South to Eleuthra

Fri-April 3rd,  We head out into what seemed to be favorable winds and seas but after 2 hours the winds turned on our nose and we were pounding into rough seas. Caution prevailed and we decided not to beat ourselves up making this 70 mile trip and we returned to port.
    The following morning the seas had calmed and even though there wasn’t wind for sailing we decided to try again. We motored south all day making good time in the long swells. Hooked a huge fish that I apparently wasn’t patient enough with and lost it when the 150 lb test braided line parted on it’s first leap. Not sure what it was but judging from what we saw I can’t imagine getting it aboard. Had fuel problems again as we were closing on our first landfall of Egg Island but by then we had enough breeze that Chris was able to sail us into the cut while I changed both filters and primed the engine. Only another 6 miles brought us to the protected harbor of Royal Island where we have spent many peaceful nights in the past. Even with the engine problems we still covered the 65 statute miles in 9 hours.

Sunday - After a peaceful night at anchor I decided I had to tackle the source of our fuel problems that have plagued us since leaving Florida. Since the tank is only half full I am able to pump it dry with an electric pump into the spare cans I carry and then  flush tank clean. This entails unbolting it so I can tilt it to get all the remains out. Needless to say this means working in a very  confined space which is the reason I have put this process off. The end result was that I removed  1.75 ltr of water from the bottom of the tank. Hopefully this is the end of our fuel issues.
    Spent the afternoon snorkeling on the north side of the island then on our return were invited aboard a neighboring boat from Montreal for cocktails and interesting conversation.

Meeks Patch-April 7th, A short motor to Spanish Wells where we anchored out and made the trip to town for groceries and fuel.  This is one of the best kept towns we have found in all the Bahamas. The residents who are descendants of white loyalists are hard working fishermen and supply all the spiny lobster for the Red Lobster chain.  The boats, homes and grounds are all well kept and we always feel welcome when we visit.
    For the evening we motor the short distance to a small island called Meeks Patch where we anchor off a pretty sand beach.

Glass Window- April 8th, We  fly thru  Current Cut running with the tide adding an extra 4 kts to our speed, unfortunately as we exit the cut this means we pound into a steep chop for a while as we motor into the wind. We anchor off the beach at the Glass Window and enjoy the protection of the high hills.
  We hike to what has been one of our favorite spots, an abandoned castle looking house on the Oceanside cliffs with great natural pools kept filled by the seas. To our disappointment someone is in the process of renovating and building additions so we no longer have our private paradise.  Spent the afternoon relaxing on another pristine beach the in the morning made our way back to the Oceanside to enjoy the morning sun at the Queens Baths, more natural pools in a cove in the cliffs. This is a national park site but unmarked so it gets very few visitors.

Oceanside coast North Eleuthra

oceanside beach

Anchored off Glass Window

Hatchet Bay-  April 9th- motor south into a moderate chop with a stop at Hatchet Bay. This tiny town is perched on the hills looking over a natural harbor. We have made this stop to visit Island Boy, a fisherman we normally buy frozen lobster from. We find him with empty freezers as his boat recently burned when another boat caught fire and drifted into his resulting in a complete loss.  We move on to another favorite spot, Hatchet Bay where we anchor and go in to find John, who we normally buy Stone crab claws from.  We end up dealing with one of his workers and even though I brought him a 6 pack of beer the deal wasn’t nearly as good as in previous years. Still had a great couple of dinners.

Fri and Sat- The wind is still making travel south difficult so we spend two days wandering around and hiking to the ocean beaches.

Governors Harbor- Sun, Mon and Tuesday- Seas have calmed considerably so we motor south to Governors Harbor. This colonial town sits on the hills overlooking the commercial harbor. The homes are all well kept but appear to be mostly owned by seasonal residents.  We enjoy time on the pink sand beaches that line the ocean side. Are able to get our propane filled and provision with a few fresh veggies.

Pink snad beach, oceanside Governors Harbor

oceanside Governors Harbor

Rock Sound- Wed and Thurs-Motor south with light winds and calm water. Anchor off of town where we bought Conch from the local fisherman.  They gather at the town dock nightly to clean their catch and the locals flock down to buy dinner. A staple of the locals are small snapper that they fry whole.  Some shopping and hiking about filled our time. Thurs evening the boat Floridian pulled in and we friends Lynn and Paul for drinks. They brought us fresh caught Mutton Snapper fillets which made a great dinner.(I didn’t have the heart to tell them we still had a freezer full)