Another Story from the Bahamas

I would like to share another unrelated true story about the Bahamas. I had In-laws who lived on the West Shore of Florida. They had a 24 foot ocean going boat that they used purely for recreational boating. I would have done a lot of fishing if I lived down there and had that boat. The boat was stolen from their dock during one night. It was insured so they would have it replaced if they chose.

A few weeks later they made a trip to Freeport, Grand Bahamas with some friends in the friends boat. They were enjoying their time in the Bahamas and when they came back to the dock one day they saw their stolen boat from Florida at a dock near them. I think I would have gone to the Bahamian Police but they choose another way to get their boat back. They checked and no one was aboard the boat so they stole the boat back. The key had been disabled so they were easily able to start the boat. They took it back to Florida and a short time later sold the boat.

What are the chances you would be in the right place at the right time to find your boat. The odds on that happening must be astronomical. I bet the people that stole the boat in the first place were in shock. How do you report that your boat that you had stolen had been stolen from your dock.

A Work Trip to the Bahamas

I was at the city of Freeport on the Grand Bahama Island during a work trip in the late 70's. I was working for a company that made the parts for the inside of chemical towers. I was directing an installation of parts in the tower at an oil refinery. The chemical towers are 200 feet high and you had to climb ladders to get to the top. There were times you were climbing with no safety cage behind you. Climbing is certainly something I wouldn't want to do today but it was no big deal 30 years ago. The view from the top of the tower was stupendous. The chemical plant was on the shore on the west side of Grand Bahamas Island. The water was a beautiful blue near shore and there were freighters docked near the shore. That is a sight I would never forget.

The thing that makes this story funny is the fact that they drive on the left side of the street in the Bahamas. This is the first time I ever drove on the left (wrong) side of the street. I had rented a Ford with the steering wheel on the left which of course was standard to me. I tried to be careful and make sure I was driving correctly. They had a traffic circle in the center of Freeport with divided roads going into the circle. Going around the circle in the wrong direction was a true joy. You had to be so careful that you went out of the circle on the correct aide of the road.

I had gone into a Burger King for a lunch and when I came out was completely disoriented as far as driving goes. I pulled out of the Burger King and immediately went to the right side of the street. I had to make a left turn on to a divided road and there was a bus on the right side of the road going the wrong way. I wondered what the bus driver was doing. I next came another divided road with traffic on it. Bingo, I now knew what was going on. I was on the wrong side of the street going the wrong way. That bus driver did know what he was doing. I made a left turn onto the left side of the highway and was going correctly again. Now I had to go into the circle and come out on the right road. Thankfully I only made that driving mistake one time.