South to Eleuthra

  Eleuthra March 4th
    After a peaceful night listening to the seas crashing across the narrow island that protects us from the ocean we head out Little Harbor inlet into a beautiful sunrise. The swells are big, 4 to 5 feet but with light winds we motor sail very comfortably south. Catching a nice Jack within minutes of setting our lines had me optimistic for a good day of fishing.  About half way thru the day finally had another fish on and this was a nice Mahi. This is one of our favorites and after a great dinner, fish for at least 5 meals  went into the freezer. The addition of a vacuum sealer this year should help keep our frozen catches tasting fresher.  After a great crossing we anchored in the protected harbor on Royal Island where we plan to spend a few days.

first mahi (dolfin fish) of the trip

Wed-Sunny and warm with light breezes. Spent the afternoon snorkeling and wandering about the island. Found an area loaded with small conch and was able to gather 4 that were large enough to keep. Had a great feast of cracked conch for dinner. Whoever first decided to eat this large snail must have been really hungry as it’s the ugliest creature but is very tasty. The sweet meat must be pounded thin to tenderize it and we have come to love it fried coated in batter then dipped in a spicy sauce.

 

conch making a quick getaway(old photo)

Thurs and Fri- As expected another cold front has moved in from Fl with clouds, big winds and a few squalls. We are hunkered down for the duration with our books. Had neighbors over for cocktails and a pleasant evening sharing stories and info. Most of the boats we meet are already heading north after spending the winter here so it is nice to meet other boaters we will be traveling south with.  During the night we were awakened by a squall packing fierce winds that laid the boat over on its side for a short time. It passed quickly and other than having numerous unsecured dishes flying about  we survived unscathed.

Sat-Dawned sunny with a brisk north wind. Head south under full sail timing our passage thru Current Cut at just past slack tide. The current thru this narrow pass normally runs at 4 kts but today our timing was good and we had only 2 kts of current. Sailed tothe Glass window where we anchored off the beach for the night. Caught a great mangrove snapper along the way.  An afternoon spent hiking to one of our favorite spots, an abandoned castle like home with a great secluded natural pools above the crashing ocean waves topped off another great day in Eleuthra.

Mangrove Snapper- great eating

Sun- Moved a short ways south  to explore a spot we had been told about last year but never found. The Queens Baths are a national park site but it appears the locals have removed any signage probably to keep out us tourists. What a fantastic spot. Hiking over the ragged cliffs we were rewarded with a craggy cove dotted with a cave and numerous pools that were kept full by the crashing seas. Spent hours frolicking like kids in another secluded spot. No wonder the locals work to keep this for themselves.

queen for the day in the "Queens Baths"

another rough day

Queens baths

Cave at Queens Baths

     Monday-Prior to moving on from this idyllic spot we had said we would get up and bring a thermos across to the ocean side to watch the sunrise from the Queens Baths. Welll, the best laid plans,, after pressing the snooze alarm twice we decided it was a little cool and were very happy to lie in bed. Even missed my 6:30 weather on the SSB radio.  We did finally venture out and spent the morning basking in the sun and warm pools. Motored south a few miles to anchor in Gregorytown, a sleepy hillside village where we wandered about and had hoped to buy fresh conch to no avail.  After not having any luck finding fresh conch or lobster we motored the few miles south to Hatchet Bay where we were planning to hole up for the next blow later in the week. Brought a bottle of rum in to our friend John who runs the stone crab boat but since he hadn't been out that day we had to settle for frozen. He sent one of his men to the freezer and we had a feast later that evening and froze enough for another night.  John had just bought an old boat from the lobster fleet in Spanish wells that we had seen and laughed at the name "Lackanookie" since these boats go out for weeks at a time. The previous owner also had named his home Lotsanookie.

    Tues- Sunny and warm, since we have a mooring Chris says we are staying to be sure we don't loose it when the harbor fills up for the expected blow. This harbor is a totally enclosed lake with a narrow entrance cut in the cliffs. Great protection in a storm and the govt has supplied 10 moorings to tie to. My only problem with an enclosed harbor is the quality of the water as I can't imagine the homes have much in septic systems.  We don't swim off the boat and rely on our water tanks even for dish washing. Hiked to the beach on the ocean side where we explored but the seas were to rough to swim.

Hatchet Bay entrance on a calm day

    Thurs- Sunny and hot, hauled the bikes to shore and rode south to an area called Rainbow Cay. A 70's housing developement with lots of roads and beautiful beaches both on the ocean and the sound. The building boom never happened so there are only scattered homes and the roads make great riding.  With the winds now from the west the ocean has calmed down and we enjoyed an afternoon swimming at a secluded beach nesteled among the cliffs.

    Fri- Stormy weather has arrived but mainly strong winds and enough rain to fill our water tanks. Spent the day aboard being lazy.

Governors Harbor
   Sat and Sun- Motor sail south 16 miles into choppy seas. By the end of this short sail the boat was covered in a layer of dried salt.  This larger town is one of our favorite villages in Eleuthra. We spent our days hiking to the beaches and wandering about town. The winds have been strong but the protection has been fine.

Pink beach- oceanside Governors Harbor (defunct club med)

Colonial homes overlook Governors Harbor

Back to Hatchet Bay
    Mon, St Patrick Day- With another cold front expected to bring strong west winds we hightailed it back to better protection in Hatchet Bay. A brisk SW wind made short work of the trip but entering the narrow cut into the harbor was exciting with following seas. Later in the day an oil tanker and a huge schooner (cruise ship) made the same passage and they must have only a few feet to spare. Actually this cut is 90 ft wide but the cliffs and big seas certainly make it seem half that. An afternoon walk to the oceanside beach topped off another day in paradise.

tanker exiting cut

 

Schooner Liberty Clipper (week long cruises out of Nassau)

Asparagus trees over 30 ft tall(100 year tree?)

    Tues- The expected winds have built  blowing 20-25 kts all night. We are well protected but the noise of the wind all night keeps Chris from relaxing. The day is spent doing chores aboard (laundry while we have free water) and it's now cocktail hour and the predicted storms still havn't arrived.

Palmetto Point
    Wed- with the winds and seas much calmer we headed south stopping off at the beach off of Palmatto Point. Spent the afternoon hiking to the oceanside beach with a stop at a local bar that seemed very crowdwd and noisy for a mid week afternoon. Bought some fresh veggies from the local grocer who keeps a garden in the back.  

Rock Sound
    Thurs- light winds finds us motoring much of the way to Rock Sound where we filled our propane,water, diesel and dinghy gas. These items all have to be hauled in jugs to the boat, but the water is free so I don't mind hauling jugs. After 5 years of visiting these islands we have found enough places where we can haul free water that we rarely pay for it. A trip to the grocery for a few more staples has us stocked up to head for the Exumas where supplies are very limited.