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.

 

An abandoned building in Cupid's Cay (the other side of the
tracks to the well-kept Governor's Harbour).

Matt had been to one other Bahamian fish fry, near Freeport, which had a number of different vendors and more people, especially locals. He had fun and convinced us we should try the Governors Harbour version. We bought some overcooked whole snappers and delicious barbecued chicken and shouted over the ear-bleedingly loud club music. It was fun, but it seemed to be heavily weighted with tourists. Mark and Conrad hardly touched their food because they were having so much fun playing with some local boys and the two girls from Kiawah that we met earlier in the day. A bunch of rubber bands appeared and our boys started weaving some bracelets, which some tourists actually paid them a dollar each to make. It was very kind of them, but they may have created a monster. The boys have been scheming of ways to make spending money and are now convinced that selling rubber band bracelets is their ticket to wealth. Even though we couldn't stay for the Junkanoo parade because it was already hours after the boys' bedtime, they had a fantastic time.

 

After a day at the beach (Matt was pole spear fishing for dinner) and long walk to the Leon Levy Plant Preserve, we attended part of the school Junkanoo competition for Eleuthera. Everyone was exhausted and Matt was asleep by 9. Then the DJ at a bar in Cupid's Cay started to yell and sing at the top of his lungs into the microphone until the wee hours of the morning. It sounded as if the speaker was right next to our boat. I can attest that keeping someone awake with really loud music is an effective form of torture.

Three days earlier, we came to Governors on a really uncomfortable but fast upwind sail in what turned out to be 40-knot apparent winds. Given the forecast for the week, it was one of the only days we could actually sail to Governors from Rock Sound, rather than motor. Had we known how windy and rough it would turn out to be, we might have chosen to pay for the diesel instead. I have been lamenting how many engine hours we seemed to be logging and gently pressuring (the way I see it) Matt to cut down on engine usage, even if it means going 4 knots. So naturally I deservedly got the blame for the bumpy ride.

Before Governors Harbour, we spent a few days at Lighthouse Beach on the southern trip of Eleuthera. The area is only accessible by boat or a nearly off-road drive and the pristine beaches are covered in soft sand, without the ocean garbage that washes up on the shores of most islands. Our new friends Jai, who is with the Island School, and Patty came down to spend the day with us. Despite the relatively chilly weather, Matt and Jai went pole spear fishing and broke the fish drought we had been experiencing.

 

 

 

We're leaving Governors to head back up to Spanish Wells for our boat fixing appointment. Unless something changes, it looks like there's some motoring in our future.