We left Rock Sound on Eleutheura to sail about 20 miles north to South Palmetto. We had an enjoyable sail but had a hassle anchoring. We put it down and pulled it up four times until we were satisfied that it was dug in. It was the first time that we had problem setting the Rocna anchor but less problems than the other boats with different anchors. The bottom looked like sand but was rather hard with little loose sand. We wanted it to be set because strong winds were predicted while we planned to be here.
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| Junk Sculpture in background |
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| One of the pretty homes |
We walked across to the ocean side to a gorgeous beach. Carl, Marilyn, Al and I met Chuck, Sondra and their cockapoo, Freckles, there for a long walk on a gorgeous beach. They had an interesting way of keeping the beach clean. They made artwork out of the flotsam by hanging it the dead trees. Very interesting! On the way back we saw some cute homes. Later everyone came to Blue Heaven for dinner and a game of Mexican Train Dominoes.
The winds came as predicted but we were able to get into land for a long walk the next day. However, for most of the day we just hung out on the boat. We were thankful that the anchor held in the consistent 20 knots.
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| My rug is complete! |
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| Anglican Church, Governor's Harbor |
We moved the next day all of 5 miles to Governor’s Harbor on Eleutheura. It was a very gentle sail so I was able to finish the edging on my rug. Al actually took a picture of me with the rug while we were sailing. Once again anchoring was a problem in the harbor for the other two boats but we found patch of sand and I told Al to drop it in the light blue spot. It held the second time we put it there. Eliora got so frustrated after numerous tries that they went around the bend to another beach. We walked the town which had more than the other settlements we had been to lately. There were two decent grocery stores, dive shop, clothing store, and two wine and spirit stores. The library and Anglican Church were two interesting buildings along the waterfront.
The next move was to Alabaster Bay which basically was a beach area with Cocodimama Resort. I got some kayaking done around the bay and later we enjoyed a drink in the resort. They had a wonderful sitting area with sofas. What a pleasure to sit on a sofa! We have not been on one since when we were home at Thanksgiving. Oh, such simple pleasures! Then we went to Discovery for a shared delicious dinner. You can see we are not starving!
We finally had a longer day to get to the northern end of Eleutheura (a 110 mi. island) which was a brisk sail of 33 miles. We wanted to go through Current Cut at slack tide but got there about an hour sooner than we expected due to stronger winds than expected.
We got through it fighting about 2 knots of current, but it wasn’t too bad. What did surprise us was to see snorkelers in the cut. Since the winds were light and out of the west we anchored at Meek’s Patch which is about 2 miles across from Spanish Wells. Another boat, Tilt, joined us once again.
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| Flowers covered the graves. |
We all took our dinghies across to walk the settlement of Spanish Wells. This settlement is a more prosperous than many of the places in the Exumas and other islands. It had the first large grocery like we see in the USA. The cemetery was a sight to see with all the flowers! Some lovely homes and numerous stores are here but not much choice for restaurants. I will say I have not been impressed with Bahamian cuisine. It is mostly hamburgers, chicken or ribs or fried conch, fish or chicken fingers. I like fish, but not fried and not with the heads!
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| Street on Harbor Island |
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| Pink Beach |
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| Golf carts and people lined up for funeral |
Out of the group of boats, Al and I were the only ones who had not been to Harbor Island, so we went by fast ferry for the day. This is even a wealthier island with lots of well-to-do visitors. The homes and prices for food or clothing were definitely catering to the wealthy. When we got off the ferry, we noticed many Bahamians dressed to impress. We thought that there must be a wedding. We walked past the Anglican Church which had canopy and chairs outside and lots of people milling around. After a walk to the “Pink Beach” and lunch at a lovely spot overlooking the ocean, we came by the church and services were still going on. We asked one of the many waiting in the golf carts what was going on, and it was not a wedding but a funeral. We were told the preacher had not spoken yet (at least 30 to 45 min.) and then there would be a parade afterwards to the food and beverage to celebrate this woman’s life. It looked like around two hundred people were there! On these small islands, I guess everyone knows each other or are related.
The island had some very attractive homes and streets than other places we visited. Going to and from Harbor Island the ferry had to go what they call the “Devils Backbone.” It is an area with many reefs and even the ferry had to zigzag through the maze. You can see why they recommend that you hire a pilot to take you through on your own boat. The day was a nice change of pace.
We are off in the morning to head north to the Abacos planning to be around Little Harbor. It is a 50 some mile trip so we will be up and out early.
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