As ocean swells from a distant storm meet the iron rock shoreline, water travels under great force through a labyrinth of ancient passages in the limestone until it emerges as a fountainhead roaring with a blast of sea air.
Breathe in, breathe out… I will sleep in peace listening to this tonight.
A secluded anchorage with a hydrodynamic soundtrack. Turn up the volume…
Thanks for sailing along with Stella Maris.
As always, sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places, the flora, fauna, and people encountered along the way.
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At the Moriah Harbour Cays National Park in the southern Exuma Cays, conservationists understand that not everyone wants to get wet. What is dry on these islands is as spectacular as the underwater world that surrounds them. The addition of a little human waggishness adds to the experience. On the southern tip of Stocking Island an “Art Trail” has been cut through the coppice allowing restless sailors to stretch their legs and express personal wit.
Wilson was here…
Of course, nature always has the last laugh. The natural beauty of the coppice (a Bahamian hardwood forest) is breathtaking. In the 22,833 acres of Moriah Harbour Cays National Park, trails pass through exotic palm groves. Caves are cut into calcium carbonate limestone. Lowlands are alive with American Oystercatchers and Giant White Landcrabs. An upland hiker might be startled by a Bahamian Blind Snake or an Antillean Nighthawk. And, growing so thick that it nearly shuts off sunlight, is flora that includes Drawf Frangipani, dominant stands of Bahamian Poisonwood, and wild Oncidium Orchids.
Dry land, I learned, can be a wonderland. All I need to do to experience it is step ashore once in a while.
And, at the end of the trail, there is always the sea.
Thanks for sailing along with Stella Maris.
As always, sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places, the flora, fauna, and people encountered along the way.
Please click “Follow” so that you don’t miss a new update,- and please consider sharing this post with others who might enjoy following the voyage. I welcome your comments, andI will always respond when I have an Internet connection. I will never share your personal information.
I am channeling Charles Darwin today as I step out of the thick Bahamian scrub and into a landlocked pool of anchialine water in Central Eleuthera known as Sweetings Pond.
This body of water, fed from a maze of subterranean connections to the ocean, is teeming with bizarre life forms. They include the red flame scallop (which is actually a clam) that can dislodge itself from the seabed and “walk” away from predators by clapping its valves together. And then there is a gelatinous sea slug called a fringeback nudibranch with sharply serrated gill fingers and long tendrils that pulsate in shades of aquamarine. But the show-stopper is a mutated miniature lined seahorse with enough characteristics from two distinctly different types of seahorses that some marine biologists think we could be witnessing the evolution of an entirely new species.
Protecting the 500-acre Sweetings Pond with its unique biodiversity has been a quiet mission for conservationists. Until recently, researchers and locals managed to keep its location a secret. In its anonymity, the pond faced no immediate danger. However, the rampant development of resorts and marinas in the Bahamas, as well as other threats including agricultural runoff and poaching has encouraged marine researchers and governmental organizations like the Bahamas National Trust to push for the preservation of this rare habitat.
One of those researchers, Dr. Heather Masonjones from the University of Tampa, has been studying the seahorse population in Sweetings Pond for over five years. In an interview with BBC Wildlife magazine, she said that the pond may have one of the most densely populated seahorse communities anywhere on Earth. She hopes the protection of the pond brings sustainable tourism that will educate people about seahorses and contribute to improving their conservation worldwide. “If we don’t take action it could be lost forever.”
Several weeks ago, the Bahamian government formally designated Sweetings Pond as its newest National Park. “The declaration of Seahorse National Park is more than just a designation,” said Lakeshia Anderson-Rolle, Executive Director of Bahamas National Trust. “It is our shared promise to our community, to future generations, and to the world that we are committed to conserving our unique and diverse ecosystems.”
As always, sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places, the flora, fauna, and people encountered along the way.
Please click “Follow” so that you don’t miss a new update,- and please consider sharing this post with others who might enjoy following the voyage. I welcome your comments, andI will always respond when I have an Internet connection. I will never share your personal information.
In the Bahamas, it is often about what’s for dinner. Conch fritters, conch salad, conch chowder, cracked conch.
But today, near a nursery of wild baby conch, we swim among the queens and there are no thoughts of putting them on a supper plate. Seeing these threatened creatures thrive in a natural environment of crystal-clear water is reassuring.
A queen conch in full camouflage“You lookin’ at me?”
Queen conch had been collected at a sustainable level by local subsistence fishers for centuries. But beginning in the 1970s, according to research by the Shedd Aquarium, increasing commercial fishing has caused conch populations to decline or collapse in much of the species’ range, including the Bahamas.
If the conch fishery collapses, it could put more than 9,000 Bahamian fishers—two percent of the country’s small population—out of work, according to a National Geographic report. Nearly all exported Bahamian conch meat is shipped to the U.S. In 2015, about 400 metric tons of conch were caught in the Bahamas, and about half of that was exported to the U.S., which prohibited the taking of conch in the mid-1980s.
A limit of six queen conch in possession aboard a foreign-registered vessel is the limit in the Bahamas. That is a privilege. Queen conch is a delicacy.
But today, in Eluthera, they look better to me alive than they would in a frying pan.
The next generation of queen conch
Thanks for sailing along with Stella Maris.
As always, sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places, the flora, fauna, and people encountered along the way.
Please click “Follow” so that you don’t miss a new update,- and please consider sharing this post with others who might enjoy following the voyage. I welcome your comments, andI will always respond when I have an Internet connection. I will never share your personal information.
At the ancient fish cleaning table on the dock in Alice Town, Elvis Rolle flashes his knife for emphasis as he eviscerates a catch of pan-sized triggerfish.
“This is old Bimini,” he says. “This is real Bimini.”
Elvis is worked up over the massive development known as Resorts World Bimini—operated by a Malaysian firm—that has consumed the entire northern half of his historic island. Draglines dig into the bonefish flats making canals, marinas, and waterfront lots for homes that sell upwards of $4 million. There is a massive 300-room Hilton resort hotel and casino. A cruise ship dock, designed for the largest Oasis Class ships of 6,000 passengers, extends more than a quarter-mile offshore, nearly to the edge of the Gulfstream.
“They want more and more,” Elvis says of the developers. “They give nothing back to Bimini. We’re living in shacks and they have bought up half of our island to build million-dollar homes for foreigners.”
Elvis Rolle turns away and throws a handful of triggerfish entrails into the water. A pair of bull sharks finning on the surface just off the docks are waiting for the offal.
“Watch them sharks,” he says. “They won’t leave nothing.”
As always, sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places, the flora, fauna, and people encountered along the way.
Please click “Follow” so that you don’t miss a new update,- and please consider sharing this post with others who might enjoy following the voyage. I welcome your comments, andI will always respond when I have an Internet connection. I will never share your personal information.
Stella Maris Sail 