Day 254, Monday March 3rd - A visit to Arthur Town
We awake to a very common day off of the settlement named Cove. We listen to the Chris Parker show and we
both agree that our plan of heading up to Arthur Town is a good one. The winds are predicted to switch to the South
East overnight so our stop at Arthur Town will only be a day stop. We will move further down the coast for the
night as it offers more protection from the south.
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| Panorama of downtown Arthurtown |
It is about a 16 mile run up the coast to Arthur Town all of
which was under power, there is very little wind. It is too bad that we could not have averaged
out the two days, oh well we have not had too many motoring days. We arrive at Arthur town around 11 and drop
the hook just off of the town. The shore
line is all iron shore (rock shore as opposed to beach) so we have to dinghy to
the southend where there is a small beach.
There is still a surge along the coast so we have a fair bit of action
landing. Julie tries to exit the dinghy
but makes the jump just as a wave is coming in.
She does not get her trailing leg free and oof she is down in the
surf. This is the first mishap with the
dinghy. (boy it was a dirty look Julie
gave Dawson as she thought he had pulled the boat up vs. the wave moving the
boat). Back out to the boat we go for a
change of clothes.
Julie is changed and ready to try landing again so we head back
in, this time we check up to the north end of town but although there is a
small beach it is too small to allow us to get the dinghy out of the surf. So we are back to the place of the great
dunking. This time we both make it to shore
relatively dry and we set to explore Arthur Town and to photograph our friend
Caroline’s childhood home. Our 1st
stop is a small bar and grill called the “Da Smoked Pot”. We thought we would check it out as a
potential lunch spot on the way back.
Doors are open but the bar is not.
Monday is a down day for Da Smoked Pot, although the worker does offer
to open up and make us something. We say
no and then ask her where the school is and tell her why we are looking. She does not remember Caroline’s parents, she
is a little young (we guess mid 30’s), but she does go and call the neighbour
to come over. She explains that James
Webb, the neighbour is a retired teacher so should be able to help us out.
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| James Webb and Julie |
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| Julie on Bay front walkway |
James comes over and we introduce ourselves, and then
proceed to tell him that our friend was born here when her parents were
teachers at the local school in the 60’s.
He certainly remembers the Payne’s and it turns out that his sister Sheva
was Caroline’s nanny. He points out Sheva’s
house to us. We ask where the teacher’s
cottage was and he explains where it is and that it is now the Wood Shop. We thanks James for the information and make
our way along Bay Front Road toward the school.
Arthur Town is quite large for Cat Island with a number of homes and
businesses. One of the 1st
businesses we come to, after the Da Smoked Pot is Cocktails by the Sea. It is now after 12 and we are both quite hot
walking in the sun so we ask the old woman sitting at the bar if it is
open. Her answer is of coarse and help
yourself. Dawson walks around the bar
and pulls two nicely chilled Kalicks out of the cooler. We then spend 30 mins chatting to Etta who
owns the bar (she has 4 kids, 15 grandkids and 9 great grandchildren). It is quite a well built establishment, built
right on the water front and featuring a 2nd story lookout. Etta tells of her children and the story of
the bar. We enjoy the cool beer and
stories.
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| Arthur town from the water |
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| Cocktails by the sea business with Etta |
From Etta it is a short walk to the school, it is lunch time
and all the students are out milling around the grounds. Right in the middle of the school buildings
is the wood shop the one that James said was the old teacher’s cottage. We take some photos and try to spark up a
conversation with the kids. It is now
time to start looking for lunch, we try the Cookie House next door but although
the door is open they are not open. The
owner tells us he is trying to get some work done so recommends that we head
over to Boggy Pond for lunch. He ensures
us that it is not to far of a walk. We
bumble our way over, only making one wrong turn and end up at Boggy’s. It is similar to a number of bars we have
been into during our lives, Dawson comments that except for the reflection of a
palm tree in the bar mirror we could be in River Valley Ontario. We both order a burger and a beer. While we wait we are visited by Isaac Dean
who is a maintenance man at Boggy’s.
Julie tells him our story and he remembers the Payne’s well he says
although we kind of feel we were leading the witness. The bar owner comes over and gets Isaac back
to work and then talks to us while we wait.
Her story is that her father was from Cat Island and she was raised in
Nassau. When her grandmother needed help
running the hotel, bar and restaurant she thought it was time to bring her kids
back to Cat Island. Our burgers arrive
and we enjoy them. We say our goodbyes
and start our trek back to the boat.
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| Sunset at Bennett Harbour |
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| Downtown Bennett Harbour |
Once back onboard we up anchor and head the 3 miles south to
Bennett’s Harbour. We drop the hook just
off from the government dock. Once we
are sure we set we take the dinghy over to the dock and go for a walk into
town. There is not much in Bennett’s
Harbour, we do find a small convenience store where we buy a bag of peanuts and
2 club sodas. For every occupied house
in Bennett’s Harbour there is a house in ruin.
The guide book states that a number of these ruins are from early
settlement by the loyalists. Also due to
outmigration, everybody moves to Nassau, the population is in decline. Dawson does see a road that heads off to the
East that he plans to run in hopes of making it to the Atlantic side of the
island.
We are back on the boat around 5, enjoy a quite happy hour, dinner,
a game of Kings Cribbage, a cup of coffee and off to bed.
Cheers
Dawson and Julie
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