An Online Blog About the Daily Happenings of St. John, USVI
After several months, work has finally begun on Centerline Road … woohoo!
See for yourself:
As we reported last year, work was supposed to begin back in September. It was also supposed to be completed by next month. Clearly that’s not happening, but hey, at least the repairs are underway. We’re pretty darn happy about that.
So we have to ask – how long do you all think this will take before it’s 100 percent completed? Leave your guesses in the comments section or over on our Facebook page.
St. John will once again take center stage on television screens across the world as House Hunters International debuts a new island episode tonight.
The crew from HGTV’s House Hunters International spent three days in Coral Bay last June filming an episode with Re/Max Island Paradise Realty’s Diana Beam. The show followed Florida couple Joe and Heather Kelley as they searched for the perfect vacation home for their family.
The show will feature three Coral Bay villas – Fun and Contentment, Spyglass and Starlite Escape. Many of you guessed back in June which home the Kelleys chose, but you’ll have to tune in tonight to know for sure.
Here are the three villas the Kelleys had to choose from:
Fun and Contentment:
Spyglass:
Starlite Escape:
So why did the Kelleys choose St. John?
“For us it was all about the pure island nature of St. John,” Joe said. “The focus on the natural aspects of the islands, hiking, the beaches, etc. and the focus on conservation were really key.”
This latest House Hunters episode was filmed during a pretty rainy week, according to the Kelleys, so it will be interesting to see how it’s edited.
“The weather was a serious factor and required us to improvise some of the scenes,” Joe said. “And filming the unloading of the truck with our furniture took a creative approach when the truck could not make it up the hill to the villa.”
Another interesting thing about the shoot, in our opinion, is that the episode was filmed several months after the Kelleys had already purchased their home. Ah, the magic of television. You gotta love it.
Here’s what HGTV wrote about the episode titled “There’s No Place Like a Vacation Home” on its website:
After asking their daughter Caila to move 5 times by age 11 for their corporate careers, Joe and Heather Kelley seek some semblance of stability for her in an island vacation home on St John, US Virgin Islands. And while Heather only wants a small family villa with a view, Joe has higher demands for return on their investment with a larger and more profitable rental property. Real estate agent Diana Beam gives them every island option in and outside their budget, but ultimately it comes down to Caila’s comfort.
The episode premiers tonight, January 14, at 10:30 p.m. eastern standard time on HGTV. For folks on the island, you can catch it at 11:30 p.m.
Click here to read our original story about the filming.
Did anyone feel it? An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit north of Puerto Rico during the overnight hours. As of now, there are no reports of damage.
As a complete non-expert in the field of earthquakes, I have to say that 6.5 is a decent one. A 4.4 hit near St. John last year and the shaking was felt on many parts of the island.
Here’s the official info :
The January 13, 2014 M 6.4 earthquake north of Puerto Rico occurred as a result of oblique-thrust faulting. Preliminary faulting mechanisms for the event indicate it ruptured either a structure dipping shallowly to the south and striking approximately east-west, or a near-vertical structure striking northwest-southeast. At the location of this earthquake, the North America plate moves west-southwest with respect to the Caribbean plate at a velocity of approximately 20 mm/yr, and subducts beneath the Caribbean plate at the Puerto Rico Trench. The location, depth and mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with the event occurring on this subduction zone interface.
While the Puerto Rico Trench is known to be a significant seismic hazard, and is capable of hosting M8+ earthquakes, moderate-to-large events on the subduction zone are rare. Over the past century, three such events have occurred nearby to the January 13, 2014 earthquake – a M 6.6 event in 1915, just to the east of the 2014 event; a M 7.0 earthquake 70 km to the west in 1917; and a M 7.6 earthquake in 1943 just northwest of the 2014 earthquake. Two earthquakes occurred in the Mona Passage approximately 100 km to the southwest of the 2014 earthquake in 1916 (M 7.0) and 1918 (M 7.3), while the 1946 M 7.9-8.0 Hispaniola earthquake struck 230 km to the west, also on the North America slab interface. The July 1943 North Mona Passage earthquake did not cause significant damage in Puerto Rico, though it did spawn a small tsunami, and was the first in a series of large events in the broader northern Caribbean region between central Hispaniola and Puerto Rico over the following decade, including the larger 1946 earthquake. The 1946 event is known to have caused significant damage in both Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, including destruction from a subsequent tsunami.
The earthquake info center has more info on earthquakes in the region. Click here if you’d like to read more.
Like we had any doubts…
That crazy polar vortex seems to have subsided, but it’s still chilly in a good majority of the United States. Many of you, I’m sure, are dreaming of escaping the cold for warmer weather, white sandy beaches and beautiful turquoise waters. Hmmm, I wonder where that could be…
St. John of course!
Samantha Brown, of Travel Channel fame, just released a list of her favorite Caribbean spots to escape winter and the Virgin Islands made the cut. Here’s what she had to say:
The three islands that make up America’s Caribbean paradise have a lot to offer. You could spend all your time on one island, but for a little more fun, plan a day or two on all three. You’ll get a healthy dose of beaches, pampering, wildlife and colonial history. If you are into hiking, you can explore 22 different trails within the Virgin Islands National Park (St. John) which contains Annaberg Plantation, Caneel Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Trunk Bay. Take your camera and beach gear and spend the day at Magens Bay (St. Thomas), well-known for its photogenic coast and amazing swimming conditions.
Also on Samantha Brown’s list were:
Click here to read more about Samantha Brown’s top picks.
What do you think – think she got it right?
By now you all probably know that the Animal Care Center is near and dear to our heart. The folks over there are doing great things and we like to acknowledge them publicly whenever we can. Today’s one of those days.
The ACC released its numbers for 2013 last week, and they’re pretty impressive. See for yourself:
Kudos to all of the staff and volunteers at the ACC. Another job well done!
Reminder: The ACC’s annual gala is this Saturday, so if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, please do so soon. The event’s theme is “Party Like a Rockstar.” Guests are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite rockstars and prizes will be awarded. DJ Adonis will be on hand to provide the music and there’s going to be a pretty impressive silent auction and raffle (because we all know how generous local businesses are when it comes to supporting our furry friends!). As always, there will also be great food and drinks.
Again, the ACC’s annual gala will be held this Saturday, January 18 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the home of Joann and Glenn Hall in Chocolate Hole. Tickets are $100 in advance and $125 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here or at any of the following merchants:
Looking to adopt? Check out all of the ACC’s available cats and dogs by clicking here.
We’re taking a bit of a break from the news today. Instead let’s spend a few moments together and visit one of St. John’s only beachfront villas.
Beach Walk is a two bedroom home with a loft located directly on the water in Chocolate Hole. Our friends at Villa Vacations put together a little video for us, which we posted below. We’re sure you’ll enjoy the beautiful scenery and sounds of the waves crashing against the rocky shore.
Like what you see? Click here to see more of Villa Vacation’s great properties.
I bumped into a really cool man over at Salt Pond. His name is Ital Delroy Anthony and he is a native St. Johnian. He told me about the meaning behind the conch shell. You have to check it out.
The Best of Both Worlds boutique is teaming up the Island Cork wine shop to bring the Charm of Italy to Mongoose Junction tonight.
The event will feature the delightful sounds of David Laabs as he plays classical guitar tunes to set the mood. The Best of Both Worlds will feature a variety of the latest designs from Milan and Venice, including handmade, soft leather handbags, decorative masks and Murano glass jewelry to please every palette and budget. Many of these items are one-of-a-kind and shouldn’t be missed.
One you’ve shopped, head on over to Island Cork where you can take a tour of Italy by sampling a variety of Italian wines. Paul Tsakeres will treat you to a tasting of the best in Italian wines.
The event is taking place between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Enjoy!
Does this yacht look familiar to anyone? It’s pretty sleek, right?
This yacht happens to be the $140 million beauty that Apple founder Steve Jobs was building when he passed in 2011. The yacht – christened Venus – was unveiled a year later in October 2012.
For those of you on island right now, keep an eye out for Venus. Palm Tree Charters spotted it yesterday in Tortola’s West End, and it was still anchored there early Wednesday morning.
(We’d like to think we had a hand in building this yacht seeing that I’m typing this post on an iMac.)
According to what we found, Venus is 256 feet long and is rumored to be controlled by seven 27-inch iMacs. It features floor to ceiling windows and teak decks.
Jobs discussed the yacht’s build with his biographer Walter Isaacson:
“[Jobs] showed me all of the models and architectural drawings. As expected, the planned yacht was sleek and minimalist. The teak decks were perfectly flat and unblemished by any accoutrements.
As at an Apple store, the cabin windows were large panes, almost floor to ceiling, and the main living area was designed to have walls of glass that were forty feet long and ten feet high.
‘I know that it’s possible I will die and leave Laurene with a half-built boat,’ [Jobs] said. ‘But I have to keep going on it. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die.'”
Rumor has it that the Jobs family gave iPod Shuffles inscribed with the yacht’s name to each of the people who built Venus. Pretty cool.
Hopefully Venus will make an appearance in St. John. As always, if you happen to come across this yacht, feel free to send your pics to [email protected]
Here’s another view of Venus courtesy of Palm Tree Charters:
Yesterday we mentioned over on our Facebook page that there was a high surf advisory in effect. We stopped at a few beaches along the North Shore and made a quick video of what we found.
So if you’re chilly, take a few minutes to visit Honeymoon, Hawksnest and Cinnamon with us. We thought this would be a nice warm up for those of you affected by those crazy temperatures we all keep hearing about.
