S/V Meadowlark

Internet has obviously been pretty shaky since I left Man O War.  Stayed outside of Hopetown for a couple of days and checked out the 150th anniversary of the Elbow Reef Lightouse.  Very cool machine.  A neighboring boat took me over to Marsh Harbor a couple days ago(in his much faster boat).  He needed some engine work done and I had nothing else to do.  Marsh is an interesting place.  Bigger stores, much more like things are at home.  There are some major issues however with illegal immigration, particularly those entering the Bahamas from Haiti.  Much like the illegal hispanic population working under the table in the United States, the Haitians are hired for very little pay, and do most of the work the locals are too lazy to do themselves.

Here is the difference between the problem here, and the problem in the United States:

Pigeon Pea.  A place where people don't know how to build houses in straight lines apparently.  This is one of the two Haitian communities on this small island.  Frequent house fires demolish large sections of the neighborhood and the local fire truck (shown below) can only do so much.

Anyway, enough negativity.  Here are some pictures of the lighthouse.

The last of its kind, the giant fresnel lenses (which can be seen for 15 miles when lit) rotate on a bed of MERCURY.  Yea, crazy.  Pressurized kerosene is vaporized in the lantern room, providing the bright warm light I get to see every night here.

 The lighthouse is also hand wound every day by the lighthouse keeper.

View from the top.  Little Meadowlark is anchored somewhere outside of the harbour on the left. 

Now, anchored just off of Tahiti Beach a little ways south.  Figured I'd slowly make my way south and see what happens.