Lights Out in Eleuthera, Eleven Motorcycles Gone From a Police Station, and the Fees Boaters Say Hurt More Than $7.80 Fuel

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 · 6:30 PM Bahamas time

Eleuthera residents demand a plan for daily power outages. Four men are accused of stealing eleven motorcycles from the Harbour Island Police Station. Andros waits on the Fresh Creek Bridge repair, and Bimini and Abaco boat operators sound the alarm.

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Eleuthera: “How much longer?”

Residents of Central and South Eleuthera say the outages happen every day, sometimes several times a day. Philippa Kelly, the former FNM candidate for Central and South Eleuthera, is calling on Bahamas Power and Light to explain its plan.

Residents also cite damaged appliances, lost money and the cost of rented generators. We have not yet seen a public response from BPL with a timeline. We will keep watching.

There is also heartbreak. The Tribune reports that 21-year-old Charles Dupuch Jr. was struck and killed by a van while walking along Queen’s Highway around 9:15 p.m. on Friday. His mother, Markera Smith, told The Tribune he was days away from surgery at Princess Margaret Hospital. He loved farming, Junkanoo and swimming, had finished a course in hydroponic farming and had worked as a lifeguard. Police are still investigating. Our thoughts are with his family.

Harbour Island: eleven motorcycles, one police station

This one sounds like a movie. Four men are accused of breaking into the Harbour Island Police Station and stealing eleven motorcycles. According to The Tribune, prosecutors allege that ten Yamahas and one Honda, worth $66,000, were taken between 11:30 p.m. on October 1 and 2 a.m. on October 2.

The accused, aged 19 to 23, pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Abigail Farrington and were granted bail. A trial date is to be set in Harbour Island on October 27. They are innocent until proven guilty.

Visiting? Harbour Island’s pink sand beach is a must. On Eleuthera itself, stop at the Glass Window Bridge, where the deep blue Atlantic meets the calm green Bight of Eleuthera on either side of a narrow strip of land. The island is also known for its pineapple history.

Andros: waiting on a bridge

The big story on the largest island in The Bahamas is the Fresh Creek Bridge. Works Minister Clay Sweeting has said the repair will cost about $400,000 and take around four to six weeks once a structural support beam arrives. The government plans to seek proposals for a permanent replacement bridge later. Our News also reported the minister’s updates on road and bridge projects on Heroes Day.

Andros is also part of the national marine protected area assessment. Visitors know it for blue holes, world-class bonefishing and Androsia, the batik fabric made right there in Fresh Creek.

The Berry Islands had no new headlines today. They are a lovely stop for boaters, with Great Harbour Cay’s long beach and Chub Cay, well known for sportfishing.

Bimini and Abaco: the fees nobody can afford

The Tribune reports that yacht charter operators say government boating fees hurt more than high fuel prices. Stephen Kappeler, managing director of the Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina, has said larger vessels are still largely absent from Bahamian waters, arguing that the charges deter some of the highest-spending visitors.

The government did add two new cruising permit categories this year, for stays of 30 days or less and six months or less, which cut costs for some shorter visits. Bimini is the closest Bahamian island to Florida, famous for big-game fishing and its Ernest Hemingway history.

Abaco tells the same story. Michael Dillon, owner of Abaco Yacht and Charter Services, said the fees and the cruising permit structure are still hurting business, and told The Tribune that fuel in Abaco is about $7.80 a gallon. The Bahama Out Island Promotion Board had previously linked a 6.4 percent drop in sea arrivals to Abaco through July to the fee increases.

Also in Abaco, a resident is calling for action on roadside dumping, calling it “absolutely disgraceful” and asking for dumpsters at set locations and enforcement of the law. “Abaco is far too beautiful to be treated like one big garbage dump.”

Sports fans: the Bahamas Pickleball Federation has a ranking tournament planned at the Abaco Beach Resort, November 13–15. For visitors, Hope Town’s red-and-white striped Elbow Reef Lighthouse is iconic, and the Sea of Abaco is some of the best sailing water in the country.

Next, in Part 4: Grand Bahama, with power debts, a new hospital, a business survey and a conch-cracking festival.