SANDY POINT

November 1998 Table of Contents - Current Issue of The Abaco Journal - Abaco Bahamas' Home Page

DAY TRIPPING TO SANDY POINT

Many communities on Abaco cater to tourists with docking facilities, hotel accommodations and lots of bars and restaurants. Others are virtually untouched by the tourism industry. The settlement of Sandy Point, 49 miles south of Marsh Harbour, lies somewhere between.

Sandy Point is a fishing village situated on a peninsula at the extreme south-western point of Abaco. If you expect Bahamian villages to be nestled close to the sea and smothered in coconut palms, Sandy Point will not disappoint you.

It was only in the early 1960s that a road to Sandy Point was constructed and brought it residents fully into the Abaco community. Sandy Point people are respected throughout The Bahamas as being friendly but independent and self-sufficient people. For instance, all the small boats and skiffs in Sandy Point are made right in the settlement. The main industry is fishing, mostly rock lobster and scale fish, which employs about 80% of the men. The lobsters are processed in Sandy Point and exported to the US. Tourism facilities are expanding, however, and Sandy Point is well worth a day trip from anywhere else on the island.

The road from Marsh Harbour to Sandy Point is paved and in excellent condition. The journey down is rather featureless as it is mostly through pine forest. In less than an hour, however, you will be turning a long bend towards the airport and then making a sharp right to the north at the community picnic site. From this position you can see Sandy Point stretched out before you with its azure shallow waters, long golden beach and masses of coconut palms.

Most of the houses you will see during that last mile between the picnic site and the main settlement belong to winter residents who discovered Sandy Point decades ago and consider themselves privileged to be accepted into such a charming community. You will see Oeisha Resort, a large building by Sandy Point standards, that provides accommodation mostly for visiting bonefish anglers. Meals and a bar are available and there's also a beachfront cabana.

The settlement itself is set out like fish bones: one central backbone, Queen Street, with side streets running at right angles east and west. All the roads are clearly named. The main crossroads occurs at the joining of East and West Bay Streets. Half way down West Bay Street you will find E & E Grocery where you can buy just about anything, including Sandy Point tee shirts. At the end of West Bay Street you will find the government dock which is the town's centre of activity. You will usually find several fishing vessels tied up there.

Beside the government dock you will also find two restaurants: Pete and Gay Guest House and Enza's Place. At Pete and Gay's you will see photographs on the wall left by appreciative bonefish men, who often lodge in the comfortable air conditioned rooms attached to the restaurant. There's a large dining room and a well-stocked bar and your host is Stanley White, who runs the establishment with the help of his adoptive mother, Glacie Dean.

Over the road, Enza Russell's restaurant is the longest-established in Sandy Point. For over 30 years she has provided delicious meals for the community and its visitors, a testimony to both the quality of her cooking and her friendly disposition. No bar facilities.

A block north on the bay is the Seaside Inn Restaurant & Bar where the ambience is laid back and friendly. You reach the restaurant by driving down Sandy Street or walking a few yards along the beach from the government dock. The former proprietress, Nancy Adderley, passed away earlier this year but the business is carried on by her family. There are extensive bar facilities here.

The eastern shores of the Sandy Point peninsula are bounded by a tidal creek that possesses its own peculiar charm. Julia's Beach Inn Club nestles beside the creek at the end of Pear Street and is the largest of all the restaurants. Wedding receptions are regularly held here. Your hosts are Julia and Basil McKinney, who are both very adept at making visitors feel right at home. There's a pool table beside the bar, but don't play a game with Basil unless you are very good!

One of the favourite restaurants of the local people is Big J's, at the end of School Lane near the creek. It is mainly a take-out establishment overseen by Marinett and Richard Walker, but there are tables inside as well as a small bar.

A word about drinking in native restaurants and bars. If you want a mixed drink such as rum and cola or gin and tonic, buy a half pint of liquor and a can of mixer. Along with them will come a glass filled with ice. You mix your own drink to your personal taste, and if you have any liquor left over you can just slip the small bottle into your pocket and carry it. It's yours. Not only is it a handy way of drinking, it's far cheaper than the standard mixed drink.

Besides eating and drinking, what else is there to do in Sandy Point? Many people go for the excellent shelling between the picnic site and Rocky Point to the south. The beach between the picnic site and the settlement is about a mile in length and well worth the walk. Walking around the settlement is a fascinating experience which will allow you to see the local people at their everyday tasks. On the bay side of town you can walk down one road, traverse the beach for about 40 yards, then walk up the next one. This way, you can see a lot of the settlement without doubling back on your path. You won't find many people walking the roads because there is an informal network of pathways throughout the township, most of which take advantage of Pythagoras' theorem.

While you are on the bay beach you will be able to see Gorda Cay in the distance to the north-west. Disney has established its Castaway Cay resort complex there and if the Disney Magic is in port bringing in over 2,000 tourists, you will be able to see it clearly.

There is a particular charm in visiting a native settlement where there are no souvenir shops and nobody particularly wants your money. Every business in Sandy Point is owned by residents: there are no managers here. People will hail you as you pass them by yet will not trespass upon your privacy. But don't be shy. As soon as you ask advice or directions you'll find the local people will go out of their way to help you all they can. Sandy Point people are friendly and want you to leave with a good impression of their lovely settlement.

One last word of advice: If you want a rock lobster (crawfish) or grouper meal, or are descending with a large party, please call the restaurant of your choice a day ahead. Sandy Point people appreciate their seafood freshly caught and prepared, and that's the way you'll have it served if you give advance notice of your visit.

Beach Inn Club: 366-4102
Big J's Restaurant & Bar: 366-4020
Enza's Place: 366-4129
Oeisha Resort: 366-4139
Pete & Gay Guest House: 366-4119; Fax 366-4007
Seaside Inn Restaurant & Bar: 366-4120

This Issue Table of Contents - - Previous Issues

Other Abaco Bahamas Links
Home Page (oii.net) - Message Board (AbacoBoard.com) - Latest Happenings (AbacoToday.com)