Mailboats of the Bahamas

Book excerpt: Mailboats of the Bahamas is the story of a humble fleet of cast-off merchant boats which continue to serve over 50 remote communities in the Bahamas archipelago. This first-of-its-kind book traces the story of over 200 vessels and the mariners and traders who manned them through, hurricanes and politics to deliver church pews, screws, soda, thread, animals, produce, and most of the items in between. Many boats were purchased in Europe and later sold in Latin America. Others were built in the islands and then later, in Florida and the US Gulf. Many of them became wrecks and reefs, with others being sold to Haiti and South America. The book is richly illustrated with 150 color photographs, etchings, and charts.