Happy Andros New Year – December 29, 2010 to January 3, 2011
It was another successful fishing day as we crossed the Northwest Channel from The Berrys to Andros with Talisa and Mutual Fun. As we passed the southern end of Chub Cay, both polar Pacer and Mutual Fun hooked mutton snappers. The two fish were more than enough to feed the multitude of cruisers at Morgan’s Bluff that evening.
26 inches long.
We had been told by some Andros natives that we could take our boats into the commercial harbour at Morgan’s Town on the northern tip of Andros Island if the outer harbour anchorage was too rough. There was another cold front on the way and we would be looking for protection from the north winds once again. Incidentally, Morgan’s Bluff got its name from the famous English pirate, Captain Morgan, whose name and portrait have also been given to a well known brand of rum.
There is only room enough for five or six boats to tie to shore in the northwest corner of the harbour and there were three boats already there when we arrived. With a little bit of juggling and adjusting of stern/bow anchors and with a spider’s web of lines tied to the other boats and the scrubby casuarinas pines on the shore, everyone managed to get wedged in with enough room for the weekly mail boat to maneuver without hitting anyone. The dinghy was used as a bridge from Polar Pacer to the shore.
All tied up.
Rafted
Since this time of year is not the best for exploring Andros due to the lack of adequate protected anchorages we chose to get a rental car for a couple of days and do a road trip. The Androsia fabric factory is located at Fresh Creek about half way down the eastern side of the island and the central part of the island has Mennonite farms where we hoped to pick up some fresh vegetables. The roads we travelled were paved and mostly in good condition. The hard part was remembering to drive on the wrong (left) side of the road.
The speed limits are different for cars and trucks.
No speed limits were posted for tractors.
The Androsia factory was closed for the holidays so we were not able to get a tour.
However, the outlet store was open for business and there was no shortage of material to buy. Now there are three projects to finish.
Another Prout Snowgoose
The Fresh Creek entrance, looking towards the Tongue of the Ocean.
Marvin, the conch salad guy, is just one of several examples of proof that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well on Andros Island. We met Marvin on New Year’s Eve when we arrived way too early for the rushin’ at the Church of God of Prophecy in Conch Sound. Marvin has a little stand under the street light beside the road that runs past the front of his house at Conch Sound, a short drive from Morgan’s Bluff. Not only did he make us a great conch salad, we were the recipients of personal instructions on how to remove the conch from its shell, clean it, skin it and chop it finely for the makings of a salad. His other ingredients included a large onion, a cucumber, one red tomato, one green tomato, an apple, the juice from several oranges and just enough hot scotch bonnet pepper sauce to give it a good bite. He gave us the option of including the conch skin or not, claiming that the Bahamian way is to include it even if it is a little tougher that the rest of the conch. Later, when he wasn’t looking, those tough bits got tossed in the bushes beside us.
With the help of the street light, Marvin has chosen to live off the grid for now rather than pay BEC’s too high electric bills. Someday he would like to turn his little piece of property into a small resort complete with swimming pool and small cottages for his guests. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big. In the meantime he’ll continue to sell his conch salad and maybe some beverages from the collection of half empty bottles. If there is a special event anywhere on the north end of the island he can pack up his equipment and set up shop wherever the customers are.
After spending an hour with Marvin, we continued down the road by foot to location of the rushin’, expecting something along the lines of a junkanoo. We did not know how big the crowd might be so we left the car at the conch stand to ensure that we did not get blocked in somewhere and have to sleep in the car overnight. As we neared the church it was obvious that whatever was happening would be indoors and not on the grassy field next door like we had anticipated. We entered the church just as the service was about to start and the extensive band was taking its place at the front complete with a full set of drums and a couple of electric guitars. A bank of five microphones occupied the other side of the stage. The pews filled up quickly and the pastors (four of them) took their turns at the microphone. Some of the sermons were accompanied by much singing. We were conspicuously two of the three non Bahamians in the house. A young girl politely brought us hymn books in case we did not know the words. I did recognize Amazing Grace.
Three and a half hours later (we didn’t want to be even more conspicuous by getting up and leaving early) the New Year’s Eve countdown had been incorporated into the last sermon and we were all free to go rushin’. It was well after midnight before the band to dismantle their equipment in the church and set it all up again in the building next door. We contemplated calling it a night and as we walked down the road towards the conch stand where we had left the car we encountered several people returning from changing from their formal church attire into clothing more suitable for going to a night club. Even one of the pastors returned in tight jeans and knee high, six inch heeled, red suede boots. We were informed that we couldn’t leave yet. The rushin’ is going to start soon. The band started up and the dancing began. One continuous dancing circle, over a section of reinforced floor, that did not stop until sometime after the sun rose. We were almost embarrassed to leave sometime around 2 AM when the little ones just barely old enough to walk were still going strong. The crowd was still growing as we found our way home to Polar Pacer.
New Year’s Day was technically a holiday but we still had the rental car until mid afternoon and there was an opportunity to get some laundry done. We arrived at the Laundromat around 9 AM to closed doors and no response to a knock at the house next door.
As we drove away thinking that the proprietor was still recovering from the all night party we were flagged down by a passing vehicle whose driver advised us to “Keep knockin’, they’ll open up for you.”
Sure enough, a few more knocks at the roused seventy one year old basil Campbell who had not been out all night (he has been having trouble with his knee) but had been watching a movie on TV and hadn’t heard us outside.
Mr. Campbell’s Laundromat uses modern equipment in a less than modern manner.
This was our first time to do laundry since leaving Florida. Between Polar Pacer and Mutual Fun we had seven loads to wash and dry. Both washers and dryers operate on $2.00 worth of quarters but the charge is actually $3.00 per washer and $3.50 per dryer. Once the first automatic washing machine is put into operation there is not enough water pressure left (Mr. Campbell has his own well) to fill the others and he fills the other six machine with a garden hose. By the time the last machine is filled and ready to go it is time to go back to the first machine and start the routine over again for the rinse cycle. If you want hot water he needs a days notice so he can turn he hot water heater on and heat the water overnight. I suspect there may also be an extra charge for hot water.
Andros Island has an abundance of fresh water unlike any of the other islands we have visited where the water supply is reliant on catching rain water or having a reverse osmosis system. Most of the water for Nassau is supplied from Andros.
This water tanker makes a round trip to Nassau every 26 hours. At one time there were three vessels making the trip.
Giant water hoses used to fill the tanker.
If you are looking for a truly Bahamian, off the beaten path, vacation spot you should try the Pineville Motel on Andros. Eugene Campbell has put both his business and artistic talents to good use and has created a diverse and unique holiday experience. Our introduction started with getting internet access. As far as we could tell Eugene’s service is the only one in the area besides the fifteen free minutes that you can use at the Batelco office down the road. He told us about his plans to put up a transmission tower so boaters at Morgan’s Bluff can sign up for internet services without having to come to the motel. Although the kitchen was not officially open for lunch Eugene offered to make us hamburgers.
Seating arrangements for dining are in the gardens.
We chose one of the long tables in the center in order to have an all round view of our surroundings.
While the burgers were being prepared I visited Miss Pineville in the petting zoo. Such a sweetie.
A live band and a buffet meal were on the agenda for that evening. Sometimes there are fashion shows. If you bring your children and they are not keen on the adults’ entertainment there is also a movie theatre with babysitters available. Eugene offered to provide transportation to and from Morgan’s Bluff for anyone who was interested. That’s another service that he provides. He also has a few small buses and arranges island tours and field trips.
The Pineville buffet.
Dancing the night away under the Pineville disco ball.
The rooms in the motel are each decorated according to Eugene’s current inspiration and are changed on a regular basis, something like the theme hotel at the West Edmonton Mall. We had a tour of two rooms that were not occupied.
In the very cosy honeymoon suite.
There are plans to install a fountain in one of the rooms sometime soon.
Tom and Eugene. Check out the latest developments at www.pinevillemotel.com.
The reefs and rocky shoreline outside of Morgan’s Bluff are reported to be abundant with lobster just waiting to be picked. Tom and Randy went out in the dinghy to test their lobstering skills and came back empty handed. Lucky for us Monroe lives on his boat in the harbour and promised to get us some lobster and conch just as soon as he got the motor running on his skiff. Three days later he delivered seven large lobster tails, trimmed, cleaned and ready for the BBQ, all for what we considered a very reasonable price.
Tom and Randy go lobstering.
Monroe’s lobster in a 9 1/2 x 11 cake pan.
Monroe was also the source for enough fresh tenderized conch to make a pressure cooker full of delicious conch chowder.
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