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Friday. MB takes the boys tender fishing in the early morning. They only manage to catch a small Mackerel and a large Big Eye Trevally. We then all go to a beautiful beach for a snorkel and a swim. After breakfast we head north to anchor between Land Rail Point Settlement and Pitt Town Landing.
Paul, Jon and Jeff go ashore and meet up with Willy Gibson, who they say is 'Miss knowns everything' and 'Unofficial Mayor'. She becomes our manager for all our requirements and activities on Crooked Island.
This island group can be seen from outer space, the triangular Atoll formed by crooked Island Acklins Island and Long Cay, both from space and land it is described as spectacular. All around is deep blue ocean. A thin line of breaking white sea defines the fringing Barrier Reefs and they are almost continuous around the islands. Next there is a narrow band of brilliant light blue, shallow water and the green of the land. Inside the group is the bight of Acklins which forms a vast shallow lagoon.
The total land area is about 200 square miles, and the combined population of the islands is about 1000. Crooked Island has 350 people. It is mentioned that these islands were the second group that Columbus landed on in 1492.
These Islands were also great retreats for pirates in the 18th century. Famous names such as Blackbeard, Black Sam Bellamy and Anne Bonny sated here.
The islands were occupied by loyalists fleeing North America during the war of independence in 1776. Here, they brought slaves and went into cotton production until the mid 19th century.
We then take the tender for a tour to the Pitts Town Point lighthouse, which is spectacular looking, although now abandoned and weather beaten. We troll a line and hook onto a large Trevally and a big Barracuda. Off the airport strip we find a very good coral reef to snorkel on. There are lots of fish and attractive coral.
Back on board we have our traditional dress up pirate night as Amy and Jeff are leaving tomorrow. There is rum punch that appears to be getting stronger each day. Jon and JB discover new pirate sea shanties for a pirate sing along. After another beautiful seafood dinner the music is cranked up and the dancing begins and continues for three hours.
At the same time we have a number of very small, to large sharks and other fish, swimming in the underwater lights.
Paul decides he should catch a shark and eventually snares a monster on live bait we he has just caught. He thinks it is a 7 foot Bull Shark, which after a very long fight when the fish gets close to boat, the line snaps. The night finishes with everyone being happy and exhausted.
Saturday. A few have sore heads when they awake. We take Jeff and Amy to the local airport heading back to Boston. Willy and her cousin Woody are our drivers. At the airport it looks like the entire island is having a reunion. As there are only two flights here a week, it creates a sense of celebration. After Jeff and Amy have left, Willy takes us for a tour of the island. We pass Colonel Hill, the highest point of the Island which is only 60 meters above sea level. After 15 KMS on small, well worn roads we come to the end of the island. This looks across the lagoon to Acklins Island. We then visit Turtle Cay, then a friend of Willy's, a single older man who has a large garden with tropical fruit trees. However, we get instantly covered in Mosquitos in his garden and have to flee with only one paw paw and one passion fruit.
We stop at the side of the road to inspect and pick cotton of the bushes. These cotton bushes are remnants of the plantations that existed until slavery ended. The white people then left the island so 90% of the population are related to the African slaves . There is not much to look at on the Island except the expanse of beautiful beaches and turquoise water. The people are very friendly, they grow fruit and vegetables and fish. This makes it a great place for us. Back on board some are still suffering from the previous night, we take an afternoon nap and do some snorkelling. After dinner we start a new game of canasta with Jon and JB leading.
Sunday. Here, there are no Catholic Churches on the island so we miss mass today. We have organised to try our luck with bone fishing again. Our guide is 'Shaky Bonefish' and the girl's guide is his cousin Mike. We are at first a little dubious about Bone Fishing due to our disappointing try in the BVI'S where we waded for 4.5 hours without seeing a fish.
Shaky has a great reputation, but we notice but is very cloudy and windy, not good casting weather. Each pair are in a skiff type boat, with the guide standing on an elevated platform poleing the vast shallows of French Wells Cays.
After poleing for a few hours MB and Jon had not seen anything. Shaky pointed to fish we couldn't see and told us to cast left or right which was difficult in the wind. He suggested we try wading with the last half of the outgoing tide. We catch up with the girls to take our drinks and lunch, to find that Libby has already landed her first bonefish.
MB and Jon continue wading in the shallows. At last they do see a school of Bone Fish. After a failed attempt MB is instructed to slow down his casting. They walk about four KMS but are now seeing fish thanks to Shaky's amazing vision and pointing direction towards the fish somewhat like a hunting dog. MB at last hooks a 5 pound fish that races away like a steam train, but he eventually lands the beauty. MB then lands another but unfortunately Jon does not have the same luck. The boys then go Conch hunting in which Jon excels. We try our hand at Snapper fishing in the channel with Conch as bait. The water is very cloudy from the runoff from recent rains, so only a few are landed.
JB and Libby have been fishing for snapper with Mike, using live Pilchards which Mike netted in the mangroves with JB driving the boat. The girls have more luck than Jon and Mick with a catch of large Jacks, medium sized Snapper and lots of Barracuda's which were released.
That night we have dinner in the restaurant run by our new friend Willy Gibson. A lot of her relatives are there to help cook and serve. She makes local Bahamian food of Conch salad, BBQ chicken, fish, rice and salad, followed by a delicious fruit crumble. To our surprise Willy has organised three local boys to play some music for us with a snare drum, French horn and trombone. We are enthusiastic and encourage their trying to improve their musical ability. Our cheering was assisted by the French wine we had bought along. Another member of the family 'Rum Pig' worked his magic trick he says he learned from an Australian. This two egg balancing trick was followed by a magic coin trick performed by another younger member of the family. We had a great night.
Monday. Jon and MB have organised a scuba dive to be guided by yet more of Willy's relatives Rob and Don. We have the most unbelievable wall dive to 20 meters. There is a stunning array of fish ferns, coral, crayfish and conga eels. MB has been loaned an underwater camera and tries his hand at photography.
We then go to the Pitts Town local private airstrip to pick up Dennis Roche who is joining us for a week. He is flying in on a charter flight from Georgetown in the Exumas. The towns here are little more than a few houses a couple of small shops and the odd restaurant like Willy's.
We are a bit anxious as the plane is an hour late but eventually we hear the engines and the plane appears and has a good landing. It is great to catch up with Dennis, and we have a reunion over lunch.
Mid afternoon we have organised for Shaky to take a group Crayfish hunting in the caves along the coast.
MB and JB opt for a fishing trip with Rob and Dom. We troll for several hours without success, but eventually site a group of birds and land two small Mackerel which Rob suggests we can use for bottom fishing with Snapper. He installs an electric motor reel on a solid rod, and explains we will fish in 200 meters of water. We both have a try and have great success with catching Black, Yellow Eye and Queen Snapper. We loose a few very large fish to sharks on the way up. MB is very reluctant to stop and leave this exciting sport but everyone is waiting for us for dinner and it is getting dark when Captain Paul calls up in the radio to check on us. Back on board the crayfish group have caught 12 Crays which Paul has on the BBQ. Another beautiful seafood meal, then the final of our canasta game with Jon and Janet cleaning up.
Tuesday we leave early for a 7 hour cruise north to the Island of San Salvador. We have loved Crooked Island with its beautiful people and hospitality we would recommend this as a holiday destination to anybody.
JB and Mick
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