A Day with Captain Plug

When on this island all you have to do is say "Plug" and people immediately smile.  They know.  He is kind, personable, patient...  He's an island stud to the nth degree:  volunteer with the Hope Town Fire and Rescue; crew for Abaco Rage; go-cart and NASCAR racing enthusiast; tour guide; master of the tides, waves, and sea; fish wrangler; keeper of the identity of all things Abaco - creatures of the land and sea, blue holes, ruins, laws/regulations, gossip.  There is NOTHING Plug can't do!  And today, I turned over 100 million percent of my trust to him.  Everything precious to me was in his hands:  my husband, my kids, and my folks.

Float plan:  

1.)  Survive windy, choppy conditions

2.)  Pete's Pub

3.)  Snorkel

4.)  Fish

5.)  Cracker P's

Nicholas and I were in the bow seats.  We had such a great time pondering things, jabbering back and forth, and laughing as we anticipated the thud at the trough of the wave...  As I alluded to earlier, Plug is a MASTERFUL captain!  I'm searching my mind to really describe his greatness and it is beyond the words currently in my head.  One of many perfect examples was when Nicholas and I braced ourselves for the bashing, crashing, and spine compression that always accompanies the thrill of riding over the crest of a wave.  But, with Plug, there wasn't one.  Seriously!  The laws of physics do not apply to Plug.  The "what goes up must come down theory"... not something Plug has to reckon with.  He somehow either is capable of lulling the waves into submitting to his desires and/or knows how to position his boat and trim it so that the ride is less bumpy than a typical golf cart outing on the paved roads of these islands!

First stop:  Tilloo Pond to check for turtles.  The wind was out of the south and since these islands are just tiny slivers running mostly north and south, even the protected waters of this little cove were too choppy to really get any good turtle sightings.  (To illustrate the the power of the southerly winds, as you can see from the aerial photo below, this pond should normally be dead flat.  But, even the land couldn't stop the wind from whipping up this little lagoon.)

We did, however, spy this handsome stingray cruising the sand bank nearby.

To get a better bearing:
We started our voyage coming from Elbow Cay and passed between Lubbers Quarters and Tilloo Cay.  Again, since the wind was from the south and the Abaco islands run mainly north and south, there wasn't land mass to break up the winds.  So, we were in for a bumpy ride to get to Pete's Pub (at the "4 o'clock position" below the website info on this map).

Plug, again, ever the MASTER of all things even mildly scary, was an expert helmsman, navigating the epically dangerous waters.  Steve Dodge's book, Cruising Guide to Abaco,  THEE bible for cruisers in Abaco, says, "...the area known as Pelican Harbour, which usually has a surge and is not recommended..."  And, this is where we chose to fish.  Plug circled Channel Cay (mindful of the treacherous rocky bits hiding under the chop) while Shawn and Nicholas trawled for fish.  After about 45 minutes of fishing and (unnecessary) white knuckling, we landed three yellowtails and then reeled in the lines for the remainder of the trip south to Pete's Pub.

Needless to say, we arrived at Pete's quite safely and headed down the road to the bar.  Shawn and Summer, blazing the trail...

My folks, bringing up the rear...

 First stop at Pete's was to see if Cindy's shirt was still there.  Supposedly the rule is that they never take shirts down.  The only way a shirt comes down is if the staples rust and the shirt actually falls off.  But, I knew that the place where we hung Cindy's shirt (last year) was in a high traffic area and I knew that there was the possibility of some staff member or patron getting frustrated and yanking the thing down.  To our great joy, the hem of the shirt was tied in a knot and was wholly intact!  I untied the knot and stood back to watch my folks gently pat my sister's essence as they walked under it.

A little less heavy on the heart was the shirt Emma and Zach put up (also last year).  Found in its exact same location.

While we waited for the food to arrive, I took myself to the beach on the Atlantic side of Little Harbour.  There is literally nothing between this beach and the continent of Africa.  So, lots of unique things can be found among the rocks, sand swales, and wrack line.  (Sadly, there's TONS of plastic.)  I was on the hunt for sea glass and anything else unique.  I'd say this giant rusty spiky thing qualifies as unique and worthy of a photo.

As does this conch that has become fused into the coquina and yet perfectly smoothed over by the pebbles and wave action of years? decades? centuries? millennia?

The rocky tip of this section of the island.

Grandpa and Grandma with one of the many bronze sculptures adorning this wonderful place.

From Pete's Pub & Gallery's website:

Pete's has newly installed air conditioning!  An old sail captures the wind off the Atlantic and funnels it down to the picnic tables below.  It's amazing how well this works!  Of course, it is also a windy day.  So, the AC is cranking!

Another unique find on the beach, gigantic lures!  I wish that I had my hand or something in this picture to show the perspective.  These teasers were about 18 inches long!  I gifted my treasures to Captain Plug and he seemed happy to have them to add to his fishing gear.

After our lunch of slow roasted wild boar, we enjoyed Little Harbour's protected waters.  New this year, there were large floats, super slippery and super fun for kids of all ages!

Once we had our fill of playing, it was time to head back north.  Captain Plug, ever the adventurer, headed us straight towards a scary looking thing protruding from the water.  Hoping he saw what we saw, we trusted him to not crash us into the terrifying shoally waters with breaking surf and this iron looking bar.

And, we got a little closer...  This was the remains of a shipwreck along the Pelican Cays.  Last year, the barge was almost fully resting on the rocks, above the waterline.  This year, not so much.

Thanks to Plug, we survived.  And, again, he had us riding the crest of each wave, many of which were on our beam...he's like King Neptune.  He skillfully maneuvers his boat so that the rage felt like a light chop.  Neither Summer nor my mom had white knuckles and that is saying A LOT!!!

We reached Tilloo Bank and snorkeled on the southwestern edge.  Nicholas and I were braving the sun and the bow riding experience.

My mom, helping to keep Plug on course.  (Ha!  He's got these waters etched into his soul.)

Summer, the first in!

Our yellowtails, now Plug's dinner:

Shawn and my dad.  Note the squall building.  We never felt a single drop!  Plug timed it just right and/or the storm knew to give him a wide berth.

Effortlessly, we made it to Cracker P's for yummy cheesy fish dip and sunny skies.  The squall knew where Plug was and respectfully made a turn in the opposite direction.

After hugs and well wishes, we reluctantly disembarked and headed back home.

 What a day! 

Bonus:  Nicholas clobbered Grandpa at checkers.

Jogging, Snorkeling, and Junkanoo

Because toasted Bahamian bread with giant masses of butter isn't good enough, I added "Native Guava Jam".

Early morning light, fresh hot coffee, quiet time by myself, listening to the island come to life...  And the best breakfast ever.

Yummy breakfast must be followed by exercise.  Normally I would say, "Yummy breakfast must SADLY be followed by exercise."  However, while on Elbow Cay, I actually look forward to jogging.    I pass by the same things but I never tire of the sights.  It gives me something to ponder, some excuse to stop and snap a picture, and I just LOVE it!  So, I laced up and set off.

These out islands are quite a marvel of modern engineering and resourcefulness.  The fact that there is power at all in quite remarkable.  There's no power plant on this island and no giant solar grids.  I think the power comes from the big island called Great Abaco.  But, I'm not sure how it actually gets here.  Under the Sea of Abaco?  Anyway...this island does have power.  And, this is what the power lines to the North End look like.  Cracks me up!

Also, on my jog, I look at the tropical plants.  Some flowers are just the typical (like what we have in Florida):  hibiscus, lantana, wild impatiens, firecracker plant...  But, there are also plants that I only see when I'm here.  One of my favorites is the natal plum.  The flowers are perfectly white five pointed stars and the fruit is this glorious rich red velvet.

The fruit of the natal plum is super abundant right now.  The only problem is that every part of the plant is rumored to be deadly:  the leaves, the stems, the seeds...everything!  I've only eaten the fruit once.  I was on another island (Green Turtle Cay) and came upon some local girls who were picking the fruit and loading up the cupped hem of their shirts with these little jewels.  I asked them about the fruit, they showed me which one to eat, and I did.  I'd love to try to eat one again but the "there is no doctor on this island mantra" drowns out my desire to sample nature's bounty.  Jog on, Jennifer.

I made it to the North End of the island and wandered my secret beach, scanning for sea glass.  2.5 miles done and much sea glass to be "harvested", but I was really thirsty.  Lucky for me, I had my coconut cracking tool in my jogging belt.

So, I wandered around, looking for coconuts.  At this time there are a lot of workers on this section of the island.  An older home is being rehabbed and the jungle is being tamed for the moment.  The normal glut of green coconuts resting on the ground...was already consumed.  Not wanting to admit defeat, I spied some "friendly" looking guys with giant machetes and promptly approached them.    They didn't seem to speak English and I don't speak Haitian-Creole.  But, I recognized the universal sign for "coconut":  shoes removed, machete in the teeth, and climbing the tree.  I asked for one.  I'm sure they were a little confused by my boldness.  The guy who was not climbing the tree retrieved the coconuts and hacked off the side with one swift whack and smiling, gave it to me.  To that generous gesture, I replied..."Thanks.  Now, give me your uncracked coconut."  I took out my tool, flicked off the green leaves, stabbed the flesh, removed the plug, and handed it back to him.  So, we exchanged coconuts and had this primal understanding of unique appreciation for one another.  Breaking bread coconuts and fellowship. His coconut, opened by the cooky girl with the crazy coconut tool.  My coconut, opened by the man with the machete.  Cheers, mon.

As I walked my way back to town and sipped on my coconut water, I stopped to take pictures of things along the path.  This boat in this shelter was here last year and I'm happy to see it still is here. Its once gleaming varnish dulling, marking time with blisters and flakes.

This photo is of an interesting growth/decay pattern on a tree that had its limb trimmed off.  I think this is one of THE most beautiful things I've ever seen in my entire life!  It's a perfect spiral wave!  How did this happen?  Did the tree die...partially?  Does this happen inside of the tree or did this happen once the bit got pruned?  I seriously want to go back to that tree and study it some more.  Oh, wait!  I can!!!!  I can jog back there another day and sit for a spell with the tree and hope that she'll share her beauty secrets with me.

One of my favorite stretches of the whole North End loop is this heavily shaded path.  The Casuarina pine needles and the sand create a soft surface to run on.  The Sea of Abaco is on the right and a dock with a view of the Elbow Cay Lighthouse finishes off the idyllic scene.

The following two pictures were from last year.  I sat on a bench by the dock, enjoyed the shade, and was attacked by this gigantic black bug.  Seriously!  For at least two minutes this bug was diving at me.  The thrumming of its wings was so LOUD and I was really starting to get a little mad/freaked out, swatting at this thing like a crazy woman.  At the same time, I heard little bird chirps.  I was considering getting up and letting this man-eating insect have its space back when I realized...this was no bug!  This was a hummingbird!!!!    Needless to say, trying to take pictures of the hummingbird "attacking" me was not a very easy task.  But, at least I have some photographic evidence that this event really took place.

So, I sat there again this year, hoping for another hummingbird encounter.  None to be had.  I enjoyed the view, the shade, and the rest for a bit.

But, I was getting thirsty for more coconut water and came across this washing machine while I was looking for coconuts.  Gotta love this place!

And then, I spied these little cuties poking through the pine needles.  I was kind of wishing someone was around so that I could dazzle them with my knowledge of plant names.  These are wild poinsettia!  I feel pretty certain that I am one of the only people to identify these while hunting for green coconuts.

At the northern edge of Hope Town is this adorable house.  I love the holiday decorations that must have just slowly seeped into the daily decor.  They were here last summer and my hope is that they will be here for years to come.

I made it to the Hope Town Harbour Lodge to meet up with the family for lunch:

A beautiful view:

And swimming and snorkeling:

All of that fun was had before the evening at Sea Spray and the Junkanoo Rush!

In my down time, I paint rocks and hide them throughout the whole of Elbow Cay.  These three I hid at Sea Spray.  I kind of like hiding them where I'm in a position to witness the finding (if possible).  One little 5 year old girl saw them tucked under the deck railing and was squealing at her mother to pick one up.  The mother rolled her eyes so hard that I seriously expected her to lose her balance.  I wanted to shout at her like the Soup Nazi, "NO ROCKS FOR YOU!"  But, I didn't.

Honestly, I'm kinda glad she didn't get one of these because three other little girls walked by a few minutes later and picked up my three rocks.  They were skipping around and showing them to their other family members.  The girls posed for at least a dozen pictures with their rocks.  The rock painting project's mission is to spread joy and I'm pretty sure these girls were filled with joy.  I know my mom and I were as we watched them!

Dinner at Sea Spray.  Excellent seating in the shade of the bar and front row for the Junkanoo parade!

I never get tired of the Junkanoo Rush!  The costumes, the dancing, the energy...so EXCITING!

And the day ended with selfies to round out our island life!