Harbor Island

April 6, 2001

Painted to look like a tropical fish on the reef, the fast ferry is fast indeed.  Everyday of the week it travels from Nassau to Spanish Wells to Harbor Island.  One day of the week it makes a stop at Governor's Harbor.  On the weekend it makes two round trips per day between Nassau and Harbor Island.  Although it only draws three feet of water, it is big enough to carry more than 100 passengers. Taking this fast boat from Spanish Wells through the Devil's Backbone to Harbor Island was an experience.  The passage through the Devil's Backbone convinced us of the wisdom in leaving ADAGIO in Spanish Wells and using the ferry.

After disembarking on the government dock one faces the stylish sprawl of Dunmore Town.  On the waterfront is this fruit and vegetable stand as well as other shops.  Our first stop was the tourism office.  When I asked for a map and walking tour guide for the historic sites of the town the person at the desk just sort of shrugged.  After some discussion I was given a map and an advertising pamphlet that listed the sites; unfortunately there was no key to link the two.  Pest that I am, I asked her to show me the locations on the map.  Bahamian that she was, she just waved her arm and told me that all of the sites of interest were 'that way'.    

To make a long story short, we did eventually find someone to mark all of the historical sites on our map. This particular corner is where residents and visitors alike can leave there personal statement or gripe nailed to a post or tree.   Some of the signs are homespun aphorisms, others are quotes from the bible, still others are off-color observations about human relations.

These steps were built by a convict as part of the terms of his sentence.  The other sites that we visited were quite unremarkable.  The Baptist Church is made unphotogenic by telephone and power lines strung every which way.  The memorial stones were so unprepossessing that we tended to walk right by them before doubling back to look for them again.  The site of the cannonade overlooking the harbor is now obscured by trees, and part is blocked by barb wire to keep the curious off private property.

In short, Harbor Island caters to tourists coming for the ocean beaches or the boutique shopping, not to those seeking a glimpse into the history of one of the original settlements in Eleuthera.