Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1507768
P H OTO BY E L L E N M C K N I G H T/A L A MY AS THE BAHAMAS CELEBRATES ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE, WRITER MARK ELLWOOD TAKES A TRIP TO VISIT WITH SOME OF THE LOCALS—BOTH MULTI-GENERATIONAL AND NEWLY TRANSPLANTED—TO LEARN WHAT KEEPS THEIR FEET PLANTED FIRMLY IN THAT GOLDEN SAND. Time Island here's never been a time quite like this for The Bahamas, according to Theodore Elyett. The Nassau-born 39-year- old is one of the island nation's foremost designers; record- ing artist Michelle Williams and stage actress Cynthia Erivo are both devotees of his red carpet–ready gowns. He learned to sew hanging out at the clothing factory his mother ran. "I'd sneak in and steal all the spare fabric, playing around to find my own aesthetic." And while Elyett is proudly celebrating his 25 years in business, he's most proud of his nation's milestone: five decades since The Bahamas gained independence from the UK. "It feels like two diŒerent generations are coming together for a common goal. There's such a big sense of unity now between the generation that was part of British rule, and the one that enjoyed the freedoms the earlier generation fought for," he says. "Tourism came to a standstill during the pandemic, but it's rebounded, so we're celebrating unity and normalcy, and who we really are as Bahamians." The nation, its 700 islands scattered like pieces of a broken necklace oŒ the southeast corner of Florida, are emerging once again as one of the Caribbean's prime destinations (even if it's not technically on the name- sake sea, the nation is culturally considered to be part of that wider region). Airlift is increasing radically from the US— JetBlue is starting direct non-stop flights from Los Angeles this winter, and Alaska will shadow it on that route, as well as of fering ser vice from Seat tle. Tradewind, the charter and short-haul specialist best known in New England, opened a Southeast Florida base this September, driven in part by the demand for private flights to nearby destinations like this one. The appeal of The Bahamas is self-evident to most luxury travelers, says Alabama-based Ragan Stone, a travel specialist with expertise in the country: "Spend a week in The Bahamas, and you notice guests on the first day looking at their phones, and the women still have on makeup, and their hair is fixed," Stone notes. "But in a few days, there's no more makeup, no one is looking at Instagram, and the outfits are noticeably more casual. It's a place to disconnect and embrace a slower pace." The easiest base in The Bahamas is Nassau, the anchor of New Providence island; there's the small, aptly named Paradise Island, T