Dear Subscriber,
Summer is almost upon us and our time on Cat is drawing to a close. Here are a few items regarding Cat Island and Pigeon Cay.
Commercial flights are still not occurring in Arthur’s Town. But on a positive note, both Western Air and SkyBahamas are flying in and out of The Bight twice a day and have been very good at keeping to their schedules. Private aircraft may still use Arthur’s Town airport.
New crosswalk signs have been placed at each of the active schools on the island. What may be confusing is that when traveling north on the Queen’s Hwy, there is a red STOP sign at the crosswalks, but not facing the other way when driving south. I asked at Arthur’s Town police station and the STOP sign is a reminder that all traffic must stop if there is anyone on the crosswalk. It’s also a good idea to slow down when you see the STOP sign and look for anyone who may be preparing to cross the road.
Call 919 for emergencies on Cat Island. Since most homeowners are used to 911 or 999 for emergency calls it’s good to get this new emergency number in your mind should an emergency occur.
Yellow butterflies have begun migrating down the island from the north heading south. They are a sight to see, especially when a large group pass-by along Pigeon Cay,
Land crabs are back in bigger numbers this year. It’s been a while since we’ve seen many crossing the road, but now they are, though it’s just young ones with red legs and claws. Be careful about running over a large land crab as their shell can cut into a tire’s sidewall.
Our access road onto Pigeon Cay is experiencing flooding during some seasonal higher tides. In fact, many have noticed the rising sea and salt creek levels here on Cat. We are working with Cat Island Beach Developers to get bids for raising the access road as well as adding culverts to reconnect the salt creek with the freshwater pond.
The first named storm, Andrea has occurred ahead of schedule. Hurricane season doesn’t officially begin until June 1st and while Andrea stayed north of us near Bermuda, it’s a reminder to ensure your home is secured during hurricane season. The water on our beach has been warmer than usual since last year and we’ll keep praying for no storms to hit us this year, but be prepared. I’ll be updating our home page as storms occur that may impact Cat Island.
The Hermitage, a familiar historic and tourist location on Cat, as well as being the highest point in the Bahamas, has had a amke-over. The path from the parking area going up towards the Hermitage has been paved and new concrete steps have been added where there were only slippery rocks leading up Como Hill. The Hermitage itself has gotten a fresh coat of white paint on top and the inside is being kept cleaner.
Shark feeding time at Hawk’s Nest is a site to see. I know it’s a long drive and the last bit of road is rough, but seeing the variety of sharks at the marina dock when they’re feeding is amazing. At times the water is churning with all sizes of this underwater predator and if you stand too close on the shore’s edge you may become dinner for one of them, as they will jump out of the water to get food. Bring something to chum the waters and arrive an hour or so before sunset. Always check in at the office as a courtesy to the resort, and be very careful when crossing the runway to get to the marina. Drive to the end of the marina, and walk to the pier next to the diesel and gas pumps.
Rake and Scrape starts on June 6th at the Rake and Scrape site next to Arthur’s Town airport. Expect more traffic on the roads, and fewer available seats on flights to and from Nassau around this time.
That’s about it. We’ve had a wonderful time on Cat and expect to be back by September. Victoria and I, and Maggie our Chihuahua, send our warm regards and love to you and hope to see you again soon on Cat Island.
James Honeycutt