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The chart and following text are from The Southern Bahamas Guide by Stephen J. Pavlidis
About twenty-five miles southwest of San Salvador and nearly the same distance southeast of Conception Island lies Rum Cay. Lucayan Indians named the cay Mamana and it is said to be the second island that Columbus visited on October 15, 1492, of course that’s only if you subscribe to the San Salvador Landfall Theory. The Great Discoverer named the island Santa Maria de la Concepcion, which was transferred over time to nearby Conception Island. The current name of this 30-square mile island allegedly came from an East Indiaman that ran aground here spilling its cargo of rum. There also seems to be some speculation that the cay was named after the Isle of Rum in Scotland. Once settled by Loyalists and later famous for its salt pond production, pineapples, and sisal, it now has only one settlement at Port Nelson. The local inhabitants are a very personable and friendly people. One gentleman, a former Commissioner for Andros, even offered free land on Rum Cay to the inhabitants of Tristan De Cunha several decades ago when their volcano blew its top and displaced many islanders. The Tristanians, saying they were not acclimated to the colder English weather, declined the gracious offer and returned to their island home. Rum Cay is a very popular jumping off spot for vessels southbound to the southern Bahamas and the Caribbean. The island itself is generally low-lying and flat although there are a few small hills that run down to the shore to end up as white bluffs. A large reef system stretches northward for approximately two miles off the northwestern tip of Rum Cay with a visible wreck on its northernmost tip. Tides at Rum Cay run approximately 1 hour before Nassau. |
