David Conro and Robin Eldridge are baby boomers. They grew up in small farming communities. Dave in the Catskill Mountains of New York and Robin in Northeast Iowa. Dave completed service in the Marine Corps. Robin graduated from college. Both set off for new adventures beyond the small towns of their youth. Near the end […]
This is really a story about how we come to call a place home. It is also a story about a day when an ill conceived dinghy rodeo took place in Coral Bay. It was one of those days that everything went so upside down that it left me wondering where in the world I had […]
The Virgin Islands is a paradise not only full of beauty but also an alluring history. Just below the surface of our ever changing sand and unbelievably blue waters is the story of square riggers battling for their crown, pirates trading goods and hiding in the protection of promises made by corrupt governors of St. […]
I’m always at a bit of a loss when people ask what I do for a living, or whether I travel for business or pleasure. Basically, I get paid to move other people’s boats around for them. Sometimes it’s fun and sometimes it is the worst job in the world. If you think that a […]
The tiny house craze seems to have enveloped the Virgin Islands and the joke about tiny houses and their rentability just keeps getting bigger. Stained Glass Irene, who is almost always right, told me never to relate this following true tiny house story in print. Did I listen to her? Nope. This tale is macabre […]
When Bob Shinners imagines the movie of his life it opens with him as a young man standing on a Milwaukee bridge in a thick parka. He climbs the safety rail, closes his eyes, and jumps. As he plunges into the icy water, his steel-toed boots and heavy winter clothes suck him into the murky […]
Carolyn Goodlander is truly a woman of the world. When I met with Carolyn to share lunch and words at the Cruz Bay Landing on St. John, she had just returned from her third circumnavigation aboard the sailboat home she shares with her writer husband Captain Fatty Goodlander, the editor-at-large at Cruising World Magazine, author […]
Lots of cruising sailors wash over the collective bow of St. John. Many are capable and navigate the Sir Francis Drake Channel like it was a lake. Others fall into the category of quirky and fade quickly from memory. Others just stick because they are so real. John St. John is one cruiser that I […]
Virgin Island transplants get a lot of questions. Most are easily answered with, “The beach is that way,” or “You know, working hard, mom.” Another type of question, that is not so simply answered, revolves around moving to the islands. If you already live here, these queries come from cyberspace like meteors. You’ve got mail […]
In an age of unlimited streaming movies, music and video games, how do we convince the next generation that folk ways have value and beauty? When any product we dream of is mass produced, available and affordable, why keep oral storytelling, boat building, basketry, herb lore, woodwork and sewing alive? These questions can be answered […]
The story of surfing in the Virgin Islands is an exciting one. This might be hard to believe if you’ve spent any time on one of the VI’s world-famous beaches. The gentle ripples on tranquil turquoise bays don’t bring to mind the incredible thrill of cutting down the face of a ten-foot wave. However, those […]
What about you? Yes You! We invite You reader, to connect with us and share your VI stories, tips or comments on this blog too! Whether or not you live here, have been here or were born here, your experiences matter. They are authentic and personal and that’s what this blog is supposed to be about.
