Southern Islands

Harbor at Rockinghorse Cay. The Southern Islands is serious about keeping it’s waterfront from becoming overbuilt. It is very difficult to rezone these places into high end residential construction as happens frequently elsewhere.

Lizard Reef not too far off shore of Rockinghorse Cay. The steamer Lizard grounded here and her remains provide an attraction for divers. The Lizards cargo of heavy earth moving equipment was salvaged with great difficulty and used to construct roadways and other projects on Rockinghorse Cay many decades ago  Rockinghorse Cay is one of the largest and most populated islands in the Southern Island archipelago. It has an airport and many resorts catering to the tourist trade.

Seen here is the turtle research station on Turtle Cay. Note the waterfront condos which are most likely owned by the government of the Southern Islands. The Research Center includes pens for injured sea turtles which are prone to consuming plastic trash and debris from the water. This is a privately funded facility, partially supported by other conservational causes such as the World Tortoise Foundation. They also do outreach and education on the dangers of plastic to the marine environment.

Dandee Bank was the wreck site of the barquentine Dandy. The cargo washed ashore on was would later come to be know as Mule Cay, since the Dandys cargo was 45 mules. The animals lived a fairly peaceful existence until of course they eventually died out. The cay later served as a conk fishing outpost. Today, Mule Cay is an out of the way settlement with little tourist appeal. Conk is still fished from the banks near by, and the land that once grazed the four legged survivors of the shipwreck is now extensively farmed.

Seen here is the channel through the shallows leading to the Eel Hole, a deeper area populated by quite a number of moray eels, among other fish. The eels are considered by the local islanders to be good luck. Thus, they are typically left alone by the fishermen. If caught accidentally  it’s tradition for the youngest crew member to wear the eel around their neck for a few moments before it is released.

Summer means lazy lounging for this four legged inhabitant of Pup Town, situated on Marlberry Cay. The stray population is kept in check by a curious regulation that requires most pet food imported into the Islands to be blended with a birth control treatment. A Breeding Licence is required to allow your pet to reproduce, and special, untreated pet food is then only available through a veterinarian.