Ragged Islands, Bahamas: Duncan Town and Buena Vista Cay

In short

We sailed to Duncan Town, Ragged Island, in the far south of the Bahamas: 70 people, goats in the street, free Wi-Fi at the outdoor clinic and an impeccable grocery store. On the way we explored a cave at Flamingo Cay and met Edward Lockhart, the only resident of Buena Vista Cay, who lives on rainwater and his garden. Stock up on diesel, spares and food first; this is a route for self-reliant sailors.

The Ragged Islands, Bahamas are well off the beaten path but definitely worth visiting by sailboat.

Stock up on supplies before you go. The mail boat won’t carry celery if that matters to you. Bring plenty of diesel, spares and food. This is a route for sailors who are comfortable getting themselves out of trouble if necessary.

Duncan Town, Population 70 —Where Goats Cross the Street

I’m writing this blog from Duncan Town, Ragged Island, Bahamas. Here, goats cross the street, and cars are few and far between. Local resident Maxine Wallace tells me that the town population is 70 people.

Internet access is available at the local clinic. We rely on Wi-Fi. We have no internet access on the boat otherwise. The clinic waiting room is outdoors. You can sit in the chairs and use the internet for free. Here is a picture of my family outside the clinic.

Here, abandoned houses cozy up to well-inhabited structures. We saw a laundry machine on the front porch of one house along with some rusty bicycles. But the local grocery store is impeccable, save for a few ants that danced about the sugar. I bought two bags and then put them in the freezer.

Maxine showed me her dried conchs yesterday.

The conchs are sent by mail boat to be sold in Nassau.

Maxine, by the way, is the cousin of Edward Lockhart, who you would know if I had reliable internet access and could post blogs more frequently.

Buena Vista Cay, Population 1 — Meeting Edward Lockhart

We met Edward Lockhart a few days ago on Buena Vista Cay. He is the sole resident of the island and is very friendly. Edward has no motorized method of transport. He has no generator, which means he has no refrigeration, and appears to sleep in a hammock on the main level of his dwelling. Here is a picture taken in Edward’s yard.

Edward showed us his chickens, peacocks, dogs, and garden. He grows papayas, peanuts, corn, and sweet potatoes. All of his water is supplied by rain.

Here is a picture of Edward with our son, Paul.

Edward was our first human contact since we left George Town a few days ago. Before that, we were exploring a cave at Flamingo Cay and viewing sharks from our dinghy. Here is a picture taken from inside the cave.

Natural light shines through holes in the ceiling of the cave. We went at low tide and saw sharks swimming close to shore.

Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes to our twins. It was their birthday yesterday. They are now five years old.

We are spending one more night in Duncan Town before working our way southeast. We hope to see more reefs and perhaps some flamingos before we leave the Bahamas.

Witnessing the Lasting Impact of Hurricane Irma

In 2017, Edward of Buena Vista Cay made the news as he survived Hurricane Irma alone, underneath a tree.

We returned to Duncan Town in 2019 and saw the aftermath of the hurricane. The pink clinic was heavily damaged. Yet, as of May 2026, it is being rebuilt as a full-service clinic that resembles a small hospital.

As recently as 2024, Edward was still making the news at the age of 84 when he declared, “I’m going to plant 2000 [coconut] trees on Buena Vista Cay before I die.”

And, we did see flamingos in the Bahamas but not until we sailed further south and anchored in Abraham’s Bay, Mayaguana.

Next in the story →Mayaguana, Bahamas: The Generosity in Abraham’s Bay

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