We spent a few days at Rum Cay to weather a cold front. It is never cold by the time the front gets to us but there can be alot of wind.
Rum Cay was most likely named after the Isle of Rum in Scotland or was it named after the Indiaman that ran aground here with a cargo of rum? Either way, they do not make rum here nor do they make much of anything. The island was once thriving with tourism and had big plans for a large new resort development. Hard times drove the developer away and left ugly scars in their wake.
Rum Cay was most likely named after the Isle of Rum in Scotland or was it named after the Indiaman that ran aground here with a cargo of rum? Either way, they do not make rum here nor do they make much of anything. The island was once thriving with tourism and had big plans for a large new resort development. Hard times drove the developer away and left ugly scars in their wake.
Despite this blemish the island is beautiful. We rented golf carts and set out for some backcountry touring. 
The inhabitants are not wealthy but they do their best with the resources available.
The view from the road was breathtaking. We use the term "road" liberally. This was one of the better roads we traveled.
We found a great little place to eat our lunch.
Our next port of call was Mayaguana. It would take us south east again and require an overnight passage. Overnight passages can mean brilliant stars, bright moon and all the romance of a Daniel Steele novel. It can also be a Stephen King novel with a wicked twist. Such was our trip to Mayaguana and it took us a few days to recover. Once we got our stomachs back, we visited the locals. This out-island has very little tourism. The local hang out was a bar...surprise.
The local grocery store had a few staples and friendly staff.
The locals fish and hunt conch. They do not hunt lobster. That means there is alot of lobster here. Good News! Steve has a new pole spear and we decided to go out on the shallow reef to try our luck. 
Steve turned out to have a deadly aim and once we figured out where the lobsters liked to hang out we were in business. We presented our first catch, 5.5 lbs of lobster, to Jim on Dawn Dancer. Jim and Roxanne would transform out catch into a fine evening meal for 10.
It was quite a feast.
Our next stop was Turks and Caicos Islands. These islands are not part of the Bahamas. They are a territory belonging to England. It is also considered the beginning of the Caribbean. More to come.Until we meet again,
Captain and Crew
Steve and Anne
S/V Fine Line
2 comments:
I wanted to update you on the information regarding Rum Cay. Rum Cay was originally named Mamana by the Lucayan Indians. Christopher Columbus renamed the island Santa Maria de la Concepcion after discovering it on his maiden voyage to the new world. It is believed that Rum Cay adopted its more modern name when a cargo ship carrying rum crashed upon the coral reefs ringing the island.
Rum Cay was never a tourist destination but has been considered the "sleeping beauty of The Bahamas". The main industries of the past have been pineapple, sisal and salt. The Rum Cay Resort Marina began its project in 2006 and has thus far completed 60% of the dredging for the marina. It may also be noted that the same company heading up the project for the RCRM is also operating Sumner Point Marina, which was depicted in your photo collection. The people of Rum Cay are absolutely wonderful and would like to share the history and the future of the island. We hope that you make your way back again in the very near future.
Thank You for the invitation. We enjoyed the island and its wonderful people. I hope you are right about the marina being completed in the future. The people we spoke with on the island were under the impression the project had folded.
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