Long Island, Bahamas

After our five and a half day trip from the Caribbean to the Bahamas and a very expensive checkin at the marina on Long Island, we caught our breath and realized what a fantastic place we had landed. We loved Long island right from the get-go and decided to stay a few more nights, rent a car and see a few of the sites which include a cave, the deepest blue hole in the world and the mobile phone store for some internet. We pulled away from the marina dock just past noon and made our way across the harbor to a charted anchorage and before we were even settled, the kids were in the water heading for the nearest island which had a fantastic beach. We spent a lovely afternoon exploring at the beach, an early night and were up early the next morning to head into town. The rental car agency sent a nice lady to fetch us at the marina and bring us to their shop a few miles away. We settled for the cheapest rental, a pink Toyota and pulled out into traffic (not really) unfortunately we were headed south and wanted to go north, but we were soon strightened out and headed north, down the Queen’s Highway. Like in Maine, if you go north on Long Island you are going ‘down’. 

Martin Cartwright, from the marina had called Mr. Cartwright, the cave owner, to ask if we could have a tour that day and he agreed to meet us at 11:00. We had about 45 minutes so we headed for the BaTelCo office and managed to buy a SIM and some data and were back on the road, headed for Mr. Cartwright by 10:57. We were just a few minutes late and headed up a side road behind his old beat-up pickup to the cave entrance. The tour was great, despite poor Mr. Cartwright feeling a bit under the weather and we managed to see three of the five bat species in the cave, lots of cockroaches, a rat and some ancient Lucayan writings on the wall. Mr. Cartwright’s loyalist ancestors had also transcribed their names on a Stalactite in an old English script and we heard about the many generations that have used these caverns as a place of refuge during hurricanes. We were once again amazed by Finn’s daring as he roamed around the cave without fear.  He kept shining his light on the poor bats which got them screeching and flying about.  Anna didn’t like that too much but the more she begged her brother to stop the more he did it.  The cave system was quite larger than expected.  It had a water area that was tidal so it was connected hydraulically to the sea.  There was also an interesting freshwater spring that we are certain the Lucayans would have used for drinking water.  Certain areas had holes in the roof that let sunlight in producing dramatic effects.  There were also tree roots that reached down through the roof of the cave…the scene was straight out of an Indiana Jones movie!

Our next stop was at a local Bone Fising Lodge, built by Miriam Cartwright and her husband, a friend of a friend we met in North Carolina last spring. There was no one about so we continued on looking for someplace to stop for lunch that looked well-frequented. We finally hit the spot, a roadside takeout stand and settled in at the picnic tables for burgers, chicken nuggets and cracked chicken. I had no idea what cracked chicken was but I was willing to try something local! Turns out, it is just like cracked conch, pounded flat, breaded and deep fried. It was good with the barbecue sauce provided with Finn’s nuggets and the french fries were excellent. I added a grape soda to make the whole thing completely worth the calorie splurge. As we settled in for our lunch I checked to see if our internet device was working with a quick check to Facebook. There was a link to a scene from What about Bob, posted by Uncle Don and Aunt Carrie, and we could hear the fellow sitting behind us chuckling, I turned around and he told us what a great scene it was and he moved right over next to us. We had a very enjoyable half hour eating lunch with the local grave digger and his assistant. His dog was clued in and sat diligently next to Anna, waiting for a dropped tidbit. Anna was good and didn’t lose a crumb so the grave digger (we don’t know if he was a Cartwright) provided a lovely barbecue rib to him before connecting the leads to the battery, starting the truck, and heading off with a cheery wave. It was a most satisfying meal!

Back in the Pink Toyota, we headed two miles down the road to the Long Island Museum, only to have to wait about five minutes for the currators to show up, the party at the table in front of us at the picnic tables, while we noted the Pink Toyota fit in perfectly with the Bahamian architecture.

 

The Pink Toyota

The Pink Museum

 

The museum is a nice local museum and we were able to connect the dots on our earlier explorations in the day including a lot on local agriculture, the Cartwright family and the local loyalist settlers. We had an enjoyable chat with the young currator, bought Anna a nice piece of local ‘straw work’ in the museum store and headed off.

One of the things we realized at this point is that the Explorer Chart Guide Book was way off on several things including that the BaTelCo office being walking distance from the marina, that customs would come to the marina (they did but it cost $100) and that the very famous Dean’s Blue Hole was closed to tourists. We were told at the museum to just follow the signs to the Blue Hole and we would find it and despite what our guide book says, it is accessible to tourists. We did, along with the partying Senior Class from the local high school, and we sat in the parking lot waiting out a rain storm while getting ourselves nerved up for the snorkel over the 685 feet deep hole. We all suited up and headed into the water. Not only was I cold from getting wet in the rain, the sight of the bottom dropping away under me to an unfathomable depth and the thought of what was down there, including three cave divers that perished in 2008, had me shaking as I tried to film a movie of the experience. I had to go back later and do it again to be sure I had it.

 

Prepping for Dean's Blue Hole

The edge of the Abyss

 

We returned the car about six P.M. that evening, very satisfied with our day and settled back in our beautiful anchorage.

Out for an explore

We spent one more day on Long Island including exploring a bit more of the really cool harbor and set off the following morning for Warderick Wells in the Exumas and a reunion with Yacht Cariad