George Town - Conch!

Yum!  Some people love conch.  Some people don't.   Everyone enjoys Reynaldo.

Reynaldo dives for his conch in the Jumentos from his little Boston whaler. He brings plenty back and stores them in the water tied together in groups of 4-6 by a small line that is run through a hole in the lip of the conch shell.  He then brings a few of the lines to the beach near his conch shack adjacent to the Chat 'n' Chill restaurant on Stocking Island.  When a customer orders a conch salad, and there is usually a line for Reynaldo's conch salad, he goes to the water and brings in a string of conch.

Reynaldo, 21 y/o Bahamian, following in his father's and
brother's footsteps, cleans the conch for conch salad.
He rarely looks at what his hands are doing.

He hits the conch shell with a ball peen hammer and inserts a knife to cut the muscle, and voile, the conch meat slips out.  He cleans the white meat and tenderizes it on his table with a huge chopping knife.  His motions are machine gun quick, he rarely looks at what his hands are doing, and soon he has chopped conch, tomato, green pepper, onion to small dices.  He mixes and cuts limes to juice over the salad and 'cook' the conch.  Then he cuts oranges and adds the sweet juice to the salad.  He can add hot peppers, but I like it straight.

Cleaned white conch meat with the 'foot' still on it. 

Reynaldo chops and mixes all the ingredients lightning fast.
He has all his fingers. He hasn't cut himself in over a year!

Chat 'n' Chill beach and its eponymous restaurant is the home of Reynaldo's conch salad, BBQ ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers and conch burgers, cold Sands and Kalik Bahamian beers, special rotisserie chicken night, rock 'n' roll night, roast pork Sunday, volley ball, dominoes, and basket weaving every day, beach church on Sunday.  They help sponsor the Cruisers' regatta. Kendra and Shepherd in the bar are always hopping.  I personally enjoyed many mornings doing yoga with Agnes.

View from the Chat 'n' Chill restaurant.
White sand, aqua marine water, and blue skies with puffy white clouds.
The signs on the pole show distances and directions to boats' home ports. 

Lunch at Chat 'n' Chill.  Motto: The chat is free, you have to pay for the chill.
D, Margaret, Alan Brown, Gordon, and Jean

Gordon and Jean chillin' in a hammock at Chat 'n' Chill beach