Tales of St. John and the Caribbean

An elegant and friendly book of short stories that people can carry to the beach with them and taste the flavor of the islands. "Tales of St. John and the Caribbean" has some something for everyone, island characters, adventures at sea, hurricanes, folk tales, island history, pirates and buried treasures.

Gerald Singer came to the Virgin Islands in 1969. He became a commercial fisherman in partnership with John Gibney. He later managed a vacation rental villa and served as a captain and guide for "adventure" boat charters. He is the author of the popular guidebook "St. John Off the Beaten Track" and writes a weekly column sponsored by St. John's Marina Market appearing on the back page of the Tradewinds newspaper. "Tales of St. John and the Caribbean" is collection of stories collected by Gerald Singer and written by him and the following authors:

Jack Andrews, a successful entrepreneur and talented writer, is best known on St. John as the developer of the prestigious Peter Bay Estates. He was born in New England and attended a one room school house in Nabnassett, Massachusetts. At the age of 17, he broke his neck in a diving accident and became the first person in medical history to survive a cervical spinal fusion. In the unprecedented procedure his head was wired to the rest of his body with a silver wire. Jack feels that this wire now acts as a built in antenna through which he receives otherworldly guidance. His next big project after the completion of the Upper Peter Bay development is to build a time machine atop the 962-foot-high Peter Peak in honor of Enoch and the angel Uriel.

Curtney Chinnery was born in Jost Van Dyke in 1954, a time when there were no roads, cars, electricity, telephones, TVs, tourists or white people on the island. It was a time when people survived by fishing, tending gardens and raising cattle. As a youngster, he moved to Tortola and became a "water rat" diving for coins thrown into the sea by visiting tourists and sailors of the British Navy. He later served as a mate on a private yacht that sailed throughout the Caribbean.

As a young man Curtney moved to New York City, receiving his education at the university of the streets. After too many misspent years in and out of trouble with the law, Mr. Chinnery (a.k.a. the Ghost) returned to the Virgin Islands where he has slowed down long enough to put a few of his stories in this book. A lively raconteur, he is now well known on St. John as a poet, storyteller and philosopher.

John Gibney was born on St. John. His parents, both writers, came to the islands in the 1940s and built a house at Hawksnest Bay (now known as Gibney Beach). John, a gentle but imposing island fixture, reminiscent of a Caribbean Tarzan, still lives on Gibney Beach, along with his wife, Teri and son, Tommy, where he writes and tends his magnificent garden of tropical fruit trees.

Bob Tis is a career newspaper reporter, sailor and anarchist with roots in St. John and New Hampshire.

Andrew Rutnik came to St. John in 1969. An ex-hippie, dedicated family man, and grower of fine fruits and beautiful tropical foliage, Andy now serves as Commissioner of Licensing and Consumer Affairs for the Virgin Islands Government.