By Stan Farnham, February 2006 Standing on the Nassau Prince George Wharf adjacent to the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship, along with 26 other members of the Florida Lighthouse Association, we had no inkling of the magical day ahead, because the carefully crafted planned tour to visit a lighthouse appeared to have been scrubbed. The Royal Bahamian Defense Force (RBDF) representative, Byron Maitland, told lighthouse meetings vice president Gayle Stemac that a visit to the lighthouse was not possible because landing on the  island was not permitted. Her face fell in disappointment. She had called several times, before the trip, and the answer was that they would try to arrange something. They weren’t able to do so, apparently.“Let’s not take no for an answer,” Ken Smith declared. He walked around the building to a marina, negotiated a price with Captain Tack, the owner of a boat, to take all 28 of us on a harbor tour and to the Hog Island Lighthouse. An attitude of “I must do something” will solve more problems than “something must be done.” When Gayle told Maitland we had rented a boat, he called his superior, Lieutenant Floyd Moxey. “Go with them,” Moxey apparently told him. He also sent two more RBDF guys to join us. Unlike 100 politicians and not one decision, we had some people who knew the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. So with a confluence of initiatives, alignment of the stars and good luck we boarded the boat. Captain Tack, a bit non plussed at first at the sight of three RBDF men (Dwayne “Hog” Beneby, Byron Maitland, and Gladstone Moss) in full military uniform with their berets tilted at rakish angles, on his “pirate” boat took it all in stride. The other boaters, and people standing on the dock, watched in amazement as the boat angled out into the harbor, full of tourists, three RBDF sailors standing aft, pirate flags flapping in the breeze on a pole on the top deck. “What is going on?” they had to wonder. With Bahamian friendliness, and smiles, all waved as we pulled away under tropical skies.  Many lighthouse people also combine their photography hobby. A dozen members stood on the top deck cameras clicking as we approached the lighthouse. One caught us on the top deck with the Hog Island lighthouse over our shoulder. According to the Bahamas Lighthouse Preservation Society, nine major navigational aids operate today in the Bahamas, although six are automated. The three manned lighthouses: Elbow Reef (built 1864), San Salvador (1881) and Great Inagua (1869). The lighthouses were all built by the Imperial Lighthouse Service, Trinity House, London in 1836-1887. The service maintained them until the Bahamas Independence in 1973. Most of the lighthouses were built to aid ships by keeping them away from dangerous reefs and out of the hands of wreckers. The Bahamas has the world’s third largest barrier reef and five percent of the world’s coral. These nine lighthouses do not indicate harbors, but the “first” lighthouse to be built in the Bahamas in 1817, Hog Island, marks Nassau harbor, and considered a “harbor light.” We were to learn of another “lighthouse,” however, built in 1793! Where it is? We’ll tell you. After idling alongside the lighthouse for photo opportunities, Captain Tack steered the boat around Nassau harbor. Our RBDC guys pointed to homes owned, they said, by Oprah, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and others of the rich and famous. Pleasant surprises awaited us upon our return to the pier. After assembling again on the dock, the lead seaman, “just call me Hog,” said, “follow me.” We marched after him to find a bus and driver awaiting us. Our three RBFC men were to accompany us, show us the historical sites and be our guides for the remainder of the day. Talk about making up for not having a boat! In a burst of spontaneity we went from not knowing what we would do during a day in Nassau, to one of serendipity, finding the historical riches that define Nassau’s past; and the oldest lighthouse that few know about. When you first ride in a vehicle in the Bahamas you don’t see anything different because the vehicles have left-hand drive, but when you start up you are startled to see the driver steer down the left side of the road, at first an unsettling experience. We waved at the people as the bus made its way through the crowded streets. Hog sang a song. Truly this was an “escape” in an island jewel with people of genuine friendliness and smiles. It reminded me of words of the famous song, “Don’t worry. Be happy.” Off we went in a festive atmosphere that continued through a late lunch. Nassau on New Providence Island may be small but the Bahamas have 700 islands and stretch over 100,000 square miles, which if you count the water, is twice the size of  Spain. Despite all the water around the islands, no rivers flow in the Bahamas.Before the picturesque bus ride was over, we would stop at three forts, Government House, and a restaurant. All the sites are within a small area so we didn’t ride the bus for long at any one time. We headed out past homes and buildings in charming pastel colors on our way to the first stop, the small Fort Montagu, two miles away and built in 1742 because of the threat of a Spanish raid and to protect the “back door” of Nassau on the southeast side. Named for Duke of Montagu, the small fort with water near on two sides is in a small park. Only four cannons remain of the 17 cannons. In 1776, the Americans aboard eight vessels landed a detachment near the fort looking for munitions. The fort promptly surrendered, with no shots fired, but the munitions the Americans had expected were nowhere to be found having been removed the day before the raid. History repeats. Christopher Columbus was the first to consider a fort in the Bahamas. He reported to the King and Queen: “I wished to give a complete account to Your Highnesses and also to find where a fort might be built.” Only long after his idea did a fort become a reality. Ironically, the forts were to repel enemies, when the Bahamas themselves were a hideaway home to pirates raiding ships in the Caribbean!  We resumed our bus ride and passed by the library. Hog said: “The library originally was a jail.” Byron and Hog joked as we passed the Royal Bank that they had their money at the bank. Hog pointed out that the Bahamas have no income tax, no corporate tax, no capital gains tax, and no inheritance tax. We saw several historic churches and the contradiction of expensive buildings and then some boarded up and ramshackle buildings. Across the way we could see impressive Atlantis with the skeletal start of a large addition. Originally the island on which it sits was Hog Island, but changed to the more euphonious “paradise.” When South African Sol Kerzner, bought the hotel in 1994 out of bankruptcy, he changed its name from Paradise Island Resort, to Atlantis. Hog said: “The addition is 600 rooms and a larger conference center that is costing $800 million. It brings the investment to $1.9 billion. It will have 4,000 rooms, plus the 500-room condo hotel and the Harborside timeshare building. The least expensive room is $215 a night. It has 38 restaurants and 11 swimming pools.” Atlantis employs 9,000 and is second only to the government as an employer in Nassau, which has a population of 180,000. A news article noted, “Atlantis draws celebrities liken barnacles to a fishing boat.” Kerzner is having the success that eluded former owners Donald Trump and Merv Griffin. With 10 cruise ships a day and three million visitors a year, tourism is the economic driver of the Bahamas. The bus wound its way up West Bay Street to Government Hill and  Government House, seat of the Bahamas government. Byron warned us that the following day was the swearing in of the seventh Governor General since independence and we might not be allowed in the ballroom because of preparations for the big event. Not to worry on this magic day. Hog to the rescue. We crowded into the reception room of the Prime Minister’s office. Hog sweet-talked the secretary in approving our tour of the upstairs ballroom even though work was under way to decorate for the inauguration. Talk about royal treatment! The photo shows Hog (minus his beret) and Ken Smith on the grounds of Government House.We walked outside, up the stairs at the back and into the hall. Inside the six previous ministers since independence in 1973 look out from the walls in framed “governor general” poses. Workers had lined up chairs in rows for the inauguration. We had a view from the balcony of the gardens below where social receptions are held, including one for the next day. The balcony could use some repair and paint. Standing in the ballroom we could imagine the ceremony. The scene the following day was one of the pomp and circumstance of the swearing in of the seventh Governor General since independence, Arthur Hanna. RBDF men formed an honor guard at the ceremony and fired a 21-gun salute. Two years older than me, and like me, in the twilight of a career, Hanna was quoted as saying “a sense of purpose inspired” him to “unite the people in a spirit of patriotism.” He said: “All my life I have sought to serve my country to the best of my ability and to do so with integrity and high purpose.” His comments resonate with me because I agreed to serve as president of the Florida Lighthouse Association with a similar sense of purpose to help lead a mission to preserve Florida’s lighthouses; and have sought to serve “with integrity and high purpose” in all my leadership positions in affecting positive change.  Back outside, and standing above the statute of Christopher Columbus on the steps to the government house, we had a dramatic sweeping view of Nassau and the harbor. The bus took us to near Fort Pincastle, built in 1793 of native limestone, in the shape of an old paddle wheel steamer. It served as a lighthouse for a quarter century until the lighthouse on Hog Island started operating in 1817. Lord Dunmore, Governor General from 1787-1796, built the fort to protect against pirates and the Spanish. He named it after his second title, Viscount of Pincastle. We had the option of staying on the bus, or climbing the Queen’s Staircase, 66 steps cut into rock to give soldiers protected access to the rear of the fort. We chose to walk (climb). Along the way a few vendors sold soft drinks, hats and shirts. Once we reached the top, we saw a dozen small merchandise stands lined up along the narrow road leading to the back of the fort.  Towering above the fort is the Nassau water tower, built in 1928 and 126 feet high and 216 feet above sea level. We walked into the fort with a fast talking, rhyming tour guide, who tossed off a string of jokes equal to the cruise director on the ship, but still imparted a torrent of information, not only about the fort but the water tower looming over it. The prow of the fort shows the ship shape of the limestone fort. After admiring the fort and the view, we loaded back on the bus to visit the last of the three historical 18th Century forts. Lord Dunmore completed our last fort,  named after the Consort of King George III, in 1789. Fort Charlotte is the largest of the forts, complete with a moat, drawbridge, dungeons, powder magazine, quarters for officers and men and a fantastic view of Nassau harbor. Neither it, nor any of the other forts ever fired a shot at an enemy! Our favorite, of course, was Fort Pincastle, a fort shaped like a ship that once was a lighthouse!Before leaving the area, we couldn’t resist the sales pressure so bought a bright yellow Bahamas cap. After cool blustery weather on the ship for a couple of days, we needed the hats in the welcome warm and bright Nassau sunshine. My jaunty hat brought more smiles from the Bahamians. We asked our guides their favorite restaurant and invited them to join us. We  sat on a second story deck, with colorful and elaborate Junkanoo costume masks looking down on us from the walls. The three RBDF men were worthy ambassadors of their country and a credit to the RBDF and the Bahamas. We salute them.At mid-afternoon, and after a short bus ride, we were back in the shopping section of Nassau, which starts only a block from where the ship was docked. A vendor in the shopping area asked if we knew who Nassau was named after. No. He said William III of Orange-Nassau in 1695. Before then it was called Charles Towne. Now you know, too. On this day, however, I would call it Idyllic. We found the past and the present inseparable and how the old provides insights to the new. You could call our day one of heritage tourism. We had seized the moment and run with it. As Stan Beckstrom said, the cruise and tour also provided “a great opportunity to get to know our fellow FLA members better.” Let’s do it again. Back on the ship, reflecting on the day, Gayle Stemac said: “I can’t help feeling Gene was up there watching and making sure we had a great day.” Gene, my predecessor, had passed away after a brief illness only two weeks before. Indeed we had a day that wildly exceeded our expectations. Most of the time when we can point to real fun, it is shared as part of something with others. Together we had a great time in a way that few others can enjoy. And, hopefully, Gene smiled at our success. Stan Farnham, February 18, 2006, Naples, Florida 34120 |