Suddenly the whizzing of the fishing line grabbed our attention. Something big had taken the bait! Flying along at about 8 knots with the kite up we were unable to slow down and he took almost the full line. Watching his fin break the water we couldn't quite figure out what it was and then he jumped into the air twisting and turning trying to break free. A beautiful Mahi-Mahi (dolphin fish). They are so beautiful I always feel a little sad seeing them on the line. Their colours are magnificent emerald green yellows and blue. He put up an amazing fight and we knew there was no way to land him with the kite up. I managed to release and douse the kite while André held on. It still took another 20 minutes and ended with him tail walking around the sugarscoop before we got him aboard! A tot of good Bacardi Limon Rum for Mr Fish and he went to fish heaven with a smile on his face! Fresh Mahi steaks for dinner and a freezer full of fish!
We relaunched the spinnaker and reached Little Harbour where we dropped anchor off the beach for the night!
Little Harbour was 'developed' in 1950 when a Canadian decided that he and his family; a wife and 3 sons, were escaping the 'rat race' to relax and create art! He lifted anchor and dropped it in May 1952 in Little Harbour! They lived in caves and off the land until he built a home and a bronze art foundry for his work! Thats about all there is now is homes, Pete's Pub and the foundry/ Gallery. Apparently they even have their art in Vatican City! The rest, as they say; is history. His son Pete developed Petes Pub. we discovered Blue Cheese Burgers to die for there!
The tiny harbour surrounded by cliffs and dotted with caves is beautiful. clear shallow waters with an abundance of Turtles.
A couple of days in Little Harbour then our trek North took us to a day anchorage at Bight of Old Robinson and we dinghy'd over to see the Blue Holes. the memorial nearby to 3 young men who drowned there, poor visibility and a whirlpool of water put us off exploring the deep blue water.
As with many of the Abaco; Bahamas the restaurant we dined at at our next anchorage off Baker's Rock; Tahiti beach has a delightful story behind it. "Cracker P's" is named after a 'Paul John Simmons' aka 'Cracker P'. He was from Lexington, Georgia and was born in 1879. He was a Veteran of the Spanish-American War.
In 1915 a very unfortunate incident occurred. The families duck (yep duck no error) was terrorizing the neighborhood and cause a fight between Cracker and the local law, Sheriff Cartwright. In the ensuing struggle a shot went off and the Sheriff lay dead! Cracker was now a wanted man. He made his way to Florida and jumped aboard a schooner heading for Abaco's. He made his way to Lubbers landing knowing this would be his home for the rest of his life. He fished and farmed and planted Sapodilla trees, the fruit of which they still make their BBQ sauce with. A cooking fire burned fro the day he arrived until the day he left in 1954; 39 years.
Cracker had a very limited wardrobe having fled and was therefor the first naked person many locals had seen. He would pole (no pun intended) his was to town once a month for supplies. There he would exchange his vegetables for fish and meat. He was not a good fisherman!
In comparison 'Hope Town' our next stop is extremely busy! In Bahamas 'busy' is of course relative! No cars or golf carts; the main transport on many islands; are not allowed in town. Walking and bicycles only! Hope Town has one of the last operational Kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world! Built in 1862, it became operational in 1864 and can be seen from 43km away! It needs to be hand cranked every few hours to keep the light sequence of five white flashes every 15 seconds.
There wer a number of transient fishermen, wreckers and pirates using Hope Town harbour in the 17th and 18th centuries but no permanent settlements until 1785 when a small group of loyalist refugees settled. Among them were Wyannie Malone and her four children. They tried farming with little success and wrecking became their chosen existence. luring ships on to the rocks and living off the salvaged cargo. This was one of the reasons the lighthouse took so long to become functional as the Malone family kept vandalizing the building as it would stop them from wrecking and the resulting treasures.
Little Harbour was 'developed' in 1950 when a Canadian decided that he and his family; a wife and 3 sons, were escaping the 'rat race' to relax and create art! He lifted anchor and dropped it in May 1952 in Little Harbour! They lived in caves and off the land until he built a home and a bronze art foundry for his work! Thats about all there is now is homes, Pete's Pub and the foundry/ Gallery. Apparently they even have their art in Vatican City! The rest, as they say; is history. His son Pete developed Petes Pub. we discovered Blue Cheese Burgers to die for there!
The tiny harbour surrounded by cliffs and dotted with caves is beautiful. clear shallow waters with an abundance of Turtles.
A couple of days in Little Harbour then our trek North took us to a day anchorage at Bight of Old Robinson and we dinghy'd over to see the Blue Holes. the memorial nearby to 3 young men who drowned there, poor visibility and a whirlpool of water put us off exploring the deep blue water.
As with many of the Abaco; Bahamas the restaurant we dined at at our next anchorage off Baker's Rock; Tahiti beach has a delightful story behind it. "Cracker P's" is named after a 'Paul John Simmons' aka 'Cracker P'. He was from Lexington, Georgia and was born in 1879. He was a Veteran of the Spanish-American War.
In 1915 a very unfortunate incident occurred. The families duck (yep duck no error) was terrorizing the neighborhood and cause a fight between Cracker and the local law, Sheriff Cartwright. In the ensuing struggle a shot went off and the Sheriff lay dead! Cracker was now a wanted man. He made his way to Florida and jumped aboard a schooner heading for Abaco's. He made his way to Lubbers landing knowing this would be his home for the rest of his life. He fished and farmed and planted Sapodilla trees, the fruit of which they still make their BBQ sauce with. A cooking fire burned fro the day he arrived until the day he left in 1954; 39 years.
Cracker had a very limited wardrobe having fled and was therefor the first naked person many locals had seen. He would pole (no pun intended) his was to town once a month for supplies. There he would exchange his vegetables for fish and meat. He was not a good fisherman!
In comparison 'Hope Town' our next stop is extremely busy! In Bahamas 'busy' is of course relative! No cars or golf carts; the main transport on many islands; are not allowed in town. Walking and bicycles only! Hope Town has one of the last operational Kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world! Built in 1862, it became operational in 1864 and can be seen from 43km away! It needs to be hand cranked every few hours to keep the light sequence of five white flashes every 15 seconds.
There wer a number of transient fishermen, wreckers and pirates using Hope Town harbour in the 17th and 18th centuries but no permanent settlements until 1785 when a small group of loyalist refugees settled. Among them were Wyannie Malone and her four children. They tried farming with little success and wrecking became their chosen existence. luring ships on to the rocks and living off the salvaged cargo. This was one of the reasons the lighthouse took so long to become functional as the Malone family kept vandalizing the building as it would stop them from wrecking and the resulting treasures.
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| Little Harbour old lighthouse |
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| Caves |
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| Art |
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| Tahiti Beach |
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| Cracker P's |
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