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Wednesday Day 3 Lazy Day and Party Night ruralcarrier 1 hour ago Two long days and two short nights caught up with me, as I did not get up until 6:45. My wife had forgotten some antibiotics, so I was on a quest to get them after failing the previous night at Maho Pharmacy. I was a pharmacy tech for 18 years way back when, and that experience has come in handy multiple times here. Franklin at Orange Grove Pharmacy took care of the situation at a fair price. A stop to put some gas in the car, as it was given to me with just 1/2 tank. About $6.50 per gallon if I calculated right. A stop at La Sucriere for pastries and back for the day.

The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent at The Horny Toad. We met a lady from MI and enjoyed talking with her about dogs and travel, A dip in the water, which was nice but up to the seawalls at places along the area near here. Some undertow, but it felt good to float around and enjoy the water. Friends stopped over after they had visited D's Beach Bar. We enjoyed talking to them; we live 2 hours from each other at home but have not seen them since Dec. They were not impressed with the beach area at D's as they said there was a lot of trash on the beach and seaweed.

David/Colour1 organized a party of various groups at Catch 21. It was well attended. Some complimentary rum punch and a vast selection of appetizers were included along with various giveaways. I finally met pat's other daughter, Karen as she was there with kim and other friends of theirs from home. Compliments to David and the staff at Catch 21 for a well-organized event.

Prior to heading to the party, our rental would not start, which had happened the previous day. It is a 2024 Versa, so the battery should not be a problem. We got it started and headed out, only to fine traffic on the causeway at a complete stop. I have no idea what the problem was, but what should have been a 5-minute drive took over 20 minutes. For as slow as the island appears to be, traffic is a mess at times. I had called Mark from Hardy's Car Rental and he came to PDP to check on the car problem. We could not even get the doors to lock with the remote, so he replaced the battery in that, and it seemed to take care of the problem. The car has a push button start and it appears a dead battery in the key fob keeps that from working, Many thanks to him for promptly responding, especially with the heavy traffic.

We headed to SMYC after the party to meet up with kim and her entourage again. She is an island celebrity, and we were honored to be in her company. Their group split some appetizers while my wife had the burger. She said it was excellent and properly cooked to her liking. The fries were seasoned with something that made them some of the best fries I have had in a very long time.

Probably a lazy day here again today.

I will close with the fact that there was a lady who came up to me at the party. I don't recall her name, and I had forgotten my glasses, so I could not see her name tag anyway. She recognized my name from being with TTOL and thanked me (and Carol and Eric) for the board and our contributions. It is always nice to hear that, as with the popularity of social media and the plethora of Facebook groups for SXM, it is often forgotten that TTOL goes way back and some of the Facebook groups were started by people who originally were TTOL members. Personally, I will take TTOL over any of the Facebook groups.

Thanks!

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trying to remember Virgin Gorda book Boulderboy 11 hours ago I loved reading a non-fiction account of a sailor when he stayed on VG for a year maybe in the late 50's or so. He met with some of the
local patriarchs and slept on Valley trunk Bay at times after benders. The tittle wa something like Who knows what the songbird sings.
Does anyone know the title and the author who wrote it.

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Mother's Helper Fritz_the_Cat Yesterday at 10:44 PM I'll be sailing next month for a week with 3 little ones. We could use an extra set of eyes and hands to help with the kids and some galley prep and clean up. They would have their own cabin on a 50' cat. Any recommendations?

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Cruise Ship Traffic Going To Get Busy Whale Tail Yesterday at 09:40 PM I just checked the cruise schedule on the TTOL homepage and WOW.
There were 20 cruise ships in port for the month of October and in November the number of ships is 80!
I guess low season is over

. I'm sure all of the business owners will be happy with the increase in traffic.
The road traffic is another story.

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Interesting Cruise Ship Whale Tail Yesterday at 08:54 PM Just saw this on the Tortuga cam and I took a screenshot. The picture is hazy because of the weather I guess.
The ship is called OE CORINTHIAN and is traveling from Bridgetown to San Juan.

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Dive BVI: A Caribbean Reef Adventure is now available! DiveBVI Yesterday at 04:27 PM Bring the magic of the British Virgin Islands to life with Dive BVI: A Caribbean Reef Adventure, a coloring book inspired by the vibrant underwater world of the Caribbean! From colorful tropical fish and playful sea turtles to spectacular coral reefs, every page invites you to explore, imagine, and create your own underwater masterpiece.

Perfect for ocean lovers, scuba diving enthusiasts, and budding marine explorers of all ages!

Now available on Amazon! Grab your copy and let the underwater adventure begin! We'll also have them available in our shops on Virgin Gorda and Scrub Island soon...if the ship ever ships!

Cheers!

Dive BVI: A Caribbean Reef Adventure

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Day 2 Town and Jax ruralcarrier Yesterday at 11:34 AM Even after a very long day and not much sleep, I am still an early riser, so I got to see the 3 ships come in. There is a turtle nest in the alley beside the Horny Toad. It is somewhat cordoned off. It would be interesting to see the eggs hatch. Someone was cleaning and raking the beach at the end of the alley. This is often a spot for families to have a beach party. It turns out they were preparing for what appeared to be an excursion from one of the ships. Several umbrellas were set up, small tables with wine classes, and a lot of food. They all had matching towels, which is what you would see from a ship. Two large catamarans also came in. They would usually go to Mullet Bay, but with the wind, I assume it was too rough there

We made a trip to town to see long time friends at Caribbean Gems, Diamonds and Designs, and Sage jewelers. We had some repairs to be made and some items cleaned. 3 large ships were in port, including The Icon of the Seas, and it was not at all busy. We did not have our usual pastries, so we opted for breakfast/lunch at French Touch. JP who used to have Antoines in town, has French Touch. Except for getting onions in her omlette when she asked for none, food and service were good, with a 15% service charge added to the very reasonable prices. It is located on Olde St.

Back to The Horny Toad for some relaxation and beach time before going to Jax for dinner. I stopped in Roma to say hello to Marco. We have known him since when he worked for Davide at LaGondola, 20+ years. I had a wine, and then we met friends for dinner at Jax.

Most had filets or surf and turf, while I had the beef short rib. Some had desserts, and since we were celebrating our 37th anniversary, they presented us with a dessert to share. Excellent food and service and prices comparable to a good steakhouse in the US. No service charge added.

A brief stop at the casino and then back for the night. The Maho area was not at all busy; Jax was getting busy, as was the casino. I don't gamble, but I know a couple of the others were doing well but am not sure how it ended.

Traffic coming back from town in the early afternoon was heavy and slow, but going to Jax and back last night was a breeze.

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Discount cards candj Yesterday at 01:27 AM Is the Magic of the Caribbean discount Card still active and has anyone used it recently? I bought it last year and it seemed that less restaurants honored it.

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Federal Lawsuit to Block Caneel Bay Redevelopment Plan DanS Yesterday at 12:30 AM A story from the St. Thomas Source:

https://stthomassource.com/content/...-to-block-caneel-bay-redevelopment-plan/

Quote

The Ecological Collective of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Washington, D.C., seeking to block a Trump administration redevelopment plan for the former Caneel Bay Resort on St. John, according to a press release issued by the Ecological Collective.

The lawsuit challenges a National Park Service proposal that would lease the entire 150-acre property to a private developer, potentially restricting public access to beaches and parkland and allowing commercial development near historic sites, the press release stated.

Dan

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Decade Absence BoatDrinks33 10/27/2026 11:54 PM My wife and I are finally talking about another visit to the island after over ten years of absence. Starting in 2001 we made our first visit and up until around 2015 we hardly missed a year traveling with our children and also trips with just the two of us. We felt comfortable and connected to the island, people and culture but now feels like we are starting over and have to get reacquainted. the French side was our usual go to, staying at Esmeralda, Alamanda Grand Blu,and a few private rentals on Orient Bay. Just looking for any advice on anything to expect that has changed and recommendations for places to stay, car rentals, any other suggestions to help plan a revisit. Thank You.

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