Haute Culture

It's been over a week since we had access to the internet, so this post is a bit overdue.
It was a weekend of high culture in the Abacos. First, there was the Barefoot Man concert at Nipper’s. Then, the world’s shortest St Patricks’s Day parade. Finally, an afternoon of Rake n Scrape at Grabber’s.
The Barefoot Man is a musician based in the Cayman’s. His rowdy and bawdy music is somewhat reminiscent of Jimmy Buffet’s. It celebrates such things as “Thong Gone Wrong” and "Fake Boobs and Belly Buttons." The story starts a few years ago when the Barefoot Man owned property on Guana Cay on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a beautiful sand beach and a lovely barrier reef. The plan was to have a quiet getaway where he could escape nightclubs, bars and drunken crowds. Alas! Someone built Nipper’s right next to his property. Nipper’s—THE destination in the Abacos for yachties looking for great snorkeling, revelry, good times and the weekly pig roast. “The best laid plans . . .”
There is a silver lining. The Barefoot Man had such good times on Guana Cay and at Nipper’s that he puts on an annual FREE concert there. If Nipper’s is a mecca for partiers the rest of the year, it is absolutely Nirvana when the Barefoot man performs. Nipper’s colorful deck miraculously doesn’t collapse under the weight of the crowd. Rum punch, Kaliks, dancing and bikinis accompany the music.






























Then, there is always the chance to make new friends!


And, dance with old ones.


















www.barefootman.com

Next, back in Marsh Harbour, we have the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade. Sixty or so boaters don the green, arm themselves with bells, whistles, pots, pans and conch horns. The raucous group.
Led by a bevy of bikinis, moves down Bay Street for about 3 blocks to Snappa’s Grill where a free drink awaits them. Live music, corned beef and cabbage, rum, Kaliks; it just doesn’t get any better! Oh, and more new friends. And a chance to get together with old friends, Jim and Ellie on s/v FinniRish

Finally, back on Guana Cay, Grabber’s presents Brown Tip, a Rake n Scrape group whose ear-splitting music is punctuated by the raspy rhythm of metal scraping across the teeth of an ordinary handsaw. The dancing is well lubricated with Kaliks and Grabber’s special frozen rum concoction.



We enjoyed the show with our friends Bil and Maureen, s/v Kalunamoo.

HOPE TOWN

We spent nearly two weeks at Hope Town, located on Elbow Cay a few miles south of Man O War. Remember Man O War, Paradise Found? That description may have equally applied to Hope Town a few years ago. Like many other villages in the Sea of Abaco, Hope Town was settled by loyalists who fled the US after the Revolution. It is a picturesque little town with small, colorful houses, lots of flowers and narrow streets and lanes. There is only one real street that forks into two branches for a short distance. That street is navigable by small cars and trucks but the most common form of transportation is the golf cart. The lanes are so narrow that they are accessible only to pedestrians and bicycles.

A few years ago, Hope Town was probably like Man O War today. However, tourism is booming there. Most of the cute cottages are for rent. Hope Town Marina and Villas is in the midst of a major renovation adding a poolside bar and more villas and condos. The marina and mooring field enjoy a high rate of occupancy. Hope Town is not the quiet place described by cruising visitors of a few years ago. It is still a nice place to visit but certainly not a backwater stop. However, Bahamian life survives despite the influx of tourists.

The town is home to one of the famous lighthouses of the world.
http://www.visithopetown.com/lighthouse.html The candy striped tower rises 124 steps above the mound upon which it stands. It is one of the few remaining lighthouse in the world still illuminated by kerosene. The mechanism that rotates the light is a clockwork mechanism that is powered by a huge weight and must be rewound every two hours. The 8000 pound burner and its fresnel lens rotate on a pool of mercury that reduces friction. A light push of the hand is enough to turn it. Construction of the lighthouse was opposed by inhabitants of Hope Town who made their living salvaging valuable cargo from ships that wrecked in the shallow waters. In one incident, salvers rescued the cargo of a ship en route to Cuba—slaves. They took the human cargo to Nassau where they were set free.




Peter, in his never-ending quest for the best conch salad in the Bahamas was happy to find a challenger for Bimini’s Friendly Joe. Conky Joe, whose real name is Peter, makes an excellent conch salad. He minces all the ingredients, especially the conch, very fine. The ratio of conch to veggies is high. Conky Joe does not use hot sauce but adds just enough scotch bonnet peppers to brighten the flavor with a little heat.
We rented a golf cart with Bill and Maureen from s/v Kalunamoo for a tour of the island.
About three miles south of Hope Town is Tahiti Beach. At low tide, sand flats extend way out into the Sea of Abaco. Shell seekers wade in the shallow water looking for prized shells. The tour took us past Abaco Inn where you can watch the sunrise and set over the water, perched as it is overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of Abaco. Lunch there delivered a new twist on the ubiquitous conch—conch sashimi; thin slices of conch drizzled with wasabi cream sauce and lime juice and served with soy dipping sauce—excellent! Maureen and Claudia pronounced their umpteenth Tropical Island Drink – Bahama Breeze one of the best!


We celebrated Claudia’s birthday with Mike and Janice on m/v Dual Dreamers. This is their first trip on their Carver 390, a roomy and comfortable motor vessel. Lunch with them was delightful.


Hope Town was a wonderful place to spend time and we highly recommend it to anyone who passes this way--lots of history, things to do and wonderful people.

The Great Rum Tasting

Wind blowin' like stink, no place to go, nice time to sit on the boat and read--a quiet day in front of the fireplace? Well, no, not on this boat. Let's see . . . how about a rum tasting? Our friends on s/v Kalunamoo came over with several bottles of rum, we came up with several bottles. Looks like a good evening and one way to tolerate the 25-30 knot winds. In all, we tasted 13 different rums from several places in the Caribbean. It really wasn't a exhaustive list--there are hundreds of rums made all over the world. Check out http://www.rumuniversity.com/ for book larnin', head to your local liquor store for hands on experience.


Our tasting included spiced rum, coconut flavored rum, aged rums, dark rums, light rums and white rums. Thirteen bottles in all. Of particular interest were "Fire in de Hole," Gosling's Dark, Havana Club, Matusalem, Barbancourt 15 year and Ron Zacapa. The first garnered interest because of its name, Fire in de Hole. How much more inviting can it get? Touted as an erotic (yes, "r" not "z") Caribbean rum. It's made in the Bahamas and is one of the least expensive rums where rum itself is relatively inexpensive. Alas, Fire in de Hole was a standard rum, no special qualities and did not deliver its promised eroticism. Gosling's held interest because it is one of the ingredients in the famous drink of Bermuda, the "Dark and Stormy." It is actually quite good, straight and has a bit of spiciness. Havana Club is made in Cuba and not available in the US. "Forbidden fruit?" It is the ubiquitous Cuban rum . It seems to be the only Cuban rum available though I'm sure they have many others. It was a step above "Fire in de Hole" and on par with the 2 Bacardis we tasted. Again, a relatively simple rum with no special qualities. For years, our favorite rum was Barbancourt 15 year. Unlike most of the other rums, it is made from sugar cane juice, not molasses. I'm sad to report that Barbancourt, as good as it is has been supplanted by other rums that we rank as sipping rums. We moved on to Matusalem--the 15 year stuff. Although the general consensus was that it is indeed a good rum, it didn't rank high. "A bit rough," was mentioned. Your humble author was a dissenting voice and Matusalem is still one of his favorites. We sampled a white rum from Martinique. Again, it is a rum that is made directly from sugar cane juice. It retains the grassy taste of the cane. I suppose it is an acquired taste but it makes a really good 'ti Punch, the drink of choice on the French Islands.

Then, there was Ron Zacapa, a rum aged by the solera system where younger rums are blended serially with older rums--as old as 23 years. I was introduced to Ron Zacapa by chance. I had gone into a liquor store and there was a young lady giving out samples of Ron Zacapa. Let me just say that she was attractive and I would have bought stump water from her. Maybe that has influenced my opinion of the rum. It is very dark and has a full, round smooth taste and a spiciness that begs you to swirl the drink in your mouth before you swallow it. The single favorite of the evening!

Dark and Stormy
2 oz Dark Rum (preferably Gosling's)
3 oz Ginger Beer (preferably Barrit's) Ginger beer is not alcoholic.
Wedge of lime to garnish

Mix ingredients in a tall cocktail glass, add ice

'ti Punch

2 oz White rum, preferably from Martinique or Guadeloupe
Tbls of sugar syrup
squeeze of lime

Mix ingredients in a small, short glass. No ice if you want to be authentic!

PARADISE FOUND!

We left Marsh Harbor for the 5 mile trip across the Sea of Abaco to Man O War Cay. Like most of the rest of this trip so far, we had to use the Iron Jenny (motor). But, the seas were kindly and the trip short and it was pleasant to be on the water again. We dropped the hook at the northwest end of Dickies Cay just outside Man O War harbor. Bill and Maureen (s/v Kalunamoo) had anchored nearby but re-anchored because they found that their anchor was in a submerged trash heap that included junk like old refrigerators. Not the kind of thing you want to get tangled up with.

We had a quick lunch and dinghied in with Bob and Suzanne (s/v Brittany de la Mer), also anchored nearby. I opted to leave my camera on the boat since we were just going on a reconnaissance mission and planned to return the next day. As usual, big mistake! Immediately upon stepping ashore, I again realized that I should never leave the boat without my camera. Oh well, returning the next day, right?

The next day, we put the motor on our dinghy and got ready to go back ashore to walk around some more and take pictures of Paradise. Pull as I might, I could not get the motor to fire. I’ve learned by now not to ask, “Why?” but, “Now what?” As luck would have it, there is a force in the universe that looks out for fools and the unfortunate. Bob and Suzanne decided to do laundry while at Man O War. So, we hitched a ride with them.

Yes, I said, “Paradise.” It would be very easy to choose to live here. There is virtually nothing to do here except enjoy life with your friends. The settlement on Man O War Cay is a picturesque village full of neat houses decorated with island colors and lots of flowers. The island is a tiny one and no one is far from the water, not even the dead.
Most of the native Bahamians who live here make their living as carpenters. In earlier days, they built boats today they build houses. There is an increasing number of vacation homes which could mean, “Paradise Lost.”

JUNKANOO!

Junkanoo is a big, really big tradition in the Bahamas. Originally, it was a festive celebration on Boxing Day, December 26 and on New Year’s Day. Its name may have derived from the name of a plantation owner who gave his slaves the opportunity for a big celebration. His name was John Canoe. At any rate, the tradition has enjoyed reversals of fortune, being condemned by Christians who thought it unseemly during an otherwise holy season. It was even banned by the government during the 40s. However, it’s hard to argue with tradition. Today, Junkanoo is celebrated at different times of the year in different locales. In Nassau, it takes place on New Year’s Day. Here in the Abacos, it seems to be connected to Mardi Gras even though it doesn’t take place precisely on Tuesday. Even so, it is every bit as colorful as any New Orleans celebration. However, it is not so much about an opportunity for uninhibited behavior as about the music and costumes. Different Junkanoo groups compete fiercely for prizes and recognition.
In the Abacos, it takes place in Marsh Harbor and is spread over two days. The first night features the junior paraders. Each of the island’s schools chooses a theme for its entry. Costumes are designed and marching/dance routines choreographed. The costumes are wild and fanciful constructions of feathers, tinsel and tassels—masks, footgear, head-dresses nearly as big as the persons whose heads they adorn. The theme is represented by a float which is paraded by hand, leading the school’s entry. Music is made with drums, whistles, kazoos, cow bells and the like. The rhythms are hypnotic and the whole scene becomes other-worldly. The kids are excited and throw themselves enthusiastically into the whole production. Each school’s entry in the parade is judged and the winner has bragging rights for a year. The second night is given over to adult entries and the whole thing is repeated albeit with a little more professionalism.



Along with our friends on s/v Brittany de la Mer and s/v Kalunamoo, we rented a van to see a bit of Great Abaco Island that we can’t see by boat. We drove to Treasure Cay to walk on the fabulous white sand beach and to enjoy a drink and snacks at Coco’s while we marveled at the infinite shades, hues and tints of blues of the water. Then, we drove south to Little Harbour for lunch at Pete’s Pub. Little Harbour is a tiny vacation/residential community—like Treasure, there doesn’t seem to be a real town there. Residents provide their own electricity with solar panels and generators. The harbor is in a cozy bay protected by hills. There was a handful of boats anchored there. The community is home to the Johnston Foundry. Sculptor Randolph Johnston casts his pieces in bronze using the lost wax technique. There are cute, colorful and quaint homes, vacation cottages and places to rent.

Great Abaco Island, like the rest of the Bahamas, is low lying and rocky. Most of it is covered with dense thickets of scrubby tropical growth. Many places are dominated by tall pine trees, limbless for most of their height. Palmetto scrub blankets the understory. The island has a peaceful shore liberally dotted with fine beaches. It has another shore that is steeper and marked by rocky outcrops washed by wild breaking waves.
The roads in most of the other islands we have seen have numerous communities a few miles apart and many individual homes in between. The communities on Great Abaco are further apart and there are few if any homes between.