Bahama Saga


Book Description

BAHAMA SAGA is a chronicle of the human presence on a unique archipelago of the Americas. The story takes its title from a few invented characters and the romantic and beautiful country of seven hundred sub-tropical islands. The confetti of Bahamian islands has, at different times, been a locus for the three races of the planet. After the original Amerindian inhabitants perished, the Bahamas remained uninhabited for nearly 150 years until people from Bermuda - largely of English and African stock - re-settled the islands commencing in 1648. Not long afterwards many more Africans were brought to the Bahamas in bondage. Their descendants today hold the destiny of the islands in their hands. The geographical location of the Bahamas allowed the islands to play a brief, but important part in the history of the modern world. The eastern islands protrude out into the Atlantic Ocean so as to make them one of the nearest parts of the Americas to Europe and it was here that an explorer from Europe made a historic landfall at what, for him at least, was a 'New World. It was just over five hundred years ago that Christopher Columbus in 1492 sailed the ocean blue. The islands on the western side are a mere 50 miles from the United States. Throughout time, events on the North American continent have had a major affect upon the history of the Bahama Islands as this well-written and intriguing story relates.




The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1866


Book Description

In October 1866, a powerful Category 4 hurricane struck the Bahamian Islands. With winds well over 140 miles per hour and even higher gusts that toppled trees, sank ships, peeled away rooftops, and destroyed vital infrastructures, the massive storm battered the islands with great ferocity. When the seas finally calmed and the winds died down, the massive storm had killed more than 387 people in the Bahamas alone and left a massive trail of destruction. Author Wayne Neely, a leading authority on Bahamian and Caribbean hurricanes, shares an engaging account of how the hurricane of 1866 not only devastated the islands, but also altered the course of Bahamian history forever. While demonstrating how the hurricane significantly impacted the wrecking and salvaging industry, Neely also educates others about the complex set of weather conditions that contribute to hurricanes. He includes fascinating stories of survival and heroism as the storm's victims struggled to move forward in the midst of tragedy. Hurricanes are no novelty to the Bahamas, but all who were lucky enough to live through the howling winds and the terror of a sky filled with flying debris surely never forgot The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1866.




The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1929


Book Description

The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1929, also known as the Great Andros Island Hurricane of 1929, was the only major hurricane during the very inactive 1929 North Atlantic hurricane season. The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1929 was perhaps one of the greatest and deadliest hurricanes to impact the Bahamas and is often regarded as the greatest Bahamian hurricane of the twentieth century. It was the only storm on record to last for three consecutive days over the Bahamas, with pounding torrential rainfall and strong, gusty winds. The storm killed 134 persons in the Bahamas, mostly mariners and sponge fishermen, as it directly hit the islands of Nassau and Andros. This thoroughly researched history considers this intense storm and its aftermath, offering an exploration of an important historical weather event that has been neglected in previous study. Also included is a harrowing account of a dog called Speak Your Mind who rescued a sponge fisherman at sea. Through unique historical photographs of actual damage, author and veteran meteorologist Wayne Neely shows the widespread devastation left in the wake of this tremendous storm. Drawing upon many newspaper accounts, ship reports, and Family Island Commissioners reports from throughout the Bahamas, the author provides a fascinating glimpse of this hurricane and the devastation it caused the Bahamas.




The Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes to Impact the Bahamas


Book Description

The Bahamas is ideally located directly in the path of hurricanes in the North Atlantic. These massive tropical cyclones have been ravaging the Bahamas since the Lucayan Indians blessed these islands with their presence. Now for the very first time, these greatest and deadliest Bahamian hurricanes have been presented and documented in book-form. Such named storms include Hurricanes Andrew, Floyd, Donna, Dorian, David, Matthew, Betsy, Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma. While other unnamed storms include, The Great Nassau Hurricane of 1926, The Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932, The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1866, The Great Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928, and The Great Andros Island Hurricane of 1929. The Bahamas hurricane season, which lasts from June to November, has seen plenty of catastrophic storms throughout history. Here's a look at some of the greatest and deadliest storms that have hit the Bahamas over the past five centuries.




Scots-Irish Migration to the Bahamas in the Eighteenth Century


Book Description

Beginning in the mid-16th century and down through the 18th century, thousands of immigrants of Scots-Irish origin migrated to the Bahamas, which included the Turks and Caicos Islands. The first, and smaller wave of immigrants came via Bermuda in the mid to late 1600s in the wake of the mass migration of pro-Presbyterians from northern Ireland to the Americas seeking refuge from religious persecution. Later, in the 18th century, as a consequence of the American Revolution, thousands of so-called Loyalists were exiled from the union of the original 13 rebellious colonies. Many of those exiled were of Scots-Irish origin. Thousands migrated to the islands of the Bahamas, where they eventually emerged as some of the leaders of society in all facets of administration and culture.




The Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes of the Caribbean and the Americas


Book Description

With modern weather forecasting, we can monitor, track, and predict the path of hurricanes like never before. But all you have to do is look at pictures of the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina or research the massive cleanup costs of Hurricane Sandy to realize that these storms can still have devastating consequences. Wayne Neely, a meteorologist at the Department of Meteorology in Nassau, Bahamas, and a leading authority on hurricanes, reveals the science behind hurricanes as he examines some of the most terrifying and devastating storms of the Caribbean and the Americas. Spanning more than five centuries and drawing on extensive archival research from Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean, Neely emphasizes the continuing role of race, societal inequality, and economic ideology in the shaping of our responses to hurricanes. With the prospect of hurricanes becoming fiercer and more destructive, he offers a much-needed opportunity to understand and study these freaks of nature. Whether youre a historian, amateur meteorologist, student, or someone who wants to be prepared in case of a massive storm, youll be impressed with the forces of nature revealed in The Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes of the Caribbean and the Americas.




Explorer's Guide Bahamas: A Great Destination (Explorer's Great Destinations)


Book Description

A guide to the best beaches, restaurants, casinos and shopping—and everything else—that the Bahamas has to offer. Explorer's Guide The Bahamas: A Great Destination treads confidently where other guidebooks stop short: it goes past the beaches, casinos, and duty-free shops to bring you into ancestral lands, fishing settlements, goat farms, conch shacks, theaters, and art galleries. The Bahamas’ clear waters and multihued coral reefs are gifts just waiting to be unwrapped.




Moon Bahamas


Book Description

Turquoise waters, pristine beaches, world-famous rum, and a culture that welcomes you with a smile: Soak up the sun and fun with Moon Bahamas. Inside you'll find: Flexible itineraries, from a Nassau getaway to a week of island-hopping, including day trips to the Out Islands Strategic advice for travelers looking for family fun, romance, nightlife, water sports, and more Must-see highlights and unique experiences: Go diving to see shipwrecks, underwater sculptures, and coral reefs, snorkel with sharks, or swim with friendly pigs. Spot wild pink flamingoes, climb to a historic stone monastery at the highest point in the Bahamas, or visit the iconic Hope Town Lighthouse. Relax in an oceanfront bungalow, sip cocktails made from local rum, and hang out with locals at a fish fry Honest recommendations from Nassau local Mariah Moyle on when to go, where to eat, how to get around, and where to stay, from guest cottages and beach bungalows to luxurious resorts Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout Background information on the landscape, climate, wildlife, and history Handy tips for families with children, LGBTQ travelers, seniors, and travelers with disabilities Experience the real Bahamas with Moon's practical tips and local know-how. Looking for more island adventures? Check out Moon Aruba, Moon Bermuda, or Moon Jamaica.




The African Diaspora to the Bahamas


Book Description

Current historiography on aspects of Bahamian history presents limited research on the African presence in the islands, irrespective of the fact that arguably 85% of the population of that country is represented by such persons. One primary objective of this book is to begin to more adequately address this literary ommission by presenting an initial comprehensive work on the subject. The book attempts to trace the origin of this migration by focusing on some of the primary dynamics of ethnicity within the context of the geo-politics and geo-economics of the emerging Atlantic world. It is hoped that the reader will emerge with a greater awareness of, and wider insight into Bahamian history, and, the Bahamian majority will leave with a greater sense of what it truly means to be a Bahamian....




The Great Bahamian Hurricanes of 1899 and 1932


Book Description

Hurricanes have long been a fact of life in the Bahamas. With extensive exposed coastlines jutting out of the Atlantic and uniquely flat lands and shallow coastal waters, these islands had seen many tempests before there was a Bahamas as we know it today. Hurricanes have shaped the islands' landscape and, in a sense, their people as well. In the history of the Bahamas often considered a patriarchal society in which the hurricanes traditionally bore the names not of women, but of the islands they devastated-- the storms have impacted all aspects of everyday life. A growing number of studies covering many aspects of hurricanes have examined their social impacts. Even so, the historical ramifi cati ons of the hurricanes of the Bahamas and of the wider realm of the Caribbean have rarely been approached. The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899 and the Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932 hold special places in the archives of Bahamian history. These hurricanes were two of the worst natural disasters the country had experienced at the time, and even to this day these storms are considered among the top ten most destructive Bahamian storms of all time. These two notable and very destructive Bahamian hurricanes resulted in the deaths of over 334 Bahamians in 1899 and 18 in 1932. Learn why as author Wayne Neely explores the breadth and depth of each disaster not only how they impacted the society at the time, but how they impacted the progression of history.