Cat Island!

April 5, 2014

 

We have been anchored here in Cat Island for almost 2 weeks – it is probably our favorite island in the Bahamas!  When you arrive here, it is a Bahamian island like you imagined them – remote, undeveloped, friendly people, and beautiful beaches.   

 

Cat Island offers no all-weather protection except for the small marina at Hawksnest, so if you want to stay for any length of time, you must be prepared to weather moderate cold fronts by moving around to maximize protection and be prepared to move elsewhere if a strong front approaches.   We have weathered two moderate fronts in our stay.   Moving down to Old Bight offers protection from the south; moving up north behind Bonefish point offers some protection from west waves,  but you are exposed to the winds from southwest to west.  We have done some ‘rocking and rolling’ while we have been here – uncomfortable, but not dangerous if you anchor well and keep a good watch.   You don't want to be here, however, in a strong front - it could down-right dangerous!  But that is what keeps the number of cruisers down.

 

Most people don’t think of Cat island for its beaches, but they have some of the most beautiful beaches we have seen in the Bahamas.  Beautiful white sand off barrier coral reefs and a stone’s throw from deep water.  Oh and virtually deserted!

 

Old Bight Beach
 

Atlantic Beach at Shanna's Cove at the north end of the island

 

 

Red-dirt trail to beach at Shanna's Cove
We were somewhat unprepared for the 1.5+ mile rocky (not shown here) hike to the beach

 

Atlantic beach on the 'North Side' - actually the east side
Notice how close the blue (deep) water lies
Cat Islanders have a unique way to express directions - for example you go 'Up South'  to travel to the southern end of the island!

 

While Bahamians in general are very friendly, Cat Islanders are exceptionally so.   They get relatively few visitors and appreciate those that come.  Even casual encounters  often include a big smile and a ‘Enjoy your stay!'  Pictured below is a batch of rice and beans that I made during our stay.  The green beans were a gift of Alfred from the Alnor Bakery in Old Bight and the ‘bottled tomatoes’ were a gift of Elsie Mae of New Bight.  Bottled tomatoes are an example of using what resources you have – you probably can’t tell from the pictures, but the tomatoes are canned in Kalik beer bottles (The Beer of the Bahamas).

 

 

 

 

 

All around Cat Island you see abandoned small stone buildings.  One explanation is an old Cat Island custom, that when the last of a generation dies, the house is abandoned and another built.  We don’t think that this custom is practiced anymore, but from the sometimes very close abandoned buildings, you imagine that it was in times past.  A simpler explanation is that ‘progress’ has come slowly to the Island.  Almost everyone over forty talks about growing up in a 2-3 room house (that is not the count of bedrooms, but rooms!), grinding grits and corn flour from locally grown corn, tending kerosene refrigerators, and baking in wood-fired stone ovens.  Electricity came to the island in 1993!

 

 

 

 

Our hangout here is always the ‘Sunshine Takeaway’ (new name), a shack at the regatta park run by Cordell (‘CorDee’) King and her daughter Cedell (‘CeeDee’) Hunter and a cast of regulars.  They serve up delicious native dishes - mornings you will often find CeeDee cleaning locally caught fish to be prepared for lunch/dinner.   But beyond the food, they serve up great hospitality.  Often when it is slow, they and a ‘cast of regulars’ gather around the table and have lively conversations, play games (well-known games like backgammon or ‘Ludu’, a local ‘monoply-like game), and just enjoy life!

 

On weekends and some other nights, they feature ‘Rake and Scrape’ music.  One of the regulars, Pompey ‘Bohog’ Johnson is considered one of the ‘fathers’ of this music form which features accordion, drum and ‘saw’.  CeeDee plays the drum and Crystal (another regular) plays the saw.  Believe it or not, they have traveled to play at a music festival in Paris, France, and have appeared on the Today Show!

 

I have somewhat of a ‘tradition’ of sharing some of my culinary specialties with the crew at the take-away.  Last year my Chili drew rave reviews and this year they really enjoyed my Chicken Roti, a West Indian curry dish.  Lest you think they only flatter me, my Rice & Beans featured above drew decidedly low reviews.  I initially was not going to share this dish, since it is 'in-progress' dish for me and one of their standards, but CorDee encouraged me.  I knew it was not good when CorDee started with “What kind of rice did you use?” with a disapproving tone. 

 

Sadly, tomorrow we are leaving and heading to Exuma.  A stronger front is headed this way, which is probably good, because it is ‘forcing’ us to leave.

 

Tom

Anchored New Bight, Cat Island