Spring Point Settlement - Acklins Island

We repositioned today with the primary goal of getting our data card back in service. Spring Point is the largest settlement on Acklins and they have a BTC office. The ladies in the BTC office were kind and helpful, plugged in our SIM card and put on more time. The magnificent tower we anchored near, however, has not been in service since December. Twice BTC sent a repairman, but no joy. We will be repositioning tomorrow in light of some forecasted winds from the northeast, maybe we can get service from the Lovely Bay tower. We shall see. In the meantime, HAM radio it is.

We spent several hours in the settlement today, mostly with Copeland (Copey) Rolle at Marphane and Uncle Tom's bar/restaurant. We were his only dining patrons, allowing him to give us almost all of his attention and the scoop on the area, him and his family. The supply boat has only been by once since the new year. Copey was down to a few cases of soda, no veggies or beer, and just about out of cooking gas. He said he will make bread on a wood fire if he has too. Copey is also the lay minister for the local church. Services on Sunday start at 7:30 am and go for an hour, and then the priest must move along the island for other churches. Copey also stands in as a bush doctor when local medical services are not available. He showed us the Cascarilla tree, the bark of which he uses to reduce a fever, and other plants he uses to address bronchitis and diabetes. It was a pleasure to spend time with Copey and the turkey and rice he prepared really hit the spot. We paid for our meal but Copey insisted on treating us to our sodas. We were amazed at his kindness and generosity. So often we experience that those with less are more willing to share. Copey was formerly on the Royal police force in Nassau, and a body guard for the Prime Minister. He says he is glad to be back in his childhood community where there is no crime.

Finding good sand to anchor in has been a challenge, we mostly encounter hard marl. I do hope we can find a comfortable anchorage for the coming winds because I would really like to spend several weeks in this kind community.

Love to all,
Dena

Posted via Ham Radio.
{GMST}22|27.738|N|073|58.656|W|Anchored|{GEND}