This was the first long trip for Cole and me in the new plane. We were excited, but nervous at the same time. We flew from Lawrenceville to Ft. Pierce then on to Marsh Harbour. The flight was beautiful and uneventful, and that made it awesome. We had a few days before we could go to the house so we decided to explore Abaco as we had never done before. We rented a car for our first time to drive on the left side and headed south on Great Abaco to The Sandpiper Inn. It was a different experience than we are used to, the road headed south is perfectly straight for miles and miles with the occasional “dangerous curve” inserted as a speed limiting device. We saw a victim of this on the way back in the form of a car on its roof. The road runs south through thousands of acres of Abaco Pines and it is exactly that… pine trees everywhere.

Sandpiper Inn

We stayed at The Sandpiper Inn for our Great Abaco exploration. It is a traditional Bahamian Inn on the harbor of Schooner Bay. The Sandpiper Inn features 7 suites and cottages, and a full-service restaurant & bar. It is a very quaint, quiet location for exploring south Abaco.

The SS Hesleyside

When we arrived at The Sandpiper Inn we immediately headed out to check out our surroundings. We instantly filled our feet with sand spurs. After removing the sand spurs and getting our flipflops on, we continued our mission to check out the area. We went straight toward the ocean and found a path that led to the iron shore. Cole spotted it first and said, “Look at that huge anchor!” We then realized it was a shipwreck.

The SS Hesleyside was a British cargo ship built in 1900 in Sunderland, England for the Charlton Steamship Co. (Charlton, McAllum). Steam-powered, the 2600 ton vessel was more than 300 foot long.  In 1908 she was sailing from the Azores to Key West when bad weather struck, and on October 1st high winds (a hurricane) drove her aground where her remains now lie. Fortunately, the crew was able to escape, and there was no loss of life.

Below is a report from the New York Times

Blowhole

Also, a surprising treat for us was the blowhole. We were intrigued by the waves and the wind that drive this phenomenon. It was an odd sensation because it was cool that evening, so the water was warmer than the air. When it would erupt, you could feel hot air precede the spray of water. As you will see in the video I had a little trouble getting a great shot, but it was fun trying.

Da Bush and Da Beach

Marcus Davis

While having dinner at The Sandpiper we were told about a true Bahamian bush-man, who would happily take us to all the sites of southern Abaco. The next day, we were met by Marcus and took off in his truck for our adventure. Marcus is a fun-loving character, who is very knowledgeable and takes great pride in showing Abaco to visitors. He was born and raised in Crossing Rocks, South Abaco, where he grew up fishing and exploring, so he knows all there is to know about the local bush and da beach. Da Bush and Da Beach

Abaco Underwater Caves

We turned off the main road to a tree-lined dirt logging road that was cut through the Abaco Pine forest. We stopped by a small path and followed it to a lush patch of green growth sticking out of the pine forest. There we found a cave in the ground with crystal clear water, the roots of trees from the surface were growing down into the clear water and stalagmites stuck out from the ceiling of the cave.

Saw Mill Sink

A sink is a blue hole on land where a hole exists that connects deep underground to the ocean. There is a layer of fresh water on top of the salt water, so it is a great watering hole for people and trains. Discovered first by logging people, where it was a stop off for fresh water used to drink and to fill the train that hauled lumber to the port. Soon a sawmill sprang up at the site of the sink and then people that worked there homesteaded in the area.

The area is now protected by the Bahamas National Trust. Here is a link to a really cool video by the Bahamas National Trust. I love the part at the end where it is raining, just beautiful!https://vimeo.com/63781650

Here are some other links to discoveries by National Geographic and others in Saw Mill Sink.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2010/08/bahamas-caves-underwater-blue-holes/

http://www.everythingology.com/bahamas-islands-blue-holes/

Abaco Parrot

Bahamas Parrots are locally called, Abaco Parrots but officially Amazona Lecocephala Bahamensis. The Bahamian National Trust protects them and their habitat within the Abaco National Park. They are the only species of native parrot found in The Bahamas, and its green body and loud screeching make the Bahama Parrot very recognizable to those who are lucky enough see it. Previously found on several islands in The Bahamas, there are now only two populations of Bahama Parrot, which are found on Abaco and Inagua, and a very small third population of about 10 estimated individuals existing on New Providence. The Bahama Parrot is threatened by habitat loss and the illegal pet trade, and it is estimated that only about 10,000 of these birds are left in the country.

Gilpin Point

A beautiful ocean beach just south of the Crossing Rocks community is Gilpin Point. It is an eco-development and is great for birding and beachcombing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqwkHMNMN4w

Sandy Point

A small fishing village located at the southernmost point of Great Abaco. Sandy Point is an amazing spot to watch the sunset and soak in the secluded beauty of Abaco.

Lubbers Quarters

For everyone who ever wondered how the heck we get to Lubbers, this is for you.

Step 1: Rent the tinyest car you can find and cram all your stuff in it.

Step 2: Buy more stuff and cram it in

Step 3: Get some trees for good measure and put them in there too.

Then try to find a place for everyone to ride and off to the marina you go. Typically, we have a cab for this which is a suburban or van. They are much better equipped to haul the typical Bahamas “luggage” that consists of trees, industrial packs of toilet paper and 10′ sticks of pipe.

We made the quick trip from Great Abaco to Lubbers Quarters in our Albury boat rented from Island Marine. We had a few treats when we got to Lubbers Leap. Nothing better than a coconut cream pie from Lubbers Bakery and a frozen mojito at Cracker P’s to get you into “island mode”. Cole bravely climbed a few coconut trees for me and I decided that you do in fact “put the lime in the coconut and drink ’em bot’ up”. We did a bunch of maintenance on the house while the “Lubbers Road Crew” was also hard at work improving the island infrastructure. All in all, everything is well at the island and Lubbers Leap.

My video is a little long this time, I had so much video it was tough to narrow it down. I apologize in advance for the shaky video, I am still working on perfecting my GoPro skills. 🙂 Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

I wanted to give credit to the following websites for all the great information:

http://rollingharbour.com;NY Times; http://wrecksite.eu / Tony Allen; coconuttelegraph.net; http://www.abacopalms.com; Wiki; Sunderland Museum http://www.artuk.org/artworks/ss-hesleyside-35255; http://parks242.com