A favorite anchorage of ours, and squads of other boaters, is called Big Majors Spot. It is located next to busy Staniel Cay and is more than a 'spot', really; uninhabited except for its world famous drift of friendly pigs. In years past we have taken the Love Me Tender in close to the beach for photo ops and had the chubby little swimmers try to climb aboard! We are smarter this year. We drop anchor at the far end of the bay and watch others entertain the pigs. Then, one bright morning over coffee, a small float plane makes a splash-less landing on the open bay, motors over to the pig beach and idles. While the plane bobs lazily in the shallow surf, two people get out on the pontoons, offer light snacks to the pigs, and then re-board their aircraft. The tiny, silver plane then revs her single engine, glides into the open space between us and the neighboring cruiser, and takes off.....leaving the bewildered pigs on the beach. And I was this close to being able to say "when pigs fly!"
We spend several days after that in the Big Majors anchorage while a small front passes through, then venture into "town" for a look around. The yacht club has added a snazzy new dining room overlooking the dinghy beach, but everything else looks unchanged. We wander up the road to see what else is new and find that what's new is what's gone. The entire school building is missing. Poof! Gone! We must look into this.
The next stop south on the chain is Little Farmers Cay -- famous for its annual 4 F or "First Friday in February" Festival -- a wild-ride sailing regatta that courses through crowded anchorages and around exposed rocky points. Last winter, while I was toting in wood for the fireplace in frigid Charleston, Bill was anchored in the middle of the course and enjoyed the show!
Our plan is to return for the festival later in the month, when our guests arrive, but first we have some important business to conduct. Before leaving Charleston, we decided to see if we could do something to help the kids living on Little Farmers Cay. Bill contacted the owner of the Ocean Cabin (a restaurant/bar/hub of local activity on the island) for advice. His name is Terry and he explained a bit about the Bahamian education system to us. There are so many islands, and so few people on each, that not every island even has a school. Many, like Little Farmers, have what they call an "All Ages School."
This means that children from nursery school through the 6th grade attend the same school, usually in the same room. After age 12, they must travel to live with friends or relatives on one of the few islands that have facilities for higher education -- places like Nassau and Georgetown. (While this sounds less than ideal, the adult literacy rate in the Bahamas is an astounding 95%!)
So Terry from the Ocean Cabin puts Bill in touch with the island's teacher, Miss Esmae Cox, and she receives our proposal gratefully. How can we help? Well, she's not looking for pencils and rulers! No, she has her sights on computers and disc drives and other high-tech gear! Wow!
But we can help, and from her list we chose a new projector and packed it securely in our hold
before leaving West Palm Beach. (We are also carrying 8 pounds of coffee beans for Terry!)
With the coffee beans delivered to an ecstatic Terry and his wife Ernestine, we set off on the path up the hill to the school. It was in session and the kids were curious to see a pair of wind- tousled strangers appear at their open door with a big cardboard box. Miss Cox welcomed us warmly and showed us around the one room schoolhouse. Her twelve students ranged in age from 3 to 12; each neatly uniformed and eager to pose with the salty strangers with the mysterious box. There was some serious hugging and hand-holding, too!
We enjoyed meeting the kids and Miss Cox, and Captain Bill is determined to come back and check on them after I return home -- they will be in good hands! But for now we are off again on the road south. Friends from Daufuskie are joining us in Georgetown in a few days and we don't want to be late!
Let's Dance.......Carol & Bill
P.S. In March, Bill returned solo to Staniel Cay and learned that the missing school building had been torn down because it was eaten up by termites. They don't know when or where a new school will be built.
On Little Farmers, Bill and Miss Cox have developed a mutual admiration society and I foresee a quality education for the kids on that island as well as for the crew of Let's Dance.
With the coffee beans delivered to an ecstatic Terry and his wife Ernestine, we set off on the path up the hill to the school. It was in session and the kids were curious to see a pair of wind- tousled strangers appear at their open door with a big cardboard box. Miss Cox welcomed us warmly and showed us around the one room schoolhouse. Her twelve students ranged in age from 3 to 12; each neatly uniformed and eager to pose with the salty strangers with the mysterious box. There was some serious hugging and hand-holding, too!
We enjoyed meeting the kids and Miss Cox, and Captain Bill is determined to come back and check on them after I return home -- they will be in good hands! But for now we are off again on the road south. Friends from Daufuskie are joining us in Georgetown in a few days and we don't want to be late!
Let's Dance.......Carol & Bill
P.S. In March, Bill returned solo to Staniel Cay and learned that the missing school building had been torn down because it was eaten up by termites. They don't know when or where a new school will be built.
On Little Farmers, Bill and Miss Cox have developed a mutual admiration society and I foresee a quality education for the kids on that island as well as for the crew of Let's Dance.
