Back to the Islands, March 12, 2013

We spent a week at a dock in Nassau. Laurie's sister, Sherri, her boyfriend, Brian, daughter Samantha and her friend Ashley had flown down for spring break and stayed at a resort on Cable Beach. We were looking forward to spending time with them, but were ambivalent about Nassau. Big city, congestion and a reputation for having a lot of crime. As it turned out, not only did we have a great time with family, we loved Nassau and had many positive interactions with the locals.

One evening we were in a liquor store. The owner came by and offered assistance. Dan inquire about a brand of Bahamian beer that he had not seen before. The owner said, "would you like to try one? On the house." He then proceeded to open two bottles, one for Dan and one for himself. The two of them stood in front of the beer cooler drinking cold beer and talking about the Bahamas. The owner, Michael Simms was from Simms, Long Island. His brother still lives there and he encouraged us to look him up when we get there.

Another day, Dan was walking from the marina to the downtown district. He merged on the sidewalk with a well dressed Bahamian gentleman, who greeted Dan with, "hello Gov'nor, where are you from?" This led to a conversation that lasted about six blocks, mostly about music and a mutual dislike for American Rap. He was a broadcaster for a Nassau radio station.

We made good use of the city bus system, visiting the Straw Market, the mall, and Potter's Cay, home to numerous waterfront bars, take-away stands and fish market where among other things there was;




Fresh conch,




Dried conch,



and dried fish for sale.



They also had giant lobster.




Brian and Sherri got a conch cleaning demonstration.

After a lobster and Bahamian macaroni and cheese dinner on Glory Days, it was time to say goodbye and time for us to head back to the Exumas.




Our first stop was Normans Cay, which in the 1980's was home to a Columbian drug lord and was one of the major distribution sites for illegal drugs on their way from South American to the streets of the U.S. Now it is a sleepy, uninhabited island near the top of the Exumas.


From there it was on to Hawksbill Cay for two nights before heading to Warderick Wells. The guidebook describes Hawksbill as "one of the prettiest cays in the Bahamas." The book seems to say that about a lot of cays, but who can argue?




There is a tradition among cruisers to sound the conch shell horn as the sun sets. Having bought a conch shell horn at the market in Nassau, Dan is now able to join in with the tradition as we close out another beautiful day.

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Location:Warderick Wells, Exumas