St. John Tradewinds News Photo Courtesy of V.I. Ecotours

Kayakers return to Caneel Bay after their excursion to surrounding beaches.

Kayak, Hike, Snorkel and Become
a Friend of VINP with VI Ecotours

By Jaime Elliott
St. John Tradewinds

While there are many ways to
enjoy the natural beauty of the
Virgin Islands National Park, one
kayak company is offering an af-
ternoon adventure whichalso helps
support and protect that beauty.

When someone books Virgin Is-
lands Ecotours’ Caneel Bay Kay-
ak, Hike and Snorkel Adventure,
that person also becomes a mem-
ber of the Friends of VINP, the
non-profit group which supports
the park’s educational and cultural
programs.

“With every tour booking we
donate money on behalf of every
guest in their name to Friends of
the VINP and they receive a one-
year membership,” said Sybille
Sorrentino, V.I. Ecotours owner.

And membership to Friends def-
initely has its privileges. Members
receive the group’s quarterly news-
letter, discounts at the Friends of
the Park Store in Mongoose Junc-
tion, an invitation to the group’s
annual meeting and discounted
seminar and workshop fees.

“We also have other businesses
who are affinity members and of-
fer discounts to Friends of VINP
members as well,” said Friends
development director Noreen Ca-
vanaugh, who helped create the
VI Ecotours partnership program.
“It’s like a round robin kind of
thing or like multi-level marketing
in its purest sense.”

The program is poised to make
a big impact on Friends’ current
membership. Last year V.I. Eco-
tours led more than 1,000 people
on the Caneel Bay kayak trip and
Sorrentino expects at least that
number this year, she explained.

“The bottom line is that we’re
going to bring in about 1,000 new
members to Friends of VINP,” said
Sorrentino. “These people already
have an interest in the island and
the park and through the member-
ship with Friends it keeps them
connected to St. John.”

The membership program also
allows Sorrentino to give back to
VINP, she added.

“T just feel like I’m kind of a
steward of the park and I wanted to
be able to give back in some way,”
said the V.I. Ecotours owner.

Returning a favor to the nature
that supports their livelihood is ex-
actly the idea behind the Friends
membership offer, explained Ca-
vanaugh.

“One of the things I’ve been
working on as development di-
rector at Friends is a way to get
businesses who benefit from the
park to look at how they can give
back on a regular basis in a way
that they don’t have to sit down
and write a check once a year,”
Cavanaugh said. “This is a steady
stream that comes on a regular ba-
sis that doesn’t hurt because it’s a
little at a time.”

Cavanaugh hopes other busi-

nesses will consider offering the
program as well, she explained.

“A lot of the businesses that are
here on St. John and St. Thomas
benefit from the VINP and make
money off the park in some way,
shape or form,” said Cavanaugh.
“Even people on St. Thomas want
to come to St. John to see the beau-
tiful beaches which are all part
of the park. What we want is for
them to also develop and create an
awareness about the park for the
guest.”

Even without the included one-
year membership to Friends of
VINP, the Caneel kayak tour would
be well worth the $89 price tag for
adults and $49 for children.

Participants kayak out of Caneel
Bay beach to nearby Scott Beach,
where they go ashore to hike Tur-
tle Point Trail. Snorkeling at Scott
and Paradise Beaches is next, fol-
lowed by the short paddle back to
Caneel Bay.

“It’s about a three-hour adven-
ture and is designed for all skill
levels and all ages,” said Sorren-
tino. “It’s easy and just beautiful.”

VI. Ecotours also offers a simi-
lar program on St. Thomas. The
cost of the company’s Historic
Hassle Island tour, which leaves
out of Frenchtown, also includes a
one-year membership to Friends of
VINP, which has been instrumen-
tal in supporting the preservation
efforts on the island.

For excursions call 779-2155.

St. John Tradewinds, December 14-20, 2009

Working Out
Strengthens our Lives

Virgin Islands

Personal Trainers Available
State of the Art Equipment
Group Classes Available

776-0600

OPEN MON-SAT 7AM to 9PM
AT THE MARKETPLACE . 3rd FLOOR

52" Big Screen TV for Sports in our AC Bar

Early Bird Specials 4:30-6:30
Happy Hour & Local Discounts

Car of choices for non-seaetood lovers toe)

Seafood Market |2:00-6:00 * Restaurant 4:30-9:30
776-0580 693-9994

5