Great Sale Cay to Green Turtle Club, Green Turtle Cay

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Island Hopper's crew pulled up the anchor at 9:00 AM headed to Green Turtle Cay. The crew arrived at Green Turtle Cay Club 2:30 PM, traveling 69 miles.

Green Turtle Cay

Green Turtle Cay is a tiny 3-mile-by 1/2-mile island steeped in Loyalist history; some residents can trace their heritage back more than 200 years. Dotted with ancestral New England-style cottage homes, the cay is surrounded by several deep bays, sounds, bonefish flats, and irresistible beaches. New Plymouth, first settled in 1783, is Green Turtle's main community. Many of its approximately 550 residents earn a living by diving for conch or selling lobster and fish. There are a few grocery and hardware stores, several gift shops, a post office, a bank, a handful of restaurants, and several offices. The crew rented a golf cart and driven by Ian, headed out to explore the island. The first stop was the Albert Lowe Museum, the most frequently visited attraction is the Bahamas' oldest historical museum, dedicated to a model-ship builder and direct descendant of the island's original European-American settlers. Mrs. Ivy Roberts, the museum's director, enjoyed showing the crew around and sharing stories of life in the Out Islands before the days of high-speed Internet and daily airline flights. Next they did a quick walk through the Memorial Sculpture Garden. Immortalized in busts perched on pedestals are local residents who have made important contributions to the Bahamas. Plaques detail the accomplishments of British Loyalists, their descendants, and the descendants of those bright as slaves, such as Jeanne I. Thompson, a contemporary playwright and the country's second woman to practice law. The garden and open, free to the public.

Before leaving town and heading back to the marina, the crew stopped at Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar for a world famous Goombay Smash. They say Goombay novices undersetimate the drink's potency, and end up making it an early night. Miss Emily Cooper, creator of the Goombay Smash drink, passed away in 1997, but her daughter Violet continues to serve up the famous rum, pineapple juice, and apricot brandy concoction. Ian, Joan, Kevin and Debbie had one drink each, served by Violet. She was very friendly and quite personable.

After the Goombay Smash it was back to the Island Hopper on the golf cart. The crew had dinner at Green Turtle Club dining room harborside on a covered screen patio. After dinner there was coffee and chocolate chip cookies on the boat.