Wrecking history of the Bahamas

[Oceanscience]

Leroy banister at Lisbon creek....I was blessed to be able to watch the bahamian masters at there craft. The old wrecking boats would have been built in a similar fashion by similar men....an island way of life...an island state of mind !!

What did they use as ballast? "pebbles" from shipwrecks?

 

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[SADS 669]

Will do.....

 

[Oceanscience]

Nostalgia.... I would sell my soul for some cracked conch right now.

 

[Colombiapictures]

View attachment 1928731
Leroy banister at Lisbon creek....I was blessed to be able to watch the bahamian masters at there craft. The old wrecking boats would have been built in a similar fashion by similar men....an island way of life...an island state of mind !!

What does this beautiful place look like today?

 

[Blak bart]

Not to much different...the hands of time turn slowly here....only 1 out of three of our houses remain....the other 2 blew away in the storms of 2005 !! The last house on goat key was sold back in the late 90s....I spend time on other islands now. San Salvador, harbor island, Spanish wells, and long Island this year !!

 

[SADS 669]

Not to much different...the hands of time turn slowly here....only 1 out of three of our houses remain....the other 2 blew away in the storms of 2005 !! The last house on goat key was sold back in the late 90s....I spend time on other islands now. San Salvador, harbor island, Spanish wells, and long Island this year !!

Not welcome here anymore, no gold left!!

 

[Blak bart]

 

[Colombiapictures]

Not to much different...the hands of time turn slowly here....only 1 out of three of our houses remain....the other 2 blew away in the storms of 2005 !! The last house on goat key was sold back in the late 90s....I spend time on other islands now. San Salvador, harbor island, Spanish wells, and long Island this year !!

How does one get there?

 

[Blak bart]

Only 2 air strips....moxy town choice 1, and congo town choice 2. Both are not gonna be your standard type airport experience.....or you can go by boat !! Either way will be memorable and a whole separate adventure in its own right !! If you went by boat, well then you could look for your 1765 wreck....its on the way !!

 

[Blak bart]

How does one get there?

I see your from Switzerland so you would probably start with a trip to Miami where you could rent/charter a boat. I like the cruising cats...sailing catermaran...make the crossing and clear customs at bimini....then cruise down the bank stopping to explore the different rocks, keys, and cays !! You could stop and stay as long as you desire where ever you prefer. Once down to south riding rock, then you go and look for your wreck.....then across the bank and down andros to mangrove cay....the south bight of andros !! Now thats a nice trip....as a professional fisherman im almost always restricted by time and schedule. My freetime is usually very windy weather when im unable to fish or dive....it would be nice to cruise at my own leisure !!

 

[Oceanscience]

Not welcome here anymore, no gold left!!

With all the shipwrecks in your area, you will never run out of gold. It is just a matter of finding it.

 

[Colombiapictures]

Only 2 air strips....moxy town choice 1, and congo town choice 2. Both are not gonna be your standard type airport experience.....or you can go by boat !! Either way will be memorable and a whole separate adventure in its own right !! If you went by boat, well then you could look for your 1765 wreck....its on the way !!

Never been to Andros, but it sounds nice. The 1765 wreck is not mine. Just curious about it.

 

[Colombiapictures]

I see your from Switzerland so you would probably start with a trip to Miami where you could rent/charter a boat. I like the cruising cats...sailing catermaran...make the crossing and clear customs at bimini....then cruise down the bank stopping to explore the different rocks, keys, and cays !! You could stop and stay as long as you desire where ever you prefer. Once down to south riding rock, then you go and look for your wreck.....then across the bank and down andros to mangrove cay....the south bight of andros !! Now thats a nice trip....as a professional fisherman im almost always restricted by time and schedule. My freetime is usually very windy weather when im unable to fish or dive....it would be nice to cruise at my own leisure !!

Thank you for the advise. Been there, done that. Had a glorious time. But not to Andros. My boat had too much draft. Before GPS, navigation was more tricky. Cat would be right for that.
Do people still get ciguatera from eating fish that is longer then from fingertip to elbow? We ate mostly conch and lobster, after the dog died from ciguatera.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

A diversion, if I may, back to "Floating Gold:"

A group of fishermen netted a $1.5 million whale-vomit windfall after dredging up a 280-pound hunk of the stuff (yahoo.com)


Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[Blak bart]

A diversion, if I may, back to "Floating Gold:"

A group of fishermen netted a $1.5 million whale-vomit windfall after dredging up a 280-pound hunk of the stuff (yahoo.com)


Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

I spend much time looking....I have found more than a few pieces....im on a dry spell but will be returning to hunt the out islands soon. Was just over hunting on long Island briefly. SADS will tell you....I obsess over the ambergris and have even tracked seasonal migration routes of spermwhales. The out islands are best and the pursuit of ambergris is totally legal !! If your lucky while your hunting remote beaches for ambergris.....well you could stumble on some gold coins too

 

[Blak bart]

Never been to Andros, but it sounds nice. The 1765 wreck is not mine. Just curious about it.

Just a figure of speech my friend...the way we say the wreck your interested in. Ciguatera is a concern in the islands, but as islanders we learn which are good and which are bad....avoid the big barracuda for sure....my friend got very sick and lost his hair....I also got very sick once too. Mahi, tuna, and wahoo will never have it to be safe !!

 

[Blak bart]

Wrecking is a way of life for islanders, and we all still do it. Any time a boat is abandoned or left to rot....well we all take our turn and pick what we might need off it. It still happens today, and you can here me saying it at the end of the video. This is the law of the sea, and whoever gets there first gets the best pickins....this is me picking on the modern fishing boat wreck waterloo....I got 15-20 pounds of easy to pick bronze fittings !!

 

[Oceanscience]

What did they use as ballast? "pebbles" from shipwrecks?

Looking at this boat: Could this be the kind of sloop that the wreckers used? I would say probably, but I am just guessing. If somebody knows better, please tell.
The shape of the hull suggests that internal ballast will be used. Again, my guess, "pebbles" from shipwrecks. These ballast stones can be dumped easily when the wrecker happens on a shipwreck with more valuable goods, like any kind of metal for example. Boats and ships carrying salt always dumped their ballast rocks at the places where they loaded the salt.
I think I read somewhere that at the harbors they had specially designated places for ballast to be dumped. At the same place ballast could also be picked up when needed.
In the Bahamas the natural rocks are limestone, that is often porous and never very dense. Dense round rocks, like basalt river or beach rocks were the preferred type of ballast.
So when do we know we have a shipwreck site or just some dumped ballast? When is a shipwreck a shipwreck?

 

[Oceanscience]

A diversion, if I may, back to "Floating Gold:"

A group of fishermen netted a $1.5 million whale-vomit windfall after dredging up a 280-pound hunk of the stuff (yahoo.com)


Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

Great story. Thank you Bookaroo.

 

[sphillips]

Yup...as you know from living here Steve, they make up a lage part of the community still to this day. I've never been more proud of our wrecking heritage....if an inuit can spear an endangered narwhale because it is part of there cultural heritage....well then....a native born islander...known as conchs...such as myself, should be able to practice the traditional occupation of wrecking like my forefathers before me !! Otherwise they are violating my cultural rights and heritage. When the state and federal government are sued by conchs like me for violation and discrimination of our cultural heritage.....then and only then will the ever elusive recovery permit be issued !! This is the angle I believe that will when court cases for us as salvors......this is where it all started...WRECKING/TREASUREHUNTING IS MY GOD GIVEN RIGHT AS IT ALWAYS WAS BEFORE !! Its the island way of life !!

Well stated and very true. Keep at it Bart! I was looking at the original government surveys of the upper Keys from the 1800's a few days ago thinking there may be some notes on wrecks, but none found. Interesting though.