Yup, the Lameshur sign’s pretty clear I guess. Pointing the other way is the Yawzi Point Trail, which we think we will hike next week (and take you along too), mostly because the trail is only about a quarter mile long. Even we should be able to handle that. Yawzi Point, according to the great book St. John Off the Beaten Track, is named after some horrible infectious tropical disease called yaws, because people who had it were sent here to die. Nice, huh!   

Wouldn’t it have been great if this was the kind of clubhouse you had as a kid? This is that old metal boat, still stuck in Cruz Bay, and has become the daily place to play for this posse of boys. The crew looks very busy. Give them enough time and sugary snacks and they might just get the damned thing started.

Yankees fans will know a lot more about the Virgin Islands by the time this season’s over. Sept. 5 is U.S. Virgin Islands Day at Yankee Stadium. The first 18,000 fans through the door that day get USVI sunglasses cases, and tourism officials will give away a couple of trips. USVI Day is just the start. USVI Tourism commercials will play on the stadium’s DiamondVision screen through the remainder of the 2007 season, and ads will be up throughout the stadium. “The New York metropolitan area is the number one market for the U.S. Virgin Islands, drawing thousands of visitors each year,” says tourism boss Beverly Nicholson Doty. “We’re excited for this partnership with one of Major League Baseball’s most recognizable brands.” If you’re on-island, listen to radio stations WSTA and Isle 95. They’re running a baseball trivia contest, and two winners will win a trip to NY for VI Day at the stadium. (Yankees vs. Mariners.) 

Here is the ubiquitous “Wally Pool.” These fiberglass pools are at dozens of mostly older villas on St. John, and there is a great story about how they ended up being so widely used on St. John. Wanna hear about it? Stay tuned. We talk to the “Wally” behind Wally Pools next week On-StJohn. 

An actual IM conversation between Russ and Jeff shortly after Beach Break editorial error was discovered:

J: Well, I’m pretty humiliated. Check out correction on site.
R: Uh oh. How did you get that wrong?
J: You were Mr. Atlas that day.
R: The signs at that intersection are very confusing.
J: You mean the sign that said “Little Lameshur This Way”?
R: Just say we were drunk.
J: Nobody would believe me.
R: Where is Jeff? Who is this?

 

Okay. Not good for credibility. Comments say we’ve given you a Beach Break that is not the beach we say it is.  This would be the SECOND TIME we’ve screwed up. So, set us straight. What beach DID you enjoy today?

You’ll pass Little Lameshur on your way to Lameshur. Maybe next time you should stop. There’s room to park and, other than a little pocket of sand, this is one big, long pile of pebbles. Check out Little Lameshur, below.

Diamond Cay is a little spit of a rock just off Jost van Dyke that’s about the size of a Northern Virginia back yard. This little cay is also some sort of national park and it is the namesake of a marina condo development on Jost that may soon be built. (Note: Sign says Coming Summer 2006.) Now…before you go all anti-development, we should point out that Foxy Callwood himself among backers. The hillside condos and marina will/would/might be at Taboo, Foxy’s fairly new restaurant and bar on Jost’s Long Bay. Condos come or not, there is the beginnings a heck of a nice docking infrastructure here, and Taboo should be put on your list of places to go on a boat trip. Just don’t be in any hurry to get a lunch. Island time slows to a near standstill here. And you can hike to the bubbly pool after lunch!

Check out the marina and condo plans here. (Warning: There’s video, so you’re about to waste a whole bunch of time.)