Annuals are Hardy and Thrive in our Soil

Annuals are plants that grow, flower, produce seeds and die in one growing season. The quickest way to enjoy your garden filled with flowers is to purchase young annuals from your local nursery and set them out in your garden.

The following annual plants are hardy and will thrive very well in our soil.

Marigolds: There are two sizes of these plants — dwarfs which are eight inches high and giants, with large blooms and reach a height of four feet. They should be planted at least 12 inches apart and in full sun. Marigolds it is noted, have pest repellent qualities.

Zinnias: Grow to heights of two to three feet and should be planted at least 12 inches apart. The flowers are often referred as “cut-and-come again” and are excellent as cut flowers for your home or office. They should be planted in full sun.

Balsam: These plants consist of white or pink flowers, and should be planted in the shade. They grow to a height of eight to 24 inches.

Nasturtium: A delightful and fragrant flower to grow for picking and use in salads. These flowers require some shade during these hot summer months. The vinegrows from four to 14 inches in length.

Sweet Alyssum: Ideal for hanging baskets or as an edging flower. They grow to a height of three to 12 inches. The plants begin to bloom in six weeks, producing white, pink or purple flowers.

Petunia: In order to have masses of flowers all season, purchase plants from your local nursery. For the greatest show in your garden, get one color only and place them in a sunny place — 12 inches apart.

Sunflowers: Grow to a height of six to eight feet. The flower center provides seeds for the birds that thrive in your garden.

Verbena: These plants require full sun and should be spaced six to 12 inches apart. Plants can be obtained in pink, white red, lavender and salmon colors and are ideal as cut flowers for your home or office.

Biennials: Have a two-year plant cycle. During the first year, they produce leaves and the next year they flower beautifully and then die. Some of the favorites in this group of plants that give an abundance of flowers and color in your garden are Sweet William (Dianthus) which provide clusters of bright blossoms on six to 24-inch plants in various colors. Canterbury Bells, an unusual plant that is often called the “cup and saucer bell flower” because of the shape of its blooms, which grows to a height of four feet, with flowers which may be white, purple or pink; and Foxglove, one of the most stately of all flowers with spines reaching a height of five to eight feet tall. This plant grows best in shade and has tubular flowers in purple, white and yellow flowers which hang down like bells.

Planting guide for July

Flowers: Aster, cosmos, gaillardia, marigold, portulaca, periwinkle, salvia.

Vegetables: Celery, collards, eggplant, okra, pepper, spinach, turnip.

Grasses: Bahia, Bermuda

For help with garden problems, write to Garden Korner, P.O. Box N-3011, Nassau

Sources:

The Nassau Guardian

The Ministry of Transport and Aviation recently signed a $2,244,526 agreement with the leading provider of solar powered lights, Carmanah Technology Corporation, for the wireless controlled solar led lighting systems.

The airports that have been identified for the new lighting system are Colonial Hill, Crooked Island and Spring Point, Acklins; Staniel Cay, Black Point and Farmer’s Cay, Exuma; Congo Town and Mangrove Cay, Andros; Deadman’s Cay, Long Island; Sandy Point and Moore’s Island, Abaco; New Bight, Cat Island; Port Nelson, Rum Cay; Duncan Town, Ragged Island; Great Inagua; Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands and South Bimini.

Sources: Cipore.org

For more information about Rum Cay Airport: http://www.rumcayairport.com

Recently the Ty Dewi and crew visited Rum Cay and Conception Islands, their blog mentions their experiences during their stay:

Picture a three mile long curving beach of the finest powdery sand. Turquoise water laps at the shore, palm trees overhang the beach, a few homes sit tucked back behind the low limestone layers that line the back of the beach. Anchor your yacht a few hundred yards offshore and take the kids to the beach. You have the place to yourself, all day. A half mile walk along the beach and you find the marina, a few small rental villas and a nice bar. Nicely hidden, friendly and welcoming.

Back from the beach is a small network of roads, a couple of stores and some local homes. A small neatly kept white and blue church, a little government building and medical clinic. Perhaps there are three hundred people on the whole island. We are lucky, the weekly mail boat just arrived, bringing fresh fruit and veg so we are able to stock up, at surprisingly reasonable prices for these islands.

We stay for three days, the anchorage isn’t very protected but it’s good enough for us to weather a small front that brings winds from all directions during our stay. Once the wind came back east we set off for Conception Island, an uninhabited national park some twenty miles north west. It’s windy and overcast when we get there, but we pick our way in through a few coral patches and anchor in more crystal clear water, there is just one other boat around and once again we have the most beautiful beach in front of us. Maik and I take the kids for a walk despite the grey weather, and we find a trail through the the other side of the island, just a few hundred yards wide at this point. The Eastern shore is more wild, the soft limestone etched into curves and hollows by the constant nagging of the atlantic waves. The winds also bring flotsam to this shore, the beach is littered with the depressing evidence of our littering of the oceans. Plastic in all forms lines the beach; bottles, buckets, poles, nets, barrels, mouldings from an Audi dashboard (?!), shoes, ropes and much more. One day, when the oil has run out, these beaches will be picked clean for their precious hoard but today, it’s sad to see.

Yet the line of garbage cannot really detract from the stunning beauty and loneliness of the place, it just heightens the contrast between the natural inhabitants of the island and the advanced civilisations to windward….

The next day is much, much nicer – the wind dies and the sun comes out and we walk, swim and just play on the Beach. Gesa and Maik wander off to walk a trail that leads around the east side of the island whilst I look after the kids. It isn’t the toughest childcare duty – they scoot off to the rock pools and spend two hours creating an ‘orphanage’ for snails and hermit crabs. I get a chance to sit and relax and occasionally check that their blonde heads are still visible on the rocks over there.

In the afternoon, we get in the dinghy and go for a big adventure. We motor a mile and a half down the shoreline to a point where the sea creeps inside the island to form a network of shallow creeks and sandflats. Mangroves line the edges and the shallow warm waters are a perfect home for turtles, rays and sharks. The landscape is outstanding, very different from anything else we have seen, and we see many turtles, a few rays and a couple of sharks scooting away from us across the shallows. It’s beautiful, and only the gradually declining sun forces us back to the boat before darkness.

The next day, we snorkel on the reef and the kids continue their snail and crab tending. Just off the beach I see a barracuda in the shallows so get my mask and swim out to have a look. He swims away and I follow, he’s mid sized, about three feet, and nice to watch. I look at the reef fish as I go too, until I look up and note the the barracuda has stopped, turned and started to follow me. Now I know they hardly ever get close to people, but he’s looking mean and I think I’m in his territory. I swim back towards the beach and he follows me. Who’s the boss now?

Later, Maik and I note another dark shape in the shallows, this one is a ten foot long shark cruising around, very neat to see. We also saw a dolphin in the bay, and a group of three maybe dolphins, maybe pilot whales. The range of wildlife at the island was fabulous.

Now it’s time to head on towards Georgetown, where Maik has a flight booked on Saturday and we can restock in a decent sized town which is apparently a mecca for cruising sailors. We’ll enjoy the company and activity for a while, I’m sure, then head on for quieter cays after a few days.

Jose describes Kiteboarding as ” a new style of water sport where you’re flying a giant wing through the air and you’re on a wakeboard, and basically you’re using the wind with this kite to move you along the water. There’s this organization called Kitehouse that teaches out of Key West. Really it’s a group of kiteboarders who are instructors, and they take a ship and load it with kites, peoples and boards and go out to a flat in Key West.” Visit http://www.thekitehouse.com to learn more about kiteboarding in the Key West area.

Season 2 of Jose’s The Road Less Traveled video mini-series featuring Rum Cay:

Episode 1: Go Fly a Kite

Watch The Road Less Traveled Season 1 Episode 1: Go Fly a Kite

After several falls and swallowing a few liters of the water off the coast of Key West, Jose takes his new kiteboarding skills to the azure waters of Rum Cay. Join him and Emily as they take advantage of the wind off the beautiful, deserted beaches of the Bahamian island.

Episode 2: Around the Way

Watch The Road Less Traveled Season 1 Episode 2: Around the Way

Jose discovers more of Rum Cay with friends, Emily and Bobby. On the West side in Flamingo Bay, they explore the ruins, visit with locals and find the time to do a little bonefishing.

Episode 3: Work and Play

Watch The Road Less Traveled Season 1 Episode 3: Work and Play

While we call Rum Cay a paradise, a tight-knit community calls it home. Jose’s friend, Bobby, shows the island through the eyes of those who work and play there.

]]> http://www.rumcaygreen.com/2008/12/28/spanishflytvcoms-rum-cay-kiteboarding-videos/feed/ 1 http://www.rumcaygreen.com/2008/12/25/merry-christmas/ http://www.rumcaygreen.com/2008/12/25/merry-christmas/#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:57:34 +0000 Rob http://www.rumcaygreen.com/?p=137 Merry Christmas from RumCayGreen.com! Be sure to check out our new Rum Cay Videos page, a compilation of Rum Cay videos found on You Tube.

Airports surrounding Rum Cay

You can leave directly from the U.S. non-stop to:

Stella Maris = MYLS / SML (more information)
Stella Maris is located on the North-end of Long Island and has a 4000 ft runway 13 / 31, Avgas and Customs/Immigration.
(note : during the winter months, expect cross winds from the left -NEasterly- when landing at Stella Maris. It gets a bit bumpy on short final due to hills and large trees off to the left and the winds just roll over them making it quite some “work” to keep level, sometimes )
 
You are required to land at an airport of entry, such as Stella Maris before continuing to any other islands/airports.
 
RumCay = MYRP / RCY (more information)
Runway length of 4500 ft with 09 / 27 orientation. 
Official Website: http://www.rumcayairport.com.
 
Both airports are nicely paved without any holes or stones on the runway.
 
Exuma = MYEF  / GGT (more information)
Is also an option about 25 miles further west than Stella Maris. Also Avgas, Customs.
Exuma however does not use Unicom = 122.8 as RumCay and Stella Maris does.
Exuma has an advisory frequency (tower) at 118.0
 
Once you clear customs into the Bahamas, you fill out either a cruising permit or a transire for the inter-island flight(s) to RumCay.

Flight Plan!
 
You must file an international flight plan  305-233-2600  Miami FSS for the flight to the Bahamas. Flight plan cancellation with Nassau Radio 124.2 is difficult close to the destination. No matter where you end up flying to, you can call EXUMA TOWER at 118.0 shortly before landing at Stella Maris and ask them to close the flight plan OR call Nassau Flight Service from Stella Maris.

There is a direct dial telephone ( it actually works ) in the customs area, you punch #31 and it dials  242-377-7116  by itself. This telephone also dials US-customs at the various airports for the required one-hour-prior-arrival report requirement!
 
Enroute, if you fly below 10,000 ft contact Nassau approach at 121.0 some 35 miles from Nassau for the “transition” through their TMA airspace…

When you get to Rum Cay make sure to fly over the town of Port Nelson on the SE side of the island to get someone to come out to the airport. The airport is not quite walking distance from the settlement.

Well, that’s it. We hope these instructions and tips will get you to Rum Cay by air. Leave a comment for us if this article has helped you find a little corner of paradise.

• You know you’s a Bahamian if you drive a 2004 Maxima but the title aint clean enough to get you more than Road Act!

• You know you’s a Bahamian if ya idea of getting in shape walking home from work only when ya reach there ya have a big pork chop dinner with potatoe salad mac n cheese and peas n rice.

• You know you’s a Bahamian if ya MP gat more cases in court than you!

• Ya know you is a real Bahamian when ya mummy still holding ya passport and you are 33 yrs old

• Ya suppose to be ta work fer 9 am, but ya don’t reach until 9:20am and then take another 20 minutes to get some tuna and grits from the food store next door, another 20 minutes to eat it…so in essence ya don’t really start work until 10am…

• If you know what ‘spry’ means

• If you say kitchen zink

• If you say frunral

• When you go to a restaurant and see ‘steam’ (not steamed) grouper or fry’ (not fried) fish

• You know you’s a Bahamian if you call ya Grandmother Mommy cause ya ma Trifling a** was never around!

• You tell your boss about his/her a** and expect to still have a job…. and then you DO still have a job.

• You know exactly what T’ree for Five means.

• You have grits for breakfast… every day!

• You know you’s a Bahamian when, as a man, you add -eisha, -nique, or -ette to the end of your first name when you naming YOUR DAUGHTERS!

• You know you are Bahamian when, you get to the counter at any US Airport and try to check 4 tires wrapped in blue shrink wrap in as checked luggage and want to have a Microwave with duct tape all over it (not to mention the part you left as a handle) as your carry on!

• You come back from Miami with three big duffle bags (full)and claim you only spent $300.

• You is call ya body parts BUBBY, BUNGIE, BREAD, and WOOD.

• You over 35 and still live home with your mother.

• When you ask for the WORM out the conch.

• You get the FLIT to spray for insects!!!!!!!!

• YOU KNOW YOU’S A BAHAMIAN WHEN YOU GO TO VISIT RELATIVES IN THE OUT ISLAND U GATTA CARRY 2 DOZEN DUNKIN DOUNTS AND 2 BARRELS OF KFC!

• Ya know ya is Bahamian when you can make milk with cream and water.

• Ya know ya is …..when ya use super value bags for garbage bags.

• Ya know ya is……when a baker is the oven and not a person.

• Ya know ya is …. when ya end every sentence with ‘aye’.

• Ya know ya is …. when ammonia is a sickness.

• Ya know ya is …. if ya know what ‘alavas’ is.

• Ya know ya is ….. when ‘potcake’ is a dog or burnt rice.

• Ya know ya is ….. when ya could get out ya bed 1:00am to go watch a parade.