February 25-March 1, 2019 Long Island

 

February 25, 2019 Thompson Bay, Salt Pond

Perfect morning to leave

Left Georgetown at 7am on a gorgeous sunny morning.  There was no wind so we had to motor all the way.

 
On the way, along Little Exuma Island, we could see huge buildings along the coast. In reading te Waterway guide book, they describe how they have historic cemeteries, ruins from an old Loyalist cotton plantation, Roman Column stone beacon built as a Salt Marker to guide schooners in to load salt from the Salinas.  Too bad we won't be stopping to visit.
We covered 35 miles and arrived at 1pm to Thomson Bay, Salt Pond in Long Island.
We noticed we couldn't go to close to shore since the waters were very shallow so we had to anchor quite away. 

Love the sunsets

GaYa looking good

After we ate something, we took the dinghy into town to check out what they had.  What a great grocery store.  Bigger than Georgetown's. 

Thompson Bay, Salt Pond

Now we need to explore and find out what is here in the next couple of days.
Came back to the boat and relax.  Steve swam while I practiced my guitar. 
Chili for supper tonight.  After the gorgeous sunset, we noticed how dark it was and the stars were popping from everywhere.  Such beauty.
Watched a couple of series before going to bed.

February 26, 2019 Starting to explore Thompson Bay
At 8:15, in Thompson Bay, there is a woman who talks on the Cruiser's Net and informs newcomers about things to do and what is available around the area.
We took our dinghy to the Ministry of Tourism to pick up maps and find out more about what to do.  Looks like we will have to rent a car in order to see most of the things. 






Got our exercise walking to the ocean side

Today, we walked down Harding's Rd which was a long stretch to the ocean side beach.   We managed to find a few shells and discovered a small cave.  The rock formation is unbelievable.


Gorgeous scenery

We found a small cave

Selfies

Looks like bullet holes

 On the way back from the beach, we walked to a car rental place to reserve a vehicle tomorrow since it is Steve birthday.  There is a lot to see in Long Island.  You have to be very careful walking the street since the cars do not move over for you and they go faster then the speed limit.  In fact, we found a speed side which looked like there are bullet holes in it.


We stopped in a small outside bar on the way back for a cold beer since we were so hot.  We managed to talk to people who stay on the island for a couple of months and gave us some good advise on what to see.




Came back to the boat and went swimming before going for a pot luck on the beach with other boaters at 4pm.  It was nice talking to others about their time in the Bahamas and their experiences.


Cruiser's get together



Sunset from the beach

Came back around 6:30pm but didn't need to make dinner since we nibbled so much on all the goodies everyone brought.
Watched a couple of series before heading to bed. 

February 27, 2019  Birthday boy celebration
Happy Birthday to my dear husband.  I want to make it a special day for him and we rented a vehicle for 8am to explore Long Island which has a population of 4000 and is 80 miles long and 4 miles wide.


*A bit of history
The earliest inhabitants called the Arawaks, named Long Island "Yuma", then Christopher Columbus in 1492 renamed it Fernandina Island, however, the name that stuck was Long Island because it is indeed long.  Lucayan Taino were also know to inhabit the island.  These Lucayans were eventually taken on to Cuba and Hispaniola. Then island remained virtually empty until the arrival of the Loyalist's who started cotton plantations.  When slavery was abolished in 1834, the Loyalist's left.

Shooting Star leaving

While we were having our coffee around 7:30am and as Fred and Ruth Ann Seifert from the S/V Shooting Star were leaving the bay, they yelled out: " Happy Birthday" to Steve.  I thought that was nice of them.








8am- We rented a vehicle and wanted to get an early start. First we headed South all the way to Clarence Town.   We stopped at Dean's Blue hole which is the world's deepest know salt water blue hole with an entrance below the sea level.  It plunges 202 metres (663 ft) in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas.  Steve didn't go in it since he would want a partner and it wasn't going to be me.


Warning sign for going tin blue hole

Memorial for 3 who died in Dean's Blue hole in 2008

Dean's Blue Hole













Flying Fish Marina Pool

In Clarence Town, we then went to  Flying Fish Marina.  Wow, they sure put a lot of money into this place.  Nearby


Beautiful marina

Nearby, we stopped to take photos of the St. Peter & St. Paul's Catholic Church which was designed in 1939 by the late Father Jerome Hawes.  The church which has twin towers is located on a very high hill overlooking the harbor and three large cays.  It is featured on the covers of most Long Island brochures.  The twin 40 ft towers (which can be climbed to view 360 degrees) are well-know land marks on Long Island guiding mariners into the Great Clarence Town Harbor. 










Abandoned Anglican Church

Just past Gray’s Settlement heading north towards the Bight lies an old dilapidated Anglican church on your right, this is how you know you’re in the right place to get to The Shrimp Hole. There is a path in the bushes behind the church leading to The Shrimp Hole. The path is winding and a bit rocky at times, but once you reach your destination it is worth the walk.



The Shrimp hole is an inland blue hole shaded by trees surrounding the opening and filled with shrimp and tiny crabs. The shrimp are the main attraction here. Their bright red bodies stand out against the rocks and debris filling the hole.  When I heard that the shrimp attach and exfoliate your skin, I knew I wasn't going in.  Steve went in however he forgot to bring his snorkel gear.  The water is refreshingly chilled and is the perfect repose after the walk through the bushes in the blazing sun.  Apparently,  if you swim into the cavern, the holes above allow light to shine through and create beautiful displays in the water below.  There was someone in the cave with a professional video camera.  

Signage

Shrimp Hole

 We continued south all the way to Clarence Town.  In 2015 hurricane Joaquin destroyed a lot of places in southern part of Long Island and we saw a lot of the after effects.  Lots of places are abandoned.  Around noon, we now headed north.

Christopher Columbus Monument

We managed to make it to the Christopher Columbus monument. The roads were unbelievably rough.  Good thing we were driving a rental otherwise we would have never taken our vehicle. We found out later from a local that the town put a stop to the development.  Guess they do not want to make it a tourist attraction. 



We made it all the way to Seymour's.  On some parts of our drive, we saw wild Boar Pigs crossing the road and many goats. 
To celebrate Steve's birthday, we ate at Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort.  Of course, beside eating we had a couple of margaritas.  The food was fantastic.

Enjoying a margarita on his birthday

We drove back before it got dark.  We didn't want to drive in our dinghy back to the boat

 in the dark.  It is so dark at night but the stars are amazing.

Watch a couple of episodes before bedtime. 

 



The Tropic of Cancer

 Bit of Information:  The Tropic of Cancer N23 26.160 line of latitude that marks the northern limit of the sun's summer migration in the Northern Hemisphere, passes right through there.  When you cross that line, you are entering the "real" tropics. 

 

February 28, 2019

Big 9th birthday wish to my grand daughter Lyla.  We love you so much.



 

 

Today we laid low and didn't even get off the boat.  Steve did a lot of reading and I painted and listen to my audible.
The winds were from the south which created waves.  The boat was rocking. It was humid today and hot.  Once the winds died, it became stuffy especially  when it rained and I had to shut all the hatches while cooking over a hot stove.  It is one of the few times that it has been humid because usually there is always wind.  Steve took relief by jumping in the water.
It rained for a bit throughout the day and then we noticed in a distance a rainbow. We also enjoyed te sun setting while sipping on our coffee.

Somewhere over the Rainbow

Sun setting behind clouds

 

We watched a couple more episodes before going to bed.

 

March 1, 2019 

 



Caves

After breakfast, Steve went to get fuel at the dock.  When he returned we cleaned out the fridge and freezer.  After lunch, we went to the grocery store to get meats.  They have quite the selection here and are very well stocked. 

Happy Hour

Watched the sunset from the pub

It was very hot so we went for a ride in the dinghy  and saw lots of different rock formations along with caves.  When we returned we went swimming and then showered in order to make it to Happy Hour at a local pub.  Steve and I were the first ones there.   We met and talked to many cruisers who gradually showed up.  We also met Penny who run the Cruiser's Net every morning in Thompson Bay. Interesting how everyone was quiet as the sun set.  It was beautiful as always.

 Came back to the boat before it got dark and ate tuna salad which I made earlier.  Watched a couple of series of the Designated Survivor before going to bed.
We are headed back to Georgetown tomorrow.