The sun may be shining now, but some pretty bad weather is on the horizon. Tropical Storm Gonzalo is expected to affect St. John and the surrounding islands later this evening and into tomorrow. Winds of 39 miles per hour and greater are expected to affect the island beginning around 10 p.m. tonight and through mid-morning Tuesday as Tropical Storm Gonzalo tracks to the northeast of the island. As of 11 a.m. Monday, maximum sustained winds were at 65 miles per hour.
A flash flood watch is in effect from 5 p.m. this evening through 6 p.m. Tuesday. Four to eight inches of rain are expected with isolated maximum totals of 12 inches are possible. The rain will continue through Tuesday night.
The ports were just set to YANKEE status, which means that the ports in the USVI are open to outbound vessel traffic only, while commercial inbound vessels are restricted from entering the port. Passenger ferry service will continue through 5 p.m. Monday night. Boyson Inc’s final barge run is set for 2:30 p.m. from St. John and 3:30 p.m. from St. Thomas. Island Vic will make its final barge run at 4:30 p.m. from St. John and 5 p.m. from St. Thomas.
Power outages are likely, so stock up on water, ice, food etc. For those of you visiting the island, no power means no water.
For those of you who plan on hunkering down at home, in your villa, condo, etc., go out and grab a St. Johnopoly game now. You’ll thank us later. 🙂 St. Johnopoly is available on island at St. John Beach Bum, The Beach Bar, Woody’s and St. John Brewers’ Brewtique.
Please send us your storm and storm party pics and videos. We’re curious to see what’s happening on all parts of the island. Please send your pics and videos to [email protected]
We’ve written quite a bit about the proposed Coral Bay marina lately. And as you may know, the Coastal Zone Management committee approved permits for it on October 1. Well there’s part of this story that we’ve yet to write about … until now.
What’s been happening in Coral Bay lately and, at the risk of sounding a tad dramatic, across parts of the world, is simply amazing.
As you all know, Coral Bay is a bit sleepier than Cruz Bay, has less residents and less visitors, but you’d never know that based on what it has accomplished over the past few weeks.
The overwhelming majority of people living in Coral Bay oppose the marina. And based on what I have read on this site, Facebook, Twitter and other internet sites, the majority of visitors also oppose the proposed marina. So Coral Bay did what it does best – it united as a community and has vowed to fight this marina from potentially altering what makes Coral Bay special forever. It has gained the support of thousands of residents and visitors who live across the world. It publicized its cause on social media. It even created bumper stickers to publicize the cause. And quite frankly, the response has been overwhelming.
For starters, check out this video:
But that’s not what prompted me to write about this today. Instead it was a GoFundMe campaign that was set up over the weekend to fund what may be a long legal battle. By midday Saturday, the Coral Bay Community Council raised $1,000 which will be used to defeat this marina in the coming regulatory reviews. By 9 p.m. Saturday night, they were just under $5,000. By Sunday night, this small grassroots campaign had raised more than $8,300. That, in my opinion, is absolutely incredible.
Here’s what the Coral Bay Community Council had to say about its campaign:
Coral Bay Harbor is a unique body of water on the undeveloped, eastern part of St John, US Virgin Islands. Its lush sea grass meadows are habitat for endangered sea turtles, its fringing mangroves are a shark nursery, and on its shores are historic structures dating back hundreds of years.
Today Coral Bay Harbor is under attack from outside investors who only see it as a destination for mega yachts and luxury stores. They want to take over the harbor, destroy its natural habitat, and replace all of that natural beauty with a massive, over-built, environmental disaster of a marina. Our campaign’s mission is to protect and rehabilitate the environment of Coral Bay for future generations.
Our immediate need is for funds to pursue legal appeals in order to fight the permits that were given to the developers from local authorities in the Virgin Islands. Lacking proper environmental considerations and with other flaws, these permits now need to be appealed. We will also be fighting our defense campaign at the federal level, since this project will need to be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA, NOAA, and NFWS. All of this takes money, which we don’t yet have. Once we have defeated the immediate threat, our next task is to plan the small sustainable improvements to Coral Bay that will ensure its health for future generations.
Every dollar of your contribution received by us will go to the fight to preserve, protect, and enhance Coral Bay.
Funds for these purposes will be managed by the Coral Bay Community Council, a trusted local nonprofit organization.
None of us know how all of this will pan out. But if you’re like me, you’ll feel good knowing that the people of Coral Bay and the people who love Coral Bay, did everything they could to stop this marina from altering Coral Bay forever. Let’s hope they succeed.
For those of you interested in donating to the Save Coral Bay GoFundMe campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/coralbay
Looking to take a day charter within the next six months? Well Grande Bay just greatly reduced the price for its private boat – ResidenSea. For just $550, up to six people can enjoy a day out touring the waters around the US and British Virgin Islands. All charters include Captain, water, ice, towels and sunscreen. Fuel, customs’ fees and gratuity are not included.
ResidenSea is a 35-foot Scout that has an onboard washroom and cabin. It has Scout Stepped Hull technology for increased performance and “dry” ride.
Several months ago we mentioned how a country music festival is being planned for the weekend of May 14 -16, 2015. Well after months of planning, the organizers have finally released additional details including the lineup. Here you go:
Tickets will go on sale October 18th at 10 a.m. at LoveCityCountryMusicFestival.com. Tickets can be purchased for a single day pass, a two-day pass or a special bundled ticket package. All tickets will be general admission and will be available on a first come, first served basis.
For those of you who haven’t booked accommodations for the event and are looking to do so, our friends over at Cimmaron St. John are offering a fun deal to all guests attending the festival. Book with them and have a six-pack of your favorite St. John Brewers beer waiting for you upon arrival … what a great way to get the party started! Email [email protected] to learn more and make sure to tell them we sent you.
For those of you looking to stay right in the heart of town, rooms at Grande Bay start at $325 a night for the festival weekend.
Have any questions about accommodations? Please feel free to email us at [email protected] and we’d be happy to help you find the perfect spot.
Hey folks, the official menu for Ocean 362 has been released and it looks delish! Tonight is opening night and they’re featuring Guest Chef Digby Stridiron alongside Ocean 362 Chef Shaun Brian. Together they will create thoughtfully sourced, chef-driven island to table cuisine. This all-inclusive dinner will feature a special five-course menu along with libations and wine pairings. The dinner costs $90 a person and begins at 7 p.m. Please call 340-776-0001 to reserve your spot.
First and foremost, happy Friday everyone! How excited are all of you that it’s almost the weekend! I know I am!
Today we’d like to tell you about a different kind of business opportunity on island. Ever so often, we mention charter boats that have listed for sale or perhaps a bar or restaurant. Today’s business is much different. And the best part – it’s rather inexpensive.
Kaleidoscope Video is a turn-key DVD rental store located in the Marketplace in Cruz Bay. You may be thinking – who rents DVDs anymore? Well the truth is when you’re on an island like St. John, which has at times unreliable internet, sometimes your best bet is to rent a DVD. Sure you can rent DVDs by mail if you’re a local, but then you have to wait forever to receive them. So that’s when Kaleidoscope video may come in handy.
This store is super popular with villa rental guests and locals alike. The sale of the business includes the full DVD rental inventory that includes thousands of children and family movies.
Income and expense reports are available to interested parties upon the signing of a non-disclosure agreement, according to the MLS listing. Kaleidoscope Video can be yours for $30,000.
Interested? Contact one of the following real estate companies to learn more:
So last week I was talking to Dave Conro over at Cimmaron St. John. Dave asked me if I’d been to Starfish Market lately, and I said I had, but only quickly to pick up a few things. Here’s the thing about St. John – a super quick trip for “a few things” to any of the markets usually turns out with you spending way more than you can fathom “a few things” would or should cost. Grapes, for example, happen to be one of my favorite snacks. I picked up a bag and was shocked to see that a very small bag of grapes cost me $14. Yes, $14! I ate every last one of those darn grapes … even the mushy ones. I digress – Back to Dave…
So Dave was shopping at Starfish last week when he happened by the seafood section. Look what he found…
That’s right – $36.99 a pound for tuna! Now I’m no fisherman, nor am I a tuna connoisseur but that seems to a tad outrageous to me. What do you all think?
Now here’s another random musing that’s been swirling in my mind this week… Did any of you happen to notice that the two new ferries that have sat idle in Cruz Bay since the first weekend of August actually moved this past weekend. (Come on you avid Spice Cam watchers, you know you saw it 🙂 ) Anyone curious why? Well they were moved due to a small toy boat. Well at least that’s what the Tradewinds had to say.
Ok, I have to admit these toy boats are pretty intense. Our dear friend Captain John Brandi posted about the boat races and included a quick video the other day on his Facebook page. You can see that these little toys are the real deal… (You have to be logged into Facebook to view the video below.)
Unfortunately the ferries were back in the harbor Monday morning and back to blocking the view. But you know what, these ferries give us random stuff to talk about, as does the ridiculously expensive tuna and all of the other random things that happen on this lovely little island. How could you not love St. John??!! Seriously, how could you not. 🙂 Happy Thursday everyone!
So about a month or so back, we told you about Kitchen Creole – seven delicious spices created by Chef Jim McManus and his wife Christy over in Coral Bay. The cool thing about Kitchen Creole’s spices is that they were made for people who aren’t the best cooks in the kitchen – you know the type of people that just need a little extra help … basically people like me.
(Full disclaimer: I am by no means a cook, nor do I pretend to me. I happily admit that Mr. News of St. John does the majority of cooking in our home and a HUGE thank you to him for that. So because of my admitted ineptitude in the kitchen, Chef Jim said I was the perfect candidate to try out some of his recipes. Naturally, I obliged.)
I was pretty excited to try out Kitchen Creole’s Bourdeaux Mtn Pot Roast. Chef Jim said it could be made in either a Crock Pot slow cooker or a Dutch over. I chose the Crock Pot route. Here are a few notes that Jim sent to me to get me prepared:
“This is a great one pot meal,” Jim said. “You can use a bottom round roast or other cuts of meat like Beef Brisket or even Flank Steak. If you make it a day, ahead it will be even better.”
Here are the ingredients:
4 pound beef bottom round roast, beef brisket or flank steak
2 tablespoons Bordeaux Mtn Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped carrot (2)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 cup chopped yellow onions (1)
1 cup chopped fresh fennel (1 small bulb)
3 large cloves garlic minced
2 strips of bacon chopped
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup dry sherry, Marsala or cognac
14.5 can chicken stock
14.5 can stewed tomatoes
1 pound red or potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and black pepper
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
A little red wine for the pot roast and a little red wine for me…
And here are the directions:
1. Season the roast with 1 tablespoon Bordeaux Mtn seasoning and refrigerate overnight.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350F if using a Dutch oven.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and sear the roast on all sides and transfer to a slow cooker or Dutch oven.
4. Add the remaining ingredients plus 1 tablespoon of Bordeaux Mtn, except the potatoes and mushrooms and cook for 5 hours.
5. Add the potatoes and continue cooking for another hour until the internal temperature reads 170 and the beef is fork tender.
6. Remove roast and allow to cool meanwhile add the mushrooms and cook for 15- 20 minutes
7. Season with salt and black pepper
8. Serve with warm French bread
And voila! Delish!
I have to say, it was absolutely incredible! I highly recommend this recipe, especially for those of you in the States looking for some comfort food this Fall.
Ready to try some of Kitchen Creole’s spices and recipes at home? You can taste and/or purchase them at Shipwreck Landing, Full Moon Café, Keep Me Posted and Pickles in Paradise in Coral Bay. You can also find them at Pink Papaya and Sugarbirds Gift Shop in Cruz Bay.
Not visiting the island anytime soon? You can purchase Kitchen Creole’s spices online at www.KitchenCreole.com
Now this is a great opportunity for someone… Our friends over at the Sadie Sea just listed the business for sale, and I have to say, it’s a pretty good deal for the right person.
The Sadie Sea is a 32-foot Lindsey Trawler, which holds a USCG certificate for 32 passengers. You probably recognize the boat as it’s been around St. John for quite awhile. Its bright red coloring also makes it stand out in all of those Cruz Bay overlooks shots when it’s moored in the harbor.
The best part about the Sadie Sea, in my opinion, is that it comes with a contract with the National Park Service. The Sadie Sea is contracted to pick up the hikers from Reef Bay and the L’Esperance trail. It also runs a successful day charter and sunset cruise business. It has a mooring permit for Cruz Bay and is one of only a handful of boats that’s allowed to operated in Hurricane Hole.
Like we said, it’s a pretty sweet business opportunity for the right person. The Sadie Sea is listed for $250,000.
Our friend IrixGuy is always making pretty cool videos when he’s visiting the island. Today we’d like to share a fun one he took recently at Hawksnest Bay. It’s a time lapse video he shot using a GoPro Hero3. It’s pretty cool. Check it out:
