Episode 27 - Coconuts & Conch
This week SV Catsaway travels to Rudder Cut Cay.
Rudder Cut Cay is home to two beautiful caves, reefs, amazing scenery and a mermaid sculpture. The water and surrounding environment here is stunning; it was one of our favourite anchorages. There is a strong current here, so snorkel at low slack tide. We found our first conch here. The shell was so beautiful that we wanted to keep it, so we froze the conch in order to get it out without breaking the shell. After freezing it, we thawed it in the bucket of warm water before grabbing the claw and starting to ease the conch out. This method worked great! Greg then had the dirty job of skinning and cutting the conch, which was slimy and challenging to hold. He hammered it well to tenderize it, and then we fried it in breadcrumbs and butter; our version of cracked conch.
We continued to Lee Stocking Island a few days later. Lee Stocking Island was the home of a marine research centre. Unfortunately funding for this centre ended in 2012 and the institution was shut down. So much equipment was left behind that it seemed like people packed up and left within 24 hours. We saw the remains of several nice houses and good road infrastructure, including a surviving airstrip. We hid from a decent blow here and amused ourselves by collecting coconuts. We had no machete, so used a knife and a hammer instead - success!
After a few days in Lee Stocking, we continued to Barreterre, a small settlement in the north part of Great Exuma. The community makes Barreterre very special and we enjoyed our stay. If you need vegetables, ask for Sam and Louella Smith. They grow excellent tomatoes and cabbages.
Until next time!
Credits:
"Stronger Than You" cover by Brigit O'Regan
Youtube: Brigit O'Regan
Instagram: @brigitfiddle
"Coconut Woman" cover by Jeffrey Sings
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