- A poster on another St. John forum said his Sirius Radio worked on island. Can anybody confirm that? How about, XM? (My XM did not, about three years ago.)
- The Mixology Warehouse essay contest hasn’t started yet. A new Web site to support Gary Moses’second try at giving his business away is under construction, according to its Webmaster.
Ferry to Charlotte Amalie down again
Both ferry companies have been canceling their runs from Cruz Bay to Charlotte Amalie – without notice.
The St. John Source reports that the director of the Public Services Commission is concerned. At least one person missed a flight from St. Thomas because the CB-to-CA ferry was not running. Spokesmen for both companies told the Source they expected service to be resumed by the end of the week.
Neither Varlack Ventures nor Transportation Services has explained why service on the route has been sporadic. Odds are that, given that it’s low season, the companies may figure the relatively light passenger load, and the long water run don’t add up to a profitable venture.
Taking a break
I’ll not be posting for a week or so. Family responsibilities.
Thanks for the kind words. We’ll be back.
The island never leaves.
Chesney sells Virgin Islands home
Do stocks beat St. John real estate?
A Pennsylvania couple has reportedly purchased Kenny Chesney’s Estate Peter Bay home for $4.4 million, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.
The newspaper said Chesney paid $3.3 million for the Peter Bay house in 2003. That would indicate an annual appreciation of 7.5%. That’s well below what some people have believed island real estate has been returning. But in my own experience, it’s what we’ve seen. By comparison, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen at an annual rate of 8% since June, 2003.
The V.I. Multiple Listing Service currently reports 136 homes for sale, 60 condos and 294 land parcels. That represents a 36% rise in residential listings and about a 20% gain for land and condo offerings, compared to a year ago.
Chesney’s trust has three other island properties including undeveloped land high on a hill overlooking Peter Bay. It was reported for sale about a year ago.
Questions and answers
A News of St. John reader e-mailed this morning asking for some advice. Thought I’d pass the answers along to all.
- How late does Sun Dog go on Wednesday’s?
- 10pm is not unusual.
- Is Fred’s still a place to go reggae Wed/Fri?
- I dunno. I don’t stay up late.
- Also thinking about Chateau Bordeaux for a different experience……any opinion?
- Try the new menu at Paradiso.
- What/who is the best way to find out the best place to snorkel based on daily weather conditions……we almost drown at Salt Pond last visit, and want to pick a good conditions day to try again.
- Wake up and see if it’s sunny, listen to Radio 1000 AM for the marine weather.
Senators override veto of Sirenusa
The Senate voted Tuesday to give the developers of Sirenusa what they want: an OK to build beyond the 40 condominium units that were originally approved.
Governor John deJongh vetoed that request 10 days ago … but the Senate overrode the it – giving the OK for construction of an additional three buildings and seven more units,
The St John Source’s story has quotes from lots of folks … many of whom, like the former island administrator Julien Harley, didn’t know what to say – they were so shocked and disappointed. A spokesman for the Governor implied the senators had not listened to what people on St. John wanted – there were 1,100 petition signatures against expanding Sirenusa’s plans.
The project’s developer, Carlo Marzano, told the Source the Senators had cut through what he called the BS … to evaluate the financial and legal impact of their vote to let the development continue.
If there is a good side to this story it is that Marzano will complete the project. He’d been quoted saying he was out of money and the banks wouldn’t give him anymore unless the project was expanded with the possibility of generating as much as $10 million more in sales of units. The prospect of Sirenusa sitting unfinished is not one anyone on the island wanted. Marzano would likely have sued the VI government if he’d been stopped – which could also have stalled the project.
Cheech and Kevin, Part 2
While last weekend’s Beach to Beach Power Swim was a big success, after the race a good time was had by all at an island barbecue was at Oppenheimer Beach. At the beach, St. John Brewers Kevin and Cheech set up a tap to pour their new Island Summer Ale. We had a chance to talk with them about the new brew. Here’s part two of that interview. To listen on your computer, click the play button below.
You can also download or hear the file by clicking here.
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a problem, e-mail: [email protected].
Caneel aces tennis resort rankings
Caneel Bay’s tennis facilities were rated tops in the Caribbean by US Tennis Resorts Online. The St. John resort also scored #12 among the Top Resorts, #3 for staff, and #4 for most romantic.
TennisresortsOnline.com said its survey included "vacationers like you: people who pay for their holiday and have every reason to be objective." The Caneel Bay tennis complex has 11 courts and is overseen by its resident tennis pro, Patrick Alle.
While summer rates at Caneel start at $375 a night, you don’t have to stay there to play there. The resort offers complimentary round robins Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. when locals as well as guests are invited to pair up and march up.
Here’s what TennisResortsOnline.com has to say about Caneel: http://tennisresortsonline.com/trofiles/CaneelBay.cfm
Myrvang a repeat winner of Power Swim
A 16-year-old from St Croix, Annie Myrvang, was the first place finisher in the 4th annual Beach to Beach Power Swim. She also won the event last year. Myrvang completed the 3.5 mile swim from Maho Bay to Hawksnest Bay in 1 hour 20 minutes. Her average speed in the water: 2.62 miles an hour.
Dave Nielsam from St. Thomas finished second with a time of 1:21:10. The third place finisher was Barb Crowder from California with a time of 1:22:10. There were 142 competitors in this year’s event which included courses for solo swimmers as well as relay teams.
Conditions for this year’s Power Swim were a little rougher than in past years. Joe Kessler, president of the Friends of the VI National Park, the organizer of the event, said there was a light surf which "made it more challenging this year." Sponsors included Alfredo’s Landscaping, Scotia Bank, and Mongoose Junction.
Here’s a link to the complete results: http://www.friendsvinp.org/swim/07_results.pdf
Beach Bar in the news
S_Sypniewski reports on a forum at Virgin-Islands-On-Line that the new issue of Caribbean Travel & Life has an article about the Beach Bar.
I can’t find it online at http://www.caribbeantravelmag.com/index.jsp but there is lots of other interesting information there. Including drink recipes, and a number of St. John stories.