With The Grace of the Sea

Stocking Island, an unexpected delight– dan

In doing the research for our journey I came across a lot of information about George Town, Great Exuma Island. Lots of info about the anchorages, provisioning and the social scene. What I didn’t pick up on and wasn’t prepared for was how strikingly beautiful near-by Stocking Island is.

George Town is surrounded by several harbors, the largest is Elizabeth harbor, that lies between Great Exuma and long, thin Stocking Island (2.5mile long, ¼ mile wide). Stocking Island is off the grid and only lightly developed; a couple of homes, a half dozen cottages, a tiny yacht club and two beach bars are all that inhabit this wild and beautiful island.

Stocking is chock-a-block with stunning beaches on the ocean side; more lovely beaches and several nice anchorages on the Elizabeth harbor side.

On the west side is what appears to be the remains of an ancient sea bed complete with curious swirls & patterns reminiscent of the Peruvian Nazca lines.

On the opposite side of the island is a 3.5 million year old prehistoric reef, something called a stromatolite. This rare feature is found in only a very few places on earth and is referred to as a “living fossil” by the scientist who study it.

The beauty of Stocking Island is so great that you can’t take it all in at once and if you attempted to do so it would be a crass act, akin to wolfing down a fine meal or gulping good wine. Stocking Island’s beauty is far better savored in sips over as long a period as possible. In between the old and new, between wind and tide, between sunrise and sunset the island continually expresses it’s serendipitous nature, one that never ceases surprise and delight.

One curious thing I’ve notice is that local Bahamians seem much less affected by all this natural beauty. I haven’t seen locals walking the beaches or strolling through the countryside. A recent article in the town newspaper complains about the difficulty and expense involved in trash pickup along the town roads. I’ve seen cruisers walking the beaches, filling plastic bags with beach trash. Perhaps those born in such a singular stunning place as this must end up taking it for granted. How ironic is that…

It’s apparent that many outsiders are smitten with this place. We’ve met lots of cruisers who originally came here planning just to spend a few days and have ended up coming back year after year. One couple told us they’ve been coming back these last six years, another seven, another eleven, another an incredible eighteen years. All drawn like magnets to this amazing place.

We’ve swum the waters, walked the long coastline, lunched on the beaches, enjoyed rum drinks under the soft pines, climbed the hills and at the end of each day savored long sunsets. We are surely richer for having come to this ancient and enchanted island. Will we come back, who knows? We know the coordinates and the route to get here. For now other islands beckon us and we’ve “miles to go before we sleep”.