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From Beantown to Water Island
As Gertrude Stein once wrote, "It's all gossip, anyway." If Water Island felt like home during my visit, it might be because of the Bostonians I encountered there.
Boston-born Nils Wessell and his wife Gwendolyn moved recently to Water Island. They were enjoying a day in Frenchtown where I met them at the French Heritage Museum.
As you hike uphill from the Water Island ferry dock, you'll see the masonry cistern and oven remains of Providence Point Plantation on your right hand. Alex Randall, who with h
is wife founded the Boston Computer Exchange on a stack of 3x5 cards in 1982, took a flying leap from a high-powered lifestyle to start a new life here.
"In the 1950s my mother read a story in the Saturday Evening Post about Water Island. We vacationed when I was 11 years old at Sugar Bird Hotel run by Walter Phillips in the army barracks buildings. My father was a sailor, and at the end of each winter sailing vacation, we anchored in Honeymoon Bay."
Many years and careers later, when the historic Water Island property became available, he had to decide:
"Should I toss my life in Boston and jump off a cliff without a parachute? If I didn't buy it, I'd regret it for the rest of my life," Randall says.
Although the transition to Water Island was a major down-shift for the Randalls, they've recreated some of the Boston culture scene they love and miss with the Valentines Day weekend Water Island Classical Music Festival. Artistic director Julian Gargiulo first gives the concert at Carnegie Hall and then repeats it on the USVI island.
Today Randall teaches journalism on St. Thomas and reports daily to his friends shoveling out back home on his daily podcast from paradise. Take a listen here.
Posted by Patricia Borns, Globe correspondent
Photo of Honeymoon Beach on Water Island by Patricia Borns for The Boston Globe
Boston-born Nils Wessell and his wife Gwendolyn moved recently to Water Island. They were enjoying a day in Frenchtown where I met them at the French Heritage Museum.
As you hike uphill from the Water Island ferry dock, you'll see the masonry cistern and oven remains of Providence Point Plantation on your right hand. Alex Randall, who with h
is wife founded the Boston Computer Exchange on a stack of 3x5 cards in 1982, took a flying leap from a high-powered lifestyle to start a new life here."In the 1950s my mother read a story in the Saturday Evening Post about Water Island. We vacationed when I was 11 years old at Sugar Bird Hotel run by Walter Phillips in the army barracks buildings. My father was a sailor, and at the end of each winter sailing vacation, we anchored in Honeymoon Bay."
Many years and careers later, when the historic Water Island property became available, he had to decide:
"Should I toss my life in Boston and jump off a cliff without a parachute? If I didn't buy it, I'd regret it for the rest of my life," Randall says.
Although the transition to Water Island was a major down-shift for the Randalls, they've recreated some of the Boston culture scene they love and miss with the Valentines Day weekend Water Island Classical Music Festival. Artistic director Julian Gargiulo first gives the concert at Carnegie Hall and then repeats it on the USVI island.
Today Randall teaches journalism on St. Thomas and reports daily to his friends shoveling out back home on his daily podcast from paradise. Take a listen here.
Posted by Patricia Borns, Globe correspondent
Photo of Honeymoon Beach on Water Island by Patricia Borns for The Boston Globe
contributors
- Anne Fitzgerald, Globe Travel Editor
- Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor
- Eric Wilbur, Boston.com staff
- Kari Bodnarchuk writes about outdoor adventures, offbeat places, and New England.
- Patricia Borns, a frequent contributor to Globe Travel, writes and photographs travel, maritime, and historical narratives as well as blogs and books.
- Patricia Harris, a regular contributor to Globe Travel, is author or co-author of more than 20 books on travel, food, and popular culture.
- Paul E. Kandarian, a frequent contributor to Globe Travel, writes and photographs New England and Caribbean stories.
- Chris Klein is a regular contributor to Globe Travel. His latest book is ‘‘The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston.’’
- David Lyon, a regular contributor to Globe Travel, is author or co-author of more than 20 books on travel, food, and popular culture.
- Hilary Nangle is a regular contributor to Globe Travel. Her latest guidebook is Moon Maine (Avalon Travel, 2008)
- Joe Ray, a frequent contributor to Globe Travel, writes and photographs food and travel stories from Europe.
- Kimberly Sherman writes about unique happenings throughout New England.
