Long Live The Mailboat

Our journey from Staniel Cay, Exumas to Duncan Town, Ragged Island aboard the Captain ‘C’

The mail boat system is the life blood of the Bahamas. Anything and everything is carried to the islands; the Captain C’s load was no exception.

On this run, which started like all mail boat runs, in Nassau, there were 300 young coconut palms heading for Buena Vista Cay in the Jumentos, four rather confused looking sheep off to their new home in Duncan Town, a shiny new Governmental golf cart for Black Point, dozens of 5gallon drinking water bottles, large tanks of water for cement mixing and piles of building material.

Amongst the copious freezer items was stock for many small shops, private individuals and restaurants and the essential ingredients for an annual cook-out that takes place on Hog Cay, Ragged Island.

 

“When do you think we are leaving? “
“Don’t worry, we ain’t leavin’ without you.”

We had to take it that the timetable would be subject to change; dropping off and picking up goods and people is like that.

There’s also the tide to consider. The Exuma Cays are the demarcation line between the dazzling shallow banks to the west and the inky blue deepness on the “ocean side” to the east. The waters that flush back and forth between these two very different environments command our respect and patience.

The old Staniel government dock

It looked like the piles of timber and contents of the hold would take hours to unload, but while we were cooling off at Pirate Trap Beach on the north end of Staniel, we got the call and were off.

Our mailboat trip from Staniel Cay in the Exumas to Duncan Town, Ragged Island had begun.

All aboard the Captain C

First things first, we loaded our luggage into a room for six; three simple bunks each side and the ever-changing view of the islands from the window. For now, we were the only occupants, but it could easily fill up on the way. Downstairs, the mail boat’s cook, Anicka Armbrister, had finished serving for the night but hot drinks were available any time.

Black Point

We arrived at Black Point in the dark and tied up alongside the rickety dock for the night. Getting used to the constant hum of the engine and generator can take a while, but sleep eventually came.

The dawn light revealed another beautiful vista. Black Point was waking up and a steady stream of residents were making their way to pick up boxes. Crates on pallets were swung over with a crane and small items hand delivered by first mate Cephas Maycock who has taken the art of packing to new heights.

Cephas explained the system; the hold has areas designated for the different destinations and larger items take up a central spot and get lifted out as needed. In the galley and other indoor spaces are smaller packages that need more careful handling. Cephas marks all the comings and goings in his ledger book.

The stunning bay of shallow azure water lined by the colourful homes of Black Point has become a popular anchorage for visiting yachts and has led to a boom in restaurants and bars along the water’s edge. This was a very different scene than our last visit thirty years ago when there were no amenities for visitors.

Ashore we found fresh, cool oranges in a small blue store run by Sharon Taylor. We noticed she had some palmetto drying outside and she invited us to look at her basketwork. She reflected that it was a shame that more young people weren’t involved in keeping the craft alive locally but was happy for us to take her picture.

As we waited for the tide to rise, fellow passengers gathered around the galley table and, as Anicka served up a hearty breakfast of ham and yellow grits, a heated debate took place about the direction the Exumas was taking with regards development.

Sitting quietly in the corner was Mr Daniel Wallace. Once everything had cooled off and we’d all aired our views, I made a bee-line for him.

Mr Wallace was on his way home to Ragged Island where he has lived his whole life. When the hurricane was expected in 2017, the majority of the population were evacuated. He refused to leave and rode out the storm in his Duncan Town home.

He’d survived more than hurricanes in his life; as a young man, as he was fishing in the shallows with a line of multiple hooks, he was grabbed by an aggressive shark but managed to drag himself and the shark ashore.

Still with the animal’s teeth firmly clenched to his foot, he pulled himself up the beach until it was obliged to release him. There was a lot of blood and he had to limp back to the village for help. He showed me the scar.

He spoke with great pride of the claim Ragged Islanders have as the best boat builders. The traditional Class A sailing boat ‘Ragged Gal’ had been built in his home town and was the fastest in many of the annual George Town Regattas.

‘Rev’ Wallace, who until recently had been the minister in the Anglican Church of his home town, was travelling with his wife Maxine who runs ‘Maxine Drug and Groceries’ and is the founder and driving force behind the popular Valentine’s Day Cook Out on Hog Cay, a short boat ride through the mangroves and across the bay from Duncan Town.

Maxine realised the importance to the community of encouraging yachtsmen to explore the area, bringing important trade to the small businesses of Duncan Town. The Valentine’s Day event had been postponed and was due to take place the very next day.

Travelling down from Nassau to help her out were friends Gill Bonamy and Ronet Ferguson, both with strong family ties to Ragged Island. The annual Cook Out is Maxine’s way of saying thank you to the visitors, many of whom come back every year to enjoy the stunning waters of Ragged Island and the Jumentos Cays.

But we were still a long way from Ragged Island and there were a few stops to make before Maxine could get her cook out prepared. Unloading completed and tide now just about high enough, we pulled away, snuck out around to the ocean side of Great Guana Cay, on which Black Point sits at the northern end, and were on our way to Little Farmer’s Cay.

I just had time to chat to Mr Percy Rolle who was heading home to Farmer’s with stock for Katie’s Restaurant and Bar which he had been running for the last 9 years.

As we skirted Great Guana Cay, he told me a little about life on his island. His parents were born in Farmer’s Cay and, although his school days were spent with his mother in Nassau, every long holiday found him back in Farmer’s Cay with his grandmother, Nora Nixon.

During his childhood there was no road, no mains water, no electric lighting and no airstrip. The mail boat would anchor off and islanders would skull out to pick up their goods.

Nowadays, the 65 residents are served by electricity from BEC, a reverse osmosis plant for water, roads and an airstrip used by Titan and Flamingo Air.

Tourism on the island is important, but seasonal; yachtsmen tend to be there from Thanksgiving through to June but then get far sparser through the hurricane season. August brings the big motor boats; their speed means they can easily get away from any potential bad weather if needed.

Visitors can choose from four restaurants and bars and many have made the Five F’s Festival an annual pilgrimage. The First Friday in February Farmer’s Cay Festival was the brainchild of Terry Bain of Ocean Cabin Restaurant.

The days of sculling out to the mail boat are long gone, but the main dock is only suitable for a ramp loader so when the Captain C arrives, the people of Farmer’s Cay have a solution . A sturdy barge pulls up alongside and the crane gets to work. It all looked really smooth in the calm conditions. But I was imagining how much harder it would be in bad weather.

We pulled away just before sunset and took the intricate, meandering path back out through the tricky waters and on to our overnight passage to Ragged Island, some 130 miles to the south, but en route we would be making an ‘unscheduled stop’.

An Unscheduled Stop

Perhaps the most intriguing load aboard the Captain C was a Carolina Skiff sat on the deck. Laden with young coconut palms, shovels and a wheel barrow, it was heading to Buena Vista Cay in the heart of the Jumentos Cays, the perfect string of pristine islands that curve their way to Duncan Town.

The project was motivated by a certain Mr Edward Lockhart who, at the tender age of 84 made this bold and inspiring statement: “I’m going to plant 2000 trees on Buena Vista Cay before I die.”

Aiding him in this brave exploit was his nephew Patrick Bosfield, assisted by friend Mark Brown from Jamaica.

The three men had a challenge ahead of them; between their drop-off on the Saturday morning and being retrieved again on the Sunday evening on the way back up the islands, the team would plant and water in 300 young coconut trees in the rich loamy land that sits in a basin surrounded by a curving high bluff. It seemed a tall order, but the determination and guts of Mr Lockhart are undeniable. His age and health issues have led those that know him to be more than a little concerned at what he is still pushing himself to do, but he is no stranger to challenges.

In 2017, as the majority of the population were evacuated from the area and Category 5 Hurricane Irma was barrelling its way towards him, Edward came up with a plan. He chose a supple but well established young Lignum Vitae tree on the island, took a foam mattress and a long length of rope, lay down and tethered himself to the tree.

He explained that an older tree would be brittle and not withstand the expected winds and the rope needed to be long enough so that he could swim above the surge, should it come. It never did. The high bluff on the ocean side protected him from the worst of the onslaught and Edward was safe. He even claims to have slept through it!

At dawn, the first few blips of land appeared at the top of the Jumentos chain and by breakfast time we were all on deck to witness the carefully orchestrated drop-off of Mr Lockhart and his crew. The skill and patience of crane operator Marvin was essential. We left with mixed feelings, and hoped we would find them all well on our return.

Duncan Town, Ragged Island

An hour or so later, Ragged Island appeared. We pulled into the sturdy harbour at Gunn Point Cove, sharing the port with a Defence Force speed boat and a Nassau based fishing outfit, Geneva Brass. They were awaiting the arrival of the mail boat to offload their catch directly into the freezers; 51 bags of crawfish, 202 bags of grouper, 33 bags of conch and 25 bags of hogfish.

We took the 2 mile ride up the hill to Duncan Town in the cab of a construction lorry which was creaking under the weight of three enormous water containers they’d just craned onto the back.

These were for mixing concrete for the busy rebuilding projects that are still on-going. Our driver explained the situation; the school was now complete, the clinic well on its way, the Defence Force were in temporary container accommodation near the dock and the Police Station had yet to be started. The ambitious project required a lot of extra labour so housing had been set up behind the school for the 80 or so workers.

Maxine and her team were already hard at work in her kitchen knowing that dozens of boaters were gathering on Hog Cay awaiting her arrival. We’d seen the numerous masts clustered along the shore as we passed.

Leaving them to it, we took a wander in the town under the hot sun and soon bumped into Terry Lockhart who lives right opposite Maxine’s store. His old, traditional built house had withstood the hurricane and, bar a little extra protection needed on the roof, was a testament to the old building methods and their longevity.

Terry Lockhart explained the history of the Lockhart name. William George Lockhart from Scotland was granted ownership of the island chain by the British in the 18th century.

The enslaved population who toiled under the beating sun of Ragged Island are the direct ancestors of many of today’s inhabitants.

New beginnings and old traditions

We wandered some more and sort the shade of a tree with brilliant red blooms and the company that was beneath it.

Rochelle Maycock and three young children with her were really interested to see the old photos we had of Ragged Island in our publications from the 1980s.

We spent a long time chatting about the excitement and anticipation of finally being able to get the children back into school. The younger two children had never experienced a school setting, doing all their learning online to date.

We then talked salt. The beautiful and historic salt pans of Ragged Island spread out in a patchwork of dammed areas to the east and we could feel how the arid conditions were ideal for the industry.

The hurricane damaged the drainage system but locals were still able to rake it at certain times of the year.

Rochelle was keen to share this iconic product with us and we were soon in possession of a bag of coarse, pure white Ragged Island salt.

23rd Valentine’s Day Cook-Out – Hog Cay

She suggested that we head down to the dock just below her house to catch a ride out to the Hog Cay party and just minutes later we were speeding our way through the mangrove cut and out across the bay.

The beach was already crammed with yachtsmen of all ages and the locals were coming ashore too. Some years ago, Maxine had the foresight to construct a large wooden shelter to keep off the harsh sun. The boaters had added their own extensions for the day and the party was in full swing.
Arrival on Hog Cay – shore/ boaters etc

I noticed something straight away; far more young boating families than I’d seen on previous trips. Since Covid helped change work habits, many more young families have found it possible to take their office-based work aboard their floating homes. Online education materials have made home schooling a lot easier too, so there were lots of young children splashing in the shallows.

Logically, this must be good for the economy of Ragged Island. If these families spread the word about the warm welcome they get in Duncan Town and the stunning, pristine islands of the adjoining cays, it can be nothing but positive for the islands to encourage these low-impact visitors as long as they bring an income.

My observations were backed up by Susan and Rick, long-time cruisers and ambassadors for Ragged Island. They are among a group of regular visitors to Duncan Town and are often found helping Maxine in her store. Their love of this place already spans decades.

The visitors’ dessert table was all set up and soon the ‘main course’ landed and the Ragged Island team, led by Maxine, were serving out lashings of good local classics; peas and rice, fried fish and chicken, ribs, macaroni cheese and potato salad.

We had fun splashing in the water, cheering on young Cianna and Mitchell as they showed off their jumping skills off the closest boat. A visiting lady took charge of little Freddy and got him floating in the water and generally everyone had a very enjoyable afternoon.

The importance of such a shared gathering was evident; if Ragged Island is to get back on its feet, visitors are going to be part of that revival to some degree. Next followed a lengthy auction of items in aid of the event. We met families for whom it was their first visit, others who had been coming since the start, 23 years ago.

As the sun set, our ride, Lester, kindly dropped us back ‘home’ to the Captain C. By now, it was really feeling like home. The open, generous spirit of the crew and their willingness to share their stories was helping us get the very most out of our experience.

Back on the beach, I came to a shocking realisation when one yachtsman said that the cook-out was the only opportunity his family had had to spend social time with Bahamians rather than just other boaters. I felt sorry that they were missing out on so much.

Meet our Cook

Sunday morning gave us a bit of time to talk to the lady responsible for keeping everyone fed onboard. She’d also played a big part in yesterday’s event, but the morning found her with a brief window of time to tell her story.

A cousin of Captain Etienne and First Mate Cephas, Anicka was born in the air in 1960 as the plane took off from Ragged Island to get her mother to the maternity unit in Nassau. Raised and schooled in Ragged Island, Anicka spent a few years in nursing, but returned to her passion for cooking.

Working aboard the Captain C for the past 8 years was the ideal way to practice her unquestionable skills and keep close ties to family at the same time. Committed 100% to Ragged Island, she has no intention of living anywhere else.

 

Powered by the Sun

We had a date with Phicol Wallace, who we’d met up with at the Cook-Out yesterday. He is the man responsible for overseeing the installation and maintenance of the solar energy grid on Ragged Island.

Prior to our arrival, I’d looked at many different sources to get some idea of what we might find. I’d seen politicians claim that Ragged would be a ‘model for the rest of the Bahamas’ of how solar energy could power the future. Of course, as an optimistic cynic you always want to believe such grand claims, but reserve judgement until the proof presents itself. Now was our chance to do just that.

Heading off out of town, across the impressively smooth and solar-lit runway, we came to the Bahamas Power and Light installation.

Phicol explained that the 934 panels provide 350 kilowatts of power and had storage capacity for 1.2 kilowatt hours. Built between 2019 -20, delays had occurred due to Covid and Hurricane Dorian; considering this, it was a majorly impressive achievement.

We dropped Nicolas off at the salt pans, where he was determined to attempt a reshoot of a view he’d taken in 1987 – the only other time he’d come to Ragged Island. The locals had been particularly interested in the shot as it clearly showed many homes that no longer exist.

Back down the hill again to the boat, we had time to enjoy the stunning empty beach at Gunn Point Cove.

Tony Cash, one of the crew, picked up a few good-sized conch in the shallows on the other shore and we picked up a couple ourselves to take back to base in Staniel Cay.

Captain Etienne and his brother Cephas were enjoying being home for a few hours more before our departure at sunset.

Young Enterprise

We’d picked up a few more passengers in Duncan Town. Sadly, Nino (Rassy) Francis and his brother Alfred were travelling up to Nassau to attend their father’s funeral. Nino was fascinated to look through our books and asked a lot of questions. It seemed to be a useful distraction from the reason for his trip.

Having set himself up as a bone fishing guide, Nino was keen to share his impressive images of bonefish in the shallows around Duncan Town. Using the Lost Key Lodge (run by Phicol) as accommodation, he hoped to encourage fly fishermen to this less frequented area.

At the young age of just 23, he was keen to carve out a bright future for himself on Ragged Island.

Etienne’s Ark

Apart from the human cargo, empty bottles, and containers, there was a good deal of animal life onboard; four pigeons, four goats, and five puppies, all bound for Nassau.

It was feeling more like Noah’s Ark. We were off again, back up the island chain and none of us were ready to take to our beds.

We all wanted to witness the return of Edward and his crew to the safety of the Captain C.

Back to Buena Vista

As we approached the pick-up spot, there was a confusing array of lights; Captain Etienne explained what we were looking at – a larger boat and five small fishing skiffs.

Edward’s motor had expired pretty much on their arrival and the fishermen towed him and all the equipment out to us. Again, Marvin’s extraordinary skill in craning him onboard was required.

Once the skiff was slumped back onboard, I watched it drain out for many minutes; any longer in the sea and it could have easily sunk.

All three men took straight to their beds, but in the morning Edward was able to explain why the fishermen were so happy to help. Some years ago, when Edward was minding his own business on the island, he found himself dodging bullets.

A guy was taking a shot at what he thought were wild goats from his boat. He didn’t realise that Edward was within range, just behind the animals. Shouting and cursing, he put the man straight and all was well.

Onboard the boat that day was a young boy, the hunter’s son. He was now the captain of the fishing outfit from Long Island which just happened to be working in the area, so, remembering vividly his experience as a young boy, and seeing life on the cay, he sort out Edward and did all he could to help.

 

Long Live the Mail Boat

The more time we spent on the boat, the more apt we realised the ‘Family Island’ name is.

Everywhere there are connections; in Farmers Cay we were able to pick up extra fresh fodder for the goats and I got a message to Mr Roosevelt Nixon in person from his old friend Danny Lowe in Orange Hill, Nassau.

Nicolas was even able to hop ashore and get a whirlwind tour of the Nixon’s Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club and Marina.

The whole thing, as confusing and sometimes chaotic as it might appear, works.

Long live the mail boat.

 

 

Written by: Jane Popov
Photos by: Nicolas Popov