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| ABANDONED TUG WASHED UP DURING SOME STORM |
Cat Island,
almost directly east of Staniel Cay, is about 43 miles in length. We are docked on the southwestern point at
the lovely Hawk’s Nest Marina and Resort (
www.Hawks-Nest.com),
home of the annual Wahoo Championship and Billfish Blast. It is commonly believed that the island was
named after the infamous pirate, Arthur Cat, that made frequents stops on the
island. The actor Sidney Portiere was
born and raised on this little paradise.
Cat Island is a
fisherman’s dream. The marina houses
several beautiful fishing boats and is overfilled during the annual
tournaments. Not only is the island situated
perfectly for Wahoo, Dorado and Bill Fish in the nearby deep waters but the
mangroves and shallows offer an ideal setting the popular Bone fishing. The marina is within walking distance to the
resort or you can grab one of their numerous bikes to make the short trek,
however be sure to heed the “AIRPLANE CROSSING” signs when the private runway
intersects the roadway. Even though this
small Island has two public airports (ATC=Arthurs Town and TBI=New Bight) there
are frequent takeoffs and landings right here by the boats.
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| HAWK'S NEST MARINA AND RESORT |
While meandering through
the mangrove of Hawk’s Nest Creek we spied more than a half dozen sea turtles
lazing about. That is until they spied
us, then they zipped off at an amazing speed.
We have also seen Rays and a Shark in the marina along with Osprey and
Herons. During some of our beach strolls
we have found numerous sea-beans, a beautiful King Helmet, a delicate Scotch
Bonnet, small Sea Biscuits, a delicate Pearl Oyster, Zebra Ark and my first
Flamingo Tongue.
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| WILD LIFE ON AND AROUND CAT ISLAND |
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| SEA-BEANS |
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| SEA SHELLS FROM CAT ISLAND |
One of the most
spectacular sights on Cat Island is The Hermitage. Father Jerome Hawes sought out this secluded
spot to build his diminutive stone monastery when he was 62 and lived there
until his death at 80. The stone structure is perched atop 206 foot
Mount Alverno, the highest spot in the Bahamas, affording a spectacular 360
degree view.
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| THE HERMITAGE |
The Deveaux
Plantation and Mansion in Port Howe, once a thriving and luxurious, now lies in
ruins with sheep grazing at the doorway.
This land was awarded to Colonel Deveaux in 1783 to reward his
protecting Nassau from Spanish invasion and occupation.
During our drive
around the island we made a stop at the charming 16 room Greenwood Beach Resort
(
www.greenwoodbeachresort.com)
for lunch and a walk on their lovely beach.
It is the perfect minimalist hideaway owned and operated by a German
family. It certainly was not fancy but
perfectly situated on the ocean side and secluded from the outside world.
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| CHARMING GREENWOOD BEACH RESORT |
We have dined at
the resort a couple of night but have been really enjoying the Grouper that Dan
caught as well as Dorado and Wahoo that a neighboring boat shared with us. One night Mr. Johnson showed up with his
pickup loaded with recently delivered produce for sale. Nice touch!
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| CAT ISLAND SUNSET |
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| Astronaut photograph of Cat Island. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
CAT ISLAND
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