Allan's Cay, Exuma, Bahamas: Located just 30 minutes from Nassau, horseshoe-shaped Allen Cay is the gateway to the Exumas. One of the northernmost islands in the Exumas chain, Allen Cay is home to beautiful anchorages and postcard-worthy beaches. But the real draw are the Allen’s Cay rock iguanas.
(via Andrea Thorp Taylor on Instagram: "“Place your hands into soil to feel grounded. Wade in water to feel emotionally healed. Fill your lun… | Exuma, Fresh air, Lunges || Curated with love by yogadaily)
MUSIC MONDAY: "Funky Halloween Music" Playlist (LISTEN)
by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)
Happy first Monday of October, you all!
It’s Halloween time once again, and I’m back with another Funky Halloween Music playlist for this spooky season. Here is 13 hours of more Soul, Reggae, Funk, Jazz, and movie soundtracks.
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Not aiming for trenchant analysis here. For anyone who loves themselves some demon wax, Exuma II is too good a time to dig up like that. Exuma the Obeah Man (born Macfarlane Mackey on Cat Island, Bahamas) was a genuine mystic, throwing his whole pussy into a persona wreathed in ritual smoke and crackling with spiritual lightning. His early songs clatter along like unruly processions, laden down with bells, congas, whistles, his musicians following the capering Obeah Man, who rambles and shrieks as he strums folksy melodies on his acoustic guitar.
There aren’t really songs like Exuma’s anywhere else, though some combination of Dr. John’s “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” and Screaming Jay Hawkins puts you within summoning distance. What to make of “Paul Simon Nontooth,” an account of a necromantic ritual gone awry set to harmonica and altar bells that would cause Paul Simon, were he ever exposed to it, to turn from mogwai to gremlin:
Get me blood, for I thirst
And if you don't get me blood, I'll drink yours first
See this cane? Come, come here
Look at my cane, look at my head
See this head? See this head?
These are the markings of the dead
If your souls have long been gone
And you have nothing to trade tonight,
I’ll pluck the life from you tonight
Give me music! Give me music! Give me music!
King Diamond would be proud.
Ah, sweet kisses
There is no soul
From the young and from the old
Remove your clothes
Remove your earthly goods
You're going with me to the fiery woods
You can't sell what you don't own
Hurry, hurry, come on, here comes the moon
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Oh hell yes. Oh fuck yes.
While Exuma II lets more light in on Side 2 than its (even more madcap) self-titled predecessor ever does, the celebratory energy present on “African Rhythm” and “Zandoo” gives the record a healthy balance. Unlike a lot of artists whose work scans (from the western perspective anyway) as outsider-y, Mackey actually was appropriately venerated in his home nation as a musician, playwright, and painter. (Those are his mind-bending paintings on the covers of his albums.) Exuma II is the sound of an artist, and a raucous crew of collaborators, caught up in the ecstasy of his own powers. It’ll never cease to be a thrilling, idiosyncratic listen.
2023 Bahamas Cruise, Part 18, Apr. 12. Weather hold on Long Island.
What do you do when the water is this clear and calm? Jump in!
Bahamas are not all beaches, pina coladas and “green flash” sunsets.
After these two flat calm days, the next two days we were surrounded by storms from a stalled cold front. Miami flooded with 8” of rain in two days. Yet, we never really got rain.
Easter Sunday, I dropped off Nancy at the closest dinghy dock to St. Joseph’s Anglican/Episcopal church in Thompson Bay. You can just barely see it in the background behind her. Around fifty people were in attendance. She had met most of them during our time on the Island. A much more reserved service, than last years service in Black Point. No tambourines, no kids choir, and a third the time. Fifty/fifty men and women, where Black Point was a high majority of women.
After dropping Nancy off, I swung by the Thompson Bay Yacht Club. Cruisers over time have set up a small picnic area on shore here, dubbed TBYC. No one was here. Only two of us are anchored in the bay now.
Then I headed back to the boat for boat chores. Took the trash to shore. Filled the water tank using our water maker. Trickle charged the start battery and fixed a thing or two.
Nancy called on the VHF radio for a pick up at Basil’s dock. Once we got back to the boat, we lifted the anchor and headed north. Great wind from the west for sailing on a beam reach. Nancy baked bread while the boat was heeled 10-15 degrees to starboard.
Fresh Coconut cinnamon bread!
Just before the two loaves of Coconut cinnamon bread came out of the oven we sailed over the Tropic of Cancer northbound. Coordinates are displayed on the top left of the chart plotter, N23 26.031 Actual Longitude of the Tropic of Cancer North 23 degrees 26 minutes and 10 seconds.
We anchored off of Simms Settlement on Long Island. That is where you see Nancy jumping off the boat. She paddleboared along the shore. While I made water on the boat.
Nancy caught mid flight playing around and cooling off some.
The next day we dinghied to Simms Government Dock where the mail boat comes in. With a west wind blowing the dinghy against the sharp rocks. I sent Nancy on walk about, while I oared around in the dinghy. She visited the prison and several graveyards. The prison and most buildings in town had outhouses near them. Not sure if either the outhouse or prison have been used in recent history. Think Mayberry RFD, Bahama out island style.
Just before we left for shore another monohull sailboat pulled into OUR anchorage. This is OUR anchorage damn it! As soon as we got back to the boat we pulled anchor and went north around the next point. I had gotten lazy and forgot to check the charts. We went from 7 ft. depth to 5 ft. in a couple of seconds. Oops! I went to idle and started the turn back to deep water. Too late…..squeakkkkk. We had skidded to a stop in pure white sand. Quick check of the shore for current tide. Looks kind of low. Pull up weather app. we are close to low.
Had this been a sailing YouTube channel. All sorts of drama could be made up. Water was flat calm. First dropped the 55 pound anchor and twenty feet of chain that weighs 1 lb. per foot. The chain laid over the top of the anchor in a pile. Had some snacks and a beer. Went swimming. Walked chest deep around the boat. Nancy jumped off the boat and hit bottom doing so. Wind changed 180 degrees and picked up enough to move the boat when we floated free. So pulled in the pile of chain with the anchor suspended above the sand.
Couple of hours later…..we floated free after dark. Waited until 7 ft. showed on the depth finder. Then drop the anchor and chain, then went to bed. Next morning we snorkeled around the boat.
This blue tip crab put up his dukes, when I stopped by. Reviewing weather, anchorages and possible plans we decided to sail back to Thompson Bay. Then rent a car and tour the north end of the island. Wind was on our nose, so we only sailed an hour; then motored to Thompson Bay. In between rain storms we took 4 jerry jugs to Long Island Petroleum for diesel and gas. Had a great talk with Walter Fox the part owner.
On Wednesday when the weather seemed to break. We hiked over the island to the ocean side, then south along the beach for a mile. Then back across the island to the “Sou’ side” (Sound side) of the island. Round trip walking was a little over 3 miles.
We were hot and tired with nothing but photos to show for our beach hike. We are surprised that little to no shells on the reef side of the island. Today though we were both looking for Ambergris. Found lots of tar balls, but no ambergris.
On the way to the dinghy we stopped at the “Sou’ side” bar for a cold Kalik beer and cracked chicken. Then back to the boat.
Rainbow over Salt Pond at the end of the day.
S/V Sea Breeze, Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas.