Rock Sound, Eluthera

vegetable garden Bahamian style

Rosies Restaurant

March 20

We spent about 5 nights in this protected harbor, getting fuel, water and some fresh food on the boat as well as exploring the pretty little town and surrounding coast line. All bahamian settlement towns have lots of abandoned buildings and businesses, a minimal grocery store, laundry mat  and maybe a gas station. No banks, no one takes credit cards and the few restaurants we see are empty of customers. If you go in to eat, there is one or two choices of food, and a long wait while it is cooked on the spot. But the prices are not cheap.  

And as we head south, some places charge 2.50 to 5.00 to take a bag of garbage, and water is .40 cents a gallon. Thats water we need for drinking, cooking , washing dishes and bathing. And all that water has to be filled into our 5 gallon portable containers, carried from town to  the dock, loaded on the dinghy and poured into our 50 gallon holding tanks. Fresh water is precious.

There is an alternative, some boats have water-makers that convert salt water to fresh, and some boats go into marinas and stay at a dock where this is more convenient. Marinas are not very desirable to us, plus they cost 40-50.00 per night.

So while you are taking a nice long shower, think of us washing in a small bucket. I'm dreaming of that shower next week.

We caught a fish!!!

March 22

After a perfect day of sailing 35 miles from Eluthra to the top of the Exumas, dragging our line as always, a mahi mahi struck our lure. We were right near the ledge of deep water ocean to  the shallower shelf  around the islands. Michael instantly announces we have to lower the sails, the seas kicked up  to a rough mess, and we had to line up for entrance into Highborne Cut channel. So pandimanioum began. The boat is rocking and rolling, the tiller is hard to control, and an unknown fish is dragging behind us on a 200 lb test line (thank you Vaughn and Jean!). I pull in the line after the sails are set, but the boat is a struggle to stear, and a beautiful mahi mahi comes up along the boat. We have no net or gaff nearby and we almost loose it as we flop the fish into the cockpit where is flops around ingnored as we navigate our way thru the islands.

Once anchored, our next big challenge is how to clean it. Neither of us have any experience, so we muck our way thru, ending up with big chunks of fish with bones. It was delicious, and is going to be several nights of dinner. Maybe some of you can tell the weight by the picture, I was thinking 10 lbs? 

Sharks appeared instantly as we threw head and fins overboard. We think they are nurse sharks.

Also today I made my plane reservations to fly to Fort Lauderdale Mch 27 to spend 5 days with Anna and family. I'm really looking forward to it. Michael will stay tucked in to Staniel Cay while I'm gone.


I want to say that I love the comments and emails I get from everyone, even if I don't reply. Internet access is so spotty and limited, by the time I get it, I have a short time to handle everything, but hearing from you is so heartwarming, and makes me feel the connection to my "other life".

Surfers Beach

hatchet bay proprietor

 a bit of his gardens

Surfer beach shack

Surfers beach with rocks at shoreline!

Notice the clothing? no swimming for me yet it's too cold.

another surfer shack with surf bum.

A surf lookout

March 15

Hitchhiking to surfers beach was an odd experience. After two thumbs out and no rides I ws ready to call it quits, with Michael taunting me that I can't handle rejection, so we make a deal that if two more cars pass us by we'll give up. The very next car stops and off we head to an uncertain path from the main road to the beach. Surprisingly we find it no problem and after a short walk down what is left of a washed out road we find a handmade sign pointing the way to "Surfers Beach". The beach is magnificent, out in the middle of nowhere, with some rough shacks constructed by surfers to give a little shade and shelter. The seas are rough, but the color of the ocean and the expanse of sand was well worth the trip. The waves are breaking onto a shore with pointed rocks that look like dog teeth jutting out of the sand. Nothing I'd want to wade out into. And the sand is so soft my feet sank a good 8 inches with every step as I walked along the wet shoreline. The land between the highway and the beach has been carved with  a grid of rough dirt roads with occasional lots for sale signs and some houses going up. Some are as simple as a camping platform with a locked storage area. All have lookout over the tree tops to see the ocean. At one point in the road we can see the ocean on both sides of the island.

I've been surprised how little attempt anyone has to landscape in the Bahamas, yet in Hatchet Bay  I've seen beautiful, naturalized yards. The Front Porch proprietor has a beautiful hillside of native plants, and trees interspersed with  vegetables and herbs. He said all the citrus has been killed off in the out islands with canker disease, and that hundreds of thousands of coconut trees have died of a yellowing disease. 

Where is all this plant die off going to end?

March 18-

We woke up early yesterday and had a glorious sail to Rock Harbor. The sea was almost flat with a wind that filled both sails and kept us at a 5-6+mph pace, which is as fast as Michael likes the boat go. We are getting changing and conflicting weather reports that a strong day or two of 30 mph winds are coming, we do not want to be undersail for that,  what day it will happen seems to be a moving target. Our next trip is a longer sail to Exhumas so we want to know more before we plan to head out. There are about 20 boats at anchor here, everyone in the same situation, and this anchorage is protected from those strong winds, so it is a good place to wait out a blow. In the meantime this is another community to explore, and a chance to visit with some friends we had made in Nassau, that are here as well. We here there is a local fish fry tonight on the beach........

Eluthera

March 12

Gregory Town

The Wind

After looking at the weather forecast, we pulled up anchor the morning after Pattie left and sailed to Eleuthra where we have been sitting in a protected harbor on Royal Island ever since listening to the wind howl. The day of sailing was perfect. Sunny, warm, with two sails up and no motor. We anchored and went to bed that night tucked in a calm little anchorage, only to be awakened by a fierce wind and waves that kept us up for two hours worrying all the pounding would dislodge our anchor. After a few hours it calmed down and the wind shifted enough to have the land around the harbor block the wind.

This little island, Royal Island is not really accessable to explore, it is the home of a failed resort development that is currently a fenced off construction site. Its not even worth a picture. This is a common sight in the Bahamas, beautiful little islands being controlled by resorts. We even heard Rose Island, where we visited with Pattie near Nassau is on Marriott's 10 year plan for development.

Gregory Town stone building cut into cliff

Our life is controlled by the wind. It moves us, threatens us, yanks on anchors, determines the direction we travel,  whether the ocean is calm or rough,and where we decide to drop anchor at night. Which is a serious consideration in our day. It's direction and strength determine how smoothly we sit at anchor and how comfortable sleeping will be. If we guess  wrong, sleep is fitful at best. And the wind is unpredictable, as you heard above. Because of that all sorts of web sites, and independent broadcasts, cater to all of us out sailing in the bahamas and father south. We get up at 6:30 each morning to listen to these detailed forecasts, and I'm beginning to think we put too much stock in the information.

With the wind still howling this morning (at times) we are headed farther south to Gregory Town. It will definitely be a  gusty sail, and long pants are back on, as it has gotten cool again, somewhere in the 60's. For the next few days we will hop south along Eleuthra, hopefully exploring the island and its small towns along the way. I get stir crazy staying on the boat for more than a day or two.

The ocean at Gregory Town

The pig roast officials.....

Pig roast DJs

Making conch salad right on beach!

Gregory Town and the Pig Roast

Arriving in Gregory town,  that on first glance seems to be a small remote settlement beat up by life and hurricanes. Both of which is true, but there is so much more going on. We were lucky to have arrived the day before the annual pig roast, and were invited to attend. The next day we sailed down the coast a few miles  to the beach where the party was held, and it was some party. A whole community pot luck affair, with over 200 people attending, live DJ bahamian music blaring, two pigs roasting, and besides the native bahamians,  a large community of people who come to escape from the world in general, as well as a crowd of surfers who are there for, well..... the surf. Lots of people came up to us, knowing who we were and where we were anchored (we were the only boat in Gregory town, and there is a reason for it which you'll hear about later). We met people from Jacksonville who are building a castle looking house high up on a cliff,  as well as many others who have been  coming there 30 years or more. We had Lenny Kravitts guitar player pointed out to us, as well as other sail boaters who were anchored 5 miles down the island. We met a young man from Wisconsin who was traveling the world as captain in a luxury sailboat, that pulled up beside us, and dinghyed into the party. He was quite a character, with a lot of sailing experience. He started out working on those big schooners that sponsor sailing vacations. He immediately started talking  about Fishhead's  unique rigging with Michael.

We could not have come at a better time to get to know Gregory Town. I loved it. That night we were tucked back into our little cliff lined, wind protected harbor (actually called a bite, like someone took a bite out of the rocks). And something called surge started happening. Gentle rolling rhythmic water moving, that outside the boat seems friendly and benign. Inside the boat its like being on a rocking horse. Ever try sleeping on a rocking horse? I couldn't. I was counting the hours before dawn to get out of there. It turns out that is the norm for Gregory Town, and we had really lucked out the first night.

Anyway right now we are a few miles down the island at Hatchet Bay catching up on our sleep and trying to decide where we want to sit out a big blow that is coming on Thursday night, and will last for almost a week. Right now we are thinking to get to almost the bottom of Eluthera a place called Rock Sound. But for today, I want to check out the internationally famous surfers beach nearby. Its spring break so I bet its packed.

Pattie gets her sea legs

March 4

Michael's sister Pattie arrives with a north easter right behind her. It is so windy we can't get off the boat without getting soaked. In fact, we don't get off the boat at all today, and are sleeping with banchee howling winds for three nights. The entertainment for the day is watching boats come in and try to anchor, boats dragging anchor, and watching to make sure no one drags or swings into Fishhead (which did happen a few nights before her arrival). Luckily, she is not sea sick from it, and is enjoying warmer weather beach or not. We are wishing she had better weather,  she is just glad to get away from snow.

March 5

The Other Nassau

Yogia Ashram Dock overlooking Nassau

There is a Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on about 5 acres of Paradise Island next to the Atlantis Resort. Pattie and I spent the day there, riding their shuttle from Nassau over and back. We went to a lecture, hung out on their beautiful beach and I took a 2 hour beginning yoga class, where I actually stood on my head without support!  It is a busy place, students bring tents and camp all over the grounds, as well as other more posh accommodations, and the grounds a lush with foot paths winding thru the property, with a spectacular beach, that was too rough to swim in because of all those strong winds. It is right near the cruise boat terminal, and in the middle of the yoga class held outside on the waterfront, a booze and cruise boat drifts by blaring island music so loud the instructor has to stop and let it pass.

March 6-8

Back in paradise. 

getting a tan

Rental Island we checked out

We spent the day (and night) anchored off of Rose Island (a small undeveloped island a little ways from Nassau.), diving off the boat, looking at some pretty ragged coral reefs, and enjoying the warm balmy weather. This is the experience Pattie fantasized about. We ran the dingy out to a little island filled with palm trees and a few small buildings to investigate. It has a big sign on the beach not to land, and to call a phone number for info on renting the island for the day, week or month! There wasn't much to rent but a few tiki huts and some blown out structures.

Happy hour begins sharply at 5

Back to the airport, sea legs well earned.

We have no clocks on the boat except our cell phones that are off, and it has become a joke, Pattie keeps asking "what time is it?". I guess it takes a while to not be time driven. We have definately lost touch with dates, and to some degree, day of the week. I still have the month down though.

March 9

Pattie left this morning with a tan, and some bruises from living in such close quarters on the boat. Lots of climbing twisting and turning to get around, and lots of things to bump into. We are back in Nassua to get her to her plane, and another windy front arrived with us, so it looks like we will be here until Saturday, when the winds will be favorable to sail to the Exhumas. They are much more remote, and unpopulated, so  internet access (along with this blog) will suffer. I'm looking forward to leaving Nassau, a pretty wild busy place, particularly the waterways. Last night a large tug boat pushing a huge barge filled with sand and digging equipment ran aground within 50 ft of our boat. It sat there all night, was there when we woke up, and then all the sudden it was gone. We didn't even here the motor start up.