Misunderstanding

A Beaconite was happy to work on New Year’s Eve, especially as work meant attending Foxy’s Old Year’s Night on Jost Van Dyke. It didn’t seem like a tough assignment until the Beaconite almost got punched in the face. After he took a photo of three women with New Year’s hats, one of the women, a tourist, wanted to know when it would run in the newspaper. But as she gave the reporter a slip of paper with her e-mail address, her boyfriend approached, apparently confused as to what the Beaconite was doing. The man grabbed for the camera and despite the Beaconite’s attempts to explain the misunderstanding the man got very angry and swung at him. Luckily, the man’s fist missed, hitting one of the wooden beams at the bar instead. The Beaconite walked away laughing, glad to walk away unscathed. He hopes the man’s hand wasn’t hurt too badly. He also hopes the man won’t be so quick to rush to judgment next time.

 

A pleasant experience

Customs and immigration officers often get a bad rap in the Virgin Islands, and in some cases they might deserve it. But a Beaconite travelling to the United States for the holidays had an excellent experience. When he left and when he returned through the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, customs and immigration officers alike were friendly and courteous, and they made every effort to process passengers quickly. The Beaconite appreciated the red-carpet treatment.

First baby

For the past three years, one Beaconite has reported on the first baby of the year. She always looks forward to the look of exhaustion, happiness and love on the faces of the new parents. The Beaconite is hopeful that the children she has covered will one day become community leaders and perhaps look back at the newspaper archives and see their first media appearance shortly after birth.

Wrong bay

A Beaconite received an inadvertent lesson in Virgin Islands geography over the weekend, and has the blisters on his feet to prove it. He planned to attend a co-worker’s birthday party at Long Bay beach, but because he doesn’t have a car, getting there from Road Town meant relying on a combination of taxis, walking and hitching rides. The Beaconite had never been to Long Bay Beach Resort, but he knew that hitching in the direction of West End and then finding his way to the beach was the best way. And he was right. But when he arrived he couldn’t find his friends. That’s when he realised they were at Long Bay on Beef Island, a beach whose existence had slipped the Beaconite’s mind. It would have been a long walk between the resort and the beach, but the Beaconite was able to make it within two hours though a combination of four rides from strangers kind enough to pick him up. It was a good way to start the New Year.

Cruise Schiff

Never been on a cruise ship? Neither had one Beaconite until yesterday. Although the vessels frequently appear in Road Harbour, life inside a ship is a world only known to passengers and crew. The Beacon was invited to tour the Mein Schiff 2, a vessel that began stopping in Road Town for the first time in November. A multimedia presentation of the ship tour will be posted at bvibeacon.com.