A unique island

Well, the St. John Community received some heavy news over the weekend.  A Love City Legend, an iconic presence, an incredibly talented and knowledgeable mariner and all around charismatic character has set sail for his final destination.  After decades of exploration,  Captain Phil Chalker left this world on Friday afternoon in a facility in Atlanta with his island daughter by his side and voice mail messages from his St. John family playing in the background.

Read moreBeloved St. John Captain Sets Sail on His Final Voyage

Friends of Virgin Islands National Park turtle team has been busy…As have the turtles of St. John.  HA!  This non-profit coordinated, National Park partnered, volunteer driven Sea Turtle Program aims to protect sea turtle nests, facilitate research projects and spread awareness of sea turtle preservation in the Virgin Islands.  And this nesting season, they have had their work, gratefully, cut out for them!

Read moreTurtle Alert! A Busy Nesting Season on St. John

Every once in a while, I check in on YouTube.com for new views of St. John.  There are literally dozens of live web cams positioned around the island from Cruz Bay to the North Shore beaches to mid-island to Coral Bay.  And this particular perspective is one of my personal favorites…

Read moreBeach Break! Maho Bay Web Cam

Well, yesterday was World Coconut Day!  What would we do without these brilliant acts of nature?  No Hawaiian Tropics smells when you open your REEF SAFE sunscreen.  No rich and creamy curry broths.  No natural elixir of electrolytes.  No multi-faceted, cure all oil.  But, most importantly, MANY of our favorite island cocktails would be without that sweet and creamy finish that is attributed to the delicious cream of the coconut.  So, today, to honor the coconuts, I thought we might put a lime in it and “drink ’em bot’ togedder” 🙂

Read moreCaribbean Cocktails at Home: Lime in the Coconut

Good Morning!  I don’t know about you, but when I’m away from home on St. John, I often feel the need to breathe in the air (and the scenery) there.  There are a ton of webcams that I have highlighted in the past.  And those will sometimes do the trick.  However, did you know that there is a way to watch a live stream of the sunset from different viewpoints around St. John every night of the week?

Read moreA Daily Dose of St. John

Good Morning, Good Morning! If you love St. John and you don’t know about Friends of Virgin Island National Park, it’s time to learn! This INCREDIBLE organization is dedicated to working with the National Park in order to preserve and protect both the natural and cultural resources of our precious St. John. They host educational seminars, walks and volunteer programs in order to educate our residents and guests. They lead the charge on sea turtle protection and reef safe sunscreen. They coordinate the clearing of our beautiful trails and the cleaning of our pristine beaches. And, today, they officially have a new Executive Director, who I, personally, am VERY excited to introduce to you!

Read moreFriends of Virgin Islands National Park Names New Executive Director

If you have been following along, you know I love a good highlight reel!  One of my favorite things to write up is a list of must stops on St. John.  But, I’m only one person and can become biased by my own personal regular haunts and favorite places on island.  As objective as I try to be, its easiest to write what you know!  So, in an effort to expand that net, I reached out to “queen of the beach read,” Elin Hilderbrand, and asked her for her own highlight reel as derived from her books, “The Paradise Trilogy.”

Read moreA Guide to Elin Hilderbrand’s Favorite Love City Stops

Last Friday, I tested the waters on a “news” you can use series about making our favorite Caribbean cocktails at home.  Well, you all loved it so much that we are gonna keep that rolling for the next little bit!  Each Friday, I’ll share with you a bit of the story behind our favorite beach worthy libations and how you can re-create your favorites at home.  Last week we covered the “official” drink of the Virgin Islands, The Painkiller, which originated in the British Virgin Islands.  Today, let’s dive into a USVI original cocktail…The Bushwhacker.  So, get your blenders ready and ALL of the sweet liquors primed for pouring in order to make this dreamy dessert drink.

Read moreCaribbean Cocktails at Home – The Bushwhacker