"Return" to Abaco Island, Bahamas

[connoisseur series500]

Dead sting ray on the dock at Snake Cay. Somebody must have caught it and dumped it there. Flies were all over it. I told Albert afterwards that I should have tried to pry out the barb on its tail as a souvenir, but I didn't think about it at the time. I was concerned about getting a little fishing in as dark was approaching (no electricity out on the dock--we would have to rely on lights from the stars.) I had the pliers and everything but it was stinky with all the flies...

[connoisseur series500]

Sunken boats off the Snake Cay dock.

[connoisseur series500]

[connoisseur series500]

Here you can see why the elevation of the dock has been lowered. Looks like gravel and rocks have run off into the ocean. Albert is standing where no one could have done so 36 years ago. He would have been in the middle of the water.

Edited August 6, 2007 by connoisseur series500

[connoisseur series500]

Lots of hermit crabs at the villa. The owner feeds them coconut. They can give a mean pinch but I know how to pick them up.

[connoisseur series500]

Trick is to hold them fast so they can't reach out of the shell and pinch you. See the size of that claw? His "pliers" are the size of my fingernails! I was wrestling with this brute. He wanted to come out and get me!

[connoisseur series500]

Well that's if for now. I'm tired but I'll close with a very middleaged and sunburned "yours truly" trying to catch some sense of deja vu by fishing off the Snake Cay dock before the evening closes in, as I did a few times as a boy. Looks like the evening has closed in on Snake Cay for good, and I don't think I'll ever need to revisit it. I went three times over the course of the three days in Abaco. I just wanted to soak up whatever residue of feelings or memories were left.

There are other shots of the beach area at Snake Cay, which I didn't show. I tried to recognize certain places, and in many cases I was able to do that. But the topography has changed a bit. I guess global warming, tidal changes, hurricanes--whatever. I have changed and grown from boy to middleaged man, but the land has changed as well. I could see that the Earth is a living organism and it changes too.

Edited October 9, 2008 by connoisseur series500

[marcello]

Thanks for sharing, Conn.

[Aggie87]

Thanks for sharing, Paul. Wonderful memories, and wonderful pictures as well.

I guess when they say home's never the same when you go back, in your case they mean it. It's easy to tell how the changes shocked you from what you've shared.

It's nice you were able to share some of your family history with your son like that. I'd like to do something similar with my kids some day.

Thanks.

[connoisseur series500]

Thanks for sharing, Conn.

Wish I had some of your skills as a photographer, Tom. I just pointed blindly and clicked. You and someone like Barak would have come back with some terrific shots.

[Noj]

That's a great story, Paul. It's particularly fascinating to see how quickly nature takes back what was paved over and built upon once man leaves it in neglect. It's also cool to imagine what the "before" images might look like, with your pictures being the "after" shots. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

Edited August 2, 2007 by Noj

[.:.impossible]

Beautiful stuff. Do you have any stories from Hope Town?

There is a place there that our friend and wonderful fishing guide O'Donnell MacIntosh took us to after casting at bonefish all morning. They have a pool table, a jukebox, and a walk-up window where locals would stroll over to grab a cold beer. Small cinder block building. None of us had ever heard T.B. Sheets before, and we played it over and over again as we shot pool that afternoon. Only photographs would do this place justice. We were certainly the only white folks in there for some time. They were great hosts and enjoyed our taste in music. I think this was a hidden gem in that jukebox that was always overlooked for some of the more familiar tunes. I would love to be back there that day. Hope Town.

I know what you mean about the sand bars. O'Donnell took us out to some flats well off-shore. Before we knew it, we were stepping around an island! As the water shallowed, bonefish became visible everywhere! It was incredible. Seeing them to cast to is only half the battle though... getting them to follow your shrimp is a whole 'nother thing! The flats seemed to go on indefinitely. It was truly a walking on water moment.

[connoisseur series500]

Beautiful stuff. Do you have any stories from Hope Town?

There is a place there that our friend and wonderful fishing guide O'Donnell MacIntosh took us to after casting at bonefish all morning. They have a pool table, a jukebox, and a walk-up window where locals would stroll over to grab a cold beer. Small cinder block building. None of us had ever heard T.B. Sheets before, and we played it over and over again as we shot pool that afternoon. Only photographs would do this place justice. We were certainly the only white folks in there for some time. They were great hosts and enjoyed our taste in music. I think this was a hidden gem in that jukebox that was always overlooked for some of the more familiar tunes. I would love to be back there that day. Hope Town.

I know what you mean about the sand bars. O'Donnell took us out to some flats well off-shore. Before we knew it, we were stepping around an island! As the water shallowed, bonefish became visible everywhere! It was incredible. Seeing them to cast to is only half the battle though... getting them to follow your shrimp is a whole 'nother thing! The flats seemed to go on indefinitely. It was truly a walking on water moment.

No special Hope Town stories unfortunately. I recall going maybe 2-3 times as a kid. Visited the candystriped lighthouse and such. Always had fun there, but that was about it.

I do plan to return to Abaco. I would love to share a villa with a few guys from the board (you too Impossible!) I'll take you guys to places you wouldn't imagine as I know much of the island. Our villa was very close to the ferry launch to Hope Town. Hope Town is in Elbow Cay. I found out that one of the schoolteachers at Snake Cay School in my day now lives in Hope Town. He must have decided to retire there. Wouldn't mind looking him up.

Casuarina Point had great bonefish back in our day. We did not bring the right gear for them (plus you need so much patience.) I had a difficult time sitting still as there was so much I wanted to do within the three day period.

[connoisseur series500]

It's nice you were able to share some of your family history with your son like that. I'd like to do something similar with my kids some day.

Yes, this was incredibly special--and for my father as well. Three generations went down there together.

I recall when my father took me to see his childhood home in the island of Montserrat. I was 14 at the time and was reliving my father's memories as he told me his stories while tramping around the place. It was a special time.

Speaking of the Earth as a living organism...that boyhood place is now buried under volcanic ash. The volcano in Montserrat buried a good part of the island during several eruptions in the 90s.

[White Lightning]

I'm really enjoying reading this thread, Conn, pics and stories alike. Thanks for sharing!

[connoisseur series500]

As remote as Schooner Bay might appear, the extreme Southern tip of Abaco is completely uninhabited. There is a place on the island tip known as Hole in the Wall. It was named after a natural formation in the coral which creates a hole in the wall appearance. It is guarded by an old lighthouse built in 1832 but is now automated.

Here a few pics from the web:

These lighthouse pics were taken from another forum: http://coconuttelegraph.net/forums/search....searchid=425217

Edited August 10, 2007 by connoisseur series500

[connoisseur series500]

[connoisseur series500]

Here is the so called "Hole in the Wall." The name was given at least 200 years ago so this geological formation has lasted a long time.

[connoisseur series500]

The lighthouse is run down but still operates. There are no active tours which take people to Hole in the Wall, though you could contract with a local to take you down in a four-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance. The road is unpaved and adventurous. Here's a picture of the road leading towards it.

Rental car companies won't allow you to use their vehicles for such a rugged trip. The old logging roads look like this except the overgrowth isn't as great. You have to drive for an hour or so under these conditions in order to reach the lighthouse.

[connoisseur series500]

Here are some shots of the lighthouse:

[connoisseur series500]

[connoisseur series500]

And the views from it are spectacular. As typical with Abaco, since no one is ever around, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Someone climbed the deserted lighthouse and took these shots.

This is facing NE.

[connoisseur series500]

Facing due South and the spit of land where the "hole in the wall" resides:

The distances are greater than it looks, and that's likely sharp coral. You would definitely need to wear some shoes before you walk out to the very tip of Abaco island!

[connoisseur series500]

I have never visited Hole in the Wall. The Southern part of the island is virtually uninhabited and there are some wonderful beaches on the way to Hole in the Wall. The only problem is that the road pretty much ends and it turns into dirt roads like the one shown in the earlier picture. Abaco has an indigenous parrot which is endangered. There is a pocket of surviving parrots around Hole in the Wall, and the Bahamian government decided to declare the lands as a Natural Preserve. Of course, no one is there, least of all park rangers. The place is deserted.

On the day that we visited Schooner Bay, I decided to drive farther south towards the Preserve. I couldn't take the Buick to Hole in the Wall, but perhaps I could get somewhat close and discover something interesting. The land narrowed as we drove south and we were at one point able to see the ocean on both sides of the road. Then the land broadened again until we couldn't see the ocean on either side.

We eventually reached a sign declaring the boundary of the National Preserve. There was an old logging road east of the sign, which could only lead to a beach. I remember seeing a picture of a beach on the southeastern side with the lighthouse in the distance. Here it is: (my story continues on the next post)

[connoisseur series500]

I remained haunted by that picture as I decided to attempt the logging road. Would it eventually lead to a desolate beach such as the one in the picture with the lighthouse in the distance? Oh man! It would be great. We would be the only humans to have likely touched that beach in months! There's no question that the road would lead to a beach. The sea was to the east!

Well the road got very dicey. We travelled at only 15 miles per hour. Vegetation was scraping the exhaust system underneath the car, and bushes scraped both sides as we bounced along. Both my father and my son were getting nervous. Where does this road lead? It seemed to go on forever. We travelled for close to 45 minutes when I lost my nerve and decided to turn back. I couldn't really define the fear. It was a vague sort of thing, but it is only now that I fully realize the dangers. The farther we travelled down that road, the farther we were away from help if the car broke down. I didn't have a cellphone and I had my 73 year old father and 14 year old son in the car with me. The heat in the July sun was overwhelming and dehydration would be a huge fear. Rationality returned and overcame my overwhelming curiosity to continue down the unknown road. We would have to turn back. I couldn't risk our lives like that.

When I got back into town, I asked a local where that road led, "the one to the east of the Preserves sign." He confirmed that it led to a beach.

"Is it spectacular?"

"Not at all. There are many better beaches farther south."

"Can we see the lighthouse from the beach?"

"Oh, no. The lighthouse is quite a bit south from there. You would have to take a logging road farther south to reach such beaches."

Somehow I felt better. I guess I didn't miss a thing! But next time I visit Abaco, I'm renting a four-wheeler with high clearance so I can explore some of those old roads which lead to magnificent empty beaches!

Edited October 9, 2008 by connoisseur series500