Rum Island, Bahamas Port Nelson (23 39.0N 74 41.2W) May 18-19, 2006

Sailboat | Voyages | Log

A lot of funk and too much beer It all starts here at Kaye's The funkiest of Caribbean Bars A cross between Foxy's and Cheers Note the sand floor No need to sweep, just rake a bit Gentle on bar feet The evening begins with several Kaliks The only beer to drink in the Bahamas As the evening progressed We eventually moved on to the marina bar For dirty rice and more Kaliks Marina office by day light - cloudy day light A testosterone fishing village In the outposts of the Bahamas They mean it! Only 70 people live on Rum Most visitors are Florida based fishing GUYS In big power boats looking for big fish At the helm in the rain Stocking hat protects my hearing aids Besides giving me that sea dog look The name Port Nelson portends a sea port of some substance. Not so. This Port Nelson consists of a government dock, Kaye's funky restaurant and bar, the Last Chance grocery store, and the Anglican Church, but that's pretty much it. After all, there are only 70 permanent residents on Rum Island. All of the inhabited islands have a government dock, and this one like nearly all of them is too high to tie up to. Actually, we could tie up; we just couldn't get from the dinghy onto the dock; it was two feet above our head. We gave up and headed for Sumner Point Marina about a mile away. There are no sail boats in the marina; it is for power boats, big fishing boats. The water is too shallow (skinny as the seasoned folks say) for sail boats to get in. This is a guy's place, with men full of testosterone in search of big fish or at least a big fish story. They want bragging rights when they get home. After tying up 2Pi at the marina, we begin walking back to Kaye's Bar across from the government dock. A Rasta Mon gave us a ride in the back of his flat bed truck. The road was full of pot holes, but Mike knew not to sit, but to crouch. I sat and my butt felt each and every pot hole. They call it Rum island, but for us it was beer, beer, and more beer, not just any beer, but Bahamian beer - Kalik beer. It was time to unwind a bit. This was the first place that had that dropout, hangout, vegout Caribbean flavor. Kaye's Bar is a cross between Foxy's in the BVI and Cheers, a must see. After Kaye's we headed for testosterone village, Sumner Point Marina, where 2Pi was tied up, along with the GUY boats. The marina bar was awash in big fish stories and serious beer drinking. Boat boys took on the persona of their bosses. It was a guy's place through and through. Mike and I try to blend in, but sailors and power boats mix like 30 weight engine oil and destilled water. Without fish stories, we had little to add to the conversation. We search for fish we can watch; they search for fish they can eat. Long live Rum Island; long live Kalik beer. Tomorrow Conception Island. Previous | Next