Man-O-War

Cay A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Great ...

is a small island in the Abaco region of the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

. It had a population of 215 at the 2010 census.

History

When the American colonies were successful in defeating the British in the U.S. Revolutionary War, some British Loyalists fled the country, traveling to the closest Crown territory, The Bahamas. Following the American Revolution, British Loyalists resettled to Man-O-War Cay. It is one of the early Loyalist settlements in The Abacos. Beginning in 1798, its residents started farming. Early 19th century settlers Benjamin and Eleanor Albury account for 70% of the island's current Alburys. On September 1, 2019,

Hurricane Dorian Hurricane Dorian was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, which became the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and tied for strongest landfall in the Atlantic basin. It is also reg ...

made landfall on Man-O-War Cay in the Abaco Islands after 16:00 UTC with winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and wind gusts up to 225 mph (360 km/h), tying Dorian with the

1935 Labor Day hurricane The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 was the most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall on record by pressure, with winds of up to 185 mph (297 km/h). The fourth tropical cyclone, third tropical storm, second hurricane, and se ...

as the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane on record. There are reports of major damage throughout the islands which has been described as "catastrophic damage" and "pure hell." In the days following the storm, CNN reported that 90% to 100% of all buildings on Man-O-War Cay had sustained damage.

Geography

This island is about long, but relatively narrow, often less than 100 metres between the harbor and beach side of the island. A section of island called "The Narrows" by visitors and "The Low Place" by locals is exceptionally narrow, with a beach on both sides separated by a roadway built into the rock formation between them, less than 10 metres across. The harbor side of the island faces Marsh Harbour, and a beach side runs the length of the opposite shore. Wreckage of the first USS ''Adirondack'', which ran aground in August 1862, is strewn on the reef just northeast of Man-O-War.

Governance

Man-O-War Cay is represented in Parliament by The MP (

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

) for the South Abaco constituency, Mr. James Albury. Currently, Man-O-War's representatives on the Hope Town District Council, (which also includes two other neighboring Cays) are: Mr. Jeremy Sweeting and Mr. Arthur Elden. Mr. Jeremy Sweeting serves as the Chief Councillor for their District.

Economy

The island is notable for its boat building history. William H. Albury was renowned in the country for his boat building skills. He built his first

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

at the age of 14. Albury died in 1972, but the boat building on the Cay still lives on. The last big boat built by the William H. Albury Ship Yard was the ''Esperanto''. The ''Esperanto'' was later renamed The ''William H. Albury'' in his honor. Today, boat building consists primarily of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

boats, as opposed to wooden vessels. A number of workers commute each day from

Marsh Harbour Marsh Harbour is a town in Abaco Islands, Bahamas, with a population of 6,283 as of 2012. The settlement lies on a peninsula just off the Great Abaco Highway, which runs south through Great Abaco to Cherokee Point and Little Harbour. North of to ...

. There are two small grocery stores, a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

, a boat yard, a few gift shops, a hardware and lumber store, two restaurants and a bakery. Golf-carts are rented by several companies (the narrow roads, often unpaved outside of the town centre, only permit the use of golf-carts or other small vehicles). No

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...

is sold on the island. During the summer some local houses are rented by vacationing families. AbacoDinghy-1024px

The home builders of Man-O-War are known throughout the Bahamas for building homes that "are built like ships, but bolted to the land." All the rafters and structure are joined together in a manner similar to ship construction and resist hurricanes very well. Several of the local boat builders still make the occasional "Abaco Dinghy" in their native woods of Madeira mahogany and other Bahamian hardwoods. They are today considered works of art and sought after by those who appreciate fine old world wooden vessels.

Transport

Public travel to Man-O-War Cay is available via ferry from

Community

Most of the residents are in some way or another related to the Albury family. The people are very

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, and still hold deep affection and loyalty to the

British Crown The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...

. The majority of the residents are avid church-goers. The island has four churches, one

Non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

, one

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

, one Methodist, and one

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and non-conformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where they originated from Anglicanism. The group emphasizes ...

. The island has very little crime and is considered clean and well kept.

Sport

The diving, snorkeling and water sports around the island are available.

References

External links

Photos of Man-O-War CayMan-O-War Heritage Trust

Man-O-War Heritage MuseumA map of Man-O-War Cay

Islands of the Bahamas Abaco Islands