Harbour Island has always been considered a kind of luxury getaway for the rich and famous. Itﾴs charming wooden homes – some with architecture dating back to the 1700s – are cherished possessions, both to their owners, and to the many photographersﾴ lens who have captured them on film.
But like every other island heavily dependent on tourism revenues, they were linked, for good or ill, to whatever airlift was available to bring the people. That meant the reputation of the destination would be linked, also for good or ill, to the performance of the carriers.
That changed just over two years ago, when Bahamas Fast Ferries launched its daily service to Spanish Wells, Harbour Island, and Eleuthera, from Nassau.
“Welcome to the fastest, safest, most luxurious passenger vessel in The Bahamas.” The announcement through the sound system on board is the first official information passengers receive when they board the Bo Hengy, either from Potterﾴs Cay in Nassau, or the government dock at Harbour Island. The Bahamas Ferries staff repeats it every day, to every passenger. Itﾴs a business operation that has stood the test of time.
Family Islanders will tell you that the benefits they derive from the Bo Hengy are too many to name. But once on board, for any trip, intangibles begin to present themselves: a newspaper bundle, providing same day news from Nassau; crates of green tomatoes for a local grocery store small bags of essential medical supplies locked in a secure compartment until collection by the doctor or the patient. September 11th of 2001 compounded occupancy levels during October, a time hoteliers usually call a “flat” month. Most islands in the region take this time of the year to gear up for the winter season. With just a trickle of visitor traffic, many properties are actually closed until November.
In 2002, most islands conceded they were hit especially hard, and that attracting visitors, even in the Bahamas, was a real challenge. Harbour Island was the exception.
On one Saturday in October (not a regatta weekend) the Bo Hengy brought 131 passengers. Many of them were coming from Nassau for a funeral. Most businesses were closed, in respect to the bereaved. Even so, over thirty Bo Hengy travellers went to the Coral Sands hotel for lunch.
“Thatﾴs a plus of $660 to food and beverage tally,” says General Manager Wim Steenbakker. “And thatﾴs just the ones identified to us. There are always more coming from the boat, who might not have bought the lunch package in advance, but are here for the day, and just follow the crowd. The Bo Hengy lunch people bring us easily an additional eight thousand extra dollars a month.”
Reverend Oswald Pinder, at the dock to receive and send off some visitors, speaks for the local residents: “Where would we be without it? Itﾴs gotten so that even when we know itﾴs going to be out of service, to have its annual tune-up, we donﾴt know what to do without it.”
Rick Mackey, a local government Councillor for the Harbour Island District, agrees:
“Bo Hengy has brought a tremendous amount of business we would not ordinarily have gotten. In addition it brings daily a lot of guests we might not have gotten otherwise.”
“Overall, Iﾴd say weﾴve had a 25 per cent increase in business,” says Shena Newbold, at Doris Dry Goods and Dunmore Rentals. From the one location on Bay Street, just opposite the government dock, management not only rents golf carts (the preferred mode of transport), but also sells ice cream and Dunkin Donuts.
When hours may make the difference, the Bo Hengy affects more than tourism. Couriers DHL and Fed Ex now use the Bo Hengy for same day service. “We are also using these services for our mail to some of our vendors in Nassau,” says Naomi Fowler at the Pink Sands resort. “A piece of mail can take up to two weeks to go from Harbour Island to a vendor right in Nassau by regular mail. We are also using the Bo Hengy to transport our food from Nassau to Harbour Island. We have found the services to be efficient.”
Romora Bay Club General Manager Lionel Rotcage says itﾴs the total package that has him excited: “Itﾴs like going from Paris to London with the train, compared to what we used to do…going to the airport, going Heathrow, driving between city and airport 45 minutes each time, being there an hour in advance. Youﾴre spending
ﾠﾠthe same time much more comfortable, in a stunning trip.”
He has launched a domestic tourism outreach specifically targeted at Nassuvians. The idea is for them to have an affordable vacation, with transportation and scheduling they can count on.
“Our main interlocutor is the Bo Hengy – some 80 per cent of our clientele use it to come here from Nassau.
“Connecting visitors from abroad are using the Bo Hengy more and more. We book it for them. All our tour operators in Europe get them to Nassau and we take it from there…
“Last year it was very important to get new bookings because of September 11. As you know, the tourism industry in the Bahamas has really dropped. Weﾴre talking about eighty thousand dollars in revenues in a five-month period that we would have never had. And thatﾴs only a start; thatﾴs 80 or 90 thousand dollars on which we have made a substantial profit.”
Harvey Roberts, former Chief Councillor and owner of a small art gallery on the island, says business has picked up in several areas.
“The Bo Hengy is now a part of our life, “he says. “Iﾴve seen the difference. The golf cart rentals go to out to the dock every morning. Thatﾴs $40 or 50 dollars a day for each rental they didnﾴt have yesterday.”
The number of golf cart businesses has increased from five to seventeen in the past two years.
“Folks depend on the shops, too,” says the Harbour Island Council member. “They taste our conch salad and our ice cream. Come half past two every day, after theyﾴve seen the island, theyﾴre like a rooster going back home. They go towards the boat and stop at the conch place, their last port of call before they go back to Nassau.”
Sherry Stubbs is the Bo Hengy representative on Harbour Island. She says, “There are so many indicators. We have a new hotel and restaurant called The Rock House. Thereﾴs also a new restaurant called the Sip Sip, on the pink sand beach. The Bo Hengy has brought a level of reliability here that is uncommon in an island setting. Itﾴs on time. Itﾴs every day, and the service is professional. “Since the service started, thereﾴs been an improvement in the cottage industries. You have school children who sell shells. You even have more bread getting baked, because people from Nassau love island bread.
“Everything is tied into the arrival of the Fast Ferry, right down to the funerals. In any discussions you have, itﾴs always tied to after 11 a.m. because the Bo Hengy arrives at 10:15 or after 4:15 and because it departs at 3:55. In a lot of circumstances and situations, it drives determining factors and events here.”
The island evolution isnﾴt lost on the Ministry of Tourism representative, either. Raymond Harrison says he likes the way the walking tour offered by the Bo Hengy gives free publicity to the smaller businesses. “The tour takes them right past all the straw vendors, around where the boutiques and historic sites. That way, they already have a feel for whatﾴs available on the island. By the time they have gone to the beach and had their lunch, they come back and patronise these places, on their way back to the Bo Hengy. They know where to go to pick up their trinkets. They use a golf cart and shop, and stop into places for lunch.”
And the economic benefits have impacted more than just the one island.
“Definitely the Bo Hengy has a positive effect in real estate sales for Damianos Eleuthera,” says agent Jonathan Morris.
“For one, it is always good for our clients to have choices in how to access the island. Some people may not be keen on flying, or the ﾑBahamasair experience.ﾴ “Some people simply prefer the old Bahamian sea travel idea, although in this case it has been updated by speed of arrival. In many ways, too, people can appreciate and understand the lay of the land better by arriving by sea. Many of my clients who live in Nassau and have vacation homes here are thankful to be able to jump on the Fast Ferry and arrive in Governor’s Harbour Friday night and leave Sunday morning back to Nassau for the work week – especially if they work or live close to Potter’s Cay.”
Next step for Bahamas Fast Ferries? More routes, more vessels, and more opportunities for Family Islanders to benefit economically and socially, and for visitors to enjoy modern inter-island transport to other islands of The Bahamas they may never otherwise visit.
By Deby Nash
