Joshie wrote:Just found this website. Cool.
I googled "presidio del mar" and came up with this pic link:
http://www.gobeach.com/usvi/villas/pres ... bigpix.htm
Anyhow, as I was saying over on on-stjohn, a good friend of mine is a friend of the builder and he swears there’s an underwater tunnel running from the Presidio del Mar all the way to Cinnamon Cay, the tunnel comes out behind a big rock on the north side. And he said there’s some kind of secret art gallery underneath the main dome.
As for the owner, it’s owned by Oprah Winfrey. I met a woman at Woody’s on Saturday, and she had just come off a charter trip to the Baths. She said the boat captain took them by the big house and told everyone that it belonged to Oprah. Right as he was saying that, Oprah came out on the back deck and waved. The lady said she got several pictures of her waving. People used to say it was Kenny Chesney’s house, but it’s really Oprah’s.
Joshie,
Some of your facts are almost right, but not quite.
First of all, it’s not a secret art gallery underneath the Presidio. It’s actually a shrine. The site was overexcavated by 25 feet to acccommodate the subterranean chamber. I was told the owner is heavy into the whole free masons, Knights Templar thing. You know, all that stuff from The Da Vinci Code. And by owner, I mean the REAL owner, not that guy who says he’s the owner. That guy may be a nice guy, but he's just a front man for a European family (French, according to my source). We're talking
old French money here, as in pre-Christianity. Reportedly, amongst other antiquities, there’s a holy relic buried in the shrine under that big round dome - you wouldn't believe me if I told you what it was, so I won't.
Originally, the French owner had plans to build a multi-site masonic complex on the North Shore. It was to be a campus of higher learning, a church, and a retreat for members of the Knights Templar. It encompassed the Presidio lot, the lot at the very tip top of Upper Peter Bay (allegedly "owned" by Jack Andrews, later sold to Chesney, and then to someone else), the government compound at Little Cinnamon, and Cinnamon Cay.
To connect these 4 sites, a series of underground/underwater tunnels was designed. The tunnel connecting the Presidio with the Little Cinnamon compound was finished back in 2006, and is wide enough and tall enough for two men to walk abreast. But, contrary to what you suggested, the tunnel from the Presidio to Cinnamon Cay was never started, for reasons detailed below. Furthermore, excavation for the tunnel from the Presidio to the Upper Peter Bay lot (also dubbed "The Time Machine" by developer Jack Andrews - another front man for the French owner, BTW) was abandoned prior to completion. It only goes about halfway - 150 yards or so beyond the North Shore Road.
Regarding the motivation for selling, it was triggered by a sequence events which are viewed by the Knights Templar as fulfillment of an ancient "End of Days" prophecy. One key development was the US invasion of Iraq back in 2003. That's what prompted the French owner to abandon plans to finish the Time Machine in Upper Peter Bay, and why the Cinnamon Cay tunnel was never begun. But, the real tipping point was the election of Barack Obama to the US presidency. Reportedly, this fulfilled the final condition of the prophecy. On November 6th, one day after the US election, the Frenchman, acting through his on island agent (i.e., the guy who we were led to believe was the owner), approached Holiday Homes about listing the property. Simultaneously, 7 other high end properties around the world, including Moorea, St. Baths and the Seychelles, went onto the market. The French owner is urgenly consolidating all of his assets and resources (including human resources) in France in preparation for what is referred to by the Knights Templar as "The Last Crusade". The call has gone out for all his so-called "knights" to return home. The holy relic buried beneath the Presidio is still in place, but is scheduled to be shipped back to France via a cargo vessel which will pull right into Peter Bay at night. For some reason, the relic either cannot, or should not, be shipped via air.
As for Oprah owning the propery, that's not true, although she is, a close friend of the French owner, and has stayed at the Presidio on several occasions in the past year, arriving on her own private jet, and then helicoptering directly into Myra Keating. That may explain the confusion (rampant amongst cab drivers and charter captains) about her owning the property and/or being seen there. -m-o-m
