Mr. News of St. John and I were watching a little TV over the weekend when we came across a show called Private Islands. The show featured Peter Island, so we decided to give it a look.
For those of you unfamiliar with Peter Island, it’s one of the British Virgin Islands located off of St. John’s East End. We’ve been there a few times with our good friend Captain John of Palm Tree Charters. It’s a pretty swanky place.
So there we were watching the show when who happens to show up on the screen … none other than our very own Captain John! Here, take a look…
Oh my goodness, a big thanks today to Leslie McKibben of Kids Night In babysitting for sending us this super cool article … we’re famous! Check it out:
The 25th season of The Amazing Race has only just begun, but the locations where teams have been filming legs have already been revealed thanks to fans spotting them on location and sharing the information they have found on social media.
After leaving from a starting line in Times Square at 3 a.m. on May 31, teams headed to the island of St. Thomas, a territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a destination which was confirmed by bystanders posting photos of teams at the St. Thomas airport.
“Spotted people from The Amazing Race in the St. Thomas airport,” one fan captioned a photo of a few teams as they ran across the tarmac after they departed their flight. The four contestants shown in the picture all carry trademark racer backpacks on their backs, and cameramen can be seen filming from a small platform above their heads.
That wasn’t the only time racers were spotted in St. Thomas, as yet another fan also noticed teams racing through the St. Thomas airport as well.
The biggest confirmation that teams were in the area however comes from a June 1 report in the News of St. John, which confirmed that teams were in fact in the area.
Caribbean Buzz helicopters confirmed to the newspaper that they had helped out with the filming of a CBS reality show, but wouldn’t confirm which one.
“We provided aerial support for filming of a CBS reality TV show,” their official statement reads. “It included (Carval) rock, Hans Lollick, Magen’s Bay and downtown at Fort Christian.”
Fort Christian and Magen’s Bay are both attractions in St. Thomas, but the inclusions of Carval Rock and Hans Lollick imply that teams traveled to several of the U.S. Virgin Islands to complete their tasks.
Though it is unclear if there was an elimination on the first leg, or which team may have been the first one cut from the competition, some teams are already confirmed to have made it to the second leg, which will take place in London, thanks to more social media posts.
At some point while leaving St. Thomas, teams reportedly needed to fly back into the U.S. to get connecting flights to London, as revealed by a fan who posted a photo of a team trying to find a flight to London on their Instagram page. The fan revealed that the team was trying to find an earlier flight to the city, but failed.
A correspondent at NBC News in London also confirmed that teams, including surfer Bethany Hamilton and her husband (meaning if there was a leg 1 elimination, they survived it), were in London, by posting a photo on her Twitter account which showed them all leaving Paddington Station.
“These people just sprinted thru Paddington. Six cameras. @Amazing Race_CBS?” she captioned the photo.
Amazing Race season 25 will air on CBS this fall, in a new Friday night at 8 p.m. timeslot.
About a month ago, we introduced you to Daniel, an incredible painter who’s begun selling his work at the Coral Bay Caribbean Oasis. Today, we want to introduce to you an equally as talented painter, although his style varies greatly from Daniel’s.
Meet Paz.
I have to admit, Paz is quite the character as you can probably deduce from the photo above. He’s interesting, eclectic and certainly authentic. But above all, he is an incredible talent.
Paz is a graffiti artist who has been painting in one form or another all of his life. Prior to living on St. John, Paz worked as a bike messenger in Boston, but grew tired of the monotony of life about 14 years ago. He’s been living in the bush just beyond Coral Bay ever since.
Paz, who could almost always be found painting in a makeshift camp/studio behind Caribbean Oasis, described his art as being “post apocolyptic expressionism,” because according to Paz, “before the apocalypse, anything goes.”
Paz sells his art at the Oasis where he receives 100 percent of the proceeds. (Another great, kind move made by owner Karen Granitz.) In addition to selling his art, Paz also custom paints cars.
Check out a few more pieces of his work:
Paz holds up a sketch of a new cornhole game he designed for Karen at the Oasis.The finished product.
Sometimes I am simply at a loss for words… This is one of those times.
As you all know, our favorite Public Works Commissioner, Mr. Darryl Smalls, promised back on January 29 that our new $8 million ferries would begin transporting passengers within 30 days. That was 127 days ago, but who’s counting. Oh wait, I totally am.
So I have to admit, I was stunned when I read yesterday on the Tradewind‘s Facebook page that our beloved Darryl Smalls was in the States inspecting new buses. New buses?? (Actually I wasn’t stunned. I was simply disgusted.) Here’s what the Tradewinds posted:
Newly constructed heavy duty VITRAN buses were subject to final inspection last week before shipment to the territory. The buses should arrive in the Virgin Islands within the next 30-45 days.
Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls spent several days on the mainland last week conducting final inspections of ten new heavy duty VITRAN buses that are headed to the territory in the next month and a half. The buses, which totaled $4.7 million, were paid for by Federal Highway Administration funds. St. Thomas and St. Croix will each see four new buses added to the VI transit system while two buses will run the route on St. John.
This week, Smalls is at another bus facility conducting similar inspections of twelve medium duty buses that will soon be added to the VI bus routes in both island districts. The smaller buses, which totaled $2 million, were Federal Transit Administration funding.
Here’s an idea – let’s finish one project before moving on the next. New ferries? Centerline Road? Just a thought…
So ok, maybe the territory does need new buses. But how are these new, “heavy duty” buses going to traverse our narrow and windy island roads? And more importantly, how are they going to maneuver alongside the partially closed, partially crumbling section of Centerline Road out near Coral Bay? You know the one the “fedral” one that needed “emergency” repairs like four years ago?? The one where work is barely happening…
I say we all place bets on when these new buses will begin running. My guess is January 2015. Leave your guess on the comments section or over on our Facebook page.
Want to know the history of the botched Centerline Road project? Click here to see its full history on LifeonOurRock.com. Click here if you’d like to know all about the new ferry debacle.
Now here’s a pretty interesting business opportunity for the right person. Check out this story by the St. John Tradewinds:
Eco-tourism Guru Selengut Seeks Buyer For Concordia With Eco-developer Vision
World renowned eco-developer Stanley Selengut is in retirement mode and has asked a long-time/part-time St. John resident to assist him in his search for the right person to carry on his pet project on St. John, the eco-resort Concordia in Estate Concordia on the southeast tip of the island.
The resort is in a pristine area with sixteen contiguous lots overlooking historic Ram’s Head, Salt Pond Bay, Drunk Bay and Nanny Point which Selengut previously deeded to the V.I. National Park.
“Stanley asked me about six months ago if I would help market the property,” said New Jersey Attorney Jack Zakim. “I am marketing it casually.”
“I put together a power point presentation of the property with photos, a few short videos and Stanley’s bio that will enable you to learn about the property and the man in a matter of minutes,” said Attorney Zakim.
Selengut Wants Eco-tourism To Continue
Selengut told St. John Tradewinds earlier this year that he would prefer to work with a buyer who wanted to continue his eco-tourism approach to Concordia and Zakim hopes to accomplish that as well.
Zakim, who said he met Selengut for the first time in an airport about ten years ago, has a long association with St. John, having first built a house on Ajax Peak in the early 1980s and subsequently becoming involved in the owners association of the Gallows Point Resort.
“Concordia is located on the pristine southeast corner of St. John overlooking Salt Pond Bay, Ram Head and the Caribbean with fabulous vistas,” according to Zakim’s promotional literature.
“The eco-resort caters to tourists who enjoy quiet relaxing vacations with close proximity to beautiful beaches, hiking trails and the splendor of the National Park which surrounds this magnificent property which has a mix of 17 cottages constructed with recycled material and 25 eco-tents,” it continues.
“The eco-resort is operated by a dedicated management team who love the property and enjoy their work as evidenced by a virtual 100 percent occupancy rate during the season and a healthy bottom line,” the promotional literature adds.
“This is a rare opportunity to acquire a special property with a profitable, green, sustainable, business in the U.S.A. that can be absentee operated by a great management team with room to grow the business and continue the mission of my good friend who has been an inspiration to many,” said Zakim.
Extensive Property Holdings for Sale
In addition to the resort which sits on an assemblage of approximately twenty acres zoned W-1 (waterfront pleasure use), Selengut owns fifteen vacant parcels, most with spectacular views that will be offered as an assemblage with the eco-resort to the right party, according to Zakim.
A description of the lots is available in the link http://www.digitaldudes.com/concordia-index.html under “Downloads”/”Land Parcels”.
Since two-thirds of St. John is owned by the U.S. National Park Service which surrounds the eco-resort, there is virtually no commercial development in the area where the few isolated parcels of private property that occasionally come to market are sold at a premium, according to Zakim.
Selengut also owns a nearby guest house in Estate Mandahl leased to resort employees for affordable housing and a contiguous five acre parcel within walking distance of the eco-resort, Zakim added.
For information and photos of the island and eco-resort, please click on http://www.digitaldudes.com/concordia-index.html and if you have questions call (201) 488-7211 or email [email protected].
Summer is technically still a few weeks away, however several businesses on island have already rolled out some great summer deals. Come on, you all know you want to visit … let’s see if any of these deals can help make that final push.
Cimmaron St. John has a ton of specials running including a great Father’s Day special. Receive 15 percent off of $150 off for “each kid in tow” (up to four) on a seven-night stay at any of the following villas: Panacea, Creolla, Rendezview, Salt Pond Vista, Satinwood, Sea Dream, Sunset Ridge (units A and E), Sweet Surrender and Villa Jumbie.
Catered To is also offering some pretty good discounts. Guests can enjoy 20 percent off of low season rates on a ton of homes between now and July 7th. A few of the available homes include: Hummingbird Hill, Esprit, Caneel Trailside Cottage, Hawksnest Villa, Spellbound and Beach Garden.
VIVA! Villas is offering 15 percent off of stays at the following homes for select weeks in June: Coral Oasis, Island Manor, Luminaria, Sea Stone, Waterfall and Unicorn.
Seaview Homes is offering a 10 percent discount on 10 villas throughout the island during the month of June – Beija Flor, Cinnamon Tarn, Eden’s Whim, Estate Rose, Grand View, Maria Breeze, Paradisiello, Promises Kept, Sea Blossom, San Costanzo, South Shore Villa and Southern Exposure.
For those of you who are able to get away on a drop of a dime, Island Getaways has last minute specials for the month of June. Email Kathy at [email protected] for more info.
Perhaps you enjoy the amenities of the Westin, Westin St. John Rentals also has some great summer specials going on including a studio suite for just $1,550 for one week.
Great Expectations villa offers great deals year round including free stays for active duty military when staying with family or friends. Grandparents and a bride and groom also stay free year round when accompanied by family and friends.
Sunshine’s Jeep Rentals also has some good deals for summer. From July 19th through November 1st, you can rent a two-door Jeep for only $60 a day while a four-door Jeep will run you $70 a day for that same time period. Sunshine’s also gives a 10 percent discount year round to locals and military members.
So now that we’ve covered the villa and Jeep rental, how about airfare? Click here and here to read our tips on finding the best airfare to St. Thomas.
We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to the ladies over at Ceremonies of St. John for being named to the Wedding Industry Experts 2014 Honor Roll. Congrats Stacy and Pallie!!
Here are the official details from the ladies themselves…
“The WeddingIndustryExperts.com team asked Wedding Professionals around the world – ‘Who has inspired you in your local wedding community?’ After reviewing email referrals from across the globe, they put together their first annual list of Honor Roll members and I’m happy to announce that we are one of them … It’s because of our wonderful clients that we get to do what we love and to meet so many other wedding industry professionals. We appreciate this recognition and want to thank everyone who has supported us.”
Businesses named to the Wedding Industry 2014 Honor Roll simply love the wedding business. According to its website, businesses named to the list are committed to their clients and their testimonials from both peers and happy clients speak volumes about their commitment to their field.
Today we wanted to tell you about a new site that just launched yesterday. It’s called Life on Our Rock and we think it’s going to be very cool.
The site’s the brainchild of Active St. John. Our friends over there were sick and tired of wrong information being spread around the island when an emergency event was occurring. For example, a few years back someone was sitting at the bar and said a huge storm was coming. Word quickly spread and people started to panic. Well it turned out that no storm was really coming and therefore people unnecessarily panicked. The goal of this site is to prevent things like that from happening by reporting accurate, real time information.
Active reached out to us for help, so we’ve been working with them for a bit to make the site work. We think it turned out pretty well. See for yourself here: www.LifeonOurRock.com
As you will see, the site includes a variety of important links such as VI Alerts – so you can view any warnings or emergency information – Tropical Weather – so you can see the most up-to-date information if a storm is in fact coming – and Port Links – so you can be made aware if the ports close or are about to close due to an impending storm.
And because Active is just as obsessed as we are with the fact that the new ferries still aren’t running and that the “fedral” and “emergency” road repairs on Centerline still haven’t been completed, there’s a boatload of information on that too including a plethora of articles from multiples sources on each dating back to 2009.
Again, it just launched yesterday but we have a feeling it’s going to be very cool. Be sure to check it out: www.LifeonOurRock.com
Boats waiting to transport the racers – Image credit: Captain John Brandi of Palm Tree Charters
Anyone see an abnormally high number of seaplanes flying near Lovango and Congo cays yesterday? Perhaps you saw a helicopter flying back and forth in the area? Want to know why???
CBS chose our happy little slice of heaven as a location in its latest season of The Amazing Race! How cool is that??!!
We got the call yesterday morning from Captain John Brandi of Palm Tree Charters. He mentioned how someone inquired a while back about booking a charter for yesterday. Seeing how Captain John typically takes weekends off, Island Sue [Captain John’s better half :)] turned down the request. Captain John did do a bit of snooping, however, and soon learned what was up.
It turns out that another boat captain friend of ours was tapped to help out. (Now we’re not sure if any confidentiality releases were signed, so we’re keeping his name out of today’s post.) What we do know is that this second captain was out near Carval Rock for a good part of the day. It seems that they did some filming in a variety of places around St. Thomas and St. John.
Set up for The Amazing Race – Image credit: Captain John Brandi of Palm Tree Charters
Check out this mobile movie of the seaplane coming in courtesy of Captain John Brandi:
And here is a helicopter moving in, again courtesy of Captain John Brandi:
Once we heard that CBS was using helicopters, we knew Caribbean Buzz had to be involved. Here’s their super official statement (my guess is they signed something):
“We provided aerial support for filming of a CBS reality TV show. It included (Carval) rock, Hans Lollick, Magen’s Bay and downtown at Fort Christian.”
So cool!
Laurie and Craig Crandall just happened to be passing through St. Thomas yesterday afternoon when they caught a glimpse of filming.
“We just came home from a week in Alaska and were coming to the waterfront. And there were all of these filming crews and teams,” Laurie said. “We asked what was happening and we were told it was The Amazing Race. The seaplane was at the waterfront, so I think it was whoever arrived first got on the plane … There were probably about six teams. I wish I was able to get out and talk to them because it looked really cool.”
Hi everyone, happy Saturday! I am so excited to write that today is the one year anniversary of me taking over News of St. John! How exciting is that??!! Time sure does fly when you’re having fun…
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect the great things that have happened since taking over this blog. For starters, the love and support I have received from all of you is just simple amazing. Thank you for taking a little bit of time out of your day to catch up on what’s happening on island.
I love reading your comments, Facebook posts, Tweets and emails – both positive and negative – so please keep them coming. My email is [email protected] – please feel free to message me anytime.
I’m so excited to see what year two will bring. I do have something pretty cool up my sleeve right now, so stay tuned for a big announcement. I think you’re all going to love it!
