We’ve got another piece of news out of Coral Bay this week … one of its popular watering holes just listed for sale.
Island Blues hit the MLS this week, and for $99,999, it could be yours.
According to its listing, Island Blues is looking for a cash buyer. The listing states that the restaurant has 22 seats at the bar and 40 table seats. It also mentions that there is room on the property for expansion, and that the monthly rent is $4,500. The listing states that there are lease terms through October 2016.
View of Coral Bay from Island Blues
Want to know more about businesses for sale on island? Here is a list of several real estate agencies on the island:
Well this is definitely some great news … the Coral Bay Community Council just received $90,000 which will be used to remove old boats and other marine debris along the shores of Coral Bay harbors, in the mangroves and in the boat mooring areas. The Council is also offering in-kind services and funds, bringing the project total up to nearly $140,000.
“For decades, on an on-going basis, cleanup, removal and disposal of marine debris, and rescue of grounded vessels (two sailboats were rescued after T.S. Bertha recently), have been accomplished by boaters, the Coral Bay Yacht Club members, the Coral Bay Community Council and other community volunteers. The moorings maintainer, charter boat captains, marine services store, and shoreline restaurants all participate. However these volunteers have been frustrated by the lack of funding to remove the grounded and sunken wrecks that leave visitors with the erroneous conclusion that Coral Bay’s boaters don’t care environmentally…,” said Sharon Coldren, President of the Coral Bay Community Council. “This federal NOAA grant funding for derelict vessel removal will raise the morale of all who continuously work to keep the bay clean.”
According to the Council, the project’s main task is to remove abandoned and derelict vessels from the harbor. Currently there are about a dozen grounded boats, which can pose a threat to the environment. This project, upon completion, will allow seagrass to regrow and mangroves to put down new roots, returning the area to more pristine conditions.
Moving forward, to reduce future locally-generated marine debris, the Council plans to start a marine debris reduction and reporting program. The program will include all kinds of debris– from litter thrown into ghuts and along roads to awareness of incidental oil/fuel spills by boats and outboard engines, and reducing the number of abandoned floating boats.
Such great news and great work to everyone involved!
Speaking of Coral Bay … tonight’s the meeting on the proposed marina. It’s happening at 4:30 p.m. at the Legislature Building. And from what we heard, it sounds like it’s going to be a packed one. We’ll keep you all posted.
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.
After self-publishing a nautical mystery novel based on St. John, Jeffrey Roswell McCord entered it into the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. He’s already beat out more than 9,500 novels, but he needs all of our help to beat out the final 500. Here are the details…
“St. John, its sailing community, and the Virgin Islands’ history and culture inspired me to write Undocumented Visitors in a Pirate Sea,” Jeff said Thursday.
Undocumented Visitors in a Pirate Sea is about a dead Marine who washes ashore on St. John and leads investigators to otherworldly perpetrators in historic pirate waters and high level abuses in Washington. Intrepid maritime historian Thayer Harris, Ph.D, working the case for U.S. Naval Intelligence, discovers a 60-year record of extraterrestrial activity in the Caribbean basin. History and national security politics meet science fiction in this mystery based on exhaustive factual research and informed conjecture.
Jeff self-published the novel independently through Kindle and Amazon’s paperback printing company Create Space. Earlier this year, he entered it in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Ten thousand books were entered and so far his book has made it through two cuts. It’s now a quarter-finalist, having beaten 9,500 other books. The next cut to semi-finalists will be made in the period May 23 through June 13, which is why he needs our help.
Part of the judging process is customer reactions and ratings of the book. We can all help by downloading the Kindle version of the book and rating it … sooner than later of course.
For those of you who prefer paperbacks, you can purchase that on Amazon by clicking here. It is also available on island at Papaya Cafe, Tall Ships Trading Company at Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay and St. John Spice.
I don’t know about all of you, but I think this sounds like a pretty neat little book. Here’s its full description:
A dead Marine washed ashore on St. John’s Privateer Bay has a flying saucer and the letters “JFK” tattooed on his chest. With Vietnam War-era dog tags as the corpse’s only identity, local police contact the U.S. Navy. Some in Washington are uneasy about retired Gunnery Sergeant Roger Baskins’ death and tats.
A U.S. Naval Intelligence officer contacts the hero, maritime historian Thayer Harris, PhD, who is a tenured university professor at the fictional Territorial College of the Virgin Islands. He resides with his wife and son on St John. The Navy hires Dr. Harris to secretly investigate the death of Gunny Baskins. He uncovers a 60-year record of UFO activity in the Caribbean basin in the process. His discoveries of phenomenal events during the Cuban Missile Crisis, on Grenada and in other times and places raise questions the professor can’t answer.
With Dr. Harris’ sleuthing nearly complete, the true adventure begins with his dramatic phenomenal encounter at sea in his sailboat in VI waters. Following his report to Naval Intelligence in DC, Dr. Harris is targeted by other security agencies and parties who want his information. A life and death confrontation unfolds in Coral Bay.
Drawing on such credible sources as U.S. Navy records, declassified British and Russian UFO reports, the testimony of Navy personnel and the first Prime Minister of Grenada, “Undocumented Visitors in a Pirate Sea” weaves a thrilling fictional tale out of historical and scientific threads.
Think you have what it takes to build on island? Looking to build your dream home? Then you may want to check out this parcel that recently hit the market…
Located in the Seagrape Hill neighborhood high above Coral Bay, this .30 acre parcel has panoramic views of Coral Bay Harbor, as well as gorgeous valley views. It’s situated on a gentle downhill slope making this an easy build.
The lot is access by paved roads and has utilities in place. It can be yours for only $149,000.
Want more information? Contact Tammy at 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected]
It was sometime last fall when I first heard Daniel Pinto’s name. I was eating dinner at Coral Bay Caribbean Oasis, chatting it up with owner Karen Granitz, when she first mentioned a man who she considered to be one of the island’s most talented painters. Daniel, she said, lived on a boat in Coral Bay but often kept to himself. However, from time to time, he stopped into the Oasis for a bite to eat and, at times, to paint. Karen motioned up toward a surfboard with a stunning beach image emblazoned across it that hangs just outside of her kitchen.
“He did that while I watched,” she said, “in no time at all.”
From then on, I knew Daniel was something special.
Sometimes words just simply are not adequate when describing someone’s talent. Please check out some of Daniel’s work for yourself:
A digital work featuring Ziggy, the island’s most famous pig
I had the privilege of meeting Daniel myself just a few weeks back and found two things particularly interesting about him. First, he creates these remarkable pieces of art from a small, unassuming, one-room studio tucked deep in the woods, 44 steps down from Centerline Road if I recall correctly. For days on end, he holes up in that tiny little space and creates these incredible paintings alongside his fiercely loyal little dog, all while munching on Ramen noodles. And second, he doesn’t actively try to sell his art.
Well I’m happy to say that beginning today, Daniel’s art will be sold at Caribbean Oasis in Coral Bay along with a handful of other artists. (We’ll have more on the other artists later this week.) And the best part is that 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly the artists themselves.
Available now are 11 x 14 inch prints of Daniel’s conch shell painting (pictured above while in progress). The prints sell for $40 each and are available at the Oasis only. The original is also for sale.
And coming soon will be 20 x 30 inch prints of an amazing painting Daniel created of Trunk Bay. Those prints will sell for $60. We’ll alert you when they are available.
So if you happen to be in Coral Bay, stop by Oasis and check out some of the great artwork on display there. And while you’re there, be sure to grab a bite to eat. Karen has some of the best food on island and at only $9 an entree, it’s one of the best deals on St. John.
One of the island’s most beloved bartenders will serve his last drink Wednesday. Kenny Quinn, the affable, lovable bartender who’s served up drinks at Aqua Bistro for the past seven years is leaving island.
“It’s the best thing that could have happened,” Kenny said Monday. “It’s good for me, but after 20 years, it’s going to be hard for me to leave people on island.”
Kenny came to St. John back in 1995 right after Hurricane Marilyn tore through the territory.
“There wasn’t a roof left on island,” Kenny said.
He came to work in construction and then spent seven years bartending at Island Blues. For the past seven years, he’s called Aqua Bistro home where he’s known for his great conversation and his classic Betty Ford Clinic visor.
“Outpatient,” Kenny joked. “Or else I wouldn’t be here.”
Kenny’s next chapter will lead him up to New York where he plans to retire – Kenny turns 68 on Sunday. In the meantime, Aqua Bistro plans to throw him one heck of a going away party during his last shift tomorrow, April 16.
Kenny’s last shift will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be live bands around 2 p.m. He is also working today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. so be sure to stop by and say hello.
“This isn’t an end,” Kenny said. “It’s a beginning.”
I have to say Kenny – you will certainly be missed.
Hear the sound of the surf lapping at the water’s edge just a stone’s throw away from this pod-style quasi waterfront family home.
Located in Calabash just past Coral Bay, this home features two separate income producing units plus additional space to add on. The lower level features a living room, kitchen, loft bedroom and bathroom while the upper unit consists of one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen and living room. The upper unit also has upper and lower decks with water views out toward the East End and British Virgin Islands.
The home has a fully fenced in yard, making it very dog-friendly, and has an abundance of large trees and native stonework. The home is fully hurricane shuttered.
Another great feature of this Calabash home is its proximity to the shops and restaurants in Coral Bay. Enjoy the cooling tradewinds while you walk on over and enjoy all that Coral Bay has to offer. This location also affords you the ability to moor your boat in nearby Coral Bay harbor, allowing you to keep an eye on it 24/7 from one of your private decks.
All of this can be yours for only $655,000.
Want to learn more? Contact Tammy at 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected]
Is it true? Is a gas station finally coming back to Coral Bay? Well according to the folks over at the St. John Tradewinds, it is.
The Tradewinds reported earlier this week that James Boynes, a longtime St. Johnian who owns Boynes Trucking, has plans to reopen a gas station at the old Domino site in Coral Bay. According to the Tradewinds, James signed an agreement with a member of the Marsh family last week to lease the property.
The Coral Bay gas station closed more than four years ago and Coral Bay has been without gas ever since. The property was an eyesore for years before it was cleared back in May.
The E&C gas station in Cruz Bay has been the only game in town for several years. There is a second gas station under construction near the Westin on the South Shore; however the property has been plagued with issues. Read the latest on that here.
These are the top words used by residents to describe what they like most about Coral Bay.
Coral Bay residents would like to see a gas station return to their quiet community and the unsightly dumpsters relocated away from the mangroves. But most importantly, they want to make certain that environmental protections are put in place prior to any new development in the area.
The recently released Coral Bay Community Council visioning survey showed that the majority of respondents were on the same page in terms of what they envision for the future of Coral Bay. Two hundred and seventeen people answered the survey.
In a nutshell:
Residents would like to preserve the area’s stunning views and avoid having them blocked by future development
They would like to see a gas station return to the area
They would like the dumpsters moved away from the mangroves
Year-round residents would like to see more recreational facilities built, such as basketball courts
Some residents indicated that they would like to see greater job availability within the area
Respondents indicated that they enjoy being “different” and stated that they did not want the area to become “urban” like Cruz Bay or St. Thomas
They would like to see road improvements, specifically Centerline Road
They would like to see a small-scale marina built or other boat services added to the area
And what is it that Coral Bay residents firmly do not want? Well, they do not want to see any large-scale developments built, including marinas, hotels, resorts, condos or other large-scale living areas.
