Guy H. Benjamin from the Foreword of St. John Off The Beaten Track
At the turn of nearly every page of Gerald Singer's new book, St. John Off The Beaten Track", you'll say to yourself, "I didn't know that."...For example, did you know that men once dueled (yes, dueled) at Waterlemon (that's right lemon) Cay in Leinster Bay? Before 1800, men from St. Thomas and St. John would sail off to Tortola to avenge their honor, but when British authorities outlawed dueling, they switched their locale to Waterlemon Cay. This book isn't just about history. You'll find a map of Leinster Bay, complete with X's to mark the ruins, arrows pointing out good snorkeling spots, and dotted lines indicating trails. Singer gives readers a potpourri of facts about the lesser-known spots on St. John...There are sections on the 1733 St. John Slave Rebellion, sea grass, and nude bathing at Salomon Bay. Did you know that...Henley Cay was the sight of the first airplane crash on St. John? (Lynda Lohr, The Daily News March 25, 1997) Treasures come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Mr. Gerald Singer has given us a fitting treasure in St. John Off The Beaten Track, with history, folk tales, beauties of nature, the best places to relax and wonder and the scenic vistas that make St. John the pearl of places. Whether you swim, snorkel, dream, interact with nature, love solitude, love people or just want to be you, take St. John, Off The Beaten Track along with you. Read it at your leisure. Meet the liar from Johnny Horn or the swimmers from Leinster Bay to "Freedom" in Tortola. Go to Rams Head or the Peace Hill. You have a treat in store. Enjoy!


Book Description
This unique, captivating guide takes you where no other guide book can - to the little known, hard to reach, out of the way and easy to miss parts of this special island in the U.S. Virgins. Other guidebooks can tell you where to stay, eat, shop, or rent a car. But Off the Beaten Track takes you off the road and on to the islands many hiking trails, telling insider stories as you go. Then it takes you off the trails, scrambling up rocks, walking the shoreline, and wandering up and down lush green guts. It will also lead you to the best snorkeling, the lesser-known beaches old plantation ruins and much more. Mr. Singer is an enthusiastic storyteller and much history and culture is shared along the way. A 30-year resident, he lets you in on many places that other locals wish he wouldn't mention, preferring to keep these spots to themselves. Indeed his guide brings these places to life and takes the reader back in time to the action, adventure, history, struggle, strife, work, and play that spawned the colorful personality St. John is known for even today. The book has everything you need to keep you busy, enthralled, and moving about. Enjoy the full color photos by St. John photographer Dean Hulse and illustrations by Natasha Singer. Read it before you go. Pick your adventures. Bring the book with you. And, once on the island, use it both to decipher the hints left behind by a culture now vanished as well as to enjoy the beauty of this pristine paradise, nearly impossible to find elsewhere today.


From the Author
"St. John Off the Beaten Track" is, more than anything else, an expression of my love for St. John, its people and its culture. St. John is one of the greatest places on Earth. So come and visit, and let "St. John Off the Beaten Track" provide you with information that will greatly enhance your tropical island experience.


From the Back Cover
St. John Off The Beaten Track A Unique and Unusual Guide to St. John U.S.V.I. National Park Trails The Ruins, the Views, and the Natural Environment "Off Trail" Adventures Along secluded shorelines and pristine mountain guts with lush tropical foliage, fresh water pools and waterfalls The History, Culture and People of St. John Private and Intimate Beaches The Best Snorkeling Spots The Ecology Forests, beaches, salt ponds, Mangroves and Coral Reefs, their importance and their Interrelationships Plus Maps, illustrations, folk tales, riddles and color photos

SYNOPSIS

This unique, captivating guide takes you where no other guide book can - to the little known, hard to reach, out of the way and easy to miss parts of this special island in the U.S. Virgins. Other guidebooks can tell you where to stay, eat, shop, or rent a car. But Off the Beaten Track takes you off the road and on to the islands many hiking trails, telling insider stories as you go. Then it takes you off the trails, scrambling up rocks, walking the shoreline, and wandering up and down lush gMr. Singer is an enthusiastic storyteller and much history and culture is shared along the way. A 30-year resident, he lets you in on many places that other locals wish he wouldn't mention, preferring to keep these spots to themselves. Indeed his guide brings these places to life and takes the reader back in time to the action, adventure, history, struggle, strife, work, and play that spawned the colorful personality St. John is known for even today.

The book has everything you need to keep you busy, enthralled, and moving about. Enjoy the full color photos by St. John photographer Dean Hulse and illustrations by Natasha Singer. Read it before you go. Pick your adventures. Bring the book with you. And, once on the island, use it both to decipher the hints left behind by a culture now vanished as well as to enjoy the beauty of this pristine paradise, nearly impossible to find elsewhere today.

FROM THE CRITICS

Laura Lohr - March 25 1997(Lynda Lohr, The Daily News)

...At the turn of nearly every page of Gerald Singer's new book, St. John Off The Beaten Track, you'll say to yourself, "I didn't know that."...For example, did you know that men once dueled (yes, dueled) at Waterlemon (that's right lemon) Cay in Leinster Bay? Before 1800, men from St. Thomas and St. John would sail off to Tortola to avenge their honor, but when British authorities outlawed dueling, they switched their locale to Waterlemon Cay

This book isn't just about history. You'll find a map of Leinster Bay, complete with X's to mark the ruins, arrows pointing out good snorkeling spots, and dotted lines indicating trails.

Singer gives readers a potpourri of facts about the lesser-known spots on St. John...There are sections on the 1733 St. John Slave Rebellion, sea grass, and nude bathing at Salomon Bay...

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Treasures come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Mr. Gerald Singer has given us a fitting treasure in St. John Off The Beaten Track, with history, folk tales, beauties of nature, the best places to relax and wonder and the scenic vistas that make St. John the pearl of places.