MAILBOATS:
THE LIFEBLOOD OF INTER-ISLAND COMMUNICATION Captain Moxey Vessel
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By Shavaughn Moss Photographs courtesy of L. Roscoe Dames II
an you even wrap your head around the idea of not being able to enjoy ice cream on a regular basis? For people living on Family Islands, sometimes called the out islands, around the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, this can be reality. The simple enjoyment of an ice cream cone, which many people take for granted, is a luxury that Family Islanders may not have the means in which to indulge, if, by chance, the cooling system on the mailboat (cargo freighters) that transports supplies to their island is not working up to par on any given week. This simple statement speaks to the importance of the country’s domestic shipping network. Mailboats are an integral part of the archipelagic Bahamian society—dare I say an inherent part of Bahamian culture. From the northern-most island of Grand Bahama, home to the second-largest city in the country—Freeport; to the most southern island—Inagua, a paradise for bird watchers and ecotourists; and all inhabited islands in between—New Providence, on which sits the capital city of Nassau, to Eleuthera, Cat Island, Rum Cay, Long Island, San Salvador, Ragged Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma, Berry Islands, Mayaguana, Bimini, and the Abacos—the mailboats have been a lifeblood for generations. The mailboat is a government-subsidized vessel contracted from private agencies to communicate with the Family Islands on a regular weekly basis. The vehicle that you’re driving while on the Family Island was ferried there by mailboat. Groceries to prepare the food and drink that you consume while on the island came in on the mailboat. Furniture and appliances in your hotel or Airbnb came in on the mailboat. Building supplies to construct the abode in which you are staying came in on the mailboat. Every vehicle, building material and 99 percent of all foods are shipped to the Family Islands on mailboats— including the government mail, for which they receive a stipend.
Mailboat Cargo
april 2022
62
