St. Croix is surrounded by some of the most beautiful water in the world! How can you not get in it, get under it, or on top of it? Year-round warm temperatures make it so inviting for all kinds of activities.

Hop aboard a catamaran or trimaran and head with the pros to Buck Island off St. Croix's North Shore and 7 miles from Christiansted. Leave from town or Green Cay Marina. Visit Buck Island Reef National Monument--the first US Underwater National Park! Imagine a snorkel-guided tour through crystal clear water for an experience you'll never forget!

Caribbean sunsets are amazing especially when reflected in our beautiful waters. You can enjoy this romantic activity any day of the week with boats leaving from town and Gallows Bay.

Continue reading "Watersports & Activities" »

Link: Watersports & Activities

St. Croix is unique - an unspoiled American territory with the most affordable real estate in the entire Caribbean. One of the largest of the small Caribbean islands with a low developed to open space ratio, the "sleeping virgin" offers the best of the small town lifestyle.

Whether you are interested in a home, condominium, or vacant land, St. Croix is a bargain. With an area of more than 3 times St. Thomas and the same population, St. Croix has more choices with a wider price range. Because we are less densely populated, we have a more laid back life style and move at a slower pace - that's our charm!

Building lots are typically 1/2 acre or larger, with prices starting in the $40,000 range. Beachfront condominiums are plentiful in the $100,000 to $200,000 price range. The average home sale price is in the high $300,000's, with a nice selection of waterfront homes listed for under $1,000,000.

St. Croix is all about lifestyle - a tropical island paradise, affordable, comfortable, and personal. With prices at a 5 year low, now is the time to acquire your piece of the rock!

Julie San Martin, ReMax St. Croix, www.teamsanmartin.com

Link: A Dream Come True

This year the 39th Virgin Islands Agriculture and Food Fair opens at the Fair Grounds on Centerline Road on Saturday, February 13, for three days. The Agfair draws participants and visitors from as far south as Guyana to Puerto Rico to the mainland. Our sister islands of St. Thomas and St. John and the BVI also come over.

The Opening Ceremony, on the first day, recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the fair in the past and have the Farmer's Market, Food Pavilion, and Livestock Pavilion named after them. The ceremony culminates with the presentation of the Crop and Livestock Farmer of the Year awards before the cutting of the ribbon at the entrance to the Farmers' Market.

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Link: 39th Annual AgFair

ARTfarm, LLC - 514-4873
Saturdays, 9-11am (beginning Jan. 2)
St. Croix Map #11

Organically grown fresh, sweet local tomatoes, salads, herbs, veggies and a new farm are sprouting in 2010 at ARTfarm. After eight years at Southgate, Luca is closing the location in November 2009 and moving the farm over the hills to the south shore! A new farm stand is being built from old greenhouses, old sheds recycled for art gallery space, and operations expanding to eventually include livestock and sculpture gardens. During construction we'll have less food to sell. But farmer/artist Luca Gasperi plans to continue supplying customers with the highest quality fresh produce, and to give volunteers a beautiful place to get their hands in the soil.

Continue reading "Eat Fresh, Buy Local - A Farmer's Directory" »

Link: Eat Fresh, Buy Local - A Farmer's Directory

Part 7 in a series

Excerpts from "Divers Information on The Romantic History of St. Croix" by Florence Lewisohn, 1963, St. Croix Landmarks Society. R U M has gone by many names" Rhum, Rumm, Rumbooze, Rhumb and Rumbullion - and even the Indians ha a word for it - Ahcoobee.

As almost every West Indian knows, no two rums taste quite the same, varying greatly from island to island. In the early days on St. Croix, the quality of rum even varied from estate to estate. Each planter had his favorite methods and his secrets of flavor for creating what he felt was the superior product. The making of sugar and the making of rum were inseparable. Each plantation had its own still house, usually next to the sugar factory, where the molasses was used for rum-making. On St. Croix, the rum-making was on a fairly simple scale, but on the huge plantation of some of the British islands rum was also made on a grand scale with elaborate equipment.

Continue reading "How Molasses was Made" »

Link: How Molasses was Made

This time of year brings a large number of visitors to our island, including many Danes, in part because of our prevailing pleasant climate at a time when winter storms make life miserable in northern regions. By coincidence, it is also a time when some of the year's most enjoyable public activities take place, such as can be seen in our events calendar, brimming over with a great variety of activities, from agricultural fair to art show or regatta, to just name a few.

But the month of March has special meaning to anyone with a Danish connection. That is the time when Denmark-Virgin Islands Friendship month is celebrated. In recognition hereof, you will see all month the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, flying alongside the Stars and Stripes and the Virgin Islands flag at our handsome old Government House in Christiansted. This is a unique compliment to a former colonial power, as is the fact that even in the Virgin Islands Official Seal you will find a small Dannebrog flag depicted.

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Link: Friendship Month

The St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta kicks off regatta season with lots of great racing, February 19-21, 2010. "In addition to being a great warm-up for boats and their crews, we are sailing for a worthwhile cause, supporting hospice services for all who need it on St. Croix," says Julie San Martin, regatta director.

The winning CSA Spinnaker-1 skipper will get his/her weight in Cruzan Rum and an invitation to the Hospice Regattas National Championship, held in Rochester, NY, next June which includes up to thirty other Hospice Regatta winners from the U.S. and Canada.

The regatta invites all local and visiting live-aboards, cruising boats and multihulls to race in the Buck Island Channel, and promises at least one day of point-to-point racing, including the challenging Christiansted town race. One-design IC-24's and Rhodes 19's are invited to race in the protected waters of Teague Bay, with lunch ashore at the yacht club.

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Link: St. Croix Regatta

Nestled among the yachts of Green Cay Marina lies the Galleon Restaurant, one of the oldest on St. Croix and a local favorite for fine dining for over twenty-five years. The history starts with Dick Pelton who purchased land in 1979 in order to moor his boat and decided to build his own marina! It took five years for the dredging and to set the building for the restaurant on pilings. Frank Blaydon was then brought in as the architect of the restaurant. The original restaurant name was to be The Keyhole under first owners Bernard and Gail Lougot, serving classic French cuisine. Since the ceiling of the restaurant was designed to be a replica of the hull of a galleon ship they decided to change the name to The Galleon.

In 1984, the marina was opened and people started mooring their boats. The restaurant was opened as well in 1984 making it one of the oldest on St. Croix with only two different owners since then. Lesley Morrison, the current proprietor, moved to St. Croix twelve years ago. "Having been in the restaurant business since I was 17, and restaurant management since I was 20, and having worked the business through both Europe and Hawaii, I never thought I would have the opportunity to purchase my own until The Galleon came along," she says. Lesley has taken the fare from classic French to a more eclectic style with a slight Asian flare, as well as island inspired and classic dishes.

Continue reading "The Galleon" »

Link: The Galleon

Isabelle Picard has been a St. Croix resident for the past ten years. Growing up on a sailboat in the south of France, Isabelle spent most of her formative years in Hyeres, a beautiful seaside town on the French Riviera, before venturing off to the far corners of the world. She has traveled extensively, spending much of her time in the French West Indies, New Caledonia and Mexico. She is fluent in four languages.

A mural artist by profession, her work can be seen in private homes and public buildings throughout South Florida, the Virgin Islands and the south of France. Her paintings on canvas have also been collected worldwide. Her style is whimsical, colorful, happy, and has been called modern Caribbean Folk Art. Having studied graphic design in Florida, some of her work reflects a more graphic style. Post baccalaureate, Isabelle worked for several years as the head designer for a high volume custom paintings and mural company in South Florida, before starting her own company.

Continue reading "Island Art - Featured Artist Isabelle Picard" »

Link: Island Art - Featured Artist Isabelle Picard

By Nina McLain Cook

The 24th Whim Antique Auction, along with an Antique and Collectibles Fair, will be held March 7th at the Whim Museum, Frederiksted. The event celebrates the internationally known, exquisite craftsmanship of the Caribbean in furniture, art, tools, and accessories. The event is a major fundraiser for the St. Croix Landmarks Society, which, for over 60 years, has been dedicated to advancing the understanding and appreciation of the unique historical and cultural legacy of St. Croix through preservation, research, and education.

Buyers and sellers will unite to raise money for SCLS and for themselves in vigorous auction bidding and sales of the coveted handcrafted antiques and collector's items, proudly exchanging guardianship of the artistic and historical testament the pieces carry with them. Twentieth and twenty-first century handcrafted furniture and accessories, such as freeform tables, stump or root tables, wooden bowls, candlesticks, and treasure boxes are among items recognized as the antiques of tomorrow. They bring style and verve to the event and to the homes and offices that display them. Specially chosen "decorator pieces" that are contemporary or modern will be sold as well. Furniture, lamps, picture frames, large pots, rugs, porcelain, and art are snatched up by people who enjoy interesting items reflecting the unique styles of the Caribbean.

Continue reading "Whim Antiques Auction & Fair Returns with Gusto" »

Link: Whim Antiques Auction & Fair Returns with Gusto