Tag: Coral Reef Sculpture Garden

The gist on George Town, Great Exuma

There are two full-service outboard shops in George Town: Minns Water Sports and Brown’s Marine. Minns is a Yamaha dealer and Brown’s sells Suzukis. Brown’s can handle almost any size outboard boat with engines up to 350 horsepower. These outboard shops are especially important because they provide excellent services so far south of Nassau.
February Point just opened a new restaurant, the Rusty Anchor, which I highly recommend. The new building has a lovely view across the flats to Crab Cay, the food is upscale and the staff is as cheerful and efficient as anywhere in The Bahamas. Moor your dinghy at their new marina and walk a few yards to the restaurant. februarypoint.com
One of the jewels of George Town is Diane Minns’ Sandpiper Arts & Crafts, a store with quality items for the whole family. When you are done shopping, step next door to the Driftwood Café or across the street to Peace and Plenty for lunch. You old timers may like to know that Lerman Rolle, “The Doctor of Libation,” still mans the bar at Peace and Plenty.
Late April is when George Town becomes really enjoyable. This year the National Family Island Regatta is April 26-30. The regatta is great fun and one of the most photogenic events anywhere. After the regatta most of the cruisers start to leave—some to head to the Caribbean for hurricane season and others head back to the U.S. For those who want peace and quiet, this is the beginning of the best cruising in Exuma and a great time to run out and back to the southeast islands. Great Exuma remains one of the very best locations for flats fishing, and there are excellent locations to fish in almost any weather.

Turtle sex

April is the beginning of the mating and nesting season for sea turtles in The Bahamas. Please keep a sharp look out as you travel along the ocean shores of all the islands. Loggerheads are especially vulnerable to boat strikes as they congregate to mate off their nesting beaches. Sea turtle populations have grown slowly since the 2009 ban on sea turtle harvest in The Bahamas, so adult breeders are especially important if this trend is to continue.

Abacos
A reminder for all birders and wildlife enthusiasts in The Bahamas, especially the Abacos, the website, rollingharbour.com, continues to publish amazing photos and general information about birds and other wildlife around the Delphi Club on Abaco.

Farmer’s Cay

According to Roosevelt Nixon—owner/operator of the Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club & Marina—all mooring chains and lines have been replaced with new stainless steel chains and 3/4-inch lines, and the dock and seaport has been re-planked including new braces. That is very good news for those who enjoy Farmer’s Cay and want to moor safely at the dock or in the main channel with easy access to the Club—the restaurant is open from 9AM to 12AM. Roosevelt is always helpful and very proud of his cay. Call (242) 355-4017.

Underwater art

One of the not-so-perfectly-kept secrets of the Exumas is the underwater piano and mermaid sculpture off Rudder Cut Cay. Sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor’s The Musician (commissioned by renowned illusionist David Copperfield) sits in about 12 feet of water and is easily reached by snorkelers. The location of the sculpture is now published in the latest edition of the Explorer Chartbook. Taylor has created stunning underwater sculptures in a range of locations, including his work in the Coral Reef Sculpture Garden in southwest New Providence. underwatersculpture.com

Mariah Harbour Land and Sea Park

The boundaries of Mariah Harbour Cay Land and Sea Park have finally been set. The park includes the southern part of Elizabeth Harbour from the south end of Stocking Island to Pigeon Cay (north of Little Exuma) and includes several important land areas. The park is known to include several endangered species such as piping plovers, iguanas, sea turtles, and a rich variety of other wildlife. Scientific surveys have also shown that this area is an unusually healthy nursery for crawfish. Mariah Harbour Park is a major addition to the national park system and ensures that Elizabeth Harbour and the surrounding waters are protected.
Outreach efforts to engage stakeholders are underway and will be part of the process to determine an official management plan for the park. The Bahamas is among the world leaders in marine conservation, and hopes are that all visitors and boating friends obey Bahamian fisheries regulations and respect the extraordinary environment.
Keep abreast of the latest fishing regulations for your location in the U.S. and Bahamian waters with the very useful app for smart phones fishrulesapp.com. This app is updated regularly and also has excellent fish identification guides.

 

by Stephen Connett, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016

Coral Reef Sculpture Garden in New Providence

The Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) has recently established a spectacular Coral Reef Sculpture Garden just off Clifton Bluff in southwest New Providence (25–00.5N/77–33.0W). If you stay at Albany or Lyford Cay or anchor in West Bay, it is an easy dinghy ride to the Garden in settled weather.

BREEF calls the garden “a perfect fusion of art, education and marine conservation.” It will promote the growth of new coral, provide fish habitats and relieve some of the pressure on the natural reefs in the area. The garden is already a regular dive site for Stuart Cove.

The impressive sculptures by local and international artists are all built of concrete, which provide a substrate for new coral. Scattered around the artwork are reef balls which are excellent artificial habitats for fish. The garden is in about 20 feet of water so is easily seen from the surface while snorkeling. breef.org

Sandy Point, Abaco
Some additions to the cruising life are just plain fun. Brad and Ceril, residents of Abaco, have built a floating bar in Sandy Point. In the summer months their barge is anchored just off the beach and has a small raft on a line that gets people back and forth from shore. The bar supplies a basic choice of beverages out of a cooler, and music is provided from a boom box plugged into a car battery. There is room around the barge to tie up your dinghy. From personal experience, drinking a cold beer in the midsummer heat while semi-submerged on the edge of the barge is delightful.

Aids to Navigation
The list of aids to navigation that are malfunctioning, abandoned, or missing continues to grow, so it is best not to rely on any of them. Gone are the days when you could depend on Great Isaac and Great Stirrup lights to guide you down the Northwest Providence Channel. The government simply hasn’t the money for maintenance. Thankfully, modern charts and electronics compensate for the loss of reliable buoys and lights. Be sure your paper and electronic charts are up-to-date and your GPS and radar are functioning properly—it is advisable to have a backup GPS. If you are not an experienced navigator you might consider traveling only in daylight, and it is never a bad idea to call ahead to a marina and ask for local knowledge and advice.

Cape Eleuthera Marina
The facility now sports a new swimming pool, the beach has been enlarged, docks are still in excellent condition, Pascal’s restaurant is open at the T-dock, and the staff are as helpful as ever. The showers and laundry are air-conditioned and clean, and the store has a good supply of snacks, liquor and bait. An added plus, the fuel dock never seems to run out of diesel and gas.

Westerly winds cause a miserable surge in the marina, but the staff will try to place you in one of the slips with minimal movement. Regardless, you will be safe even if you are in a slip with a lot of surge, and you will be happy when the wind clocks around to the east and sad to leave.

For fresh Bahamian food call ahead to Sheryl’s Inn (242-334-8111) in Deep Creek for supper. Sheryl’s does not serve alcohol but you can bring your own or go across the road to Friendly Bob’s bar and liquor store and carry beverages back to Sheryl’s.

Stone Crab Fishery, Eleuthera
A stone crab company is now operating in the Bight of Eleuthera. Bahama Biters (bahamabiters.com) has invested in hundreds of stone crab pots so Styrofoam buoys are everywhere. Keep a good lookout wherever you go in the Bight, and if you run at night know that you might snag a buoy.

Staniel Cay, Exumas
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club building has just finished a major upgrade. The kitchen, dining room, gift shop, and restrooms are completely rebuilt. The new dining room is lovely, overlooks the channel and is open to the fresh air or air-conditioned when that is more comfortable. There is a new chef with a good menu and prices are fair. The restaurant is open for lunch and there are two seatings for supper—reservations are strongly recommended. Breakfast is still served in the old dining room, which has been redone. For those who relished the sailors’ charm and controlled chaos of the old club, the bar has only replaced overhead lights and is still as cheerful as ever. Local residents and cruisers still engage in lively conversation and consumption of beverages and bar food.

By Stephen Connett, Southern Boating April 2015

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