Green Turtle Cay

We stayed at Leeward Yacht Club and Marina for a week.  It is a tiny marina, but well maintained with good, friendly service.

The Good Life is the first boat to the left of the dock.

We were warned that the bathroom facilities in the Bahamas were third world quality so were quite pleasantly surprised to find nicer facilities than we found in many state side marinas.  There were two private restrooms, each with their own shower and very clean.  One even had a beautiful display of a seashore.

The marina has a lovely salt water swimming pool…

and had just bought a pump out system – the first one on the island – and we were the inaugural pump out! Usually people take their boats out to the open water and dump their holding tanks.

Mike and Judy on Blue Yonder III were docked near us and we enjoyed sightseeing with them.

New Plymouth is the little town on the island – population around 400. 

You can walk, dinghy, bike, or rent a golf cart to get there.  We did all but walk – there was enough walking once you got there!

We rented this one evening to visit Lois and Glenn on Ensenel.  Golf carts are the main form of transportation on the island although there is the odd pickup truck or car.

The bicycles we borrowed from the marina for free.  I’m still unsteady but improving.  I think this sign is understating the narrowness of the “road”.  I wouldn’t even ride the bike on it.  I got off and walked.  Bob, obviously is braver (and more steady) than I!

The town is old – settled in 1786 by Loyalists after the Revolutionary War.  The island is made up mostly of limestone and very little soil so it was difficult making a living and many returned to the states (many to the Florida Keys), moved to England, or other islands.  The remaining settlers occupations changed through the years, with a different major industry seemly for each generation.

A picture of the town circa 1850. 

Not much has changed – this is one of the three grocery stores – each one has about 3 aisles. Notice the lack of cars on the street – this is wide enough for two golf carts.  Many streets are wide enough for only one.

This building no longer looks inhabited but we couldn’t tell for sure.

The spit of land the town is located on is so narrow you can see water on both sides

From our right (look close and you can see the dock at the end of the street)…

to our left.

The houses were small but colorful.

Nearly all of them seemed to have chickens and a generator.  The electricity was so intermittent we weren’t too surprised.  Later we talked to a local who said surprisingly few people had generators. 

Scattered throughout the town are houses abandoned due to storm damage or just old age.

The locals were very friendly.  This young man came up to talk to us while we were eating lunch and did some showing off on his bicycle for us.

This is where we were eating lunch – I told you it is a colorful area! That is Mike sitting in front, waiting for their “take away” (take out) lunch order, which he then took back to the phone company office.  He and Judy were waiting to get their Bahamian phone activated.  It is only open one day a week and because of the combination of the large influx of cruisers, plus the fact it didn’t open last week, Mike and Judy had to wait several hours to get their phone. We ate cracked conch (kind of like fried squid in taste and texture) and fries.  Another favorite local side dish is “peas and rice” – rice cooked with onions, brown sauce, and a type of pea/bean.  It didn’t excite me but its OK.

While we were eating at the picnic table (under cover thankfully) a sudden storm kicked up!  We enjoyed watching the rain pelt down and the palm trees blow.

Some restaurants offer beach seating!

One of my favorite places to visit in nearly every place we go is the cemetery (are my children surprised?). Green Turtle’s cemetery was no exception. It is located on a bluff above the water – exquisite!

The comparison from old to new is striking.  Notice the deteriorating grave in the the background.  Some still had plain wooden crosses.  I dearly hope there is a record some where! 

One of the more recent graves shows the love of a life at sea.

“Ye Olde Gaol” – steps up to the roof for????

We haven’t found any good beaches for shells yet but there is evidence that they are here.

A pile of discarded conch (pronounced “konk”).

Conch shells are used to line gardens, driveways, and to decorate walls!

Other unique decorations adorn some trees.

All the islands in the Bahamas are comparatively narrow with the open Atlantic on the east side and the more protected waters to the west.  It’s fun to go watch the waves on the east side.

As I noted before, the grocery stores here are small.  They are also quite expensive due to the combination of limited farming capacity and the difficulty of getting the supplies to the islands. This is the delivery dock where the ships can deliver goods to the island.  Note the new refrigerators ready to be picked up by their new owners.

One local farmer has begun a new venture providing fresh greens to the community.  It is a single pass drip irrigation system.  He opens it twice a week to the public when you go in a “pick your own”. He charges by the pound and offers a selection of lettuces, a few cherry tomatoes, bok choy, and a few herbs.  He also brings in special items such as coconuts once in a while.  It is so nice to eat a salad again!

Most cruisers have their own mode of transportation to and from their boat. The majority have a dinghy of some variety to get back and forth.  This one is especially colorful as well as memorable.  The parent boat is “Dalmatian” (the captain was a fireman).

This lovely little family is from Maine, cruising with their three young sons, coming into town in their inflatable Kayak.  They use my favorite form of homeschooling where the world becomes your classroom! They were studying water currents today.

The locals use the ferry system to and from work.  Cruisers also use the ferry for short hops to another part of the island or a neighboring island. These little boats whip in and out of the dock at amazing speed.

We loved staying at Green Turtle but new horizons await, so when the winds calm down, we move on.  Blue Yonder will join us at Hope Town but meanwhile takes pictures of us as we leave them behind for a few days.

Docked at Leeward Yacht Club, Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas – 2/18-2/24/18 with Blue Yonder III