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I had long dreamed of a tour of all lighthouses in the Bahamas, something that took a beginning hold in 2011 when a cruise ship we were on stopped in Freeport, Bahamas. It was there that we met , Valon “Nessie” Nesbitt, who told us that she had a small tour company that could put together such a trip. We told her our goal for such a trip was to see all the lighthouses, plus climb the three kerosene lights.
According to the Encyclopedia of the Nations, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas is “a chain of 700 islands and about 2,000 cays (low islands or reefs of sand or coral). … only 29 of the islands are inhabited.” The islands have “a land area of 5,382 square miles spread out over approximately 90,000 square miles of water in the southeastern portion of the North Atlantic Ocean.”
My husband Tom and I were eventually able to convince three other couples, Patricia and Ron Bandock, Mary and Phil Borkowski, and Diane Taeckens and Ken Mulder, into joining us. But, it took us over a year in planning with Trans Island Adventurers to finally arrive in Nassau in the Bahamas on April 25, 2013 to begin our 10-day adventure to tour of all the lighthouses of the Bahamas. The exception would be the Cay Sal ruins near Key West, Florida and Cay Lobos near Cuba. They were just too far away to do in the time allowed. However, for those who might be interested, there is a story and photos of the Cay Sal Lighthouse that appeared in the April, 2004 edition of Lighthouse Digest and can be found in its on-line archives at www.LighthouseDigest.com.
The trip proved to be a logistical nightmare and far more challenging than any of us had anticipated. Our first big challenge was accommodations. They had planned on four couples sharing two rooms. The private condo we stayed in the first night had three bedrooms. My husband Tom and I slept on the couches in the living room. After that night and making it clear that we expected four rooms for four couples, we all had our own rooms; but some were not as nice as we had expected. We had not realized that some of the islands lack tourist facilities. Nessie and her partner, Nelson Mitchell, did their best to accommodate us, including bringing food with us as they didn’t know what would be available on some of the smaller islands The people we met were welcoming. Another big challenge was the rougher than usual waters around the islands; they were too rough for the boats we had planned to use. Therefore, we ended up flying back and forth to Nassau since the domestic and charter flights all originated from there. In the end, we saw all but one of the lights, a pole light. Unfortunately we saw some lights by air rather than by boat.
We were surprised to discover a U.S. Coast Guard presence in the Bahamas, and from time to time we saw U.S. Coast Guard helicopters. From the internet I discovered that the United States has a partnership with the Bahamas to combat smuggling to and from the Bahamas to the U.S. In fact, on March 21, 2013 there was a special ceremony for the new hanger in Great Inagua which we passed by. The original hanger was destroyed in Hurricane Ike in 2008.
The Lights of Nassau
Solomons Light is a faux light located at the northeastern point of New Providence Island. The light was privately built and had recently been sold. We took photos from the gate.
East End Point Lighthouse is located on Yamacraw Hill Road at the eastern end of New Providence Island. The current light is on a post on top of a 2-story concrete pink building. This light fascinates me as I can’t quite figure how it originally worked. There are two dormer-type structures across from each other. Did the light shine from both dormers at the same time, or were there two lights, or are they from two different eras?
Fort Fincastle Light, built in 1928, is located on top of a water tower. At one time there was an elevator that took people to the top, but that is no longer true. For the life of me I could not see the light on this tower. According to the website www.nassaubeach.com, the fort itself was used as a lighthouse and signal station until the lighthouse on Paradise Island (formerly Hog Island) was completed in 1817. The Fort has a great view of the harbor!
The beacon atop Government House is a light displayed from the top of the cupola on Government House in downtown Nassau. But, most don’t even know that it is an aid to navigation.
Paradise Island (Hog Island, Nassau Harbour) light is the oldest lighthouse in the Bahamas and is easily seen from any place where the harbor is visible. It is a popular photography subject for the many people on the cruise ships that go right past it.
The futuristic Crystal Cay Lighthouse is a faux light that is located off Long Cay near the entrance to Nassau. It was built as an underwater observatory, which is no longer open. The ferry boats pass close by it and the many people who snap photos of it probably have no idea what it is.
Flying Bahamas Air from Nassau to Rock Sound, Eleuthera.
Lighthouse Point Lighthouse (Eleuthera) is situated on a high bluff overlooking the Atlantic and near an empty beach that is viewed off to the left on the southernmost point of Eleuthera. Getting there was a bit exciting. When the road ran out, we followed a very rough dirt trail to the end. There were a couple of times that we thought we were going to get stuck in the sand. Parking at the end of the road, we walked along the beach and then up a narrow steep path to the lighthouse - not an easy walk, but round trip was only three tenths of a mile. The light is on a rusty post next to a white concrete building that has been partially restored. The roof is new. Next to the concrete building are the remains of an older smaller structure that might have been the remains of a kitchen. It was definitely a lonely looking beacon.
Next on our visit was the North Palmetto Point Lighthouse on the easternmost point of Eleuthera. It was privately built in 1992 by David Steigelman and is reportedly available as a vacation rental. However, no one was around when we showed up. The well-maintained structure is a one-story white house with a small square tower rising up from its center. It would have been nice if someone had been around to invite us in.
We took a boat ride out to Egg Island and Man Island to see if the aids to navigation were still there. Egg Island has an old skeletal tower on a high point in the middle of the island. I questioned if there is still a light on this tower. If so, it’s a small LED. There are a couple of buildings near the shore that may have belonged to the lighthouse, but with no one around and no signage, we could only guess. We assumed that the Man Island Light must be visible from the ocean side. We thought we saw the very top of the light but not clearly enough to make a positive identification. There was no way we were going around to the ocean side of the island, especially since the trip was as incredibly rough as it was. In fact it was so rough that the boat captain from Abaco, who was supposed to pick us up and take us to view Hole in the Wall Lighthouse, refused to come, and we ended up spending an extra night on Eleuthera Island.
The next morning we flew with Abaco Air on a small nine- passenger airplane to Sandy Point, Abaco which was nothing more than a landing strip with a wind sock and a park bench. We flew over Hole-in-the-Wall Lighthouse, an Imperial tower built by the British in 1836 to mark the entrance to the Northeast Providence Channel. The rough seas around this light station made this a very difficult location for supplies to be landed, and a very lonely place for its full-time keepers. This was one of the nine original hand-operated lighthouses that were fueled by kerosene. In 1995 it was automated. At that time its 1st order lens was removed and replaced by a plastic lens. Today the light station is licensed by the Marine Mammal Research Organization as a marine research facility. The lighthouse was named after The Hole-in-the-Wall, which was a natural arch that collapsed in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy. There is a very rough four-wheel drive road that leads to the lighthouse, but we decided that our photographs from the air were satisfactory and that it was best to move on.
Fortunately, Nessie, our tour guide, had made arrangements for us to be picked up at Sandy Point, because there was absolutely nothing but vacant land and sea around us. Our drivers knew the way to Little Harbour and the “old lighthouse.” A short, overgrown path led to the ruins of the “old lighthouse” as well as to the new light, which was a beacon atop an erector set style pole that had been toppled by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It had not been repaired or fixed at the time of our visit. Apparently there is no hurry to fix it, or it is simply going to be discontinued.
At Marsh Harbour we took the ferry to Hope Town to see Elbow Reef Lighthouse (also known as Hope Town Lighthouse). As the ferry comes into Hope Town, the views of the lighthouse get better and better. We were elated to see the door open and be able to climb the 101 steps to the top. The revolving 1st order lens, moved here in 1936 from Gun Cay, is awesome! To see the kerosene tanks and clockworks, to view the world from the gallery and to know that you have finally made it to one of the last hand-wound, kerosene lighthouses in the world is truly incredible!!! Constructed by the British Imperial Lighthouse Service in 1864, Elbow Reef Lighthouse is well maintained by the Bahamian government and the Bahamas Lighthouse Preservation Society.
After our visit to Elbow of Reef Lighthouse it was time to travel again by boat. With all our luggage, we took a Boston Whaler from Crown Haven on Little Abaco Island to Freeport, a trip of 25 miles in the open sea in incredibly rough waters. The small boat did not have any life jackets. Safety does not seem to be a big concern there. Frankly, it was a very stupid thing to do. It was a long 25 miles!
The first light we saw in Freeport was the Pinder’s Point Lighthouse, which is the official Freeport Harbour Light. It was built sometime in the mid-1900s and although well maintained, it looks pretty sad without a lantern at the top. We were bewildered about why the entryway door was ten feet off the ground, and wondered if there had been some type of exterior stairway there at one time. Then we saw a sign near the lighthouse that indicated that the lighthouse has been restored, including the stairs. What stairs? In fact, from our various vantage points we couldn’t even see any stairs inside the lighthouse. Just recently the lighthouse was declared a Grand Bahama Heritage Site.
While in Freeport, we also visited and photographed the two lighthouse facsimiles: Port Lucaya Lighthouse, a decorative lighthouse which is part of a hotel complex and the High Rock Lighthouse that was built in 1998 by Rev. Cecil Kemp of the nearby Lighthouse Chapel. There is a light in the lantern, but its view to the sea is blocked. A sign nearby, probably as a result of past problems, read, “No Alcoholic Beverages, No Smoking, No Stripping.”
We flew Bahamas Air back to Nassau and the next morning flew Pineapple Air to Andros Island, stopping at Bimini for a photo. Along the way we took aerial photographs of Great Isaac, Gun Cay, North Cat Cay Breakwater, Great Stirrup Cay, and Whale Cay (Whale Point) lighthouses.
Great Isaac Lighthouse (see centerfold) was engineered by Chance Brothers of Smethwick, England and was originally displayed as part of the 1851 Great London Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. The cast iron panels were disassembled and shipped to the Bahamas where they were reassembled in 1859 on Great Isaac Cay. Known as the Victoria Lighthouse in honor of Queen Victoria, the lighthouse had a 1st-order rotating Fresnel lens. Many photographs show the tower as a red and white striped lighthouse. We wondered, when did it become all white? In 1969, the keepers mysteriously disappeared. The lighthouse was automated in the early 1970s and it appears that not much has been done to maintain the light since then. The buildings are in ruins and the lighthouse is rusting away.
Gun Cay Lighthouse was established by the British in 1836 and rebuilt in 1929 when a 1st order Fresnel was installed. The lighthouse was extinguished in 1936, and the 1st order lens and the lantern room were removed. Sometime later, the small modern lens was added on a triangle-based steel tower that was placed on top of the tower and is still active today. Although the lighthouse was repainted in 2003, it has since faded quite considerably. There appears to be some work taking place in the area – exactly what I do not know.
Built in 1933, North Cat Cay Breakwater is owned by the Cat Cay Club. Although the island is privately owned, the marina is open to all boaters, but non members are limited to 24 hours. Interestingly, to get to the marina on the Eastern (Bahamas Bank) side of the island, one goes through the Gun Cay cut and hugs the shore of Gun Cay closely until past the sand bar extending north from Cat Cay. Not visible in the photo with this story is the image of a cat that has been painted on the lighthouse.
Great Stirrup Cay Lighthouse was established by the British in 1863, rebuilt in 1923 and 1956, and was automated in 1965. Today the Cay is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. Due to its private ownership, our pilot was only willing to do one quick pass, which wasn’t enough for me to get any clear photos. Our four-day NCL cruise in 2011 had stopped at Great Stirrup Cay. Unfortunately we were unable to land at that time because the Captain decided that it was not safe to do so. I was told that they were in the process of building a road to the lighthouse, and the only way to get there at that time was to follow the beach, which I most certainly would have done if we had been able to land.
Built in 1920 by eccentric Mation Barbara “Joe” Carstairs, (1900-1993), the Whale Cay Lighthouse, now inactive, is located on a private nine mile by four mile island. Carstairs, an heir to the Standard Oil fortune, was one of the most notorious women of her time; she abandoned the life of civilization to become the self-appointed ruler of her island where she built a mansion, lighthouse, church, and museum dedicated to herself. The lighthouse tower no longer has its cupola. She sold the island in 1975 and died in Florida in 1993. Reportedly, the island is for sale for $120 million.
We landed at Andros Town International Airport and drove to Coakley Town. The Coakley Town (Andros) Lighthouse, built in 1892, is the logo for the island and is located in Lighthouse Park, which includes the lighthouse as well as three cannons from the “Cottsac” which sank nearby in the 1800s. The square tower has a short tower at the top; I couldn’t see where the light was. Since the lighthouse was open, I decided to climb it and see where the light actually was - not an easy climb as the ladders went straight up a total of 28 steps. Interestingly, at the highest level of the square tower are two windows in a corner. Originally there must have been a light which could have been seen from two directions, but there is none there today. I climbed to the roof and photographed the windows in the short tower which was supposedly added in 1952, but I did not climb onto the roof as there was nothing to hold onto to get back onto the ladder. There are a number of aids to navigation in the waters off from the lighthouse, plus there is a post light in Fresh Creek. Andros is home to Androsia, hand-batik Bahamian Fabrics and apparel. We visited their small factory.
The next morning we took the Bahamas Ferry from Fresh Creek, Andros to Nassau. A lot of interesting activities occurred around us as we watched the local people arriving to collect items that came on the ferry or bringing items that were to be transported on the ferry. Leaving Andros, we passed the Croakley Town Lighthouse as the ferry made the turn from Fresh Creek into the ocean. We passed several unusual aids to navigation near Andros Town. As we neared Nassau, we passed Goulding Cay, a skeletal tower with a modern light at the top and the Crystal Cay (faux) Light. We got very close to Paradise Island Lighthouse, also known as Hog Island Light, and Nassau Harbour Light as well as a number of cruise ships on our way to the ferry dock. Paradise Island, built in 1817, is the oldest lighthouse in the Bahamas. The Junkanoo Range lights were visible as we neared the dock area.
As plans for the big flight the next day were unfolding, we walked to Ardastra Gardens and Zoo - a beautiful setting and home to macaws, peacocks (even an albino peacock), hornbills, lemurs, iguana, ocelot, and many other animals. Their big draw is the marching flamingos—what a show! I also had fun feeding the lory parrots. In the evening we visited Atlantis and walked through the casino and aquarium, which is very impressive with its huge tanks of all kinds of marine life from clown fish, lionfish, and grouper to seahorses and sharks. We had dinner at Johnny Rocketts.
Friday, May 3rd
was a totally awesome day!
Nessie and Nelson had arranged a charter flight with Fergi’s Air that would take us all the way to Inagua on a nine passenger plane. I explained to our pilot, Rufus Ferguson, that we wanted to circle each lighthouse twice, once clockwise and once counter-clockwise so everyone got a good view of the lights. He did a wonderful job! Ken was our co-pilot with his marine GPS, finding the lights for us.
Our first lighthouse on that day was Little Pipe Cay Lighthouse which is on a small, low-lying island with lots of stones from which the tower might have been built. It appears that the framework of the original lantern is still in place. We don’t know much about the history of this lighthouse, but there appears to be a plaque of some type attached to the tower.
We landed at San Salvador International Airport where we were met by Clifford Fernander who drove us to the Dixon Hill Lighthouse, also known as San Salvador Lighthouse and Watling Island Lighthouse. First lit in 1887, Dixon Hill Lighthouse is still manned and one of the last hand-operated lighthouses. We climbed the 81 steps to the top and met the keeper, Isaiah Lightfoot, who showed us how he turned the crank that caused the lens to rotate, the kerosene tanks, the lens, and how the curtains are removed each night. Unfortunately, while we were there an electric bulb was being used due to the fact that they were having trouble getting the mantles needed to use the kerosene light. At the lighthouse we met a couple who had biked out to the lighthouses from the nearby Club Med.
We then photographed the magnificent Bird Rock Lighthouse from the air. I was especially looking forward to Bird Rock because a number of years ago, I had been in contact with the person restoring the lighthouse who had four vacation suites available. The lighthouse has since been sold and the project was abandoned. Located off the southwest tip of Crooked Island, it is sometimes called Crooked Island Lighthouse. Built in 1876 the lighthouse sits 112-feet above sea level.
We landed on Acklins Island in order to meet Mrs. Francita Neely, the Deputy Administrator, whose husband was once the keeper of Cay Lobos Lighthouse. We had an interesting visit with her.
From the air we then photographed Castle Island Lighthouse. Until recent years, the 1868 lighthouse had been painted with red and white horizontal bands and had a 1st order Fresnel lens. Today a solar-powered modern lens is in the lantern.
A thunderstorm appeared on the horizon as we neared Hogsty Reef where a modern pole light stands next to the remains of an old tower. We didn’t stick around to get good photos, but quickly flew on to the Great Inagua Lighthouse. As the storm had not reached Great Inagua yet, from the air we photographed the Great Inagua Lighthouse and piles of salt. Morton Salt, the leading local industry, harvests over a million tons of salt from here each year.
By the time we landed and made the three mile trip to the Great Inagua Lighthouse, it was raining. Built in 1870, the Great Inagua Lighthouse is thought to be the finest of the Imperial Lighthouses. We climbed the 135 steps to the top. All our information said that the Great Inagua Lighthouse was a hand-wound kerosene light, but unfortunately this no longer true. Great was my disappointment as I discovered a big modern lens in the lantern! I was told that the change had been made two years earlier. The kerosene tanks are still there. Due to the weather and the long flight back to Nassau, we didn’t spend much time there and we decided to skip Mayaguana Northwest, which is listed as a pole light and would not have been worth our time. All in all, we had a 955 mile awesome flight that day - one that we will not soon forget!
We ended up flying home two days early for we had done what we had set out to do. The trip proved to be far more challenging than any of us imagined, but we did it!
This story appeared in the
Mar/Apr 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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