April 4, 2007 reflection

I had promised a reality check on the Bahamas but Jane has done a superb
job in the latest update. I will add a few ramblings ...
1. If you are intent on visiting the Abacos and if you wish to expose
your liver to life in the "fast lane" then head for the "Sea of Abacos".
It is party central for the north Bahamas.
2. Be prepared to spend 1.50 to 2.50 dollars US a foot for a dock if and
only if the "Dock Master" deams you worthy. We did not cross enough
palms with enough silver to be deamed "worthy".
3. Mooring are the same deal ... 15 to 20 per night if they let you on.
4. Hope Town, Little Harbour and Marsh Harbour are very much "in crowd "
oriented. If your not part of it you spend your life at anchor if you
can even get in.
5. Bottled US near beer is 4-5 dollars US at a bar ... mixed drinks are
more, soft drinks are 2-4. Gin and Rum bottles are very inexpensive but
Scotch is almost nonexistent and very expensive. Drinking water is .25
to .50 US a gallon at a marina if you can get in.
6. Cheapest wine is from Chile and is only available at "local" stores.
7. Food is from the US and is 10 to 40 % higher. Only the cheaper brands
are stocked and most are stale dated.
8. Vegetables arrive one day a week in most Cays and there is a mad rush
when they do arrive. Expect lower grade for everything.
9. There are "NO RETURNS" and there is NO Customer Service period.
10. Don't take any paper period from land to your boat. The number of
bugs that inhabit a paper bag is beyond belief.
11. The Marsh Harbour "dock hands" at the public dock will cause you no
end of grief. They assist you arrive and depart even when asked not to.
If they take exception to your attitude they make sure that your dink
is rubbing against the concrete wall. They try and extort tips since
they are freelance and not associated with any tourist group.
12. Beaches are supposed to be public from 25 feet above the high water
mark to the water. In most places the public access is via a commercial
establishment and they make it clear that freeloaders are not welcome.
In the case of Treasure Cay you have to trespass past locked gates to
get at the public beach. On the beaches that can be accessed without
trespassing there are usually guard dogs petrolling to keep you away.
13. There are a lot of Canadian boats in the Abacos. Most are sail. Most
are party folks. They spend a lot of time at anchor.
14. There are a lot of Americans in the Abacos. Most are power boaters
and cottagers. Most are party folks. They spend a lot of time at
dockside and on mooring balls. They own most of the real-estate, rental
cottages and service industries.
15. The Bahamas are an independent country yet the US folks see to think
it is their God given right to run the country. The local "cruisers net"
is staffed by US folks associated with the US Government. They like to
have everyone "check-in and out" of the area just like the "Home Land
Security Folks" in the US. They keep lists of all boaters in the area
regardless of their country of origin. Cruisers are "encouraged" to file
sail plans if they leave the Abacos area. If you are a women or have
an alternative sexual orientation be prepared for snide remarks and
off-colour comments from the "cruisers net hosts". This is a male
dominated environment of the old school with no apology.
16. We have not experienced a great deal of welcome from the local
inhabitants aside from the folks in Green Turtle. I suspect it is a
jaded reaction to the kind of people they have to deal with on a day to
day basis.
17. I weep for the Bahamas. I wish they could get their act together but
the allure of the almighty US dollar has blinded the politicians to
undertake a course that will cause their eventual destruction ...

Green Turtle Cay, April 2 2007

It was like coming back to reality. Our arrival at the anchorage in
Green Turtle was announced by roosters crowing and cormorants hunting.
Once anchored we went ashore to be among the local community of people.
Not much had changed. The dogs still slept under the cars to escape the
noon sun. The fish monger still had little to offer due to the chronic
overfishing of the waters by US based "sport" fishermen. The rum had not
increased in price and our lunch of hot wings was still the best outside
of our condo in Toronto ... at a price that was very affordable. We are
anchored just outside of the community of New Plymouth. In the morning
we will move into the main harbour and join the rest of the cruising
community waiting for a weather window to venture further north. Jane
and I now understand why some cruisers spend the entire winter in Green
Turtle Cay. It has much more to offer than the Sea of Abacos. brian

March 20 ... post dog attach

It has been two days since we reported a vicious 4 dog attach on us to the local "US Warden". Nothing has happened except once I made it known that I had photos of the offending dogs AND a shot of them forcing a women into the Atlantic to escape their jaws that she notified the "Tourist" bureau. Interesting chain of command. They have, of course, not contacted us. Between beach guard dogs at Man-o-War Cay, the security folks at Bakers Bay, the lack of public beach access at Treasure Cay, Little Harbour
and Great Guana Cay I'm beginning to think the Abacos is an area to avoid. When we finally leave this area I think I'll post another update giving the reality vs the Bahamas marketing hype. So far the Bahamas are "not better". The winds have been 20-30 knots from the NE. The situation has been described as "unusual" by local meteorologists ... they keep expecting the winds to lighten as in past years ... what if they don't? One of the consequences of global warming may be that historical weather
patterns fail to materialize ... if the Bahamas becomes a rain,wind and gale driven environment what will become of all the US development capital that has poured into the area. I'm not sure folks will be interested in spending a great deal of time in an area with high winds, cool temperatures rain and frequent hurricanes. I can't say I'm unhappy with the prospect since it very unsettling to see a country selling itself to self interest groups from the US. Money talks here. Bring lots if you plan
to come. Just hear a very interesting IDEAS program on CBC featuring David Suzuki and Stephen Lewis on climate change. I wish more people were interested in their and their kids future on this planet... brian

March 5. 2007

Even the locals have had enough of the constant cold fronts that seem to hit us every 3 days. This week we have had 2 cold fronts a day apart. In other news, they have found that Lake Superior is warming faster than had been projected ... the research folks are now looking for money to investigate ... the mantle is no longer in place along the Atlantic sea bed mid ocean ... seems there is a piece of earths crust missing around the Canary Islands ... so much for the theory of plate Tectonics. Toronto
has closed the Gardiner Expressway today due to falling ice sheets from the CN Tower. They are waiting for the wind direction to change before they open up the highway. In the Bahamas we heard (on very public VHF radio) a very irate Yank tearing a strip off the Bahamian government officials because they would not grant him an immigration stay extension a month before his current 50 day one expires. His crowning argument was that even though he had stocked up the boat in the US before coming to the
Bahamas he planned to spend a couple of hundred dollars on supplies if he was allowed to stay. One thing has become very clear ... most Yanks don't consider the Bahamas as a country but rather as an extension of Florida. Sad. What is even sadder is that the Bahamian Government is allowing unchecked development funded by US companies to occur that will destroy the natural beauty of their country. The Bakers Bay golf course development, if it is allowed to proceed, will destroy the best reef on the
North end of the Bahamas. There seems to be a move afoot by folks to see the natural wonders of the world before they are gone forever ... only problem is that the influx of tourists is the very thing that is destroying the environment once you consider the support structure that is required to support the increased tourist trade. enough . brian

March 1,2007

So Al Gore made the Hollywood gift list. Interesting ... Wonder if it will have the same effect as it had on Mike Moore. What a way to shut a guy up. Just give him a gold plated statue of a ?. Also in the news ... scientists discover new life species under the south pole ice cap ... thanks to the wonderful folks in the US for melting all that ice that has hiding the beasties. Wonder where they will call home now. Also in the news ... the Greens had reached the same level of public support as the
NDP. About time to refocus priorities. And yes it hailed and blew like stick in the Bahamas as a major series of thunderstorms went through. They had never seen hail in the Bahamas until now. For some reason the US folks here are not able to understand that global warming is becoming a very real issue. They keep blaming Canada and Siberia for the rotten weather. I'm in shorts but I can't get a good nights sleep because of the high winds and being on anchor watch every night. I wonder if it worth
the tradeoff. brian

Feb 22, 2007 Is it really better in the bahamas?

There was an ad campaign a while ago that used the catch phrase "its better in the Bahamas" ... I am having a hard time understanding what is better. The Abacos (North Bahamas) don't cut it as a better place. It is full of folks that are intent on regaining their lost childhood. There are few if any "local" folks that are not involved with the tourist trade. Most services are provided by imported labour. The majority of businesses and homes owned by outsiders or recent work permit holders. I have
not seen an official (Police or otherwise) outside of the immigration office staff since we have been here. There is one radio station that gives the weather at 0700 and 0800 hours daily. The "cruisers net" offers local events and weather at 0815. The net is run by an American embassy "official" who tries to maintain a certain amount of control over the cruising folks. They want everyone to check in and checkout ... shades of the Coast Guard. Most days of the week have a "special" offered by one
of the local bars ... (they all seem to have their own days) ... the going minimum price seems to be $20 per person regardless of what is offered. The weather is consistent ... five days of high wind and 2 days of calm. The high winds always have a westerly component and there are very few secure anchorages available. In most cases people head for March Harbour or Treasure Cay to pick up a mooring ball or dock. Public access to beaches is difficult to find ... most beach front property (US owned)
is posted with warning signs if not guards to keep the riff raff from coming on the beach. Water access via dink is only possible at a government dock if you can find one... The Yanks have landed ... heaven help the country. Brian

Feb 10, 2007

The Bahamas ... interesting place if you are into adult summer camp. Every morning at 0815 the cruisers net comes "On Air" on channel 68 to detail the weather, events and where you should spend your money. There are 15 major eating establishments within 8 miles and they all want you to be there for the 1 pound steak specials ... or maybe it's the lobster specials or maybe it's the special drink specials. There are no fish, there are few birds, there are few living things on the bottom of this vast 12 foot deep sea. This part of the Bahamas is beginning to feel like a month long warm water bath except I don't have my rubber duckie (ref. Hitchhikers Guide). There is a major storm every week, so in every 7 day period there are 3 days of pleasant weather and 4 days that are unsettled. The group dynamics continue from the ICW days. The local US ex-pats have taken the organization of the cruisers as their life mission. They set the rules and agenda for what goes on, quite independe
nt of the local authorities. In any event it is nice to sit here in shorts waiting for the next rain storm hoping that it will bring some long awaited fresh water to rinse the salt from the decks ... The authorities make a big deal out of boaters declaring any weapons that are aboard as if they have a low tolerance for firearms ... however we have heard semi-automatic and automatic weapons fire at both Green Turtle Cay and at Man-O-War Cay very close to anchored and moored boats. I guess the local authorities have to practise their marksmanship somewhere. brian