Black Point Settlement, Exumas, Bahamas

If we ever decide to move to the Bahamas, we’ve found our next home – Black Point Settlement in the Exuma Islands.

Black Point is a very small town, located on Great Guana Cay in the Exuma Island chain of the Bahamas. The settlement is a pure example of a real Bahamian small town community, untouched by development and big business. Tourism is an important part of this community’s economy, focused on sailors and cruisers rather than vacationers, while I’m sure they welcome all visitors. The small neighborhood has a couple of lovely restaurants, a post office, police station, a few bars, some small grocery stores attached to the proprietors’ homes, and charming island houses lining the streets.

Black Point holds a special place in my heart because it reminded me of my small mid-western hometown, back in the Ozarks of Missouri. No stoplights, dusty roads with grass poking through the pavement, rowdy kids swimming and laughing at the community boat ramp, spray-painted signs marking a small family business, and friendly smiling faces who wave and nod their heads when you pass. The biggest difference of course was the turquoise blue sea and the coconut palms, versus the maples and green lake water of the Missouri Ozarks. We felt right at home moseying through the streets, chatting with folks as we explored and did our normal errands.

First things first in Black Point, we had to take care of some business. We needed to restock our fresh water, and to dispose of our trash. We were delighted to find both of these amenities right off of the government dinghy dock in the middle of town, for free. Free services are rare while sailing, as most places charge $3-5 per bag of trash, and up to 40 cents per gallon for fresh water. A box next to the government dock displayed a sign explaining that a small donation would be appreciated, and would go towards the local school and community services. We were happy to put some money in the box in return for the hospitality and support the lovely community.

Next on the to-do list was to wash our clothes at the “Best Laundromat in all of the Caribbean,” according to our guide book, the Explorer Charts, Active Captain, and all the other cruisers we had ever met! We hit up Rockside Laundry to see what the fuss was all about.

We arrived to Rockside Laundry via their very own dinghy dock, where we climbed up the stairs on the cliff face to a picturesque white and blue building, with a grass lawn and a white gazebo facing the sea. Little kids played in the yard, and gave us big shy smiles when we arrived, while their moms folded laundry inside. The view was killer and we couldn’t believe this wonderful place was just for washing clothes.

Even doing laundry in the Exumas is a breathtaking experience!

Inside, we found the laundromat clean, tidy, with new machines that were reasonably priced, with awesome wi-fi, and fresh baked Bahama coconut bread and rum cake for sale. They obviously know the way to my heart, free wi-fi and coconut bread. NomNomNomNom!

We met the owner of the laundromat, Ida, a wonderful lady who sang while she worked. Ida told us she was also a beautician who could offer haircuts. Ben hadn’t had a haircut since we were Key West, almost 5 months ago, and was starting to look like a mop. So, we asked Ida to clean him up, and she did for just 15 bucks.

Before:

After, But, alas, he wouldn't let her trim the beard...

Finally, after all our important errands, it was time to reward ourselves with a drink. We made our way to Scorpio’s bar, where they had advertised a happy hour for cruisers. However recently the temperature had dropped down to the high sixties, which is the equivalent of a Missouri snowstorm. We found nobody at the bar, except one local watching “Lethal Weapon” on the TV in his fur hat and coat, the bartender named DJ, and the security guard who was also the cook. We had a couple beers, and chatted with DJ and our local friend about fishing, traveling, and sports. We ordered some cracked conch, and were thrilled when the cook/security guard offered to show us how to make it the kitchen. We had tried this dish a time or two ourselves, and it usually tasted like a fried leather shoe when I made it. The cook/security guard brought us back into the kitchen to show us the real Bahamian technique.

The conch had already been beaten into a thin sheet on the table with a metal meat tenderizer, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. He made his batter with eggs and heavy cream, then rolled the conch in flour, salt, and allspice. Then, the conch bits were deep fried to perfection. He told us that the two big secrets to good cracked conch is to tenderize it well, and use heavy cream in the batter. Since then, I use this recipe and without fail, and it is delicious, every time! No more leather shoe conch! Thanks Scorpio’s!

Ben, Ruca and I also took some time to hike the island, looking for coconuts to eat after the locals told me how to find the best ones to eat versus the best ones for coconut milk to drink. We were also trying to find the "Blow Hole," where water shoots up out of the ground from underneath the oceanside rock structures. We found the Blow Hole, tucked serendipidously into a coconut tree grove on the windward side of the island.

Although we wanted to stay forever because Black Point had so much to offer, it sadly didn't have any protection from the west. We were about to get nailed by some westerlies with another cold front moving into the area, so we knew it was time to pack up and find another anchorage to hide in.

Ben, Ruca and I were off to Little Farmer’s Cay in the Central Exumas!

Thanks for Reading, Ben, Quinn and Ruca

#destinations #Bahamas