Believe

Sometimes I wonder…
how did I get here?

I remember Dave asking me “Hey, you want to go to the Virgin Islands?” And I said “What’s the Virgin Islands?”

And just like that…36 years disappear.

Jaguar started with 2 friends and a thought of going to the Caribbean. Just a thought and nothing else. No band, no equipment, no dates, and definitely no money. Actually we had 2 things. A crazy idea and our belief in each other. We made our dream happen by surrounding ourselves with the best people we could find. We also learned that our perseverance was bigger than any obstacle.

When I first visited the USVI in 1989, it changed my life. I left St. Thomas a better person than when I arrived 4 months earlier. I learned to believe in myself. I learned to trust the people close to me. But I also believed that I would never be back. And then almost 30 years later to day Dave shows up at my door.

What if we do it again 30 years later? Could we do it? Could we start all over? That’s a crazy dumb idea right? Well, what I learned is - 30 years later, things are exactly the same but totally different. Maybe you can never go home, but you can always go back to paradise.

Funny thing about life…
You never know when it’s going to bless you or it’s going to punch you in the face.
Somehow, no matter what happens….
Surround yourself with people that will have your back even when you are not in the room…
Believe in the people you love…
And always believe in yourself.

Credit Where Credit is Due

It is the generosity of people that live on St. Thomas and St. John that has kept the Jaguar dream alive.

Reed and Sherry Compton
The World Famous Beach Bar St. John

Sherry and Reed

We have gotten to know Reed and Sherry over the past 5 years. We have become friends. Reed and Sherry are dedicated supporters of keeping live music in Love City. Their passion and devotion have kept local and international musicians playing music in St. John for many years. We are thankful for them! We do not want to live in a world where we don’t play music at the Beach Bar.

___________________________

Priscilla Lynn
Street Level VI

Priscilla has her game face on!

Priscilla is an inspiration. Her enthusiasm for live music in her USVI world is breath taking. Jaguar became a better band when she joined our team. Please say hello to Priscilla when you come see us. But please wait until she stops dancing.

___________________________

Nathan and Lourdes McGlone
Lourdes and the Switch

Lourdes and Nathan

As Nathan once said to me…. “There is Unity in Community”. Lourdes and Nathan have accepted Jaguar as one of their own. They have welcomed Jaguar to their music ecosystem. They have been very generous with their support, time and equipment. Jaguar does not have any chance for success without the help that they provide.

___________________________

Walter and Becky Petruska
Everlong Excursions

Jaguar is Everlong for life!

Meet New People Do Cool Things! Look it up. We have become best buddies with two of the nicest people we have ever met. And we are so happy that Walter flew the band down on his private jet to play Becky’s birthday party! OK, the private jet stuff isn’t true but her birthday party was. We had so much fun the last time we wanted to do it again. We are so thankful that Walter reached out to us 2 years ago.

The Dearly Departed

We have an unspoken rule in Jaguar. No one is allowed to speak of the last day of our trip until the last day. Today is that day. We understand that every trip to the Caribbean is special. Every moment is precious. We also know that everything is over in a heartbeat. We woke up to storm clouds. Sometime after breakfast the sky changed into sunshine and rainbows. One last breathtaking moment before we go.

We realized we were at the end of the rainbow and it was beautiful.

We packed up our belongings and drove to the airport. It the saddest drive you will ever make. The airport was packed with other sad travelers. Here’s a tip, when traveling with someone with a broken leg you get a front of the line pass. It comes in handy. Thanks Chris! way to take one for the team. As the band waited for our flights, a gentleman walked up behind me and said “next time don’t forget your keyboards.” I turned around and it was a couple I had met last Thursday at the Beach Bar.

Quick Story:
After we got done playing Thursday night, Rick was asked to play a song for a wedding party. The groom’s mother had requested a special for her and her son to dance to. Rick was happy to oblige and performed the song solo. With nothing to do I walked over to a gentleman I had never met and said, “Hey after this song I am going to get you up to play keyboards…. oh wait…. we didn’t bring any. My bad.” Well he and his wife thought that was really funny. Fast forward 4 days later, we meet again at the airport. Suddenly the day became little less sad. Turns out Bill and his wife Sandy had spent an extended vacation on St. John and were returning back to the Northeast. I am not allowed to say where they live because they are probably fugitives.

Bill DeGiacomo (keyboards) Michael and Chris waiting to board Bill’s private jet.

We were reminded one more time how much we enjoyed meeting people this trip. It is was makes this area of the world so special. It is why every one of us keeps coming back. And maybe we weren’t so sad after all. We all made it back to our homes safely. We brought back t-shirts, souvenirs, jewelry and sunburns. But more importantly we brought home memories of some of the happiest moments of our lives. How’s that for a working vacation. True story.

Love for Sail

Jaguar has now made 6 trips to St. Thomas since we reunited in 2019. We have always scheduled one “Boat Day” with Ryan Diehl and his charter company Sail With Liberty. It is scheduled on the last full day of our stay. It is a way for Jaguar to celebrate our trip with a day on the ocean. This boat day we were joined by Lourdes and Nathan McGlone. Yes, that’s right. We had 3 of the 4 members of the world famous Lourdes and the Switch. (Captain Ryan Diehl happens to be the drummer) . That means we almost had 2 full bands on one boat.

We met Ryan at American Yacht Harbor and hopped in the his dinghy to board his catamaran Justice. 1st Mate Cassie was waiting for us. This would be our first time sailing with Cassie. Hopefully she would make it to the end of the day. Spoiler Alert - She finished the cruise and did not punch one band member in the face. We headed to St. John. It was a beautiful day to be sailing on a boat with some of my best friends in the world. We anchored near Honeymoon Beach. We dinghyed to shore. Lourdes, Nathan, Jason hung out on the beach. Chris, Rick, Debra, Ryan and I put our gear on and went snorkeling. Wow! What a day! We were swimming with the fishes! This area is our go to spot when we are sailing with Ryan. This is one of the few times he jumped in the water with us. At one point he waved to Deb and I to follow him. We swam over to a section of the beach in front of Caneel Bay. We had never snorkeled this section of the beach before. It was outstanding. Deb and I agreed that it was the best snorkel experience we ever had in the Caribbean. Yes, that good. On the way back to the shore we stopped to watch 2 turtles eat sea grass. Turtle watching never gets old.

We all gathered back to The Justice for lunch. After lunch we sailed back to St. Thomas. We said our sad goodbyes to Nathan, Lourdes and Captain Ryan. As always, it was another fabulous day floating on the ocean with our friends.

The last supper toast

We headed back to the house for the band’s last dinner together. It has become a tradition that we share this meal and reflect back on the joy of our trip. After dinner I ask everyone a set of questions. It allows everyone to reflect on thier favorite parts of the trip. It is funny, surprising and always heartfelt. Rick prepared another amazing dinner. Who knew our private chef could also sing? I know right? We answered the questions and prizes were handed out. It was a 3 way tie for the best answers. What a long exciting day. It was a great ending to another very successful trip. Goodnight St. Thomas. See you in my dreams.

Here comes the Sun Day

Oh boy… Today I get to write our day at the Sapphire Beach Bar. Where do I start?

I will start with Nathan and Lourdes. The husband and wife team of Lourdes and the Switch. It is practically impossible for any band to travel to the Virgin Islands. The cost to move the equipment required is prohibitive. The Beach Bar in St. John provides all your equipment. To play St. Thomas it is complicated. Nathan offered to provide us all the equipment we needed to play Sapphire Beach. ALL THE EQUIPMENT. He even rearranged his band’s schedule so that the equipment was available. I don’t have the words to describe how generous this is. We would not be standing on the Sapphire Beach stage without them.

We normally play on one show on St. Thomas. That one show is always at Sapphire Beach. That show is always our last show. Everything we do leads up to this one last show. Let’s just say we were all very excited. We woke up Sunday morning to big dark rain clouds. Those clouds turned into heavy rain. I checked the forecast on 3 weather apps. No rain after 12 PM. Or as they say, if you don’t like the weather in St. Thomas, wait 15 minutes. The storm passed. Then the sun and blue skies appeared.

Jason, Deb and I met Nathan at his rehearsal studio at noon. We loaded up his drums and some additional gear he could not fit in his van. We headed to Sapphire Beach. Chris and Rick met us there with our instruments. Nathan helped us get set up and we had a quick sound check. We had not played Sapphire beach for 2 years. We were ready. I started seeing familar faces. Some people I knew. Some people I made it a point to meet. Walter had rented all the cabanas for Becky’s second birthday party. There were a lot of people. Pricilla brought her SLVI posse. Bill and Christie, Mary Ann, Lolly, Paul and Jennifer….the list goes on and on…. This was going to be big. Really Big.

Jaguar played 3 sets. As you can see from the pictures…we had a blast. It was a big wonderful party on the beach. Just having the opportunity to play on this stage after what we have been through the past 2 years was a miracle.

People sang with us. People danced with us. People laughed and partied with us. It was as good as a last show as you could hope for. After 30 some years these islands still feel like home. Thanks to everyone for spending the day at Sapphire Beach with us. We will remember this moment forever.

People sang with us. People danced beside us. They laughed, shouted, cheered, and turned the whole place into one giant wave of joy. It wasn’t just a concert—it was a shared celebration, the kind of magic that only happens when music, friends, and island breezes collide.

As final shows go, it doesn’t get better than this. After more than 30 years, these islands still feel like a second home—familiar, warm, and full of soul.

To everyone who came out and made Sapphire Beach shine a little brighter that day—thank you. For the energy, the love, the memories. This moment is burned into our hearts… and we’ll carry it with us, always.

Jaguar in the House

We woke up and there was only one question on everyone’s mind… what beach are we going to today? Decisions, decisions, decisions…. As I know there are no wrong answers. After some quick deliberation we decided on Linquist Beach. Debra and I got to spend time on this beach last year. The rest of the band had never been.

The beach is quiet, small and breathtaking. What a day. We were in and out of the water. We went for walks around the beach. It was wonderful. Chris went for a long snorkel. He came out of the water with the biggest smile on his face. He told us he got to swim with a family of 4 turtles. It was outstanding. Chris could not stop talking about it. Who could blame him? These are the memories that will last a lifetime. I believe this became Jaguar’s favorite beach of the trip. It was an amazing day.

We came home and ate dinner, and got cleaned up. Tonight we had circled Lourdes and the Switch at the Smoking Rooster on the calendar. The Smoking Rooster was 8 minutes from our house. Lourdes and Nathan have adopted Jaguar. This trip could not have happened without their kindness and support. We have gotten to know every member of the band over the last 5 years. They really are a band of great musicians and even better people.

Lourdes and the Jaguar Switch!

Jaguar was in the house! Rick got up and sang back-ups. Jason played drums. Rick sang lead vocals. Jason and Rick played together with the band. Jason danced. Rick danced. Debra never stopped dancing. It was a blast. Our 2 bands became one and it was beautiful. We are constantly reminded that we love this place because of the people. It was a great way to end a great day.

The Jeep Life

Debra and I met Walter and Becky of Everlong Excursions in 2023 when they contacted me and asked if they could take Debra and I on a jeep tour. We spent the day with them. They are now our friends for life. As soon as the 2025 Jaguar dates were booked I called Walter and said let’s take the band on a jeep tour of St. John. He said no and hung up the phone. Just kidding. He said “Me, Becky and 2 jeeps. Let’s do it!” Walter and Becky came and picked us up at Casa de Jaguar bright and early. We mounted up and drove to the ferry. Walter, Chris and Jason in “The Beast”. Becky, Debra, Rick and I in “The Survivor”. Our first stop was the Windmill Bar. No, not because we needed to get our drink on. It was for the spectacular view. Oh my god Becky… look at that view!

Our next stop on the tour was the Catherineberg Estate Ruins. One of the first significant slave rebellions in the New World occurred on St. John. The Catherineberg Estate, also known as the Hammer Farm, served as the headquarters for the African slaves who took over the island for six months in 1773. Today, this former sugar and rum factory is known as the Catherineberg Ruins. Located within Virgin Islands National Park, this historic site includes the ruins of an impressive windmill tower that’s almost four stories tall, a factory, still, horse mill and a stable. Visiting the sugar plantation ruins has been on my wife’s bucket list for a few years. Well let’s cross that off her list. It truly was a site to see.

Our next stop was the Skinny Legs restaurant in Coral Bay for lunch. Their famous hamburgers are legendary. Oh my god Becky…look at that burger. Everyone agreed these were really, really good burgers. Really Good Burgers. After lunch our next stop was Hansen Bay Beach for some much needed St. John beach time. Man, did it hit the spot. It was a nice, quiet beach off the side of the road. We all got wet. Chris even got to do some quick snorkeling. He is amazing with one good leg.

We left Hansen Bay and raced to catch the 4:30 car ferry back to St. Thomas. We made the ferry and then Walter and Becky took us back to our house. What a great day. What a great experience. What a great way to spend the time with great friends. This is what makes the islands so special. The people that live here.

Cheers to the car ferry back to St. Thomas

Deb and I got cleaned up and headed to dinner. Bill Creque and Christy Mitchell asked us to meet them for dinner at Cuvee. It’s a fancy little restaurant in Charlotte Amalie. We met Bill in 2020 when the band came down and we rented cars from him. We have remained friends ever since. Jason asked us if we could drop him off at Taphus on the way. Willow Hill, a band from Nashville was playing and Jason loves country music. We dropped Jason off and we met Bill and Christy. We had a wonderful dinner. The food was excellent. Bill and Christy are the best! On the way home we stopped at The Taphas to pick up Jason and listen to Willow Hill. We had met them in 2023 when they came to see us play at the Beach Bar on St. Patrick’s day. They are amazing. I told Alexandra that Jaguar was now the 3rd best band on the island. She laughed but I think she knew I was right. I am so glad we got the meet and greet. It was a great day because we got to spend time with wonderful people.

Make A Wish

Debra and I got an early start to the day. I woke up Jason and asked him if he wanted to make a quick beach run. He said he was in. Chris and Rick opted to stay home and rest. I took Jason and Debra to Morningstar Beach. It was the closest beach to our house. Closest as in a 4 minute drive. I had not been to Morningstar Beach since 1989. Back then it was Jaguar’s go to beach. 30 some years and 4 hurricanes later… things have changed. It was smaller than I remembered and Frenchman’s Reef’s property is now much more extensive. I am not saying this is better or worse. Like most things after 30 years… it’s just different.

We spent about an hour at the beach and as you know by now, it was wonderful. As we were leaving Jason said,”Hey that’s John Oats!” We turned to see someone rinsing his feet as he was leaving the beach. “Hey Oats” Jason said in this guy’s direction. He did not respond. I said, “That’s not John Oats.” “He’s not here in St. Thomas” I said as I gave him my “you must be crazy face”. Yeah, funny thing about that…. John Oats and Matt Ramsey of Old Dominion performed at the Frenchman’s Reef latter that night. I no longer question Jason’s celebrity spotting ability.

We made the 4 minute drive back to the house ate lunch and got everything ready to make the 4 PM ferry back to St. John. This would be our 3rd and final show at the World Famous Beach Bar. We had a quick dinner (the food at the beach bar is so good) and a round of “the lime and the coconut” before we set up. Debra headed over to Morgan’s Mango to grab a slice of the best Key Lime Pie we have ever tasted. Yes she brought it back to let us taste it. It is unbelievably good.

Tonight was Debra’s birthday. Her birthday party in the Caribbean! Am I Right? Yes, we sang happy birthday to her and made a big deal out of it. She was equally happy and embarrassed. I do know by her face that her birthday wishes came true.

Happy Faces in Happy Places

Today is our second Beach Bar show! We skipped going to the beach hoping that it would give Chris a little extra time to recover. We hung out around the house. This house is a great place to enjoy doing nothing. We truly enjoy our view of paradise.

We caught the 4:00 PM ferry to St. John and were at the Beach Bar by 4:30 PM. The Beach Bar has some great new items on their menu, so of course, we had to try them. They were delicious! Be sure to try their food. You won’t be disappointed. Deb needed to support the local vendors, so shopping it is. We walked down to the St. John Spice store for some souvenirs. It has become one of our favorite gift shops in Cruz Bay. We also bought some presents for Debra’s birthday tomorrow. Who doesn’t love presents from St. John? Seriously?

Back to the Beach Bar and time to get to work. We got all set up by our 7 PM show time. We were reminded of the new volume restrictions that were installed when the Beach Bar was allowed to start having live music again last month. The new rules are: music 2 nights a week and the volume can never exceed 110 decibels. At last Sunday’s parade party we didn’t have a volume restriction. Reed (the owner of the Beach Bar) told me since we were playing in the afternoon and it was a special occasion, we could play at our normal volume. Our normal volume is loud. Reed actually installed a decibel meter that could be viewed from the stage. God Bless Mr. Compton.

How did we do? Funny you should ask…. by the second song Jeff (the manager) said we are getting volume complaints. By the third song I got a text from Reed telling me we had to turn down. Reed was in Dallas, Texas. I honestly did not think we were that loud. By the end of the set Jeff was happy, Reed was happy and the db meter was resting comfortably under 110 dbs.

Walter and Becky of Everlong Excursions came over from St. Thomas with some friends to celebrate Becky’s birthday. We got to celebrate Becky’s birthday the last time we were here in 2023. Next Sunday at Sapphire Beach we will celebrate it for the third time. These guys are the BEST!

It was also Annie’s 80th birthday. We have met Annie and her on previous trips to St. John. She is 80 going on 25! What a hoot! We also ran into Mark and Martha from Pennsylvania. We met them 4 years ago at the Beach Bar. These 2 know how to have fun! Every night they are at the Beach Bar is a great night. What a wonderful way to spend time with people we now call friends.

Rick ended the night with a surprise acoustic set. It was just what the doctor ordered. He had everyone in the bar singing and having a great time.

Reed was happy.
Jeff was happy.
Walter and Becky were happy.
Mark and Martha were happy.
The Beach Bar was happy.
Jaguar was happy to experience another day in our happy place.

Prescriptions Filled

Second day off! We woke up and checked on Chris. He had a good night sleep and was feeling much better. YAY! I suggested he stay home and rest. He was not having it! A beach day would be the best medication. After an amazing breakfast by chef Rick, Chris and Jason went straight to the Pharmacy for Chris’ meds and Rick, Deb, and I headed to the water. They met us at Secret Harbor Beach. This beach is located on the East side of the island. It was another beach the boys had never seen. We got the beach chairs and umbrellas set up just before Chris and Jason arrived. Then it was band in the water.

We had lunch at the Sunset Grill just a few steps from our beach chairs. We dined on hamburgers, fish tacos, and fish sandwiches. I almost forgot to mention the band favorite Lime in the Coconut frozen cocktails for everyone. After lunch, it was band back in the water. What a great beach day. Everything was just perfect.

We went back to the house and Rick prepared us a gourmet dinner of his special pan seared chicken, 3 potato hash, and green beans. It was off the hook! Bartender Jason ensured we all had his specially crafted cocktails. Chris was feeling great. We decided to stay home to let him rest, and we had an early living room practice session. Everyone was happy. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Beach Time is The Right Time

Jaguar is finally headed to a beach

Guess what today is! Day 1 of the next 2 days off. 2 glorious uninterrupted days at the finest beaches St. Thomas had to offer. The hardest part of the day was choosing which beach to go to. There would be no wrong answer. Someone told us on the ferry home yesterday that Megans Bay was going to be overly crowded, so we ventured to Brewers Bay Beach.

This is the money shot

Jaguar’s first official beach day of our 2025 tour. The first day at the beach is always special. Today was Jason, Rick, and Chris’ first time visiting Brewer’s Bay. You never forget your first. The guys trusted my decision. It was wonderful. Deb and Rick saw baby turtles almost as soon as they walked in the water. As you can see in the photos below, we wore our happy faces all day.

On the way home from Brewer’s Bay Chris began feeling acute abdominal pain. We made it back to the house. A few hours later Deb and I carted Chris off to the closest emergency room, Schneider Regional Medical Center located in downtown Charlotte Amalie. Fortunately for Chris it was only a 15 minute drive. We arrived at 4:30 PM and waited with Chris until he saw a doctor and received pain relief. We left the hospital around 5:30 PM as they were performing tests.

This is Chris after the pain medication had taken effect.

When we got to the house, we all were terribly worried about Chris. So, what does a band do in this situation? Pool Party!!! Jason invited us to his pool party while we waited to hear from Chris. What better way to relieve the stress of Chris’ pending prognosis than with an all-night pool party. It was a fun, happy, hilarious, emotional, memorable occasion held in his honor.

Deb and I decided to return to the hospital after 11 PM. We were hoping to speed up the process or at least break Chris out. Chris was diagnosed with a kidney stone. He was given a fist full of prescriptions and sent on his way. We made it back to the house after midnight, relieved that Chris had made it home and was resting comfortably. We all felt fortunate that this did not happen on a night we had to perform. Our schedule worked out that Chris would have a full day to rest before our next show.

The After Party After Party

Every year the island of St. John holds the World’s Smallest St. Patricks Day Parade. For the second year in a row, The Beach Bar is the host. Jaguar was asked to play the after-parade party this year. Since we started playing at 12:30 PM, we had to wake up early, eat a quick breakfast, and load everything in our cars by 9 AM. This would allow us to make the 10 AM ferry to St. John.

Everyone was awake by 8 AM, except we couldn’t find Jason. I finally found him sleeping on the balcony. Now that is a room with a view! We made the ferry in plenty of time. We headed to St. John for Jaguar’s first performance in 2 years. We also had not rehearsed in 2 years. We thought, what’s the worst that could happen?

We set up the gear just in time. Meanwhile, Debra got to see her first St. John’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. In most parades, the participants throw bead necklaces and candy from the trucks to the spectators. Well, as we know, things are a little different in the Virgin Islands. While watching the parade, Debra got hit in the head by a beer can! Yep, they throw cans of beer from the Heineken truck. Thankfully, the Jameson truck was next. She did get a shot of whiskey from the Jameson truck, so I guess that helped numb the pain. Best St. Patricks Day Parade ever!

The after-parade party was a blast. We played 3 jumping sets.

We were amazed all the St. Thomas friends that came over to see us. Here is a list of the friends I remember. Let me know if I missed anyone.

Pricilla Lynn from Street Level VI Bill Crique and Christy Mitchell
Walter and Becky from Everlong Excursions Suzi Grbinich
Paul Perkins Judy Houston
Lolly Bridges Ken & Charmagne
Susan Kinder  

After we were done playing and packing away the equipment, Sherry and Reed (owners of the Beach Bar) treated us to an authentic Irish corn beef and cabbage dinner. Everyone agreed it was the best we ever tasted. EVER! Sherry told us it was her special recipe and the food was made onsite. OH MY GOD, she and the staff knocked it out of the park.

The band that laughs together, stays together.

After that fabulous dinner, we took the 5 PM ferry back to St. Thomas to get provisions and check in to our villa. Shopping at the Food Center is always an adventure. Debra and Rick love the selection and prices. Who wouldn’t love a place called Food Mart? $400 later we were headed to Casa de Jaguar for the week. This was our first stay on St. Thomas since 2020. Our rental has a beautiful view of Charlotte Amalie and was just up the hill by Frenchman’s Reef. It was a cozy 4 bedroom villa with a pool, a view, 2 cats, and chickens. We were very happy that this would be Jaguar’s headquarters for the remainder of our trip. Very happy.

Now that’s a house with a view

We unloaded the cars, assigned rooms, and we all gravitated to the pool. It was a great place to relax and reflect on the whirlwind of the past 2 days. This was the after party after-party. It was great friends enjoying a great view. We could not be happier.

A Room With a View

Look out baby, cuz here we come! Rick, Debra and I flew to Miami yesterday and spent the night. Unfortunately our luggage was somehow not designated to be delivered to us until we reached St. Thomas. We had the option of waiting four hours for our luggage. Since it was after 8 PM we decided to go to the hotel with just our carry-on luggage. Yes, next time, we travel we will include a toothbrush in our carry-on luggage.

We touched down in St. Thomas at 11:08 AM. As any St. Thomas traveler knows, the complimentary Cruzan Rum samples are just a few steps from your airplane. Today’s catch of the day was coconut flavored! Debra said it was very tasty.

Jason and Chris flew direct from Dulles and landed at 11:50 AM. We found them loitering at the Cruzan Rum Welcome Station. It’s a tradition.

Since we had several hours until our hotel check-in, Debra took the opportunity to stop at her favorite jewelry store - Renaissance Jewelry. Rick, Chris, and Jason took the opportunity to stop at their favorite brew pub, The Taphus. Everyone was very happy. My wife found the perfect custom ring set and the band found the perfect beer!

We then headed to Side Street Pub. Their legendary fish tacos has become our traditional first island meal. It was as good as we remembered. It was wonderful to be together as a band, sharing a meal in this magical place. No one stopped smiling.

Chris, Rick, and I drove to the Mafolie Hotel to check in while Debra and body guard, Jason, waited on the fitting of her custom jewelry. We reserved hotel rooms since our VBRO rental was not available for the first night of our trip. Chris and I remembered the Mafolie Hotel from our original visit in 1989. It has a spectacular view overlooking Charlotte Amalie. I thought it would be a wonderful place to celebrate the first day of our Caribbean tour. I was right.

Renaissance Jewelers knows how to make my wife sparkle

Meanwhile back at the Jewelry store….
While Debra and Jason were waiting for her rings, the jewelry store offered Jason beer. As soon as the beer was in hand, the rings arrived. Jason asked if he was allowed to carry the open bottle of beer to the car. “Yes you can, Jason” said my wife. Jason was shocked that there was not an open container law in St. Thomas like there is in downtown Baltimore. After some reassurance that he wouldn’t get arrested for walking out the door with an open beer, he proudly strolled by a policeman on his way to the rental car he said “take my picture!” I think this was the exact moment Jason considered moving to St. Thomas.

Jason’s face says it all.

Jason and Debra made it to the hotel and joined us on the balcony of our suite. We celebrated the view and how lucky we were to have made it back to this beautiful island after two years.

We decided to have dinner at the Mafolie Restaurant. It was only steps away from our room, and it offered the same wonderful view. It took some time to get our food. No one complained. We were together. We were smiling. We were laughing. We were a band that just arrived in paradise.

Jaguar has finally arrived

What Goes Around

Jaguar was formed for one purpose. To play music in the Caribbean. We played one season in 1989. It changed our lives. Hurricane Hugo happened later that same year and it brought devastation to the islands.

We thought Jaguar was over.

Jaguar reunited in 2019 for it’s 30th anniversary. We came back to St. Thomas and played one show at Sapphire Beach. St. Thomas welcomed us with open arms. We met many new people who, still to this day, we call friends. Jaguar returned to The Virgin Islands in 2020 and played shows on St. John at The Beach Bar and St. Thomas at Sapphire Beach. Then, thanks to COVID the world shut down.

We thought Jaguar was over.

In the summer of 2022, Jaguar finally returned to Beach Bar on St. John. In March of 2023, we also played the both Beach Bar and Sapphire Beach. A few months later I was diagnosed with cancer.

We thought Jaguar was over.

After 6 months of chemo therapy, I got straight A’s on my post treatment tests. I kicked cancer’s ass. In celebration, we immediately booked 5 nights at the Beach Bar and 1 show at Sapphire Beach. As the twists and turns continue, early this January we received word that effective immediately all live music was cancelled at the Beach Bar. Boom! Just like that, five of our six shows were cancelled.

We thought Jaguar was over.

Even though we had only one show left on our 2025 schedule, we decided not to cancel our trip. We love the people of St. Thomas and St. John. Fortunately, two weeks ago we learned the Beach Bar was resuming live music. Jaguar was also invited to play the St. John St. Patrick’s Day Parade after party.

It’s never over until it’s over.

Jaguar will play music once again. We do not take these opportunities for granted. Our history has helped us appreciate how fortunate we are for them. Even though we treat every trip as if it’s our last, this trip is a little different for us. Every handshake will last a little longer, every hug will be a little tighter.

What goes around, comes around.
And you never know if you will come back around.
Let’s enjoy every last moment together.