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Arts & Culture : Books Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


New Book by High-ranking Naval Officer Calls for Naming Bahamas Waters the Lucayan Sea
By Diane Phillips
Jul 17, 2015 - 9:00:26 AM

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Captain Tellis A. Bethel, Acting Commodore Royal Bahamas Defence Force, author of the new book calling for naming the Bahamas waters the Lucayan Sea

Nassau, Bahamas - A high-ranking naval officer and author of several scholarly publications is calling for the majestic waters of The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos to be named the Lucayan Sea, declaring that the name not only pays fitting tribute to the islands’ original inhabitants but reflects the nature of Bahamians as a people of peace.

Captain Tellis A. Bethel, Acting Commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, makes a strong and thorough argument for the naming of yet-anonymous waters in his new book, The Lucayan Sea, Birthplace of the Modern Americas (Outskirts Press.com). The book, available in hard copy and online for Kindle, takes the reader on a 90-page journey from the time the Lucayans welcomed Christopher Columbus to the New World to the continuing absence of a name for either the territorial waters extending up to 12 miles or the exclusive economic zone that extends up to 200 miles offshore. Waters to the north and east, he explains, are the Atlantic Ocean, to the south, the Caribbean Sea. But the waters immediately around The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos have never officially been named.

“Naming the waters the Lucayan Sea is not just a logical idea, but it is an idea that is intrinsically linked to the geography, history and culture of the Bahamian people,” said Captain Bethel during a wide-ranging interview that included a suggestion that naming the sea Lucayan would have the potential to jumpstart a movement of peace and performance of good deeds. “The Lucayans were the first indigenous people to settle the Bahama islands and the first to suffer total genocide at the beginning of the modern era in human history. Today, citizens, residents and visitors alike enjoy the Bahamas and its beautiful waters that were once settled and enjoyed by the Lucayan Indians. As a result we have inherited a responsibility to do our part to make the world around us a more peaceful place and as reminder of this global purpose for the Bahamian people it is proposed that the waters around The Bahamas be named the Lucayan Sea.”

Any naming would have to be formalized by the Office of the Prime Minister, Bethel said, and the boundaries established in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Maritime boundaries between The Bahamas and Cuba were established in 2012; discussions between The Bahamas and the U.S. are ongoing. At the maximum, the name could extend all the way to the outer limits of the 200-mile exclusive economic zone or the full 100,000 miles of open ocean that surround The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

Captain Bethel, who holds a Master’s degree in Leading Innovation and Change from York St. John University in England, and is a graduate of the Britannia Naval College, believes that naming the waters the Lucayan Sea will sub-consciously influence how Bahamian citizens and residents view themselves, subtly evolving into a more peaceful environment.

“Let’s not wait to have to use guns and bullets to address issues. Let’s find a platform that promotes the uniqueness of who we are as a people, which in my view is that of ambassadors of peace,” said Bethel. Taking the idea a step farther, he suggests that a more formalized structure could result with ambassadors of peace agreeing to perform a random act of kindness or a specific good deed at least once a week.

“The good deed could be anything that promotes personal health, environmental integrity, and caring for each other,” said Captain Bethel.                    

About Captain Tellis A. Bethel

Captain Tellis Bethel is the Acting Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force where he has held key positions aboard various patrol craft, as well as ashore at Coral Harbour Base and at Defence Headquarters during his 30-year tenure in the Defence Force. Captain Bethel enjoys discovering and sharing unique insights about The Bahamas’ rich heritage that reveal a purpose and calling for the people of The Bahamas as ambassadors of peace. He is also the author of several books including, America—A Destiny Unveiled (Xulon Press, 2003).

In 2014, Captain Bethel organized the breaking of the Guinness World Record (GWR) for ‘the most people blowing conch shells’ during the nation’s grand Independence celebrations in 2014.  According to the GWR’s website, the historic event symbolized a ‘call for peace to the nations of the world from the islands of The Bahamas.’  Captain Bethel is a certified Scuba diver and private pilot. He is married to Teri (née Knowles), and the couple have two sons. 

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