Naming the Waters of the Bahamas
Press
EVERY once in a while, an idea is proposed that makes so much sense you wonder why no one thought of it before. Naming the waters of The Bahamas the Lucayan Sea is one of those ideas.
#Proposed by Captain Tellis Bethel, Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (Acting), the Lucayan Sea concept is one of the most practical, sensible and intelligent ideas proposed in years. It is, in fact, a concept that we can find absolutely no argument against and one we believe has the potential to help unite all people of The Bahamas regardless of race, colour, creed, religion or socio-economic status.
#This is not an idea that popped up like an unwanted weed after a heavy rain, but rather one that matured over years and after much research.
During a recent visit to Eleuthera hosted by The One Eleuthera Foundation, the Acting Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, Tellis A. Bethel received a guided tour of the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve. Preserve Manager, Falon Cartwright hosted the Commander and five Defense Force marines on Friday, February 26th. On the tour it was clear that Commander Bethel’s appreciation for Bahamian natural history extends beyond the marine environment, commenting that the Preserve took him back to childhood when he would spend time in “the bush” in Long Island. The Commander was especially thrilled to see the Lucayan hut replica, highlighting the first settlers to The Bahamas in the Edible History section of the Preserve having recently published a book, “The Lucayan Sea, Birthplace of the Modern Americas”. In the book, he proposes that the currently unnamed waters surrounding ..
Declaring “Why have a country with a rich history and an array of magnificent islands floating in unnamed waters?” Bahamas National Trust Executive Director Eric Carey this week threw his support behind the movement to name the waters of The Bahamas The Lucayan Sea.
Carey’s formal endorsement came as he met with Capt. Tellis A. Bethel, Commander (Acting), Royal Bahamas Defense Force, the author and historian who proposed giving the 100,000-plus square miles of open, unnamed waters a name that paid tribute to the indigenous people who first inhabited the islands.
Capt. Bethel spent decades plying the sea, first working aboard a cruise ship, later rising through the ranks of the Defense Force. From the beginning, it troubled him that the waters — the most appealing and prominent...
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Acting Commodore Captain Tellis Bethel Sr. during a regular scheduled Nassau East Rotary Club Meeting last Friday presented his theory on giving the surrounding waters of The Bahamas a name, The Lucayan Sea.
The project, which he said started some 20 odd years ago, has finally reached a point where he believes the public needs to become aware and involved.
“I propose that we look at the concept of naming our waters the Lucayan Sea because it embodies so much of our history, geography and our culture,” he said.
“Not to mention the fact that we have over six million tourists that travel and see these waters and I’ve not included those who’ve transited these waters...
Declaring “Why have a country with a rich history and an array of magnificent islands floating in unnamed waters?” Bahamas National Trust Executive Director Eric Carey this week threw his support behind the movement to name the waters of The Bahamas The Lucayan Sea.
Carey’s formal endorsement came as he met with Capt. Tellis A. Bethel, Commander (Acting), Royal Bahamas Defense Force, the author and historian who proposed giving the 100,000-plus square miles of open, unnamed waters a name that paid tribute to the indigenous people who first inhabited the islands.
Capt. Bethel spent decades plying the sea, first working aboard a cruise ship, later rising through the ranks of the Defense Force. From the beginning, it troubled him that the waters -- the most appealing and prominent..
At 98, The Bahamas’ best-loved sailing legend and the country’s first Olympic Gold Medal winner Sir Durward Knowles knows a thing or two about the Bahamian sea.
Now, he says, the time has come to name it.
This week, he signed on to the campaign to name the waters around The Bahamas The Lucayan Sea.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said the legendary sailor known as Sea Wolf. “The waters around The Bahamas should be named -- just so long as they don’t rename any of the places that already have names like Exuma Sound.”
The campaign to name the waters the Lucayan Sea was the brainchild of Royal Bahamas Defense Force Acting Commodore Tellis A. Bethel, Sr. As a captain who has spent countless hours at sea, he was troubled by the fact that the very thing that defines The Bahamas, the waters, have never been officially named.
“The Caribbean Sea is a very well-defined area that was named after the Carib Indians. But the archipelagic waters of The Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos lie outside the boundaries of the Caribbean Sea and they have never been named,” said Captain Bethel.