Governors Harbour to Current Cut

Just as we were leaving Governors Harbour, we noticed a seahorse attaching itself to our anchor chain as we brought it up.

Governors Harbour

Lighthouse Beach anchorage at the southern tip of Eleuthera

We finally made it to the famous Archer Bay fish fry at Governors Harbour that had been just out of reach for us over the last couple weeks on Eleuthera.

Waitin' by the dock of the bay

We had been hanging around Rock Sound, taking some trips to nearby Cape Eleuthera and Tarpum Bay, while waiting to hear when we can get hauled out in Spanish Wells. The other day we finally got a tentative date near the end of the month. Although that might have been enough time to allow us to go south to Cat Island, the forecasted winds were not favorable. This time of year the winds typically have a strong south-easterly component but for the next week and a half they are to be mostly from the north. This oddball wind causes two problems, first there aren't a lot of anchorages on Cat Island that offer protection from North winds, and second, if the winds don't turn back SE in time, we'll have to slog against them to get back to Spanish Wells. So we'll probably stay in Eleuthera for now, but might try and get to the very southern tip where the snorkeling is better.

Random stuff about the Bahamas

 

This is our third trip to the Bahamas in a year because of repeated boat-fixing activities in the States. Although we have not visited as many anchorages as other boats, we have visited several places more than once and stayed longer than we might otherwise have. As a result, we have gotten to know more local people (non-cruisers) and learned various facts/nuances about life here that not every visitor picks up.

Roxanne (or Rock Sound if not spoken by someone with a Kiwi accent)

In Hatchet Bay, Matt and I scored some stone crab claws from the local processing plant. A big bag was only $20 because they were "floaters" (no, not what you think...they float because they just molted, which means the meat is not as dense so they don't make the "premium quality" cut). We had always avoided stone crab in restaurants because they seemed expensive for a bunch of claws. Well, we have seen the light and, as long as they're only $4 a pound, we'll eat them all day long. 

Hatchet Bay (Alice Town)

While in Alice Town, we visited some caves about 3 miles outside of town. Mark and Conrad agreed to go even though it meant riding their scooters in the heat, mostly because they really wanted to see the bats.

Gregory Town, New Years Eve Day

Northern Eleuthera is edged by bluffs and lush pine-y trees. This is unlike the mostly flat Bahamas with smatterings of palm trees that we have seen so far. On New Year's Eve Day, we snorkeled near the bluffs surrounding our boat. Although we didn't see any new creatures, the sheer numbers of purple sea fans and shimmering silver-blue minnows was astounding. Both the kids are comfortable snorkeling now, although it's amazing that Mark doesn't scare away all the fish with his unorthodox swimming technique and his habit of screaming through his snorkel when he sees anything.