Shot of Brandi: The Willy T
Friday, August 29th, 2008Captain John Brandi takes us where he takes a lot of people. To the Willy T. Captain Brandi’s Willy T history lesson below!
Archive for August, 2008
Buried at sea
Thursday, August 28th, 2008Have you ever said “When I die, I want my ashes tossed into the Caribbean Sea.” Maybe you’ve even picked a certain bay. No? Well, most everybody else here has.
Here’s a story about a company called The Neptune Society, a chain of crematoriums, that is behind a project called the Neptune Memorial Reef. It’s a manmade version of the underwater ruins of an Atlantis-like city three miles off the coast of Miami it says will eventually become the world’s largest manmade reef.
But there is a creepy/cool twist to it. You can have your cremated remains buried there. No kidding. Little holes for your ashes sell from about $1,000 to as much as $7,000, depending on what manmade ancient neighborhood you choose. Go to the Website. There’s a map of the plots and everything.
Something similar would be a very interesting addition to the Trunk Bay snorkeling trail. Blue Tang. Elkhorn coral. Parrotfish. Jeff. Russ. Clownfish….
Foxy is 70
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Wow, that will be quite the party we are sure. If you are free and have FWB (friend with boat) you really should make this part of your weekend. And then send us pictures.
It was only a few months ago that Foxy’s Tamarind Bar itself turned 40, so 2008 has been especially grand for the BVI’s most-famous troubadour.
And if you go, ask Foxy about his current pet project. A boat he’s building in his own back yard. A classic sloop based on a traditional West Indian design being built for educational purposes with funding from, among others, Kenny Chesney.
If by chance you have no idea who Foxy is, watch this for a little taste of one very entertaining, and soon-to-be 70 year old Virgin Islands legend.
Mosquito bite looks like St. John!
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
My mosquito bite looks just like St. John! Call the local paper!
Down islands visible with even greater imagination.
The most recent bloom is bad, and reports from all corners of the island suggest one of the worst mosquito blooms in a long time. We asked our island-wide staff for field reports:
-I’m afraid to leave my room. Every time I go outside, they cover me so bad it looks like my arms are covered in hair. –Coral Bay
-We’ve gone through two cans of Deep Woods Off and this is only our second day here. –Chocolate Hole
-I just got a new of box bug zappers, and as soon as I opened it I sold five of them. –Cruz Bay retailer
-I’ve got fire ants in my coconut bra. –North Carolina
Did you know (Source: World Book Online):
-The buzz you hear is mosquito wings flapping at 1,000 times per second. Go ahead. Say “One-thousand-one.” Now, count to 1,000.
-The bite includes a dose of venom which your body rejects. That’s the itching and swelling part. (But your body wins!)
-Mosquitoes are technically flies.
-The word “mosquito” is Spanish for “little fly.” Similar to fuquerito.
-Only females feed on humans.
-Females live for a month or more. Alas, the men all die in 7 days.
On-StJohn TV: The Bush Tea Man
Monday, August 25th, 2008Before there were mansions, Peter Bay was home to The Kite, a popular bar run by Victor Hall. The Kite burnt down years ago, but the guy who ran the place is still around and well.
Meet Victor Hall, businessman, musician, raconteur…and the guy known as the Bush Tea Man.
These days you can find Victor selling T-shirts, CDs of his music, and a variety of bush teas at a roadside stand in Coral Bay. Stop long enough to pick up a bag for whatever ails you, or sit a spell and let Victor tell you a story or two.
Hear a bit about The Kite and about bush tea, with Victor Hall, below!
Calling all pirate jokes
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
Nick in New Hampshire submits his St. John-inspired license plate. He’s a pirate at heart. That means when he wakes up in the morning, he’s groggy. (You get it, right?)
Which reminds us, if you see a bottle of Pyrat rum on St. John, treat yourself. It’s pricey, but smooooth. We’ve only seen in at Pine Peace. Have you seen it other places?
What’s your best pirate joke? Post it. A Pirate Radio bumper sticker to the best one.
We’ll start. “What does a fashionable pirate wear? Arrrrrmani!”
St. John as a Clinton energy experiment?
Thursday, August 21st, 2008
St John has plenty of two things: sun and wind. And if you’d like to get off the grid, write to Bill Clinton. The former president (pictured above, talking energy with the wife on St. Thomas, 1997) has a brilliant idea for an energy experiment, and St. John is actually very close to being on his radar for it.
He suggests taking an entire state, or an entire territory, and using it as an alternative energy testing ground. Solar, wind, cow farts, etc, etc. (St. John has cows too.) He says Puerto Rico would be a great testing ground. We think he should think smaller. St. John. A world without WAPA.
Only problem is wind turbines are the size of high rises. Where’s an unobtrusive place to put them? The North Shore gets lots of wind. Good. Settled then.
You can read Clinton’s “rock the world” ideas here.
The Dinghy-dong of wedding bells
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
Noah’s Little Arks purveyor Joe Morris, aka Dinghy Joe, has been made an honest man, marrying longtime partner Kim. The wedding was at the Nazareth Lutheran Church in Cruz Bay. The star-studded reception was held at the glitzy St. John Waterfront Bistro. Kim’s beautiful. Joe cleans up nice.
Jake’s adds dinner
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
It isn’t the kind of night hours these owners were used to keeping when they ran the old Front Yard, but Jake’s, the new place that moved into the old Chilly Billy’s location, is now serving dinner.
The lunch menu is extended to the evening hours. Kitchen closes at 9. Restaurant at 10.
Simple stuff. Burgers, wraps, Philly’s, etc. Check out the Jake’s dinner menu, here.
All time OSJ record
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
On-StJohn.com has brought you nearly 900 minutes of video viewing since the site debuted in January 2007. Remixing a 22 second clip of a man dancing in a grass skirt and a coconut bra has shattered all viewing records.
We have obviously set the bar too high.
New feature: Embarrassing tourist video. You submit. We’ll mix.
Exclusive: Embarrasing tourist video
Monday, August 18th, 2008On-StJohn.com reader Rob ( a.k.a on some of the travel forums as nogooddaddy or pipanale) made a promise to dance the Conga - in a grass skirt and coconut bra - to Ruth at St. John Spice a year or so ago as part of his (no one will EVER remember this) birthday planning for his next trip.
Ruth isn’t one to forget. Ruth calls her chips.
A year has gone by. It is time to pay up. And Ruth’s camera was set to video.
Mind you, Rob seems like a mild-mannered family man with a wife and daughter and a very snarky Website. But this took guts.
Warning: This is not for the faint of heart. See what happens when you make promises on St. John, below…
Meet our newest advertiser: Monkey No Climb!
Sunday, August 17th, 2008
Now that’s a catchy name! It’s the name of a tree with spiky growths all over the trunk, one of which is on the property.
Monkey No Climb is a brand new, two bedroom cottage on Bordeaux Mountain. A newly paved road takes you right to the villa, close to 1,100 feet above sea level. Both bedrooms have king beds and air conditioning, there’s satellite, WiFi and a hot tub, and absolutely amazing views across the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
Monkey No Climb just entered the rental market, and the calendar is wide open. If you’ve never considered Bordeaux Mountain, do. It’s a great, central location and this is a great little cottage. And how about that view? Check out Monkey No Climb, here!
Pond Bay becomes Brown Bay
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
Thursday night’s heavy rains clashed with a muddy Pond Bay worksite, resulting in a very brown Chocolate Hole salt pond.
If there is properly installed silt fencing at the Pond Bay project, it isn’t working so well. I there’s not properly installed silt fencing, somebody’s got some explaining to do. (Thanks for the pics, Rob.)
