ALL ABOARD! Bahamas Ferries “DAYAWAY” Tour

7:00am – To the adventurist this one’s for you. ALL ABOARD! I am bound for Harbour Island, also known as “Briland”, the colloquial name for the island coined by us locals. With the words “you’ll be getting off at the second stop ma’am” I know I am on an adventure. Today I have reserved a spot on Bahamas Ferries’ “DAYAWAY” tour, a historical sightseeing tour of Dunmore Town, one of the oldest settlements in The Bahamas.

The BoHengy II boat pulls from the dock and out of the harbor that sits snuggly between Nassau and Paradise Island. I have traveled to the island many times, however this trip is different. Beach lounging is not on the itinerary, I am in search of what 300 years of history has left behind. “It is important to know where you come from in order to know where you are going,” an inspiring statement that I have heard leave the lips of a dear friend many times, and later that day one echoed by a Brilander who has a deep-rooted appreciation for Bahamian history.

Two hours later I move above deck to watch as we approach our first stop, Spanish Wells. With the point of her finger and excitement in her voice, a fellow passenger shows her friends a small cove in which she discovered a starfish the size of a “wok”. Separating her clasped hands so as to communicate the significance of the size and prove the wonder of such a rare find, she continues to say that on that same afternoon snorkel she spotted a leopard ray and a turtle. On to Harbour Island we continue, I take the opportunity to sun on the top deck as the captain seamlessly navigates around the North-end of Eleuthera, past Preachers Cave – known in history to be home and church of the first Eleutherian Adventures – and south, kissing the shoreline of a trio of islands bearing the names “Pierres,” “Man” and “Jacobs”.

11:00am – I arrive on the dock to find my group eager to get behind the wheel of their golf carts. Harbour Island has avoided the motorized deluge, not that their quaint and narrow streets can flirt with such city hassles. A group member recites a sign I had never noticed, “home of the friendly people,” a sentiment I would gain more of an appreciation for later in the day. First stop the “Lonely Tree” which I daresay has been anything but lonely over the past years with the likes of Sport Illustrated Models and India Hicks using it as an unlikely prop in photo-shoots. The tree however is called such because in 1992 when hurricane Andrew swept through The Bahamas it wiped out all surrounding trees on the flat. While there are no models in sight today, I spot several fisherman and tourists bonefishing. Continuing south we pass The Landing Hotel which is owned by Mrs. Brenda Barry, the first Miss Bahamas. A few short minutes later I pull in to a make shift parking lot, in the distance sits the Haunted House, a gorgeous location that I have visited before but never have I heard the island fable. Our guide paints the scene of a young newlywed couple having just moved in to the two-story home and a terrible argument ensuing that has the bride fleeing the home and her husband chasing behind her, neither ever to return. On this hauntingly beautiful location, pun intended, local children claim to see two figures dressed in white floating about the house regularly.

1:00pm – I break to lunch seaside at Pink Sands’ Blue Bar. On the deck looking out to pink sands beach – ranked by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the “best beaches in the world” – vacation regulars are milling in and out. My appreciation grows for the sign-sentiment that the fellow passenger recited earlier. Hugs are a formality in these parts, no handshakes of introduction here. Lunch-goers are greeted with equal enthusiasm to that of relatives that come from afar.

After enjoying fresh fish tacos, stuffed with Mahi Mahi caught that morning, I set out on foot and leave the golf-cart. I have little under an hour to spare before the Bohengy II pulls away and I wish to make at least another stop on the map before setting out for Nassau. I walk west on Chapel St. where I pass a group of school children dressed in their uniforms; having just met the much-anticipated afternoon bell they are full of excitement over their “freedom”. I continue down Murray St. where I turn south to meet the steps leading in to Sugar Mill. The now luxury boutique co-owned by Linda Griffin and model-designer-author India Hicks was once home to a mill where crystalized sugar cane juice was produced and then shipped to America. During the mid 1800’s the harvesting, processing and exporting of sugar cane was the number one industry on the island with 6 sugar mills in full operation. The Marie J. Thompson was the largest exporting carrier and boasted four large masts which would sail her to New York, Boston, Key West and The Carolinas.

3ishpm – The ferry rings it final call and the tug of the city life no longer seems to be at a distance. I reluctantly board and looking back think to myself I hope in the years to come that the crow of the roosters and the purrs of the golf-carts are about as noisy and bustling as this island gets, I quite like it just the way it is.

“DAYAWAY” package available through Bahamas Ferries. Package includes:

• Round trip ground transportation to and from Cable Beach or Paradise Island for DAYAWAY Guests.
• Transportation to and from Nassau to Harbour Island onboard BoHengy II
• Golf-cart guided tour of Harbour Island’s historical sites (use of golf cart for the remainder of the day)
• Authentic Bahamian Lunch