Thread: The Bahama Islands - Overview

The Abacos are a sailing universe. Somewhere in the long necklace of pale-sanded islands and often uninhabited cays, flung out over 120 miles, you're sure to find the ideal private spot for some chilled champagne and a good book. Sheltered harbours create a haven for yachtsmen, and the slumber-struck 18th century villages and historic museums recall a tranquil past.

The major islands of this small archipelago are Great and Little Abaco, with the off-lying cays of Elbow Cay, Man-O-War Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Guana Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay and Walker's Cay. The Abacos have a long history of providing refuge from hectic life in the States. It was at Carleton Point, Abaco's first settlement, that 600 Loyalist refugees fleeing the newly-independent United States settled in 1783, and Grand Cay was once a favorite retreat of former US president Richard Nixon.

If you're not cruising there's still plenty to do. You can visit the Pelican Cay National Park, an underwater preserve; or, the Abaco National Park, a 20,000 acre site in southern Abaco encompassing the nesting area and habitat of the Abaco Parrot. Or spend a quiet afternoon at the Albert Lowe Museum, a restored 150-year-old mansion that now houses exhibits on local history. In the Memorial Sculpture Gardens, busts of some 30 Bahamians, representing different Bahamian islands, stand in an elegant, tranquil garden setting.

Elbow Cay, with beautiful beaches and fine hilltop views, is the proud home of a candy-striped lighthouse standing guard over a picture-book harbour. A guide will show you around and tell you how the lighthouse operates. Nearby Man-O-War Cay (named after the bird) has always depended on shipbuilding for its livelihood. Some boats are still handmade-without-plans in a tradition that has been passed down for centuries. The town here resembles a New England sea-side village, save for the palm trees and tropical breezes.

The commercial hub of the islands and third largest town in The Bahamas is Marsh Harbour, on Great Abaco, which has a plethora of well-stocked stores and marinas that provide services to fulfill the boater's every need.

There are relatively few green turtles remaining on Green Turtle Cay, but they are bred here on farms and considered food. On occasion, boiled turtle or turtle stew, will appear on restaurant menus.Be aware when purchasing items made from turtle shell that they may have to be left behind, as it is illegal to import these products into many countries.

Treasure Cay has an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts, a marina and facilities for fishing, boating and scuba diving. Nearby Treasure Island has superb beaches.

Walker's Cay is the northernmost island in The Bahamas. Its waters are overrun with gamefish like tuna, dolphin, blue marlin, billfish, and kingfish among others. Walker's Cay Undersea Adventures offers bonefishing, deep sea fishing, secluded island picnics, tours of the tropical fish hatchery, and cookouts for dive groups.

Acklins and Crooked Island are two of the four islands forming an atoll which hugs the beautiful shallow waters of the Bight of Acklins. Bordered by the nearly uninhabited Castle Island and Long Cay, they are as natural as they were when The Bahamas was first "discovered." Columbus reputedly sailed down the leeward side of the islands through the narrow Crooked Island Passage, which has ever since served as an important route for steam ships travelling from Europe to Central and South America. This seaway, referred to locally as 'the going through,' also earned these islands the notorious reputation as convenient bases for buccaneers and pirates, who attacked ships in these shallow waters.

The islands existed in virtual obscurity until 1783, when American Loyalists began to settle here. These former plantation owners brought slaves and money to start a short-lived cotton industry which, by the beginning of the 19th Century, had more than 40 plantations employing 1200 slaves. The population turned from the land to the bounties of The Bight, after cotton growing became uneconomical due to Emancipation and soil depletion. Diving for sponges became the economic cornerstone of these islands until the sponges were decimated by a fungus. The inhabitants now earn their living by fishing and simple farming.

Acklins

One of the least known islands of The Bahamas, Acklins comprises the southern and southeastern part of the chain. The terrain is hilly and desolate, with unusual rock formations, and varied plant and animal life, including an occasional swamp turtle. Along its coastline are numerous hidden coves with extensive, beautiful beaches and a number of tiny, colorful, villages.

The island is so quiet that you can hear the tropical breezes blow and the natives say that you have to "make your own sunshine:" in other words, you are on your own. Bonefishing, deep-sea fishing, sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing are ideal activities.

Crooked Island

Crooked Island (together with Long Cay) forms the northwest part of the atoll system. The deliciously sweet scent of native herbs and flowers inspired Columbus to call it "one of the fragrant islands." He christened the island "Isabella" after his queen and it was called "Samoete" by the Arawaks, but somehow, the more functionally descriptive Crooked Island is the name it is known by today.

Quiet and remote, the island's natural attributes are many. An abundance of bird life thrives on the cliffs and reefs around the islands and magnificent limestone caves hide secrets from the past. Coral gardens, shelves and reefs are a treat for divers and the deep creeks, tidal flats, and pools filled with game fish make it a sportman's delight. Spectacular, untouched, white sand beaches stretch for miles.

Colonel Hill, on the northeastern end, is the main town of Crooked Island; other towns include Cripple Hill, True Blue, French Wells and Gun Point. Albert Town, now classified as a ghost town, is the only village on Long Cay. Formerly known as Fortune Island, in more prosperous times it served as a transfer point for cargoes on ships sailing between Europe and the Americas.

Largest of the many Islands of The Bahamas (104 x 40 miles), mysterious, mangrove-choked Andros is also the least explored, which means that you'll be sharing space with more terns and whistling tree ducks than humans--and maybe even a chickcharnie or two, those mischievous mythical inhabitants that are exclusive to this island. Reputed to be elfin creatures with three fingers, three toes, and red eyes, chickcharnies bring lifelong good luck to anyone lucky enough to see one. Andros even has its own "Loch Ness Monster," a dragon-like sea monster called the Lusca. No wonder the island was called "La Isla del Espiritu Santo" (the island of the Holy Spirit) by the Spaniards.

Andros has come to be regarded "the bonefish capital of the world," where anglers from around the globe match wits with these challenging gamefish. It is also rapidly gaining interest as a spectacular dive site, with good reason--off the east coast of this island lies the third largest barrier reef in the world. The 12 foot water around the reef suddenly plunges 6000 feet into the Tongue of the Ocean, and contains colourful marine life of nearly all species, some of the world's deepest blue holes, and spectacular coral gardens and underwater caverns.

Most of the major towns in Andros are scattered along its northeastern coast. Heading south, the settlements become more remote and are well worth a visit for palm-fringed beaches and warm and friendly people. Driggs Hill, Congo Town, and Kemp's Bay are ideal for long walks among wild orchids and relaxing in hammocks under the palms.

Dear to the hearts of sailors, yachtsmen and fishermen, southeast of the Biminis, is a cluster of 30 islands and close to 100 cays known as The Berry Islands. Decked with green and fringed with drifts of sand, here you can find a multitude of magical harbours and swim-ashore beaches. With a land mass totalling only about a dozen square miles, these cays rest on the eastern edge of the Great Bahama Bank, starting with Great Stirrup Cay and extending to Chub Cay in the south; the largest of them is Great Harbour Cay at 3,800 acres.

These largely uninhabited islands offer spectacular diving and snorkeling and are known for championship sportsfishing, second only to the Biminis. It is a big cruising and angling area and record catches have been made of mackerel, blue and white marlin and sailfish. Bonefish, crawfish and conch are plentiful, but people are scarce.

The islands' main attraction are their seclusion and privacy and they have a reputation as a holiday retreat. A good number of the cays like Fraser's Hog Cay and Bonds Cay, suitable for stock raising and agriculture, are privately owned. There are more millionaires here per square mile than most places on earth. Whale Cay was once the site of an extensive coconut and sisal plantation.

What we think of as Bimini is actually two separate islands, North and South Bimini, separated by a shallow, narrow channel. North Bimini, the focus of the population and activities, consists of a strip of land 7 miles long and no wider than 700 yards. South Bimini, has a small airstrip and two hotels. As a result, it's silent and rustic, while still offering easy access via water to the North Bimini happenings.

Despite the fact that Bimini is the Bahamian island closest to the United States, sitting only 48 miles east of Miami, its easy way of life is reminiscent of the past. The island is draped with a slightly remote, put-your-feet-up-and-dream atmosphere that is characteristic of the Out Islands.

Bimini began as a rendezvous for rum runners and wreckers who plundered the ships that ran aground reefs. Today, the wrecks of Spanish galleons make for fascinating dive sites along with black coral, exotic fish and a mysterious stone formation that some say is the lost continent of Atlantis.

Alice Town, the "commercial centre" of Bimini, consists of a single quiet road called the King's Highway, lined with a few small necessity shops, a half dozen local restaurants and an equal number of funky, down home bars. During fishing tournaments and other high times, the street can get a little bit wild, but it's usually just you strolling down the King's Highway, savoring the aroma of baking bread and the company of the pelicans.

Nightlife is usually laid back. The most energy-consuming thing going on outdoors is usually bar hopping between the Compleat Angler (live music several nights a week) and the End of the World.

During tournaments, the whole island lives and breathes angling; it's difficult to find someone to talk to who won't, at the very least, pepper his or her conversation with fishing terms and wonder idly where they're biting. Fishing in Bimini is absolutely unparalleled for the size and variety of the catch. Sailfish, tuna, wahoo: in fact over 50 world records have been set in these waters, the inspiration for Ernest Hemingway's Islands In The Stream. All ocean fisherman worth their salt must fish Bimini at least once a lifetime.

Cat Island may have derived its name from Arthur Catt, the famous British sea captain or notorious pirate (depending on whose side you were on). A competing source for the name are the hordes of wild cats that the English encountered here on arrival in the 1600s. The cats were said to be descendants of their tamer cousins orphaned by the early Spanish colonists in their rush to find the gold of South America.

This boot-shaped, untamed island is one of the most beautiful and fertile of The Bahamas. A lush sanctuary, it provides tranquillity for those seeking an escape from the pressures of modern civilization. Others thought so too, like Father Jerome, a penitent hermit who built a medieval monastery hewn from the limestone cliffs atop 206-foot Mt. Alvernia, a place for meditation. From these high cliffs, there is a marvelous view down to densely-forested foothills and 60 miles of deserted pink-and-white-sand beach.

Cat Island was once home to one of the more prosperous Loyalist colonies of the Out Islands. The island gained its wealth from the numerous cotton plantations established during the 1700s. Now, vine-covered, semi-ruined mansions and stone walls from farms where cattle were penned and pineapples grown, play hide and seek within the tropical flowers, grass and sand. Crumbling remnants of slave villages and artifacts in Arawak caves whisper of a life long past. Descendants of those early settlers remain in the same towns of their ancestors.

Nature and what "the Lord will provide" are the philosophy that people here live by. Cat Islanders are renowned for their ingenuity at using the materials at hand to make whatever they need. For example, musicians combine a piece of wood, some fishing line and a worn tin tub to create the bass instrument in a "rake 'n' scrape" band at a local nightclub. Accompanied by a Conchshell (horn), an old comb covered with paper (harmonica), an old carpenter's saw scraped with a piece of metal, and topped off by a drum that really smokes (goat skins stretched over wood and heated over a flame), Cat Island bands produce a unique sound.

Much of The Bahamas' indigenous music, folklore and myth can be traced to Cat Island. Here, "I'll be with you in spirit" takes on a whole new meaning. Traditionally, when the last of a generation dies, his or her house is left for the spirit to live in. Remaining relatives gather stones from the site and form a new dwelling. Elsewhere, in the north of the island, residents place spindles atop houses to prevent harm from befalling them--a kind of lightning rod for evil spirits.

Three hundred years ago a small band of English pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, landed on this island and gave it the ethereal name, Eleuthera, which means "Freedom" in Greek. The name seems to be as apt today as it was then. Eleuthera, delivers on its initial promise by bestowing its gifts upon the lucky who've stumbled upon it, or the smart who know to go there. Miles of glistening pink and white sand beaches, serene colonial villages, and the rolling acres of pineapple plantations make Eleuthera an island of the most casual sophistication. The cool laziness of Eleutherean life and dusty-yet-drenched colors of the island give it the feel of a giant illusion; it seems to have a kind of unbounded air of calm and grace. With its two companions, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, Eleuthera has long been a favored destination among smart travelers seeking a bit of quiet charm.

Eleuthera is not really the sort of place that lends itself to plans, but you'll probably find yourself at some point ready to do some exploring. Preacher's Cave is a good place to start. It's a subterranean cave in which the Eleutheran Adventurers, the happy few pilgrims who first landed here, took refuge and held religious services upon their arrival. If Preacher's Cave was a chapel in the wilderness, the magnificent Cave at Hatchet Bay gives the appearance of a vaulted cathedral. It is more than a mile long, with stalagmites and stalactites that gleam in the torchlight.

Another magnificent sight is the Glass Window Bridge, which spans a gap in which the turbulent waters of the Atlantic meet the calmer seas of the Exuma Sound on the island's leeward side. The existing man-made structure has replaced a naturally-formed bridge that was blown away during a hurricane years ago, but the view of the deep blue ocean and crashing surf is still as spectacular as when it captured the painterly eye of Winslow Homer.

Nearby Windermere Island is an exclusive resort, often frequented by members of the Royal Family

Harbour Island

On Harbour Island, off the north coast of Eleuthera, is Dunmore Town, the oldest and most charming settlement in The Bahamas complete with white picket fences and friendly residents. All of Harbour Island is rimmed by pink, sugar-sand beaches, but Dunmore Town has some of the best of them. While you are here, visit the "Hill Steps," which were cut out by prisoners, with an underground tunnel leading from the cove to Rock House, a nearby resort. Also on Harbour Island is Titus Hole, a cave with an open mouth that overlooks the harbour and is said to be the first jail of Harbour Island.

Spanish Wells

A short ferry ride from Eleuthera, Spanish Wells, aptly named, is where sailors came ashore from Spanish galleons to fill their casks with fresh water after long sea voyages. The people of his prosperous fishing village, renowned for their seamanship, have deep ancestral roots. They are direct descendants of the original Eleutheran adventurers and Loyalists. There is excellent fishing and diving available, even a sunken train wreck for those seeking the exotic.

The Exumas were settled in 1783 by American Loyalists who wanted to remain true to the British king after the United States won the American Revolutionary War. They reassembled their former way of life in these islands, complete with cotton plantations and African slaves. Remnants of these plantations still remain. Lord John Rolle was a major landowner and one of the most powerful Loyalists. When he freed his slaves in 1835, he bequeathed his land to them for life. In gratitude, several towns are named after him and many of the people in The Exumas wear the name of "Rolle" with pride.

They say of the Exumas, "If you can't sail them, be sure to gaze down when you're flying overhead." This chain of 365 cays (one cay for each day of the year) is strewn over a 100-mile expanse of the most breathtakingly beautiful stretch of waters in The Bahamas. The myriad unnamed beaches and coves excite yachstmen, and divers relish their unspoiled waters. Most of the cays are unpeopled, strolled only by iguanas.

Inagua is an anagram for the herbivorous animal common to its shores: the iguana. It is actually two separate islands, Great and Little Inagua, which together are referred to as The Inaguas.

Great Inagua can be called The Bahamas' "great outback" or "wild west." The traveller who is interested in something completely different will find this an unusual place to visit. It is a naturalist's paradise where rare birds and reptiles thrive in a rugged and salty environment, wild cows and donkeys ramble, and wild boars are pursued across wide open spaces for both food and sport. Sailing, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming and walking are the principal forms of recreation.

Inagua provides a treasure of a different kind: salt, a critical staple in the days before refrigeration. Sailing vessels called here regularly to purchase the commodity, and the settlement of Matthew Town developed into quite a prosperous trading post. Most Inaguans still work in the salt business today. It is the only major industry on the island, and provides them with a comfortable standard of living. The Morton Salt Company produces about a million pounds of salt a year here, second largest solar saline operation in North America. The next time you grab that salt shaker, there's a good chance that the contents originated in Inagua.

The process of producing salt is another fascinating testament to how resourceful and ingenious man, combined with nature, can be. Sea water is pumped into the interior of the island and held in dikes. There are 80 salt ponds, covering over 12,000 acres. As the water evaporates, it turns into heavy brine. A continual process of the salt solidifying at night and melting during the heat of the day, forms a crystallized bed at the bottom of the pond. In the final stage, any remaining water is drained and the salt is bulldozed into bleached white mountains and shipped around the world for processing.

Inagua's environment is ideal for salt production. The weather is exceptionally dry and hot; the land is low and for the most part flat, harsh, stark, and surreal. There are more cacti on Inagua than anywhere else in The Bahamas, the salt-soaked earth making it impossible for most other plants to survive. Miles of dazzling salt beds stretch toward the horizon, creating a brilliant world, desolate and impressive.

Little Inagua is just five miles to the north. It covers thirty square miles and is completely uninhabited except for herds of wild donkeys and goats (descendants of stock introduced by the French) and a wide variety of bird life, including a rare species of heron. Little Inagua will probably remain safe and secure from human intrusion, because of a vast protective reef apron that prevents boats from coming too close.