This is Tory Lane and his partner Sara Stevens, who plan to swim around the entire island, a 35 mile adventure. They’ll do it in stages, with a leg or two each weekend. They are also looking for some help from boaters.

Tory and Sara were swim team buddies at their high school in Connecticut years ago. After going their separate ways, they crossed paths again, this time on St. John.

The two started their great Around the Island Swim last weekend, swimming about 2.5 miles from Salt Pond to Little Lameshur. This weekend they hope to swim legs 2 and 3, Lameshur to Reef Bay and then Reef Bay to Chocolate Hole. It gets a bit dangerous after that.

“When we swim from Chocolate Hole to Frank Bay, we’ll be going through some heavy boat traffic at Great Cruz Bay and the barge channel, and we really need a boat escort to look out for us,” says Tory. “Then Frank Bay to Caneel Bay will take us right across Cruz Bay. Speeding boats might not be able to see swimmers in the water.”

They’d also like some company getting them from Caneel to Trunk, and then again on one of the final legs from East End to Friis Bay.

“That’s a mile and a half across open ocean. We really need some boat support there,” Tory says.

Tory and Sara hope to reach their goal by September, and say when they do, they’ll have a big party at Salt Pond, where their Swim Around the Island started last weekend.

Why do this? “We love to swim and this bumps it up from just swimming back and fourth at the same beaches. And it’s a great way to train for the Love City triathlon.” (Leg #1, below.)

An appeals court says the 2006 property tax bills are indeed invalid, and the governor is backing down from trying to collect them.

“As a result of the decision, the Tax Assessor’s office will be rescinding the 2006 property tax bills,” Governor deJongh’s office said in a statement. “In addition, the executive order which was issued setting due dates for those property tax bills will be vacated.”

In other words, that 2006 property tax bill can continue to sit somewhere in a dusty corner of your desk. Right where it’s been since last summer.

The Virgin Islands government is out about $28 million by not collecting these taxes. The last year for which property taxes have been paid was 2005.

That looks like a signature piece of art from the Sloop Jones studio. But look more closely.

That’s actually a circuit breaker box cover painted up by Terry McKoy, aka Sloop.

“In my travels installing satellite systems lately, I’ve been in many homes, and the newer ones of poured concrete seem to have their electric panels in places where they need to be covered,” Sloop says. “Lots of people cover them with wall hangings, but my neighbor Sally decided she wanted me to paint hers.”

And so is born another line of art in the Sloop Jones franchise. A talented artist, and a clever businessman. He’ll probably even get some Website to write about this. (You think?)

As a bonus, commission his work for your box, and you’ll actually be legal.

“VI code says the panels cannot be covered,” Sloop says. (We still think he should paint his satellite dishes.)

This jumble of road signs in Cruz Bay basically says you currently can’t turn right and go up the hill past Woody’s. The rest won’t really help anybody.

Go straight, take the next right, and go up the hill past Ronnie’s Pizza if you’re trying to get out of town. Or…stay straight ahead and go to a beach. That’s a much better detour in your day.

You can see these whales year round on St. John. Do you know where?

High Tide bartender Richard Schulenberg, who says he’s had the truck for going on four years now. So what’s with the paint job?

He bought it from his friend Mike, one of several buddies who’d moved to St. John from San Antonio.

“We were having a party one night and Mike’s brother-in-law, who’d gone to St. John Hardware and bought every color of spray paint they had, decided to paint the truck,” Richard tells us. “When the sun came up, that’s when we all saw it for the first time, and I really dug it so I bought it a month later.”

In addition to LOVE CITY on the passenger side, there’s a marlin on the driver’s side and a fishing woman on the hood.

Richard admits it’s no Lexus, but that’s why he likes it. “The stereo works, it runs well and my girlfriend doesn’t mind if I take my dog to the beach in it.”

Here is another beautiful island Suzuki. Know who the owner is? Tell us. Or at least tell them we love it.

The Battery is the seat of government on St. John. (Some might prefer another word for seat.)

It’s an old structure, and it’s got some history. Let Captain Brandi tell you about it, below!

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