Long Island road trip part 2
AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Thu 16 Feb 2017 21:14
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The
following day we set off again heading south this time. Same crowd of six + a
very well behaved doggie. It was warmer and brighter. Our four friends had spent
much time and effort the previous season helping the Long Island community to
recover from the effects of Hurricane Joaquin in 2015. It caused havoc when the
storm stalled and lingered for many hours making matters a whole lot worse for
many of the residents. There was a storm surge of sixteen feet – difficult to
believe. Boats that started out floating on the normally protected water of the
banks were washed inland ending up in trees and bushes further up the slopes.
Rooves were blown away, cars destroyed and services cut off. The glass
fibre swimming pool at the now defunct Long Island Breeze resort was uprooted
when the empty water storage tanks located beneath the pool became buoyant in
the rising waters forcing the pool out of the wooden dock where the 200 mph
winds lifted it into the air and blew it some 150 yards into the fuel storage
area at Long Island Petroleum.
With limited resources available from central government the locals relied
on donations and skills from outside to get back to some sort of normality. We
were sharing our outing with cruising saints who think nothing of giving up
their time to help less fortunate souls in a country situated just miles from
the vast wealth of the USA.
  First stop of the day was for a beer at Bling
Bling.............
..................They encourage folk like us to drop by
  The museum is still closed from the hurricane as the place is
not suitable for people to be in due to dampness. We found the curator was
sitting outside when we stopped by.
Next stop was Dean’s Blue Hole at Turtle Cove Sound. Dean’s is world famous
especially if you are a free diver, that most dangerous of all watersports. It’s
a place of tragedy and great beauty combined as lives have been lost here over
the years. Until recently it was the deepest blue hole known in the world with a
depth of 663 ft. Hard to imagine that area of deep blue where the white raft
floats so close to shore can be such a depth. Free divers come from all over the
world to experience this place. The poignant plague on the bluff is dedicated to
three almost simultaneous deaths when a young local girl got into difficulties
whilst wading in the sand and slipped into the deeper water. Her two older
companions went in to help and all were drowned. Apparently none of them could
swim.
    It’s a stunningly beautiful place
Next stop was Clarence Town and the Flying Fish Marina on the waterfront.
Clarence Town is on the ocean side of Long Island and is not frequently visited
by yachties except in very settled weather.
   Flying Fish Marina
   Then on to Rowdy Boys Restaurant for a very pleasant lunch
overlooking the ocean.
Clarence Town has some interesting churches perched on hill tops. We
visited the most distinctive St Paul’s Catholic Church built by Father Jerome
who also built the Hermitage on Cat Island we visited some years ago.
    The church was locked but the ‘Admiral’ found the keyhole large
enough to take a snapshot of the inside.
 Some nice views from the top of the steps across Clarence
Town. If all churches could have such views!
So we came to the end of our road trip. The car was due back and after a
quick stop at a liquor store, a gift shop, several hardware stores, a few
groceries stores and the garage it was back to the boat at Thompson Bay. Having
visited the island in previous years it was wonderful to have the opportunity to
explore inland – thanks guys!
END
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