We spent three weeks in Black Point Exuma, one of our 'homes' in the Bahamas.
We have become quite close with the extended Rolle family there and are 'members' of Gethsemane Baptist Church.
One of the highlights of our visit was spending Easter here. We attended Good Friday and Easter services at Gethsemane led by Pastor Teddy Dorsett. He is based in Nassau and comes to Black Point about once a month, so it was a treat to hear him at two services.
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| Gethsemane Baptist Church Bell-shaped steeple |
Easter is a time when traditionally many young children of Black Point heritage come here to spend their Easter break with grandparents or other relatives. Typically there are a lot of kids 'roaming' around Black Point (it is a great place for a kid - they have a lot of freedom), but the numbers exploded during the Easter week. Nothing was cuter, however, than the Ferguson porch with Van playing his guitar surrounded by a virtual flock of little children!
I (Tom) increased my contacts with the Bahamian sloop racing community in Black Point,a hotbed of sloop racers. This year I was able to meet or just connect people I already knew with the sloops they are associated with. 'Smashie', 'Legal Weapon', 'Lady Eunice', 'H20' and 'Crazy Partner' are all Black Point "C" class sloops. The "A" class sloop 'Red Stripe' also hails from here.
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| 'Smashie' getting a new smooth hull and paint job. She has had a new mast and boom built since last year. Van is looking for a win this year at Regatta. |
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| Lady Eunice and Legal Weapon on the 'Lady Francis' on their way back from Regatta last year |
Over the last two years we had met Mark Knowles of Long Island (Bahamas), one of the preeminent boat builders and sailors in the Bahamas. Mark came in third in the "A" class series last year aboard 'Running Tide' behind 'Red Stripe' and 'Tida Wave' of Staniel Cay. Mark's brother Stefan won both the "B" Class aboard 'Susan Chase' and the "C" Class aboard 'Whitty K'.
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| 'Red Stripe' - winner of the "A" Class last year |
Last year we were rooting for Mark, but this year we are committed to supporting Black Point boats. I had to be very diplomatic a few times, saying I was supporting Black Point boats, but not picking a 'favorite'.
Go Black Point!!!
One big change in Black Point over the last few years is the increase is tour boats stopping for lunch after visiting the 'swimming' pigs at Big Majors near Staniel Cay. Two companies are bringing in a total of 60-70 people a day for lunch on their way back to Great Exuma. We are not big fans of the pigs; with all the natural beauty and wonderful people in Exuma, we think it is a bit sad that the big attraction is becoming the pigs. But it is good for the economy of the Exuma Cays and we are happy for that.
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| Four C's Tours out of Barraterre Great Exuma Currently they are running much bigger boats than the one shown here |
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| Swimming Pigs of Exuma |
A few random pictures from Black Point:
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| Remodeled and greatly expanded Lorraine's Cafe, including a new deck |
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| All-aged School Simple facility, but good education |
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| Government dock where I helped unload two mail(supply) boats. I got a good workout on the 'Captain C' unloading luggage for about 40 passengers arriving for Easter plus loose cargo. Tom loves mailboats! |
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| On a very sad note - Basil Rolle's grave. Peermon's husband and father of Lorraine (and 9 others) We miss him a lot! |
Early Sunday April 2, we left Black Point, exited to Exuma Sound through Dotham Cut, and transited south to Emerald Bay Marina on Great Exuma. After over 6 weeks at anchor, it was great to have our first 'land' shower with 'unlimited' hot water!
We plan to base here for about a month to, among other things, attend the Family Island Regatta the last week of April. We really enjoyed it last year and plan to watch even more races this year.
Docked Emerald Bay Marina
Farmers Hill, Great Exuma
