Back in Bimini

June 26-28, 2016

We woke up in Nixon's Harbor to windless flats reflecting the clouds. There wasn't even enough disturbance in the surface to obscure the view of the seafloor.

Low wind is terrible for sailing, but glorious for swimming.  By noon, the tidal current arrived generating swells that created velvety emerald luminescent swirls on the otherwise undisturbed surface of the water.

The next day was almost as calm. I sat on deck and watched light rainfall off the coast of Bimini. The ability to see full weather systems move across the sky is my favorite thing about being on a boat. I grew up in a densely forested mountainous region where you can barely see the stars through the trees. I'd never seen rainfall anywhere but above my head until I moved to the level lands and seas of Florida.

With no wind for our sails we went ashore, took a short bus ride across the south island, then took the water taxi to Alice Town on the north island.

We were looking for a liquor store to buy a couple cases of our favorite Bahamian exclusives before we left.  If you told me that a grapefruit beverage was delicious, or even drinkable, I wouldn't believe you. But it's true. It's light and sweet, and perfect to drink in the heat. Sands Pink Radler is brewed by Sands Bahamian Brewery, who, as far as I know, does not export. I already miss it.  Guinness Foreign Extra was formulated over a century ago with extra hops for global export to the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, which are just about the only places you're likely to find it. Although, I hear that the surge in interest in craft beer in the UK and US has lead to occasional limited releases. So it could be coming to a city near you.

After acquiring the beer and returning to Nixon's Harbor, I went to comb the beach for keepsakes brewed by the sea. The public beach at Nixon's harbor was just as deserted as it was the last time I was there in March. There is definitely no shortage of the private beach experience in the Bahamas. In fact, I'd say it's harder to find company than it is to find an empty beach. There are 700 islands in the Bahamas, of which only 30 are inhabited. That's 670 islands that are almost guaranteed to be void of human life. With only 394,000 people spread across the 30 inhabited islands, chances are still good no one is going to be at a particular beach on any given day.  Even on the inhabited and touristed Island of South Bimini, on June 27th, it was just me and the trilobites.

 

While I was wandering the beach, stirring up the sand looking for fans and shells, I was taken by surprise when I looked down and saw that I had company.  A stingray was right next to my feet and appeared to be looking up at me.  He/She seemed more curious than aggressive so I stayed in the water and went about my business. He/She stayed close and fluttered around me for a while, before finally losing interest and gliding away.

After I found a few sea fans and took in the novelty of being alone in such a beautiful place for the last time, I joined AJ at Mackey's Sandbar to discuss the weather and the Gulf Stream crossing game plan.

The Pineville Motel, North Andros

Mid-June 2016

While driving around North Andros we saw an advertisement for the Pineville Motel and decided to check it out.  From the outside there's nothing to indicate the colorful oasis that lies behind the fences around the property on a dusty sandy road on the outskirts of Nicholls Town. The proprietor of the hotel was exceedingly welcoming and excited to show off what they had done with the place. Before checking in he gave us a tour of the grounds.  First he took us to a room near the office that they converted into a little movie theater, that also could double as a party/event room, complete with a disco ball and a fog machine.  Next to that was a large craft room where women were making beautiful elaborate masks and costumes, as well as crafts made with sea shells and sponges. He explained that they were getting ready to host a family festival, with face-painting, food, music, dancing, and even a North Andros fashion show!  After the tour of the new activity rooms he took us into a beautiful garden oasis. 

The hotel rooms are in a brightly painted concrete structure, with an AC window unit in the wall of each room.  They have basic rooms with a double bed and shower, as well as suites with kitchenettes and living rooms. The decor inside the rooms was very unique and I can't believe I didn't take a picture. But I can explain. On the edges of the room, where the wall meets the floor, seashells and other sea formations were implanted in poured concrete. It was quite beautiful and creative.

In the center was a garden with each plant species labeled. As guests of the hotel you are allowed to pick and eat anything in it! They also had a few crabs.. but I don't think you were allowed to eat those.

Disco house!

Food service areas for events:

While I had only curiosity and no real expectations of what the Pineville Motel would be, I never could have expected a place as unique and fanciful as this.  Which is why I often prefer to wander, rather than google.. It's much more fun to be surprised than it is to be expectant.  After walking the grounds we took our first real shower in over four months, collapsed on the bed in the little room with air conditioning, and had our best night of sleep in weeks.  

Exploring North Andros

Mid-June 2016

After three days of intense sailing in storms we were safely anchored in North Andros, well almost safely.  We arrived in the harbor a little after 7pm after hitting a light squall on our way from Chub Cay. Those winds caught back up with us in Andros and we spent the first night bouncing and slipping on one anchor. The next morning when the rain had cleared, AJ rigged a second anchor and dove on both to find sand pockets between the rocks deep enough to bury them in. And just in time too, as we were soon stuck on the boat for a couple more days of  wave riding.

Shore was a welcome sight when the weather finally cleared. 

We were anchored in a little fishing harbor a few miles north of the nearest settlement, Nicholls Town, population 645.

The only business within proximity was the Water Loop, a bar/restaurant frequented by the fishermen.

Across from the Water Loop are pavilions overlooking the beach.

We were planning to be on our way as soon as possible, but after the intensity of the storms we had just survived we were a bit skittish and the radar readings just weren't inducing confidence. There weren't storm fronts on the radar, but rather storm cells would just pop up and disappear at random spots all over the map.  Essentially what we had been experiencing in the days prior. We set out on a clear flat day with nothing on the radar or weather predictions then BAM! A wall of 65+ knot wind and crazy water. Then BAM! it's gone. Welcome to the Bermuda triangle.  With the radar littered with squalls day after day we spent a fair amount of time kickin' it with the fishermen at the Water Loop, or sitting under a pavilion watching seagulls harass a pelican.

The first time we went ashore we were told to ask for a man named Sully if we needed anything. The nearest grocery or anything store was a couple miles away from the harbor, so I'm assuming stranded sailors often need a ride. Sully, short for Solomon, was an exuberant middle aged fisherman with a big smile and bigger laugh.  He and his crew of jolly fishermen were usually at the Water Loop if they weren't out fishing. The oldest among them (eighty-something) went by "Hard-Ass", made a mean conch salad, and would got to sea fishing, alone, for a week at a time, on his 18 foot homebuilt boat. They could all dance a pretty mean jig too, or rather, a Bahamian Quadrille.

One evening on the Water Loop porch I was swatting at mosquitoes and Sully said to me, "Mosquitoes are nature, if you want nature, you can't just have some of it. They feed the frogs and fish and lizards and birds. If you want the beauty Andros has, you got to have them too." True words from Solomon the wise. Still, I was starting to look like I had chicken pox. 

After about a week hanging out on the waterfront waiting on weather we were growing a bit restless. The oppressive heat and humidity of mid-summer was kicking in and altercations with horseflies resulting in long term hand to hand combat was getting more frequent. We decided to see if we could find a car to rent and drive around the island for a day. See some new sites, get a little wind in our faces... win a battle against a bug... by smashing them with my windshield..muha hahaha. (Sorry Sully.)  A little General Store of sorts a couple miles away had a single rental car.  It was a cute little early 2000's Hyundai, that came with a highly effective "Keep Left" sticker facing inward on the windshield. There's no better place to learn to drive on the "wrong" side of the road than  low-traffic, rural sprawl.

In case you're curious about the best prices in Andros, the price for three cans/bottles is as follows:  Bud Light: $6.50  Kalik~$6.25  Bush~$6.75  Heineken~$7.90  Guinness~$8.50  Coors Light~$6.75  Colt 45~$6.75.  That's $44 for a case of Kalik and $58.25 for a case of Guinness.

Grocery store and pharmacy.

Classy neighborhood.

Government administration building.

While we were out, we saw a peculiar hotel advertisement hung on a chain link fence.

We were having a nice time out of the harbor, so we decided to call the number and maybe spend our first night off the boat in four months. What sort of motel lies in middle-of-nowhere Andros anyway? I wanted to find out.

Rake 'n' Scrape Music Festival, Arthur's Town, Cat Island

June 2016

We sailed into Arthur's Town after departing from New Bight just after sunset.  We dropped anchor in the dark while an alternating mix of American Hip Hop and local Rake 'n' Scrape music blared from the direction of a few flickering lights on the coast.  In the morning we could see where it was all coming from, a little bar with a hut overlooking the vibrant turquoise water.  The bar has two floor-to-ceiling height speakers sitting just outside the front doors facing the beach. 

Unlike New Bight, Arthur's Town has a rocky coast, so you have to wedge a dinghy anchor somewhere in the rocks, let it float it the shallows, and scramble up to the walkway.

But behind the rocks, calm clear shallows swirl atop soft white sand making it a perfect beach.

We walked the town to inquire about the location of the Rake 'n' Scrape festival that evening. There weren't that many people around, but we were offered a ride out to the site by the first person we asked. Her name was Flora, and she was going to be making crab at the festival!  Crab is my favorite and I had yet to see it on a menu in the Bahamas. 

The Rake 'n' Scrape festival began around sunset.  Rake 'n' Scrape is a form of Goombay music (native to the Bahamas) that originated on Cat Island.  The music requires a Goombay drum and scraping a carpenters saw with a metal file.  Like all saw music (Rip Saw of the Turks and Caicos, Hoedown of Appalachia, etc..) It originated when the people had to make instruments out of whatever they had. Now it has evolved into a full blown genre with the accompaniment of saxophones, harmonics. electric guitars, and any other instrument appropriate for the composition. You will probably hear it sitting at any local establishment in the Bahamas. That evening child and adult groups performed to compete for cash prizes and titles. The musical performances were accompanied by small troops dancing the Bahamian Quadrille or Heel and Toe Polka - dances evolved specifically for the boisterous Rake 'n' Scrape sound.

The picture below sums up the Bahamas pretty well.  It is a very wholesome place. Every festival is an all ages family friendly affair. FYI to any parents out there who want a remote chill beach vacation in a place where all local events are for the whole family (and swearing is prohibited!)- the Bahamas is the place to go. Cat Island in particular has a few small local "resort" hotels.  10-15 rooms/bungelos on a beach in a small community with fresh seafood and no souvenir key chain to even consider.

Around the parameter of the of the festival zone a dozen food booths smoked and sizzled with the aromas of fish, lobster, conch and crab.  I visited Flora and got a container of pan friend crab meat and rice. It was so much crab. Below is a man making the famous Bahamian conch salad. There will always be a man making conch salad. And for good reason, it's delicious.

At this point it was early June and we were planning our route back to Florida. We left Cat Island and raised sail for Nassau (approx 24 hours away) the day after the festival. Nassau was intended to be a quick one night stop en route home, but things didn't exactly go to plan.

Mount Alvernia

June 1, 2016

Mount Alvernia is a small hermitage that sits atop the highest hill in the Bahamas, a whopping 207 ft above sea level.  It is located on the hill behind the settlement of New Bight on Cat Island. AJ and I decided to take the two mile "hike" along the empty paved road through the jungle brush to check it out.

The 207 ft incline is done just about all at once.  At the base of the hill a gate bearing the cross and seals of Rome invite you to begin the climb.

As you get nearer the hermitage you enter a steep rocky path that winds you through the stations of the cross.

At the top an open chapel door beckons, as does Rapunzel's tower.

Inside the room left of the chapel, a tight rounded hall descends into to a couple rooms that lead to a covered walkway that leads to a little bedroom on the end.

From the other side, it looks more like a fairy tale.

The structure is so small that I (at 5'2") could climb onto the roof without assistance. AJ is a head taller than the doorways.

Isn't it just fantastic?  It was built by a lone English priest by the name of Monsignor John Hawes(1876-1956).  Hawes was also a prolific architect. Most of his work (cathedrals) are in Western Australia. He came to the Bahamas to build his retirement home. He lived atop this hill as a hermit for 17 years going by the name Father Jerome.  While residing here, he designed and built five churches in the Bahamas.

We planned to enjoy the sunset from the rooftop overlooking the ocean, but the mosquito hordes appeared in full force at dusk which quickly sent us running back down the hill for one last beachside sunset at the fish fry before heading north up the coast to Arthur's Town.