Cricket Team For those that love Cricket, this is a fantastic collectible! This photograph of the team was taken at the sports field in St. Thomas in 1953. I tried to research it further but found more articles about Baseball games instead. You don’t often find these kinds of photographs every day! […]
Sports
Rare Collectible Found of the Olympic Baseball Team ~ 1954
“The sport of Baseball was introduced in the islands by William Lewis, a young St. Thomian who returned from Santo Domingo with the know-how. ⚾ He succeeded in converting many cricketers into ball players.” ~ Source: 1975 article in the VI Daily News Before 1917, Soccer was popular, having been introduced by the Danes as well […]
How A World Record Blue Marlin Was Caught ~ 1977
Blue marlin tournaments became very popular in St. Thomas after John Battles set an all-tackle world record in 1964. He landed an 814-pound Blue marlin, which enticed anglers from all over the world to try their luck in VI waters.🎣 Blue Marlin World Record On Aug 6, 1977, another world record was set! Larry Martin from […]
The Popularity of Snipe Boat Racing ~ 1936
During the 1930s, Snipe boat racing was an exciting sport in the islands! Snipe Boats The first Snipe boat was designed in 1931 and became a popular racing class with fleets around the world. In 1935, an International Snipe Class Association was organized in St. Thomas. Shipwright, Willie Lewis built the first few boats. When he launched […]
How a Welterweight Champion Won His Title ~ 1932
During the 1930s, supporting the welterweight champion was big entertainment in the US Virgin Islands. While researching an old family photo of a boxer I believe to be El Matahombre, I found over forty articles about the sport. El Matahombre’s real name was Carlos Christian. He was known as the Man Killer. Originally from Puerto Rico and trained by the great Esau Stephens, he moved to […]
Watching the St. John-Pelican Cay Sloop Race ~ 1937
Boat racing was one of the sports our great-grandparents loved watching! In 1937, hundreds of spectators enjoyed watching a sailboat race organized for the Thanksgiving holiday! ⛵ The course extended from the eastern end of St. John, around Pelican Cay in the British Virgin Islands and back to East End. It was a lovely spectacle […]