News of The Abacos
|
|
Yahoe's - A Unique Sand Bar and Grill - Lubbers Quarters, Abaco A few days earlier we had been invited to the first annual New Year's Full Moon Party on Lubber's Quarters by Tim Neil, the Lord Yahoe himself. With Albury's Ferry Service's impeccable record for departing at exactly the scheduled time, we thought it would be best to veer away from a certain Bahamian tradition and, so we arrived at the Crossing Beach Ferry Dock with plenty of time to spare. We noticed sporadic clusters of would-be party-goers huddling around. They seemed to be talking with the buoyed-up gestures that, like a Pavlovian dog licking its chops, animated their anticipation and desire to go to a good party. Although the sky was overcast and there was a definite chill in the "breeze", spirits were gleaming with the confidence that a new and exciting adventure was at hand. At 7:00pm sharp, the Ferry Captain turned over the engine. The huddlers remained intact and scattered, about different corners of the spacious cabin. Then, after a swift but comfortable ride aboard the Donnie VIII, we were across the Sea of Abaco and ready to be cast ashore at Yahoe's Sand Bar New Year's night. There had been a number of visitors and locals along with members of T-Time & the Earth Force Band traveling with us on the ferry. People seemed moved to speak in whispers, and snuggled close together although the night was only pleasantly cool. They kept their eyes ahead, straining to see our destination while we were still miles out to sea. We had both heard of Lubber's Quarters before, of course. This little islet, not far off the coast of Elbow Cay actually scarce minutes away from Hopetown and within sight of Tilloo Cay had earned fame over the years as a kind of "castaway cay", complete with dark looming shrubbery and forests, soft sandy beaches and stories of the legendary Bahamian bogeyman, the Yahoe. As we approached the Cay, the flickering Tiki lamps dancing in the wind were reminiscent of an earlier explorer's encounter with the torchlights of the Arawaks searching for beach crabs in the night. There is a small Marina with room for only a dozen or so small speed boats. The ferry was skillfully guided up to the dock and we disembarked and walked along the Tiki lamp walkway. We could see, with the help of the moonlof pondering on the huge chandelier hanging from the center of the roof, one eventually realizes that it is a t.v. satellite dish. Light bulbs are strung out at intervals along its length and a replica of a yahoe stands perched on an edge. Yahoe's opened its operation to the public in March of 1998 and has several "full moon" parties since then. We had wondered why the night of any full moon might be chosen as a reason to throw a fete, but on this night when the full moon was occasionally shrouded by heavy clouds and thus, threw an eerie glow over everything we began to understand why. The Yahoe or Chickcarnie is a dwarf-like creature shaped like an owl with the same large, red staring eyes, three-toed feet and wings considered un-flightworthy. The feet are turned backwards and it has an unearthly cry heard at night when all good children are supposed to be abed. One could readily believe that the creature exists on this secluded atoll, especially on a moonlit night. Within minutes of our arrival, the band was warming up and the party was underway. Band leader, Paul and his brother, Tyrone Williams and Timmy Dumcombe on "rake and scrape" (more about that later) are three members of the band. The fourth member, Pablo couldn't make this gig. This band is becoming well known around the Cays and often play at Sapodilly's in Marsh Harbour and Pete's Pub in Little Habour. They began playing cuts from their new CD"s "Some More On The Floor" and "Pretty Blue", which are due out early in the year. Tim Neil appeared in Robinson Crusoe-fashion sporting shorts, t-shirt and beach sandals. His "Man Friday" was a Jack Russell Terrier called Buster, who was seen throughout the evening leading Tim everywhere they went. Buster's aloof and sober demeanour conveyed an air of superiority as if he were the one in charge of this operation. Tim invited us to help ourselves at the smorgasbord buffet, laid out below decks. And what a feast it was! Starting with sweet potatoes (yams) and coconut rice, crisp, fresh cucumber salad, coleslaw, and the pieces de resistance broiled grouper, grilled wild hog, curried ham, and steamed and barbecued chicken. Dessert was a cornucopia of sweet baked goods such as apple pie and pecan nut cake as well as native fruit salad. I was tempted to go back for seconds, but the spectre of my new year's resolution bulging around my waist haunted me. We found a place to eat one side of the porch where we could enjoy the meal and still observe the crowds around the bar. Buster and Tim joined us for a little conversation. We already knew that he was a successful Nassauvian architect whose work includes the beautiful St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, but, we were curious to know why he had seemingly given up such a rewarding profession and moved all the way to Lubber's. After designing his share of luxury homes, he was looking for something new and he had always been interested in the restaurant business. Being eclectic in taste and a maverick in attitude, Yahoes was his logical answer. The fact that Yahoes promotes Bahamian culture in its many varied forms, has brought him recognition by the Ministry of Tourism. We were hardly finished our dessert when the revel-making sounds of Timmy's rake and scrape called the crowd to get up and join the band. The unique Bahamian sounds of the rake and scrape are produced by the rhythmic scraping of a piece of metal along the slightly bent teeth of a carpenter's saw, while it is held at an angle on the upper thigh. To fit the raucous mood, the limbo pole was brought out. The crowd lined up to compete in feats of daring and flexibility it seemed to me that more than a little lubrication was in order. I was just thinking of joining the contest myself, when the pole was liberally doused with alcohol and set aflame. At this point, how "low can you go" took on a whole new meaning and I decided to bow out gracefully. Patrons tend to range from operators of hobiecraft, seaplanes, and rubber dinghies to passengers of luxury yachts and ferry charters. ight a wooden building on the beach with the tiki lanterns set at intervals along the pathways to lead guests safely on the way. I was particularly struck by the beaches such white soft sand like the finest flour. Rising up a gradual incline, there were a few trails mysteriously leading up through the dense bush. Even with a few fashionable homes peering through the forest, one could still imagine this to be the perfect setting to create the legend of the abominable Yahoe. Stilted up on the pristine patch of beach front property, in the style of Robinson Crusoe's thatch hut, Tim Neil, who is a gifted Bahamian architect, has created Yahoes Sand Bar. Constructed with Abaco pine towed overland from Little Abaco in the north of the island, this yurt-shaped canopy-covered fortress combines the feel of a rustic beach hut and a modern condo deck with features of those unusual examples of Afghanistan architecture. The sturdy beams rope together to form a beehive fortress of frolic and fun. After a moment If you're traveling in large numbers, reservations should be made via VHF Channel 16. Meals include a variety of burgers, pastas and seafood dishes accompanied by anything you wish from the bar. Yahoes employs Cook Rudy (Kool) Johnson from Eleuthera, on whose wares we had nearly overdosed, Ivan Musgrove from Exuma, the Captain of the Upper Deck, and Caretaker, David, all of whom have many years of restaurant/hotel experience between them. The moon had been waning behind the clouds for some time when our ferry made its scheduled appearance at the dock and we knew it was time to leave. As we made our way, full of the Yahoe experience, we could not help but sense that, through the thicket.....our every move was being watched... |
