Our tour of Cat Island by car from Hawk’s Nest at the far southern tip was superb. Cat is typically a stepping stone on the eastern route to the Abacos and Eleuthera. This island has a character of its own. Based on our empirical data (we counted), the ruins and abandoned homes out number those that are inhabited. We drove the only two lane road from one end to the other, stopping for propane at Orange Creek at the far northern tip and to see settlements, churches and The Hermitage, the highest point in the Bahamas. Father Jerome (1876-1956) built this amazing retreat as his final resting place. His hurricane proof memorials include not only this stone and coral structure, but also four other churches on Cat and five churches on Long Island. We climbed up Comer Hill across steep rock and were struck by the simplicity of the Stations of the Cross carved into the trail and this man’s devotion to servant leadership. His vision was clear and he acted to fulfill that vision. We passed a Bat Cave, one of many caves on this island, explored the ruins of the Deveaux plantation house and slave quarters and visited two spectacular, yet very laid back beach resorts to exchange books and sample Bahamian rum (more empirical research). We returned to our Hawk’s Nest mooring and visited with the many fisherman as they cleaned their catch—40 pound dolphin, wahoo, tuna, barracuda, grouper and snapper. No billfish were caught today. Ten nurse sharks, three lemon and two white tips circled the docks devouring the remains. We decided to wait a while for a swim! Staying up way past our bed time, we cheered for Gary’s beloved Badgers as they lost in the Sweet Sixteen. We rode our bicycles by moon and star light back to our dock and our cozy berth aboard A Bientot.

Also, please note the Captain has a new entry for 3/13 for all of our Cigar Afficiandos.