We’ve alluded to a “totally unexpected boat repair,” and we will get to that tale eventually. For now, the situation brought us to New Bight with time on our hands. No problem. We enjoy exploring! First day ashore, we asked at a gas station ($7.75/gal) about a possible rental car and lo and behold notice a neat “ruin” right next door – an old church that must have been beautiful in its day. Really cool. ’til the mosquitoes chased us away. Let’s keep exploring and see what else we can find!
And within just a day of exploring New Bight by shoe leather express……
(two out of three helpers aint bad…) 🙂
Then, while walking along the “beach road,” we met Duke. You can probably tell from our website that Todd is extremely fond of sunsets. Since Bahamian tradition is to blow the conch at day’s end, Todd’s been looking for just the right conch shell. (I could make a joke here about plenty of hot air and all that, but this search has been a somewhat serious affair.) Well, guess what Duke has at his Conch Stand? Right! Plenty of conch shells! And he’s made some into horns, which is a more labor-intensive process than simply harvesting the conch, which leaves a hole in the shell that would have to be “patched” to turn the empty shell back into a horn. Todd was beside himself to find just the right shell, without a patch, and with just the right heft and tone.
He’s been practicing for days, and sometimes we hear Duke playing a response from his shop on the beach road. At least, we think it’s Duke…
Todd isn’t the only one making noise, umm, I mean music. Cat Island has a signature sound known as “Rake & Scrape.” If you’re curious, here’s a link to a 2013 news article that provides some history on Rake & Scrape. The time-honored tradition is celebrated with an annual festival and contest held up north in Arthur’s Town the first weekend of June. (Wish we could be there for that!) One of the masters and teachers of this rhythmic island music is Pompey Johnson, right here in New Bight. Pompey, now almost 80, is a local gem with music in his heart and soul. We were fortunate enough to hear him and his small group play a few nights ago, and Susie was privileged to spend more than an hour just talking to Pompey about his life and experiences. It was a special moment in time with a warm and genuine gentleman. Hey, not to mention the great party at Cee Dee’s with good food, dancing, and even tumbling (the local children, not the cruisers…) Pompey, it has been a pleasure getting to know you!
Our Travels 