Tag: sea turtles

Island life and tings

The Bahamas National Trust installed new signs around Conception Island to help cruisers enjoy the island, stay safe and respect the wildlife. The three moorings in West Bay have been reset and inspected. Boats over 100 feet are strongly encouraged to use these moorings; the southernmost mooring is a 3,000-pound Danforth for vessels up to 200 feet.

Sea Turtle Network

Sea turtle nesting season runs roughly from April to September. Reports of nesting activity are especially important in The Bahamas because there are so many nesting beaches scattered throughout the islands and only a few people regularly monitor them. The Department of Marine Resources has partnered with several non-governmental organizations (NGO) to form the Sea Turtle Network, the purpose of which is to reduce the illegal harvest of sea turtles that continues despite the complete ban in 2009. The Network also provides an important means of disseminating information and receiving important sea turtle observations. All cruisers are asked to report sightings of mating or nesting turtles, injured turtles, turtles found with tags, and any violations of the ban on the harvest of turtles. Reports can be made on Facebook: Bahamas Sea Turtle Network.

The Island School

Parents and grandparents interested in a rewarding experience for high school students should visit the Island School in South Eleuthera. The school and its partner, the Cape Eleuthera Institute, are located within walking distance of the Cape Eleuthera Marina.
Founded by Chris Maxey, the Island School offers full semester programs for about 50 students and offers special scholarships for Bahamians. The organization also runs a middle school in Deep Creek for local children. Spend time investigating the school’s extraordinary opportunities at islandschool.org.
The Cape Eleuthera Institute is a research facility where senior scientists conduct important oceanographic research and involve the Island School students in their projects, including ongoing studies of sharks, rays, sea turtles, lionfish, conch, and bonefish.

Left to right: Maria Cartwright, Molly Dean and Hermie Cartwright talkin’ Bahamian at the Outer Edge in Clarence Town

Talkin’ Bahamian

The Bahamas’ linguistic treasures are part of a rich culture. Here are a few of our island-lingo favorites we’ve learned over the years:
• Day clean: first light, dawn
• Me-one/you-one: by myself. “Who sailed here with you?” “Nobody. Just me-one.”
• I ain’ know, you know: answer to any question with an unknown answer.
• God spare life: answer to remarks like “See you tomorrow.”
• Done reach: has arrived, “The mailboat done reach.”
• One time ago: sometime in the past
• Tief: steal, “Someone done tief ma boat last night.”
• Owned: used with the name of the owner, “That Pam-owned car.”
• Next: another, “You want a next beer?”
• Tingum: all-purpose designation of an object the listener is supposed to know. “Fetch me another tingum.”
More Talkin’ Bahamian by Patricia Glinton-Meicholas has an excellent collection of words and phrases with good explanations of meanings and usage. Glinton-Meicholas’ How to Be a True-True Bahamian explains much of the context of these gems.

Stolen dinghies

Dinghy theft continues to rise throughout The Bahamas. There is no absolute way to prevent your dinghy from being stolen, but basic seaman’s preparedness may surely help especially as the season of thunderstorms and hurricanes is upon us. At the end of the day’s activities it is good practice to secure the boat for the night and ensure that all equipment is stowed, anchor is holding, dinghy is on deck, and so on. Be ready to react quickly to surprises that may come in the night. If you tow a larger center console boat, invest in an alarm/tracking system such as the SeaTrax II from AtlasTrax (atlastrax.com). To report theft and other crimes to the Bahamian Police, dial 911 or 919.

Dean’s Blue Hole

Dean’s Blue Hole just north of Clarence Town, Long Island, is one of the most exciting natural features in The Bahamas and is now a major location for freediving training and competition. At the annual Vertical Blue competition on Saturday, April 30th, William Trubridge broke the world record in the free immersion category of freediving. More incredible is that on Monday he went down again and added another 2 meters to his record; he reached 124 meters on a single breath lasting 4 minutes 34 seconds.
NOTE: Freediving to extraordinary depths is dangerous and should not be practiced without considerable instruction and extensive safety precautions. verticalblue.net

Navigation and safety

As everyone knows we are now well into hurricane season and the season of severe thunderstorms and water spouts. Be extra careful when selecting your anchorages as sudden squalls with shifting winds can ruin more than a good night’s sleep. Choose marinas that have good protection, always keep a short list of hurricane holes on hand, and make sure that you pay close attention to forecasts to access one of these holes in plenty of time if need be. Be sure to call these protected marinas well in advance as many marinas do not allow boats at their docks if there is a hurricane threat.
Remember how much trouble it was for meteorologists to predict Hurricane Joaquin last year? That hurricane was expected to be a category 1-2 but quickly became a category 3-5 and caused as much or more devastation than many memorable hurricanes. As the English proverb goes, “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

By Stephen Connett, Southern Boating Magazine July 2016

Saving Sea Turtles

Thirty years dedicated to sea turtle research in The Bahamas has led to sharing that passion with younger generations.

Unique encounters with marine life can turn a fun dive into an unforgettable experience, and there’s little that beats the privilege of gliding alongside a sea turtle—other than running into a shark. If divers revel in these up close encounters, cruisers, too, love to watch turtles swim and see them pop up in some of their favorite anchorages such as in The Bahamas’ Little Harbour, Clarence Town, Elizabeth Harbour, and Little Farmer’s Cay.

Sea turtles are, indeed, beautiful, fascinating creatures in their own right, but they are also keystone species that are major players in the ecosystems. Hawksbill turtles, for example, which are found in Bahamian waters, feed on sponges that grow on coral heads. Sponges compete with new coral growth, which without the hawksbill would damage the health and diversity of the coral reefs we all love to dive and explore. Yet the hawksbill has been exploited for centuries—harvested for its meat and shell—and despite a ban on sea turtle harvest implemented in 2009, the hawksbill and other species continue to be poached. But the future of marine turtles looks brighter.

For nearly 30 years I was the captain of Geronimo, a 70-foot training and oceanic research vessel owned and operated by St. George’s School, a coeducational boarding school in Newport, Rhode Island. I have been working with sea turtles since 1982 when Bob Hueter—now the senior shark scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory—introduced me to the late Archie Carr, who was the world’s leading authority on sea turtles. On a flat calm day just south of the Gulf Stream on our way to Bermuda, Carr and I captured two small loggerheads. That was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with these ocean navigators.

Years later when time came to retire, my companion Barbara and I developed the Family Island Research and Education program (FIRE) to study sea turtles in The Bahamas and educate the next generation of scientists. FIRE has proven an excellent program for a couple of aging retirees. Capturing sea turtles in their Bahamian feeding habitats keeps us active, and working with eager students makes us feel like we are part of the future.

The primary purpose of our current research is to survey turtle populations after the harvest ban came into place—and we are happy to say that they are slowly increasing. Yet long-term institutional commitments are needed for their conservation. For us, that means inspiring the next generation of marine biologists.

As such, we joined forces with the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources and several conservation organizations to develop a plan to eliminate the illegal harvest of sea turtles that continues despite the ban. Our part in this project is to gather anecdotal evidence of illegal harvest by interviewing fishermen, fisheries officers and citizens of all ages. As part of our efforts we visit schools to offer special talks. At the beginning of each school presentation I always ask students, “How many of you have eaten sea turtle?” All too many of them raise their hands.

Among our favorite islands for our research is Cat Island because there are several creeks full of turtles, and we get special assistance from “Uncle” Mark Keasler and his Barracudas. Keasler is a local bonefish and ecotour guide who started the Barracuda program to teach local Cat Island children how to swim. He has also been bonefishing off Cat Island for 25 years, so he knows the creeks far better than we ever will.

One hot morning, Keasler met us in Joe Sound Creek with six of his Barracudas all fired up to help us capture turtles on the ebb. We divided the kids between our boats and went to work. An hour into the ebb we found only two turtles. But as the tide fell the turtles started to appear and soon they were everywhere. Each boat caught 5 turtles, and 3 of the 10 were recaptures.

By the time we had processed and released them the kids were exhausted. They had had the thrill of capturing and handling the animals—even the youngest helped with measuring, tagging and recording data.

We always look forward to our next Cat Island adventure to tag more turtles with the help of yet another group of eager students. In the meantime, Keasler keeps the vision alive with his Barracudas, swimming and learning about the creeks and the importance of turtles in the Bahamian waters. We hope cruisers remember that, too, the next time a turtle pops in by their boat.

— By Stephen Connett, Southern Boating Magazine May 2016

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