A Sunday In The Palms

Thompson Bay     

It was nice to have a slow morning onboard. I didn't intend to sleep late, but did and hit the floor running. We did a load of laundry and I spent the morning catching up on all sorts of computer work. There was another dive into the commissary to retrieve an item, from the furthest corner possible, that I missed last week. I read a little in the pilothouse and later moved to Fiberglass Beach. The wind had clocked some to the southeast, but was still strong. Around 2:30 Kelly and I went to shore for our daily walk. We anchored her dinghy in the shallow water and walked to Boaters Beach, coming ashore at the tree "decorated" with conch shells. We followed a path through the trees to Queen's Highway then turned onto a road that crossed the island. Along the way we kept commenting on the lushness of the vegetation and were stumped by the presence of a large cactus. Further inland we came upon two grazing wild goats. I was quite surprised by the steep incline, but appreciative of the much-needed cardio workout. As we neared the east side of the island, large groupings of palm trees lined the road. The pavement led to the edge of the dune where the stalk of a century plant towered above its surroundings. These plants bloom only once during its entire life (which is closer to 20-30 years). The stalk can reach a height of 30 feet and produces yellow flowers.   

Through the seas oats, the path opened onto a wide and flat beach. We walked north first and enjoyed the blue sky and gentle waves. Much like yesterday's beach, this cove was protected by a rocky outer reef that settled the surf before it arrived on the pink sand.   

Large rock formations lined the shore. A tall cliff extended out into the Atlantic and signaled the end of our northern trek.   

We turned south and walked through the surf, studying the waves as they broke around the rocks. As we continued walking, the waves breaking offshore became more impressive.  

The sky also darkened and rain was spotted offshore. We never quite made it to our destination rock. Rain began to fall so we turned around and headed to our trail. Once again we stopped to admire the onshore vegetation.  

The rock beyond the dunes had been eroded to form several caves. Back on the path, we stopped at the palm trees and gave them a closer inspection. Several different species were intermixed. The tall coconut palms craned at odd angles in search of sunlight, while the smaller palms kept their fan-shaped fronds at eye level.     

Today was the Fourth Sunday of Lent, but for Kelly and I it was more like Palm Sunday. We enjoyed our time in this small, but beautiful, oasis. In the palm tree nursery, five coconuts had given life to new sprouts. After gathering a couple of coconuts for the boys, we headed up the steep hill. Uphill both ways? Somehow we did not remember there being a downhill stretch only a few hours prior. A heavy shower took our minds off of the climb. By the time we returned to the dinghy we were drenched, but the squall had moved through and the sun was shining bright in a blue sky. After a shower and getting into dry clothes, it was time to fix dinner and close the day with another beautiful Bahamian sunset.