Cruising by Mailboat in the Bahamas

[Naitaka]

Assuming the book and not the picnic table. Jk.
Thank you.

[Larry T.]

Great you-tube channel, "The Western Flyer Foundation" where they are restoring Stienbecks boat in Port Townsend Washington.

[PineyWoodsPete]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Thanks for posting. I like that kind of stuff. I'll see if I can find it.
A similar one I read was a couple cruising the Bahamas in the early days of cruising there. Can't remember what it was, I'll try to find it.
Have you read Log of the Sea of Cortez by Steinbeck? he traveled there on a work boat in the 60's I think or 50's.

Actually, late thirties, pub. early 40's The trip was a collaboration with Ed Ricketts, a mainly self-taught marine biologist who had a specimen-collecting lab in Monterey's Cannery Row, and supported himself by preserving and mailing them to schools and research labs. The purpose of the trip was to extend his knowledge of Pacific Coast inter-tidal ecology, and Steinbeck had an interest in this as well as specimen collecting. Ricketts was his best friend and mentor, a fascinating man: philosopher, collector of music, books, explorer of eastern religions - in addition to being a shameless womanizer, heavy drinker (along with Steinbeck), and "doctor" to the bawdy house women down the street - as well as "Doc" in "Cannery Row". The 75' ocean trawler "Western Flyer" they chartered is being restored in Port Townsend, WA, and will return to Monterey soon

Ricketts was one of, if not the first, true Ecologist: looking at fauna and flora through the lens of their inter-dependence in a natural setting, rather than in the traditional classification as species, genus, etc. His book "Between Pacific Tides", 1939. was at first rebuffed by the Marine Biology prof.'s, but then proclaimed a masterpiece that's still in print. He had gone on an earlier expedition north, almost to Alaska, accompanied by the young philosopher/religionist Joseph Campbell who was also close to Steinbeck. Ricketts was killed on a RR crossing in Monterey in '48, and Steinbeck mourned "He was part of my brain for 18 years."

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by KenKo

Do you remember which picnic table?

I'll never tell!

Gawd but that was a fun night...
LittleWing77

[Gaia]

Originally Posted by dougweibel

If you own a 36' Hunter I can see little reason you'd be interested in cruising by mailboat. You can have the same experiences, minus the monotonous drone of the mailboat engine, and be master of your own timetable cruising the Bahamas in your own boat. There is nowhere the mailboat goes that you cannot and Bahamians are friendly. We have no problem striking up conversations with Bahamians. Drop the hook, take the dingy to shore and walk a few miles down the road. You will have more than enough opportunity to meet all sorts of people if you make an effort. Kids, adults, seniors, poor, wealthy, fishermen, bus drivers, whatever.

Jeez I do not like to criticize on these wonderful and often informative CF pages but the above sticks in my craw. I thought the mailboat reminder was well put and meant. In fact when we were in the Bahamas two seasons ago we thought of doing just that and we were there on our own Tom Colvin Gazelle fresh from a long duration circumnavigation. We are right now in the Rio Dulce and next season might once again find us in the Bahamas if GAIA is not sold by then. If we are we might just try and go for a local mail boat cruise having already read the book referred to 😊

Jim and Helen sv GAIA

[sailorboy1]

Why do some get upset about how others “cruise”

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Why do some get upset about how others “cruise”

Bored maybe?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

Bored maybe?

Or jealous. Or just so arrogant that they think their way is the only "right" way. (Lot of those kind of people in this world.)

[bjp447]

Been a sailor most of my life, just moved to trawlers.
All on inland lakes, never really had the opening to
get to the islands so these books mean alot.
Found the book on Amazon, ordered it and got a nice
note from Fred telling me it is on the way.

[svigue]

Originally Posted by dougweibel

If you own a 36' Hunter I can see little reason you'd be interested in cruising by mailboat. You can have the same experiences, minus the monotonous drone of the mailboat engine, and be master of your own timetable cruising the Bahamas in your own boat. There is nowhere the mailboat goes that you cannot and Bahamians are friendly. We have no problem striking up conversations with Bahamians. Drop the hook, take the dingy to shore and walk a few miles down the road. You will have more than enough opportunity to meet all sorts of people if you make an effort. Kids, adults, seniors, poor, wealthy, fishermen, bus drivers, whatever.

You sure missed the boat on this one dougweibel (no pun intended). It's about the experience not the ability to meet locals on different islands. Mailboats are not just boats that go island to island - they are the life line to the family islands. Traveling by mailboat and cruising the islands on your fancy little boat are two completely different experiences. Chit chatting with locals while on a shore excursion doesn’t come close to getting to know the folks who work on the mailboats, the locals that can only afford to travel on the mailboat as their means of transportation, or even the folks waiting for their supplies to come in - if they come in at all. No way is it a luxurious cruise. After working/living on an out island for 2 years and relying on the mailboat to bring ALL of our supplies - food, drinks, fuel, nails and screws, hammer, vehicles, you name it - was eye opening and gave me a whole new appreciation for what the folks on family islands have to endure. So think again before you compare mailboat travel to what cruisers do. Read the book - you may learn about a true Bahamian experience.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by dougweibel

If you own a 36' Hunter I can see little reason you'd be interested in cruising by mailboat.

I agree with everyone who has said this is rather nasty, Doug.

And, must say, rather not like you.

What happened?
LittleWing77

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by svigue

You sure missed the boat on this one dougweibel (no pun intended). It's about the experience, not the ability to meet locals on different islands.

Mailboats are not just boats that go island-to-island - they are the lifeline to the family islands.

Traveling by mailboat and cruising the islands on [a fancy] boat are two completely different experiences.

Chit-chatting with locals while on a shore excursion doesn’t come close to getting to know the folks who work on the mailboats, the locals that can only afford to travel on the mailboat as their means of transportation, or even the folks waiting for their supplies to come in - if they come in at all.

No way is it a luxurious cruise. After working/living on an out island for 2 years and relying on the mailboat to bring ALL of our supplies - food, drinks, fuel, nails and screws, hammer, vehicles, you name it - was eye opening and gave me a whole new appreciation for what the folks on family islands have to endure.

So think again before you compare mailboat travel to what cruisers do. Read the book - you may learn about a true Bahamian experience.

+1

[dougweibel]

Well I apologize to the original poster and all who took offense. The idea of cruising by mailboat is not my cup of tea but I should have kept that to myself.

[Don E]

Fred is our neighbor at our marina in Jacksonville. Wonderful man. Often talks of his travels on the mailboats.

[Group9]

The best part of every trip we have made to the Bahamas, was the Bahamian people we met and got to know.

I've thought about taking the mailboat a couple of times when I needed to get back to Nassau for something, and thought it would be fun.

I want to check that book out.