Long Island, Bahamas

Long Island is indeed long by Bahamian standards. Roughly fifty miles long but only a couple of miles wide at its widest point, this Southern Bahamian island runs north to south, it’s eastern side dominated by rocky bluffs and its western side a sloping and shallow bank. Silverheels II was weathered in here for 6 days while twenty-five knot winds kicked up ten-foot seas and sent spray crashing over the barrier reef. Like most islands in the Southern Bahamas, Long Island is lightly populated and not easy to reach except by small plane or mailboat

Clarence Town is the home of Flying Fish Marina, where Silverheels II waited out the blow. The small grocery in Clarence Town has gone out of business, so the nearest provisions are available in Deadman’s Cay, located fifteen miles to the north. During this drive, one will pass about a dozen cars, a dozen churches and a dozen bars. Not being much of a churchgoer myself, this left me with few options.

The pace of life is slow and the population thin on Long Island, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely unexciting. During our stay, a Canadian film crew was on the island filming a movie called “Skinny-dip.” Every so often, cameramen, directors and actresses would show up on the docks to shoot a scene. They didn’t have much of a budget. In fact, they must have blown what they had in their coffers on airfare and models, because they had to recruit Captain Brad, our new buddy and an ex-pat from Oregon, as their leading man.

Maybe they couldn’t find anyone salty-looking enough in Toronto or maybe they figured the Bahamas has no shortage of salty ex-pats, but they completed that portion of their casting on-site and Brad looked the part of a crusty sailor and was quickly picked up. I can say that he definitely enjoyed his newfound celebrity, not to mention the skinny dipping scenes with the models (his wife was an extremely good sport). I’m not betting on this flick for an Oscar, a Palm D’Or or even a spot on a video store shelf anywhere, but it’s somebody’s baby and watching the process was pretty interesting.

One can only spend so much time at the Outer Edge Grill, Skeeter’s, A-OK Bar, Co-Co’s, Max’s Conch Bar, The Swamp Thing, Cartwright’s Bar (there’s also a Cartwright’s Church), or the Airstrip Bar (there are two of those) before the sanity starts to slip. Even the prospect of a low-budget Canadian location wrap party at Rowdy Boy’s Bar and Grill is small consolation while waiting for howling winds and punishing seas to abate. But, eventually they do and then it’s on to the next port of call.

Mar 26, 2009

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