Hey Beach Break fans. A little help here. On-StJohn.com has given you 27 Beach Breaks taking you to a total of 25 beaches since the series began. We have a couple beaches left, but a little input would be appreciated, because unless global warming picks up the pace, there aren’t that many beaches left on St. John to visit (and Dear Mr. Gore: those polar ice caps are covering up some prime real estate.)

We’ll get you off St. John and to some nearby beaches in the next few weeks, but if we’re missing some St. John favorites, chime in. Without more Beach Breaks, our open tab at the Tap Room is going to expire!

The chirping of tree frogs was drowned out by the droning of generators across St. John last night after a massive power outage hit both St. John and St. Thomas. At 4:02 pm, there was an explosion at one of the largest generating units on St. Thomas that “catapulted the island-district into a complete blackout”, to quote the Gov‘s office. Five students, working as interns at the plant, were treated for burns.

Power was finally restored on St. John at about 11:30 last night, making for what was the longest power outage in about a year.

Villas with generators kept the lights on and the beer cold. Folks at villas without one found out first hand why there are all those flashlights scattered about.

POP QUIZ: Been on St. John when there was a power outage? How did you handle it? Did the management company let you know what was going on? Did your beer get warm?  

You’ve probably heard the tale that says Lovango Cay got its name for its place in Caribbean history as an island brothel (love, and go.) Lovango sits just northwest of St. John, along with Congo Cay (a bird sanctuary) and Carval Rock. Here’s a beach on the north side of Lovango. The opening shot is from the top of Lovango looking out at Congo with Jost van Dyke in the distance. Some fine real estate for sale on Lovango too, but it ain’t cheap. A beach on Lovango Cay, below!

We hear the Cooper Island Beach Club is for sale. The There’s about a dozen beach side cottages included, on Manchioneel Bay, said to be Jimmy Buffet’s inspiration for Cheeseburger in Paradise. Here’s what travel site wheretostay.com says about Cooper Island Beach Resort: “There are no roads, no traffic, no nightclubs, discos or casinos. The population of the island is about nine people, consisting of a local family of three, and the six or so staff of the Beach Club.”

Can’t buy? Here’s a list of BVI resorts where you can just visit. Including Necker Island, Richard Branson’s island resort (you gotta check out that Website), where rates start at $320,000 per week. Yes you read that right. Three hundred and twenty thousand dollars a week. (But you do get the whole island to yourself.)

Been to a BVI resort? We’d love to hear about it.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m guessing the wedding cake isn’t a guy thing. But for all you gals, here’s the cake from Woody’s co-owner Todd’s and bride Christy’s wedding. Five tiers. Five different flavors. The cake was made by Seamus Mulcare at St. John Cakes. Even the guys had to have been impressed with this.

The Texaco station served up its last tank of gas last week, and is now surrounded by this beautiful fence and sheet metal wall. Very attractive, huh? Your federal government tax dollars are paying for this roundabout project, which will take at least a couple of years to complete. In the meantime, here’s a look at the beginning of what will no doubt be an ugly mess for awhile.

How did you discover St. John, and how many times have you been back since? (That’s right…you’re making the news today.)

Yes please, bring your laptop! (Heaven forbid you fully check out.) You can get online faster now than you could even a year or two ago. But, leave your hometown expectations behind. News of St. John recently reported that as many as 40 percent of villas now offer some kind of Wi-Fi connection. That is unquestionably great news, but in reality, here’s what you can expect:

Ackley Communications just informed its customers they were being upgraded from a 2.5 megabit download speed to 3.8 megabits. Choice Communications, which is the dominant broadband provider on St. John offers a basic package that is 1.9 megabits down, with their most popular service giving 2.6 megabits down. Those numbers are in a perfect world on a perfect day, and we’ve never had a connection even close that good. (Compare those top speed downloads to a typical stateside service, say Comcast, which provides as much as 12 megabits downstream.)

 In reality, the very, very best you can expect is something about 30 percent as fast as you’re probably used to. But that’s still a whole lot better than it was a couple of years ago. So go ahead. Let work ruin an otherwise perfect week.

Ouch. A Nauti Nymph rental boat goes down off White Bay beach Sunday. No one was aboard. No one was hurt. But talk about ruining somebody’s good afternoon buzz…

Surf’s up, dude. It may not be Malibu, but Reef Bay can have some big surf by St. John standards. Hike the trail here, or stay at a house in the area and find a path through the woods. Reef Bay, on a surfin’ day, below!

Good lawyers and bad loans are expensive.

First Bank Monday reported 2006 net income of $84.6 million, down from $114.6 million in earnings in 2005. The bank blames lower earnings on more charge offs for bad loans, higher expenses, including higher salaries for its employees, and legal costs.

First Bank, which is restating four years worth of earnings, agreed earlier this year to settle a shareholder lawsuit over its mortgage-related accounting errors for more than $74 million.  It also agreed this year to a submit to oversight by U.S. banking regulators.

First Bank’s lower earnings aren’t from lack of business. The bank’s loans grew by a billion dollars last year, including $426 million in residential mortgages and $374 million in construction loans.

Pick up a copy of the August issue of Architectural Digest magazine. There is a photo spread and article featuring a new and gorgeous villa above the North Shore.

A German couple, whose primary residence is a painstakingly restored midieval clock tower in Cologne, built the place. (Getting from Cologne to St. John must be a pain, so we’ve all got that over them.)

It’ll cost you as much as $25,000 a week to stay there.  

Best part of the article? The photographer got to live in the villa for a week while he took the pictures. That’s a good gig. 

Have you been hearing the ads on your local radio station? Things like “This traffic report brought to you by the United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism.” Or seen the ads in your local paper? The Tourism Department, along with the Hotel and Tourism Association, launched a $1.25 million advertising campaign two months ago, and they’re touting some pretty impressive numbers as a result so far. The 90^th Anniversary Celebration (marking the transfer from Danish rule to a US territory in 1917) includes packages from a dozen hotels on St. Thomas, a half dozen on St. Croix and the Westin on St. John that includes things like a free night and free activities.

In the two months since taking to the airwaves and print, tourism officials say bookings at participating hotels are up 24 percent, room nights are up 17 percent, and collective revenue is up 26 percent. “We are thrilled at the early success…,” says tourism boss Beverly Nicholson Doty. “It is quickly making a direct and positive impact on the local economy.” The package deals run through August 31.