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Long Island, The
Bahamas
We picked up the hire car at eight thirty and off we set from Clarence
Town to drive to the top of the island. Long Island is an island
in the Bahamas
that is split by the Tropic of
Cancer. Its capital is Clarence
Town. Long Island is one of the Districts
of the Bahamas and is known as the most scenic island in the Bahamas.
The population is roughly 4,000 inhabitants.
We stopped at the supermarket, freshly supplied by the once
a week supply ship. A road kill
victim
Geography: Long Island is about eighty miles long and four miles wide at its widest
point. The land area is 448 km². Long Island is situated about 265 km
southeast of the Bahamian capital of Nassau,
which is located on the island of New
Providence. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the northern quarter of
the island. The northeast side of Long Island is noted for its steep rocky
headlands, while the southwest coast is noted for its broad white beaches with
soft sand. The terrain ranges widely throughout the island, including white flat
expanses from which salt is extracted, swamplands, beaches, and sloping (in the
north) and low (in the south) hills. Long Island is particularly noted for its caves,
which have played a major role in the island's history. Dean's
Blue Hole is located west of Clarence Town - own blog - is the
world's deepest underwater
sinkhole. Long Island is surrounded by smaller bays and inlets, including the
large New Found Harbor west of Deadman's Cay, at approximately the midsection of
the island. There are also smaller islands off shore, including Sandy
Cay.
The road has several pot
holes - not for the faint-hearted or those with a weak spleen. The road sign half way. The road in the
first of this set clearly showed us, when we went to explore it, that a small
exclusive estate had begun and was deserted, like so many of the islands we have
visited, when the money dries up or the backers go under. All along the road
were hundreds of boards advertising "acre with a view" and "Real Estate
Opportunities call now".
Berger Paints live on. I
took these in the shade as in full sun, were quite painful
History: The island originally was called by the Arawak
name "Yuma." It was rechristened "Fernandina" by Christopher
Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, during which Long Island is believed
to have been his third stop, following San
Salvador and Rum
Cay to the east. Archaeological evidence, including ceremonial stools
called duhos, shows that the Lucayan
Taíno
tribe settled on Long Island, likely in the island's cave system. After the
demise of the Lucayans, who were carried as slaves to Hispaniola
and Cuba,
there was no large settlement until the arrival of the Loyalists.
The original Loyalists were mainly from New
England and New
Jersey and arrived on Long Island after fleeing the American
Revolution. These families started the first farms, primarily raising
cattle and sheep. By the 1790's, settlers began to arrive from the Carolinas
and proceeded to set up cotton plantations.
The plantations flourished for only a few years and, by the time of the
abolition of slavery
in 1834, most had collapsed and been abandoned. There are many ruins from this
era today, the majority of which are overgrown by bush. There are also remains
of some of the houses built after slavery, which are usually small and built of
stone. Originally, they had thatched roofs; today, most are shingled. The
descendants of these families continue to be widespread on the
island.
Settlements: Clarence Town, located in the south-central portion of the island, has a
population of approximately three hundred and fifty. Nearby Deadman's Cay is the
major settlement at the center of the island and is home to Deadman's
Cay Airport, which offers several flights each week to Nassau and is
the island's largest and busiest airport. We loved the tiny
wholesaler, the name helped of course and loved Doctor's Creek.
Bear really slowed down for the
'dangerous curve', clearly they haven't
driven in Devon. The Police Station and
jail complex and one of the schools, all in smart uniform. Mangrove Beach is the home of
the island's boat-building trade, while Hamilton's is noted for its extensive
cave system. Salt
Pond is home of the Long Island Regatta,
an annual event that draws tourists from around the world. Stella Maris, at the
northern part of the island, is the center of the island's tourism industry and
features several resorts.
Buckley's is home to Nelson Granville MacFarlane Major High School, which
frequently has the highest Bahamian
GCSE scores among the nation's public
schools, as well as the Long Island Library and Museum, sadly closed
for the day. Other settlements include Buckley's, Hamilton's, Scrub Hill, Simms
and Burnt Ground. Most of the island's settlements
are named after the families that first settled in them. As a result, many (but
not all) are named in the possessive form: The settlement of the Gray family,
for example, is known as Gray's. One main road,
originally designed for carriages,
runs from Cape Santa Maria, at the northern tip of Long Island, to the southern
tip at Gordon's. Transport on Long Island is generally road-based, with limited
taxi
service available, particularly from Stella Maris to Deadman's Cay and Clarence
Town.
One that amused Bear was this sign on the side of
the road, opposite, said residence. He's in
because his car is there. Don't know what he wants a hangar for, but, I reckon
it's big enough for vasectomies on a Friday afternoon.
A roadside boutique,
complete with discreet satellite dish
Economy & Tourism: Part of the economy
is based on tourism
and farming,
but fishing
dominates. The inhabitants grow peas,
corn,
bananas,
and pineapples,
and they raise small livestock
such as pigs,
chickens,
goats
and sheep.
Some cattle
are raised for export.
First island we have been to and not seen animals wandering around, no chickens,
one cat and two dogs was the tally for the day. Due to the generally inhospitable soil of the Bahamas, much of the
farming done on Long Island is in the pot-hole
style, which involves planting in fertile holes in the limestone
where good top
soil collects. This method of farming contributes to the success of
Long Island farmers, who are usually able to generate enough excess produce to
sell
their fruits and vegetables throughout the Bahamas. The churches had to have
their own blog, there must be one per ten people and the 'One Careful Owner',
well, I was in heaven and certainly spoilt for choice.
 
Tourist activities include sailing,
fishing -
a days deep sea fishing at $950, half day reff fishing $550 and a half day
bonefishing $275 - I'll stick with our troll lines. Scuba
diving, freediving,
snorkeling and relaxing
on beaches.
Cape Santa Maria Beach, located at Stella Maris, is
frequently ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. In recent
years, competitive freedivers have sought out Dean's Blue Hole as a unique dive
site, hosting both world records (most notably by New Zealander William
Trubridge) and one world championship (in 2009). Most tourists
charter an airplane or take a commercial flight from Exuma
International Airport at George
Town, Exuma or Nassau. International flights offered by Locair
are planned and will mark the first return of regular international flights in
over ten years.
ALL IN ALL A DELIGHT BUT I COULDN'T LIVE
HERE
A MIXTURE OF MODERN IN A QUAINT
SETTING
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