Long Island, Beautiful Island
Gentle and quiet Long Island has a slow
rhythm that does not change from generation to generation.
The days
seem the same as they have for two hundred years.
Yes,
now the island fishermen
use motors instead of oars and sails. And farmers
now sell a little produce to the government packing
houses. But even so, much of the growing is for their
own tables or to trade with neighbours.
 Melissa
Laraque springs from old time Long Island
stock but is a recent newcomer to the island.
Her mother's family name is Fox,
one of
the
ancestral names of
the island among the Cartwrights of the south, the Wells
of the Central island, and the Taylors, Adderleys and Pratts
in the sleepy north.
Raised
in Nassau and Florida, Melissa was drawn back to her ancestral
home, restless after a successful
stint stateside
as a teacher, then as an accountant.
She talks of watching the fishermen go
out everyday, just as her mother and grandmother did when
they were young women, and all their mothers before them.
But now there is no catch of the day available at the local
dock.
Instead, the fishermen sell their bounty to the local fish
houses.
The fish house awaits the weekly boats, stockpiling the
fish in huge freezers.
Selling some back to the locals, most of what
they purchase is destined for the markets of Nassau.
 There
seems to be some increasing growth here, Melissa notes. An
American, Charles Crissy has set up a bustling fish processing
plant
and has now introduced a shipping service.
The main resorts on the island remain
steadily busy, hosting guests from the world over who have
discovered
what a delightful respite Long Island can be.
Stella Maris draws Europeans, mostly British
and German, likely because the immaculate resort is owned
and operated by Germans. Secluded Cape Santa Maria in the
north
is operated by Canadians. It is said that Columbus thought
that Cape Santa Maria was the most beautful island in the
world when he landed briefly on his first voyage of exploration.
The real change to Long Island is the
steady stream of new home owners. The rest of the island
is dotted with the residences of foreign homeowners. Mostly
Canadian
and
American,
they have located their homes to take advantage
of the stunning seaviews so common on Long Island. More
come every month.
It is the beauty of the Long Island water
and the sun that draws them. The island does not have a surplus
of touristic activities or worldly attractions.
There are
some sights to see on Long Island though, if you feel you
need some
diversion
from
the
endless
blues
of
the
water
and the
whites of sun-dazzled sand.
 Two
beautiful churches in Clarence Town were designed by noted
priest-architect John Hawes, known
as Father Jerome. His first creation was St. Paul’s
when he followed the Anglican faith. He later built
St. Peter’s when he converted to Catholicism.
You could also go down into Cartwright's
Caves, an extensive cave system that lets you see
inside the bowels of the ancient coral reefs and fossilized
aeolic sand dunes that form the foundation of Long Island.
You could
also spend a little time at Salt Pond, mentally planning
that the next time you visit this spot of delight will
be during Long Island's Annual Sailing Regatta. This is when
the huge basin of Salt Pond blooms with sails, and the
milling people of Long Island make merry,
stepping a little forward
of
their
friendly
reserve.
 Somewhere
amid the long lazy mornings on the beaches, you may take
the occasional afternoon diversionary expedition to one of
the
local hangouts
to see if you remember what other people look like.
But you will soon remember as you share
a few hours with others like you. You are on Long Island,
and time has stopped. Clocks do not
seem
to
move,
and the
pages
have
stopped
flying
off the calendar.
For young people like Melissa Laraque,
the timeless charms of Long Island will soon be mixed with
the bustle slowly coming to the island as more people
discover
its allure. She, like other Long islanders, prepares for
this. Melissa soon begins her study of interior design, other
Long Islanders by looking
for
their niche
on an island slowly but steadily growing in popularity.
Inexorable progress or not, Long Island
is not in a speed race. In fact you may
even
think
of this
gentle island as being
completely off the well-trodden track. Somehow, to those
who have quietly discovered her captivations, that does not
seem
to
be much of a concern.
Long Island
is
simply content to have been called the
most beautiful island on earth. What more could one need?
Long Island Quick Facts:
Population: 2,992
(Bahamas 2000 Census)
Size: 173
Sq. miles, 75 miles long and up to 4 miles wide
Highest Point: 178
feet
Location: From Lat.:
N23 41' 00" Long.: W75 20' 00" to
Lat.:
N22 50' 00" Long.: W74 40' 00"
Distance from Nassau:
160 miles (209km) southeast of
Nassau
340
miles
(550km) southeast of Miami
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