A Quirky Little Island--April 9, 2008

Other cruisers had told us that people on Grand Cay were "funny."

"Funny ha-ha or funny-peculiar?" we had asked.

"Well, they looked at us funny, when we walked down the street." We had to find out for ourselves. What we discovered was a quirky little island and lots of friendly people...no funny looks.

Entering the shallow harbor for the first time was a tricky enterprise, again, because of shallow water and current, but there were a few landmarks and other boats heading in and out to help us navigate.

We tried calling the marina owner, Rosie, who is a big guy and uses a call sign of "Love Train," but we got no answer. The marina docks didn’t seem to have enough draft for our sailboat, so we anchored near a few other cruising boats. The holding was a bit iffy, but the weather was settled and the harbor well-protected.

We set about to explore this little settlement, the farthest north, in the Bahamas. Grand Cay was settled because of its proximity to the deep waters of the Atlantic and the beautiful coral reefs just off its northern shore and it still reflects the maritime heritage. Hundreds of fishing boats were tucked into the many coves and creeks that surround the harbor of Grand Cay.

The closing of a resort at nearby Walker's Cay left many men here unemployed. Although playing pool in the local pubs seemed to be a major pastime for some of the young men, a number of the non-fishing men have taken to commuting weekdays to Freeport for employment. There is also quite a bit of pleasure diving here, as some say the reefs are the most beautiful in the Caribbean.

We strolled the narrow streets. The settlement is one of contrasts. Near the center of town is a dead mangrove swamp where trash and derelict boats languish in the brownish muck, and there are signs of gang-style graffiti on some of the abandoned buildings.

Yet, new houses are being built, there are several quaint churches and a lovely school where Bahamian youngsters laugh and learn in spic and span gold and green uniforms.

Friendly ladies offer bread, and other home-made goodies for sale. People strolling the streets, waved and greeted us with genuine friendliness. We traipsed from one end of the island to the other, and no one looked at us funny!

I was particularly delighted by a toddler whom I spotted walking up a hill with her grandmother. She was obviously very proud of her walking prowess. We stopped to chat with Tanesha and her grandma. By the end of our little visit, she gave me a big hug and kiss!

Tanesha and Grandma helped us find the local ice cream store and we treated ourselves to the last of the shop’s ice cream before we returned to Nimue.

To top off our visit to the Grand Cays, we went ashore for a lobster dinner at Rosie’s Place, the marina restaurant. Though we were the only customers that night, the lobster was plentiful and succulent.

All in all, our brief stop at Grand was a charming end to our stay in the Abacos. The next morning we headed southwest to Mangrove Cay on our way home.

Idyllic Islands - April 7th & 8th

Double Breasted is a group of small cays, totally uninhabited, with beautiful white sand beaches and gorgeous blue water. Our choice of anchorage is a small slough which can only be navigated on a rising tide with good visibility, as the controlling depth is about five feet. We draw 4.6 feet!Just to make matters interesting, there's a really strong current that flows through the cut where the Bahama Bank and the Atlantic meet. So we wanted to wait for slack water. We arrived about 40 minutes ahead of low tide. The seas were choppy and confused with southerly waves left over against a west wind. We thought we might set an anchor to wait for slack water, but with the bottom washed clean by the current it was a no go.

"Well, let's just go for it!" Peter finally said, and my adrenalin level spiraled up a few notches. It's not that our lives were in peril, but the narrow channel passes over several shallow bars and runs at places about six feet away from the rocky shore and I was the one who would be standing on the foredeck calling out the shallow spots.

As I directed Peter from the bow where I could clearly see the bottom, I remembered our last visit here when we were greeted by a rather close brush with a waterspout. The rocky coral outcroppings to our port seemed menacingly close. But it immediately became obvious that we had enough water under our keel and that all was well. We could clearly see the bottom and we had no trouble finding our way through the maze of shoals.

Once inside, the anchorage offered us full protection and peaceful isolation. Only two other boats were in the entire area and none in our anchorage. We carefully placed our anchors up and down current in anticipation of a wind shift. We knew to make sure they were well set because on our previous visit here with cruising friends several years ago, we awoke to discover their boat nestled among the rocky outcroppings on the lee shore. We had spent the better part of a day kedging them off!

The setting sun, limned the coral and mangroves with golden glow. Nearby a lone cattle egret in full breeding feather seemed out of place among the rocks and mangrove roots. He stayed nearly immobile on his branch since we first arrived as if awaiting the arrival of a his bride-to-be or perhaps guarding a nest.

The wind died as the sun settled behind the narrow island. Millions of stars pierced the velvet sky that night, and it seemed as if our little boat was a world unto itself.

We spent the following day bird watching, exploring the beaches and puttering with the dinghy through the several channels that run among the small cays. In our opinion this is one of the most beautiful spots in the Abacos.

After a second peaceful night, we got up early so we could catch the tide on the way out. How much easier it was to exit following the magenta line of a GPS track we had created on the chart plotter on our way in! A short motor sail brought us to our next destination, Grand Cays.

Dragging our Feet -- April 3rd - 7th

We had fine sailing from Treasure Cay to the Northern Abacos. Once again, we traversed the infamous Whale Cay Passage successfully. We stopped for the night at Manjack Cay. We dinghied ashore for a stroll on the beach and then relaxed for the evening and watched a beautiful sunset.

In the morning we checked the weather to see if we would have enough time to explore the far northern Abacos. These cays are scattered along the north rim of the little Bahama Bank, a fragile barrier between Grand Bahama, and Great and Little Abaco. There is only one settlement among these cays and not many harbors. They are out-islands in the truest sense of the word.

Wind direction is the determining factor in cruising here, for there are no all-around protected anchorages. Because the wind was beginning to clock ahead of a cold front, we decided to sail to Foxtown, a settlement on the north coast of Little Abaco where we would find protection from strong southerly winds under its high limestone bluffs. Here we anchored for the night with a few other boats. We arrived close to sunset, so we had supper and went to bed.

The next day, we headed for Great Sale Cay a very large sprawling cay in the middle of the little Bahama Bank. The afternoon we arrived was warm and languid so we anchored off the western shore, swam and dinghied ashore to visit with other cruisers who were planning to sneak back to Florida ahead of an approaching squally cold front.
When we awoke the next day, all but a few of the boats that had shared the anchorage were gone. The wind had clocked, so we sailed around the southern tip of the island to anchor in the wide harbor for shelter from a strong northerly wind that was expected. There are lovely beaches on this cay and shelter from many directions.

This beautiful cay is totally uninhabited and undeveloped . Yet, of course, Great Sale, too, is up for grabs,. If you happen to have 7.5 million dollars and you can buy your own piece of Great Sale paradise!

We were now close enough to get the weather reports from the states and knew that if we timed it right we could visit a couple more islands in the northern Abacos. So on Tuesday morning, we hauled up the anchor, unfurled the main and staysail, and headed north before a fresh westerly breeze to revisit one of our favorite spots.

Different of Abaco

"Don’t forget to stop by Nettie’s Different of Abaco for lunch or to see Auntie Nettie's flamingos and other eco-tourism delights."

Having read such advice in a couple of guidebooks, we were definitely planning to check out the flamingos on the way back during our road trip. So when we saw the sign for Netties, we left the highway and headed about a half hour down the secondary road in search of Different of Abaco.

Set in the natural surroundings, and landscaped with hundreds of plants, including sapodilla, mango, sugar apple, coco plum, bougainvillaea, and sea grape Different of Abaco was the dream-child of Nettie Symonette. Born in Eleuthera she was a successful hotelier in Nassau before she started her eco-touism lodge and bonefishing resort on Casaurina Point just north of Cherokee. Her resort showcased the natural life and native art of the Abacos.

One of Nettie's dreams was to establish a flamingo population on Great Abaco, so she brought a flock of the birds to her wildlife refuge, along with other native animals such as iguana. The first flock of birds did not do well and the remainder were destroyed by a hurricane, but she tried again bringing another flock of 19 birds to the resort several years ago.

It was not easy to find Nettie's place. Only a small sign was visible on the road and it was surrounded by vegetation. There was no obvious place to park, so we pulled off the road and walked to the entrance. Imagine our disappointment and curiosity when we discovered the Different of Abaco was no longer in operation. Yet it was a fascinating site to explore.

It was obvious that something had happened. We later heard that Nettie had passed away, but do not know this for sure. The resort appeared to be abandoned. The slatted gate at the entrance was locked. The interior of the building which looked to be a bar and restaurant was left with only sparse furnishings and a carpet of pine needles.

The walls and fixtures were decorated with primitive carvings of birds and unique paintings and on one wall were hand written testimonials of former patrons who had thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Outside, the gardens were overgrown.

The rooms behind the hotel were still furnished but unused. There were no signs of the flamingos, but a few peacocks still wandered in the gardens. It was all very eerie and sad.

Different must have been quite a destination in its day, because it still has quite a presence on the Internet. One couple wrote on a travel website about their experience visiting the resort in 2006, at which time it may already have been closed. One site says it may reopen in 2008. Leaving Different, we couldn't help but respect the accomplishment of Nettie Symonette who raised up in the wilderness such a unique realization of her dream.

"It's very important, because as I see it, this is the way the world has to go. One has to have respect for the environment," "I found myself living among these birds and animals and whatnot, and then I found that they became like a tremendous closeness to God." ...Nettie Symonette

Cherokee

Cherokee was the next stop on our road trip. It's a tiny village of about 160 residents. As we approached the village, we passed a sign that said "Parking lot this way.

"That's interesting," we thought, "what's the parking lot for?" We drove on and discovered the answer a bit too late.

What a peaceful town Cherokee is.! Narrow concrete streets are lined with neatly kept houses. The community sits on a lovely shallow bay and has a history of wrecking, sponging and fishing.

We drove along the waterfront lined with an assortment of boats and as we proceeded, the road became more narrow.

We started to wonder what exactly the traffic pattern was. There wasn't much traffic, but cars and trucks were parked in some of the driveways.

Then we came to an intersection where a pick up truck obligingly backed about 75 feet to let us through and after that the only way to turn was left. Just one detail: the road, barely wide enough for our Toyota seemed to have the middle third dug up! It appeared that the village was undergoing a transformation to buried utilities.

Gingerly we maneuvered our seemingly behemoth car onto the two edge thirds of the road without dropping into the ditch in the center. Oh, no! As we reached the end of this lane, we were faced with a right turn. The front yards on both sides of the street were encircled by chain link fences! Would we be able to make it?

Gamely, Peter swung the Toyota into the turn. What else could he do? Thump. The front bumper grazed a fencepost. He kept going and we squeezed into the road. Whew! The fence appeared to be unscathed. We continued driving and saw that this road ended at a parking lot. The very same one we had passed on the way in. AHA!

Right about then, I happened to turn the page of the guide we had been following. There I saw a little note. "Visitors' cars are not permitted in the village of Cherokee and are asked to park in the lot at the edge of town."

Oh! So why didn't the sign say something about that??? We parked the Toyota and somewhat sheepishly walked back into town to explore a little further. Luckily the villagers were friendly, and no one complained about our nerve-wracking drive through Cherokee.

If you'd like to know more about this charming village including how it got its name. Click on the title above.

Parrot Walk

The Bahama Parrot (Amazona leucocephala bahamensis) was formerly found throughout the Bahamas Presently it remains on only two islands, Great Abaco and Great Inagua Island. The Abaco population is unique because it is the only ground nesting parrot in the West Hemisphere . The Abaco population is also the only fire adapted parrot in the world. The Abaco population breeds in a small 5 kilometer radius area on the south end of Abaco Island in the Abaco National Park.
The park occupies a large section of the southern tip of Great Abaco , A rough track road leads back into the forest for 15 miles. At the end of the road stands the Hole in the Wall Lighthouse which has warned sailors away from the dangerous reefs that lie offshore to the north. since 1836. We really wanted to see the lighthouse and spot the elusive Parrots of Abaco, but that wasn’t to be. No rental car is allowed to traverse the rugged track road leading to the lighthouse. To us though, the first part of the road didn’t look too bad, so we sneaked down the road about a mile and then armed with binoculars, we walked further into the preserve. Well, we spotted a LaSagra’s Flycatcher, but, alas , we saw no signs of the elusive parrot! Disappointed, we headed back to the car.
Perhaps on our next visit, we’ll spring for a guided tour!

Road Trip!

After leaving Hopetown, we visited a few favorite anchorages before turning north again. We ended up back at Treasure Cay on March 30th. Here we planned to wait for an opportunity to go "around the Whale" and then spend a little time in the Northern Abacos before heading home.

We decided to rent a car in order to explore the parts of Great Abaco Island that are not easily accessible by boat.

At nine o’clock sharp, we arrived at the Treasure Cay Beauty Shop that doubles as a rental car outlet. The clerk was happy to learn that Peter was familiar with right-hand drive, since that was apparently the car of choice for the day.

One long two-lane highway, completed in the 90's, runs the length Great Abaco. The island is nearly 100 miles long. A number of settlements are scattered both north and south of the main city of Marsh Harbor. Since we were familiar with the northern third of the island, we drove south.

Our first stop was a rickety fire tower which gave us an awesome view of Abaco from shore to shore.

To the west were The Marls, an area of shallow water with many tiny rocky cays.

To the east we could see the miles of pine forest stretching to the Sea of Abaco.

Further south we came to Crossing Rocks. Once a fishing community perched on a wildly beautiful beach, it was destroyed by Hurricane Floyd.

Only about three buildings were left standing. The government of the Bahamas relocated the town about a mile inland.

We continued our trip south to the end if the Highway, the extreme southwestern point of the island. We arrived at the friendly fishing village of Sandy Point just in time for lunch.

We had a wonderful lobster lunch on the porch of Nancy's Seaside Inn Restaurant and Bar.

Peter had a hard time not sharing his lobster with a village cat who, understandably had made the Restaurant his home!

Back on the highway northbound, we encountered a bit of traffic. This potcake was on his way somewhere and chose to take the highway!

For a little more on our travels on Great Abaco, see the next entry!

A Walk Up-along: March 22nd

We spent the rainy Easter weekend in on a mooring Hopetown Harbor (pictured here). During breaks in the rain, we ventured into town on Saturday and Tuesday for some shopping and exploring. Easter Monday is a holiday in the Bahamas and most stores and offices were closed.

On Monday we took a hike southward on the center road of Elbow Cay about mile and a half to see what was happening in up-along and visit the Abaco Inn. This was an area we hadn't explored before. Along the way, we found many pretty cottages and also a couple of roads off into the "bush" where a small community of Haitians are squatting in makeshift homes.

These folks are mostly illegal immigrants who find employment as laborers or service people in the resorts and private homes. Many speak only Creole. As in the US, illegal immigration is a thorny issue here in the Bahamas. There are several squatter communities one of which is only a few blocks away from the Police Headquarters in Marsh Harbor! Despite the often meagre living conditions here and some half-hearted attempts by the government to crack down on it, illegal immigration continues. The immigrants are better off here than in Haiti. Here their children attend school and they find better paying jobs.

Our walk up-along, was interrupted by a substantial rainfall. Luckily, we had just reached the Abaco Inn, our destination. As the rain continued, we sat on the enclosed porch visiting with guests of the Inn and reading. Eventually, lunch time arrived so we had enjoyed some delicious conch fritters and dolphin. By the time we were finished with lunch, the rain had stopped. We gladly retraced our steps back to the harbor, so we could work off a few of the calories we had just consumed.

At right is a view from
Turtle Hill which is the "Up" that the name refers to. The dirt road in the distance leads to some of the pretty homes along the shore. It's the shortcut we took to Abaco Inn. Off this shortcut is where we saw the track road leading to the Haitian enclave.

For a map of Elbow Cay, Click here

The Gospel Singer: March 21st

Hopetown never fails to offer us at least one special moment, every time we visit. On Good Friday as we finished our walk to the north end of the island, we heard the sound of music coming from the vicinity of the Harbor. We decided to see what it was all about and quickly arrived at Jarred Park, the tiny public park on the waterfront.

There we discovered Bahamian Gospel Singer Leo McCarthy. He stood facing the village with a microphone and small sound system which provided background music. The lovely traditional and modern gospel songs cast a spell over us as we leaned on the white picket fence and listened to him sing. His voice was full of joy and spirit and bought us a feeling of reverence and peace. His lilting Bahamian accent gave his performance a special charm. His audience was small, just a handful of passers-by, but the applause was sincere and his enthusiasm was undaunted.

We learned from a resident of Hopetown standing next to us that he is a native of Long Island Bahamas and makes his living doing painting and carpentry. Occasionally he comes to the Abacos to give free concerts of Gospel music. With him were his daughter, who handled the sound and kept his lyrics sorted out and his granddaughter, an adorable five year old who skipped around the park and encouraged her papa by clapping and saying, "Way to go Papa."
He sang for about 90 minutes and just as he was wrapping up, a group of small children appeared at the park which is also a playground. He gathered them together and sang a special song just for them.

We left the park with a feeling of reverence and peace, inspired by the beautiful voice, the simple faith and the joyful spirit of this humble man.

Cat Lady's House: March 22nd

One day we walked down-along Hopetown for a while and were surprised to discover that the Cat Lady's house had been torn down. Miss Lilly, the elderly lady who had lived there alone for many years was the self-appointed guardian of probably 20 or more stray cats. She spent her days striding around Hopetown rounding up her stray kitties or sitting in her doorway watching the tourists, probably because her house was so stinky inside from all the cats! Anyway, she died a few years back and a couple of other folks fed the cats, who mostly seem to have dispersed or disappeared. Recently the house has been torn down. Only a tiny portion of one wall has been left standing. I don't know for sure, but it seems as if the residents of Hopetown may have left it there as a tribute to the cat lady. Or perhaps it was just left standing because of the little sign tacked to it that points the way to Froggies Dive Shop. I don't know. There is much more on the web about Miss Lilly. If you are curious, click on the title above to see oneof the sites.

Upalong and Downalong :March 20th

Hopetown is informally divided into two sections by the residents. Up-along and Down-along. Up-along is southward on the island where the ground is higher, and the higher income people lived. Of course, Down-along is the reciprocal. You might think the point of division would be the lighthouse the prominent landmark in the area, but it's actually a little cottage called The Jib. This happens to be one of the cottages that Peter's parents rented on one of their several visits to this cay.

On the day we walked down-along, we met the owners of the Jib so we stopped to visit and talk about the old days when the cottage was a rental. The present owner is an artist and part of the cottage is a small studio and gallery where he paints scenes of Hopetown and sells his work. While we were there we purchased one of his prints. Once we are home, it will bring us fond memories of Abaco.

Hopetown

We are spending a few days on a mooring in Hopetown Harbor, a special place that still retains a charm despite the invasion of tourists. The first night or two we anchored off the lighthouse and as darkness fell, I watched through binoculars as the keeper lighted the kerosene lamp. At first just a small spark in the darkness, then a pail orange glow, finally the bright warm light of the lamp shone out and the lense began to rotate, sending its occulting beam across the Elbow Cay Reef. The candy striped lighthouse is one of the prettiest sights in the Abacos.

Turtle Again

Here in Hopetown Harbor, I found another turtle, much friendlier. this time it was a young Hawksbill turtle, with his beautiful tortoise shell. He actually swam alongside the boat long enough for me to take his picture!

"Free" Lunch

While we were in Marsh Harbor this time, we decided to use the gift certificate I had won in the silent auction on Guana. We dinghied across the bay on a hot windy Sunday to have lunch at Curly Tails restaurant at the Conch in Marina. While we chomped on our conch burgers we watched the activity on the docks below us.

This marina is home to both Sunsail and Moorings charters and the docks were abustle with employees and charterers getting boats ready to go out. Both operations have good sized fleets here with catamarans becoming increasingly popular.

After lunch we wandered over to Boat Harbor to check out all the pretty boats, the white sandy beach and the amenities of the Abaco Beach Resort. The Sea of Abaco sparkled in the afternoon sunshine while we sat on a picnic bench merely enjoying the view.

Snake!

From Man-O-War, we crossed the Sea of Abaco to the Angel Cays. A group uninhabited cays off the east coast of Great Abacos. They have some unlikely names for Angel Cays--we anchored between Snake and Cormorant Cays. Deep Sea Cay lies to the south and between the Cays and mainland Abaco are tidal flats with warm water that's good for bonefishing.

Snake Cay was once a busy community, the port for a logging operation run by Owens-Illinois Corporation back in the 60's. When that dried up, the community was abandoned. Now all that's left are ruins. When we explored the area by dinghy, we discoverd that the shore of Snake Cay is littered with huge pieces of rusting equipment and tanks. We were saddened by the waste of resources, both natural and man-made, but that seems to be the way of things here.

The spot was a tranquil anchorage for a night, although after dark, we saw a huge fire just behind the casaurinas and wondered what had happened. We planned to go ashore the next day to investigate, but the weather had other plans, so we left and sailed north to Marsh Harbor to see what the next cold front would bring.

Just as I was about to pull up the anchor to head out, I looked down into the clear water and saw that a starfish was napping on top of it. With apologies, I took his picture and hoisted the hook!

The Heritage of a Craftsman

We anchored for a couple of days at the sandy beach in beautiful, but windy weather after the cold front. When the next front approached, we moved into the harbor and took a mooring for a couple of days.



Our first visit to Man-O-War was 35 years ago with Peter's parents. Then as now it was a boat-building center. Back in the seventies, craftsmen still built sturdy boats of native woods, now they have switched to fiberglass.


This island was settled by the first Albury who came ashore at the age of 16 and married an Archer lass. Today the Alburys still dominate Man-O-War. They run the marina, the major ferry service in the Abacos and they still build boats; the Albury women bake bread, work in the gift shop and run the sail loft which now makes canvas bags of all sorts for the tourists.


One evening during our stay, we went ashore to the Island Take-Away to order some fish in a bag. While we waited we wandered down the main street of the settlement past the sheds where the boats were built and repaired and noticed that someone was still working.


Peter stopped at the door to say hello and that is how we met Andy Albury. We had a wonderful chat as Andy described his background in woodworking. His grandfather built boats of wood and was the craftsman we had watched back in the seventies. Andy's father died when he was sixteen so Andy and his brothers worked for the grandfather helping him in his boatbuilding shop.


Andy, himself, became a master craftsman who built furniture, coffee tables, chairs, etc. and now he also makesbeautiful half-model boats which he sells at craft shows and art auctions here in the Abacos. When he learned of Peter's interest in woodworking, Andy invited us into his shop to show us something special. The floor was ankle deep in wood shavings. Tools and scraps of wood and projects in various stages covered every horizontal surface. This was the same shed that his grandfather had used when building some of the beautiful wooden boats of days gone by.



What Andy showed us was a small piece of aromatic cedar. He and his brother had discovered a fallen cedar tree which, he said, is a rarity here in the islands and they salvaged and used the wood in several projects. This was his last little scrap.


The cedar smelled wonderful and he gave me the piece to take with me. It's an odd souvenir, but to me it symbolizes the spark of human spirit that struggles to keep the old ways alive in the face of a changing world.