This past weekend St. Thomas hosted some great fishing action with the USVI/Open Atlantic Blue Marlin tournament taking place. You can check out their official website here.  

Held at the America Yacht Harbor the tournament benefits the VI Council of the Boy Scouts of America, as a result this particular tournament is nicknamed the ‘Boy Scout’. As the marlins are reeled in and released each boat waves a flag to detemine how many were released and what type - blue flag/blue marlin, white flag/white marlin.

Here are some of the results from the tournament, as posted on their website:

~2008 “BOY SCOUT” ENDS WITH 125 RELEASED

~TOP ANGLER RICHARD RICE 6 BLUE MARLIN
~TOP BOAT RUM BUM 10 BLUE MARLIN
~AVERAGE FISH PER ANGLER 1.39
~AVERAGE FISH PER BOAT 4.31
~18.3% ON CIRCLE HOOKS

125 released, that looks like a big number to me! We’ll have to get out on a boat and see if we can’t grab ourselves some big blues! We’ve hooked blue sharks (Nantucket), a couple of makos (Nantucket), barracudas (including a 40 pounder) (St. Thomas), mahi-mahi (St. Thomas) and wahoo (St. Croix), but we’ve yet to see a marlin on the end of our line. That’s a fight I’m ready for!

It looks like everyone involved in the tournament had a great time, congratulations to the winners!

Here’s some pics from this years St. Thomas Chili Cook-off, enjoy, they’re like a spicy meatball:

Congratulations to this year’s winners, you can read the story here in the STT Source:

    Chili:
      First: Ron Barnes (TX)
      Second: Max Walker (TX)
      Third: Tina Barnes (TX)
      Fourth: Cody Brice* (STT)
     * Brice, not Barnes, will be going to the CASI contest as the V.I. representative must be a local resident.
     
     Veggie Chili:
      First: Donald Pomeranz (STT)
      Second: Dennis “Texx” Murphy (STT)
      Third: Ben Currence (STT)
     
     Showmanship Large:
      First: Betsy’s Bar (STT)
      Second: Heidi’s Honeymoon Grill (Water Island)
      Third: U.S. Coast Guard
     
     Showmanship Small:
      First: Heavenly Chili (STT)
      Second: Saloonatics (STT)
      Third: Victory Care, horse rescue group (STT)

Remember the old TV that used to sit on a counter or shelf in your family room? I’m not talking about some forgotten relic that would sit collecting dust before you put it out on the curb (and out of it’s misery). No, I’m talking about the TV you used to squint at from the couch. The TV that required you to actually rise up from your seat, walk twelve paces to the tube and manually turn the 13 channel dial to find something to watch. “Don’t turn it too fast!” Dad would yell out, as my brother and I would whip the dial around, skipping through the channels at lightening speed.

Times have changed in TV world. The screens are bigger, flatter, dial-free and most of them are no longer perched on counters. TV’s are suspended now, hooked on to the ends of metal arms that jut out from your wall and allow the TV to swing from side to side. They’re hanging immobile on walls, as quiet as the pictures next to it, until you fire it to life with your trusty remote. As important as our TV placement is the area that we choose for our wall mounted home theater speakers. Let’s face it, big sound shooting out at you from all angles is cool!

So, what does this have to do with our fine island? If part of your design plan in your new St. Thomas home is to outfit it with the best in home entertainment you may face some difficulty. We do have stores that sell speakers and TV’s, such as Cost-U-Less and Kmart, but they may not offer the quality you’re looking for. Online shopping will become a big part of your life down here, so be prepared to ship down some hardware. Installing it? That’s another question, and it could become quite the headache, if you let it. You’ll meet people, and start networking and may hear names tossed out of contacts who can help you out, which is great! Of course, you need to get them to call you back, and schedule an appointment, then keep the appointment and then, hopefully, get you wired up for mammoth sound!

I wouldn’t sweat the process though, let’s face it, you’re on an island. While you’re waiting for your home to match the visual in your head you can take yourself down to Magens Bay and drown your impatience in a rum punch. Just repeat after me…island time…island time…island time. 

Hooters and the Buzz 104.3 threw another 80’s rockin’ party on Saturday night. The featured band was “Space Invaders”, very iconic name for an 80’s band for sure. Here is the good time you missed at Hooters St. Thomas:

Space Invaders 80’s Rock Band

Hey we know these guys!

Webb and Christina from 104.3 the Buzz. Christina just learned that the St. Thomas Blog was voted best web site in the USVI She rejoiced!

From left to right: Karen Korsgren (Real Estate Maven), Alan Friedman (Owner of Buzz Radioand reason he has two hotties on either side of him), and Christina Deliz (Morning DJ the Buzz)

Some Hooters Girls

Webb (morning DJ at The Buzz) and a strangely familiar looking woman

“And so I come to you, with open arms“…ah, it’s good to be the singer of an 80’s rock band called Space Invaders!

If only they had leg warmers on!

See all the fun pictures here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/IslandKpics/albumid/5235509871753900897?kind=photo&alt=rss&authkey=XN4fpFdqWJc&hl=en_US

Every now and then the peaceful quiet on Magens Bay is interrupted by a loud roar. This means one of two things - either you’re starving, or there’s a Harley cruise in port.

In case you didn’t know, St. Thomas has a Harley-Davidson store ( h-dstthomas.com). Located in Charlotte Amalie it’s a great place to get motorcycle clothing by Harley Davidson as well as many other souvenirs and accessories. Of course taking your picture by the door is a must! If you’re planning a trip to St. Thomas, and you’re a fan of Harley-Davidson, then this store should be on your list of places to go - but did you know you can bring your Harley to the island with you? Here’s an opportunity you might not know about, motorcycle cruises, by Royal Caribbean. You and roughly seventy other people, together with your motorcycles (Harley, Suzuki, custom bikes, choppers, etc), cruising the Caribbean. The best part? No red tape. Just roll off the boat and ride.

Intrigued? St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Puerto Rico are listed among the various islands where these themed-cruises stop and bikers get off and play. I found a lot of information on a website called Cruise-Eta.com. I also found an article from 2005, from the NY Times. Here’s an excerpt:

“…on each of the annual Harley cruises, up to 70 people take as many as 35 bikes onboard. Each passenger is paying a bit more than regular passengers pay, but there are a few perks included in the cost. Harley riders, personally rolling their bikes off the ship, are the first off every port. At the mandatory immigration check on St. Thomas, the bikers skip to the front of a long line of other passengers. White luggage tags are distributed at the end of the cruise, allowing the bikers to clear customs first…”

Another article I found describes how the bikers on these cruises enjoy their own dining areas and dress codes (Leather Required) to keep the experience rolling (get it?) throughout the entire trip. On the cruise-eta site it looks like the next motorcycle cruise to hit St. Thomas is the week of November 30, and there are already 14 motorcycle cruises listed for 2009.

I’d say it’s time get your bike shined up, pack your leather, and get down here to eat up some crazy island roads! Remember, ride safely!

We have a big tropical wave headed our way today and tomorrow. Get ready for some much needed rain (about 1-3 inches).

If you’re flying in make sure to check your flights. If you’re already here run out and buy some Cruzan Rum for the night. If you live here get ready for a water fill up!

Click Here For More Info

Nicci and I recently flew to China to cover our 7 Olympic athletes. While there we actually got to participate, check us out:

Suntan lotion. Sunglasses. Flip flops. Bathing suit. Travel insurance.

Yes, travel insurance, something to think about when you’re planning a vacaton to St. Thomas, or anywhere else for that matter.

 Here’s the part where I make you nervous. Let’s say you’re traveling to an island and the unthinkable happens, a hurricane hits. Before you know it you’re moved from your beautiful resort room to spend the next few days of your vacation in a shelter, surrounded by hundreds of people. Sound fun? No. Do you want some money back? Oh yes, you bet you do.

A friend of mine took a cruise a few years ago. At the time she booked her trip one of her parents was ill, so she purchased travel insurance just in case she would have to cancel or shorten her trip to come back and be with her family. Luckily she didn’t, but that may not always be the case. Vacations are planned months in advance, and while that often means better rates it’s impossible to know what the future holds eight months down the road. Having insurance in your back pocket can be comforting as your trip gets closer.

The scenarios are endless - a medical emergency, lost or damaged luggage, a flight delay and missed connection, mechanical failure on a cruise ship - certainly nothing pleasant to worry about when you’re picturing nothing but good times! Depending on your needs, and budget, you should shop around for the policy that will suit you and your vacation the best. Age, location, activities - all of these can require different coverage, make sure you understand exactly what the policies cover as you price them out.

So, there you go! Book your trip, and don’t worry about a t’ing, you’re covered! 

For those not familiar with WAPA it stands for Water and Power Authority. It’s the Virgin Island’s lifeblood to electricity. WAPA has increased it’s rates to something like .43/per kilowatt. In Boston the fee is .16/KW. So St. Thomas is a pretty expensive place to power things up.

Yesterday Hovensa, which provides fuel to WAPA, said that WAPA has to pay in advance for their fuel. Know why? Because WAPA is in debt to them for about 40 million dollars (that’s not Pesos my friends). Furthermore, WAPA will now have to pay interest on the outstanding debt. Can you imagine that WAPA runs this way?

Guess what happens if you’re late on your WAPA bill? They shut you off pronto!

First off, if one of my clients falls behind I certainly don’t keep selling them my services. So of course Hovensa is going to shut WAPA off and with good reason. I’m surprised they waited this long.

So WAPA wants to AGAIN raise it’s rates another 37%. They just raised them 23% a month or so ago, and 30% 6 months prior to that. Seriously folks, almost 100% in increases if WAPA gets their way.

Here’s a thought, how about bringing in a management team that doesn’t let WAPA fall behind by 40 million dollars. Soon a kilowatt will cost $1. The average house probably uses 500-1000 kilowatts per month, you do the math. Can you afford $1000/month to watch TV?

Look, I know things are a bit ass-backwards here in St. Thomas but this is waaayyy beyond that. WAPA needs serious help, raising the rates isn’t the answer. Being smarter is.

Read more on this here:

WAPA IS KILLING US

One of the big decisions to be made when you commit to a St. Thomas relocation is ‘where will I work’?

This depends on what you currently do. I can tell you my experience, as some of you may relate.

When we decided to move I was close to beginning my fourth year in a corporate job, a small company south of Boston. I knew one thing about working in St. Thomas: I didn’t want to sit in an office for 40 hours a week. Tourism is a huge industry on the island, and I was excited to dust off my comfy waitressing shoes and start serving drinks to tourists. One question - where? A month or two before the move I put some calls in to a couple of places; the conversations went something like this,

“Hi! I’m moving down to St. Thomas in December, can you let me know if you have any open server positions?”

“We might have some open positions, contact us once you’re ‘on island’.”

The most I got from the phone calls were some names - that was about it. As soon as we arrived I called again and set up some appointments - as I was now ‘on island’ they were happy to meet with me and I secured a position.

There are many jobs to be had in the tourist industry - retail positions in the many stores, a variety of careers with hotels and resorts, joining the team at a tourist destination like Mountain Top or Coral World. Once you get on island you should be prepared to set aside some time to get in the car and go from place to place. Face to face contact always beats a phone call!

One thing that worked in my favor? We moved there at the beginning of the high season (Dec through April), so there were jobs to be had. Had we moved during the slow season I would have had a more difficult time as businesses cut down on hours and positions.

Looking for a job outside of tourism? St. Thomas has schools, government offices, healthcare options, real estate positions, law offices, banks…etc. If you’re currently working in a position in one of these fields it would not be as necessary for you to be on island to apply for job opportunities. Get on the internet and phone, fax in your resume, contact as many people as possible and let them know when you’ll be arriving, what your experience is and when you can start. Newspapers are a great place for research - check out the St. Thomas Source and the VI Daily News. One thing to keep in mind, the salary may be lower than you hoped.

If none of the above options appeal to you then it might be time to hit the water! Snorkeling, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, sailing, charter boats - these are all acitivities that you could be a part of. Join a resort and spend your days teaching people how to windsurf. Check out our beaches and encourage people to up their fun level by renting them jet skis and other watercraft. Go down to a marina and see who needs a mate on their ship. The opportunities are endless.

Still want another option? Tap into your entrepreneurial spirit and open a business on the island - think of something St. Thomas needs that no one has thought of yet!

Then run it by us

Good luck!

Just click on St. Thomas Blog below:

Head over to our new St. Thomas Message Board and start a discussion or help someone out. C’mon you limin’ blog readers give a St. Thomas hand. It’s a great way to help out visitors, meet new people or promote your St. Thomas business. Other message boards prohibit self promotion. Not us, promote away. We’re all about promoting St. Thomas. Now click over, click, click, click. You, that means you.

Check the message board out here

While perusing our always-interesting list of phrases typed into the search engines that bring people to our blog I ran across this phrase, searched twice:

“can you move from us to st thomas”

Here’s your answer: Yep!

I’ll assume they’re wondering if there’s a pile of paperwork that needs to be filled out, as if you were moving into a foreign country. The answer is no. St. Thomas is US owned; so as a US citizen you can waltz right on in with no paperwork required. Depending how you ship, or mail your items down they will have to clear customs, but that’s not a hard process.

Pack your bags, board your flight, grab a car, drive to your new St. Thomas home, and you’re in!

Welcome!

Unless you’ve been hit over the head with a coconut, or are in a Pina Colada-induced haze, you know that the Summer Olympics are beginning in two days. On August 8 the world turns it’s eyes to Beijing for two weeks of competition.

The Virgin Islands will be represented during the Olympics; we have seven athletes who will be vying for a medal:

John Jackson, a boxer, will compete in the welterweight class.

His brother, Julius Jackson, also a boxer, will compete in the light-heavy class. (you can read more about VI boxers here in the STT Source and here in the VI Daily News)

Thomas Barrows III, a sailor, will compete in the Laser event.

Ned Gerard, a shooter, will compete in the 50 metre rifle prone event. (Trivia Time, via the STT Source: The VI Sport Shooting Federation has put a shooter in the Olympics every year since 1972. Believe it. )

Laverne Jones, a runner, will be competing in the 100 and 200 meter races.

Tabarie Henry, a runnner, will compete in the 400 meter race.

Joshua Laban, a swimmer, will compete in the 50 meter freestyle.

This article has more details on each of the VI Olympians, via the Daily News. You can check out the Virgin Island’s history with the Olympics on this Wikipedia page.

Look for our flag during the opening ceremonies:

Good luck to our VI athletes, I’ll raise a frozen drink in your honor!

It’s time for another entry in the Best of St. Thomas Awards 2008.

Welcome to Romano’s restaurant, Winner for Best Italian, Fine Dining 2008 St. Thomas Restaurant.

Romano’s, known for their Northern Italian menu, is located on the east end of St. Thomas, in Smith Bay - right on the way to Coral World. As you walk into their intimate, elegantly decorated dining room you know you are in for a fine dining experience. Romano’s is also an art gallery, and the walls are covered in original paintings, all available for purchase. The twist? The artist on the walls is also the artist in the kitchen: the paintings are the creation of Tony Romano, chef and owner of the restaurant. Tony is originally from New Jersey.

Here’s a shot of the stylish dining room:

You can view his paintings here.

Romano’s opened in 1988, and their philosophy has not changed, “Purchase the best ingredients available and prepare them simply and with flavor”. Here are a few delectable choices from their menu: Lumache in Cocotte~tender escargot with garlic, prosciutto, cream sauce, Penne Pianello~mushrooms, prosciutto, pine nuts, brandy, cream and parmesan, Animeila de Viteilo con Pepe~Veal sweetbreads sauteed with garlic, mushrooms, marsala, peppercorns and cream. Sounds delicious! Romano’s offers both Italian and California wines to compliment your meal. You can view the menu on this page, on the bottom.

If you still have room for dessert there are treats created daily, as well as cordials and after-dinner drinks including Romano’s homemade Lemoncello and Orangecello, yum!

Romano’s small size is perfect for a gathering of your closest friends. With a five seat bar (on the left in the below picture), and a twelve table dining room you’ll enjoy a warm and lively atmosphere as you linger over your food and sips of wine. 

If you are part of a large party Romano’s is happy to accomodate you with a tailored menu, and will happily rent out the entire restaurant for a private party of up to fifty people.

Here’s a picture of their staff (borrowed from their website, this was the staff in 2005), Tony is on the left:

Congratulations to Romano’s Restaurant and Art Gallery, from St. Thomas Blog!

A peaceful picture for the end of the work week. Enjoy your weekend!