We moved from the “middle” of Long Island to the top, a couple of days ago, followed by our fishing debacle on the 44 nautical mile crossing to Cat Island. Now, why, Old Bight,? Why not? You might recall we spent a couple of weeks off New Bight in late February/early March, getting the replacement inverter at the airport, exploring the Hermitage atop Mt Alvernia, going fishing with Duke, etc.
We’d been told about a small, cruiser-friendly resort over in Old Bight, so we wanted to visit. And boy, they were right! What a charming place.
After anchoring in Old Bight, we called the resort to ensure they were serving dinner – Yes, indeed. Fish? Perfect. A quick dinghy ride to a beautiful beach entrance to, honestly, the nicest little restaurant we’ve enjoyed in the Bahamas, by far. The ambiance is soothing (Relax) and bright (Joyful) at the same time. The bougainvillea painted on the wall by Mr. Rolle’s nephew is just outstanding, and both Beverly and Mr. Rolle made us feel warmly welcome. The wonderful dinner was a “fixed” menu, starting with split pea soup, an amazing salad, and of course, as promised, fried grouper, mashed spuds, and fresh vegetables. All beautifully presented and sized appropriately. Topped off by freshly baked rum cake with homemade whipped topping! A truly scrumptious meal.
With satisfied tummies and souls, we returned to the boat quite happy we had stopped in Old Bight.
The next morning, we checked the map and saw that Alnor’s Bake Shop (run by Al & Eleanor – get it, “Alnor’s”) is only 1½ miles from the Rollezz Resort! We stopped at Alnor’s in February when we had the rental car, meeting Al, and his wonderful “flour cakes” (yum!). We thought, “If we are this close, let’s go!” As soon as we got to the beach, it started to drizle (great timing, once again, Olsens), so we spent a few minutes back inside the restaurant chatting with Beverly and waiting for the rain to pass.
The walk was a typical “off the beaten path” sort of thing. Down along the beach road and then shooting inland to the main road. You can see the roiled sky as the impending front makes its presence known.
Along the way, what do we find? A church, of course! A special one. We haven’t mentioned it, but the Bahamas (England at the time) emancipated its slaves in 1834 (about fifty years before the U.S. in 1863). The Governor of the Islands at the time was an Irishman named Blaney Balfour. His widow commissioned this church built in 1884! The government took notice in 2012 with a re-dedication and designation on the National Register. The interior is simple and warm.
Walking along past the local gasoline/service station, we found another church. A little research revealed what we suspected. The building to the left was built by “good ol” Father Jerome! That’s right, the same cool dude who built the Hermitage across the bay on top of Como Hill (Mt. Alvernia). This one has a unique (for the time -1945) crucifix, as Jesus is fairly dark-skinned (as are the Palestinians, Jews and Arabs). Here’s a link for those interested: St Francis of Assisi Church.
Due to the stern sign posted by the Catholic Church, and being more obedient than the area’s goats, we did not enter either building.
After exploring and getting still-warm bread and treats at Alnor’s (this time we met Eleanor), we hoofed it back to the boat. With the front coming, that means strong winds, so we moved 4 nautical miles over to New Bight for better protection. On the way, we saw this poor sight. Sorry, no words…
We settled into the anchorage in the late afternoon with just enough time to splash the dinghy, go say hello to Duke, and return to the boat to tuck in for a very pretty sunset.
Our Travels 