Can you quess which St John beach this is??

Donkeys over Coral Bay, St John

This is a familiar scene on St. John for those who venture past town and make their way to the "country. If you want to stop and photograph them, just be sure to pull over to the side of the road because there may be a fast bus coming around the corner!