Author: FloatsOurBoat

Exploring Eleuthera part 1

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I’d have been perfectly happy to stay in paradise in the mid-Barrys for a week, but Mother Nature had other plans. January weather is tricky in the Bahamas, especially in the northern islands, and we had found ourselves in a pattern of cold fronts bringing unusually cold temperature to Florida, and then carrying on with strong north winds to our region of the Bahamas. At one point, Chris Parker was forecasting winds up to 40 knots. Yikes! So we temporarily left paradise behind, and grabbed a break in the weather to head south.

We raised anchor at 6:40 am and our small flotilla of three boats sailed south along the Berry chain, paralleling the coast of Little Harbour Cay, before leaving land behind and heading mostly east and a little bit south toward Eleuthera. It wasn’t a sure thing that we could successfully make this jump. The magnitude and direction of the wind introduced risk of high swells that could slow our forward progress enough to keep us from making it to safe harbor before sunset. But we were lucky this time, and the winds instead made for an exhilarating day of sailing! No need for our backup plan of diverting to Nassau. We set our anchor in Royal Island Harbour at 4:45 after traveling 51nm and squeezed in among the dozen boats already there; apparently we aren’t the only ones with this great idea to hide from the next front.

Royal Island is definitely safe and secure – practically a hurricane hole – but there’s NOTHING to do there. It’s a private island, hosting a luxury resort whose five villas and private clubhouse start at $14,000 per night. So they obviously don’t want riffraff like us ashore. We entertained ourselves in the calm before the storm with stand-up paddle boarding and scraping growth off the bottom of Sanitas. Fun, too, surprising the local turtle population with our loud and splashy presence.

But the next day, the front hit just as protected with torrential rain and sustained winds of over 35 knots and we never left the boat. We baked brownies, indulged in snacks of smoked salmon and goat cheese, and watched movie after movie. I’ve gotta admit – it killed me to be only four miles from the closest point of land at Spanish Wells, and not to be able to get over to town! One more reminder that while cruising, weather is always king.

So as soon as that front passed, we made another hop over to Eleuthera to find our next hidey hole and hopefully a bit of civilization to go with it. One of the best things about this second season of Bahamas cruising is that we can mix favorite locations from last year with visits to new places that we missed the last time around. Eleuthera is one of those new spots I’ve been really anxious to explore. After a fast 35 mile sail and successfully timing passage through Current Cut, we set anchor outside beautiful Governor’s Harbour. This colorful city filled with flowers was the first capital of the Bahamas, and the colonial architecture and largest library outside of Nassau attest to that legacy of influence. We put Bug in the water and rushed ashore to explore the town and beautiful French Leave Beach on the Atlantic side of the island.

Look at those cute newlyweds!

Unfortunately (say it with me now) weather is king! And the holding is poor off Governor’s Harbour, in hard marl and grass, and we couldn’t trust it to keep Sanitas safe during the next front. So with only a teaser of the islands’ charms, we hopped another 25 nm south to Rock Sound. Capt. Mike and I really tested our standard operating procedure for lowering the dinghy when we tried it in more than 20 knot winds. Good thing we’ve had a lot of practice! Flawless. Several friendly wagging dogs showed us the way to Ocean Hole Park, just two blocks from the dinghy dock, and we quickly oriented ourselves to the location of the cheap grocery store, the fancy grocery store, the free drinking water, and the absolutely not free happy hour at Frigates.

Then I had a real treat …. I’m a member of the Facebook group Women Who Sail, and I’ve learned a great deal about maintaining a boat and about cruising life from the discussions. A fellow WWS member, Amy, had posted that she lives on Eleuthera and would love to meet up. The timing worked out perfectly and she drove down to meet me and to show off her beautiful island the day before returning to winter in Vermont. We had a great time exploring marinas and secret beaches well beyond the range I could ever reach by foot.

And of course we shared stories about our families, backgrounds, and lives. It’s really special when social media can facilitate real life friendships! Amy gave us tips for where to listen to live music and how to find the local fish frys, and introduced us to another local, Bobby, who we met up with every day for the rest of our stay. Thanks for the homemade bread, cheese, and other treats Amy! And thanks for sharing your love of your beautiful island home.

Our First Real Taste of Paradise

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So far, our Bahamas journey has taken us to the islands of Bimini and Great Harbour Cay. But it wasn’t until we made it to the mid-Berries, anchored between Devil’s Cay and White Cay, that we really felt that we’d made it to an island paradise.

Trish, of SV Elixir, had caught her first yellowfin tuna on the sail over. So we all gathered in the cockpit of Leef Nu for a lesson on cleaning and filleting this beautiful fish. Kevin made it all look very easy, and Trish ended up with four huge loins, and some odd sized pieces. Plenty for sushi and for cooking!

Thanks to travel tips from Todd and Celia on SV Eileen, we had more than enough ideas for things to do within a short dinghy ride of the anchorage. We anchored in a fairly shallow pool of turquoise blue water, surrounded by small uninhabited islands covered in jungle greenery and ringed with white sand beaches (hence the name White Cay). Capt. Mike and I couldn’t stop grinning at each other saying “Now THIS is what they advertised in the travel brochure!”

Our first adventure was a short hike to the Blue Hole on Hoffman’s Cay; an almost perfectly round lake of saltwater in the middle of the island, surrounded by cliffs filled with caved and gnarled greenery. Only Capt. Mike and Jeff had the courage to leap off the cliffs into the super salty water (that of course went straight up their noses) but we all took the opportunity to cool off with a snorkel with a sea turtle.

And then we threw ourselves a beach party worthy of a Corona beer commercial. On teeny tiny Big Gaulding Cay, we found an equally teeny tiny pristine sand beach equipped with a small camp: fire pit, wooden table, and beach chairs. Leef Nu brought a cast iron pan, charcoal, and some fresh snapper, Elixir brought some of that delicious tuna, and the crew of Sanitas, who have yet to catch a fish, contributed brie and crackers and a scrumptious quinoa and black olive salad. Kevin manned the fire, and together we created a veritable feast of seared and fried fish, salads, and the requisite cold beers and rum drinks.

There was even a perfectly placed coconut palm tree grown right through the middle of the table with coconuts just mature enough to provide delicious coconut water. Lo and behold, Kevin had brought along a machete (yes, really!) so we could put da lime in da coconut and drink it all up.

You know, a beach day in the Bahamas really doesn’t get any better than this, and we’re lucky to have found good friends (who can actually catch fish!) to share it with.

Oh, Bollocks!

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After our quiet night anchored out on the Bank, we had a lovely downwind sail the rest of the way to Great Harbour Cay. Sanitas flew her spinnaker, and Leef Nu sailed wing-on-wing.

I guess you could say we finally experienced the “fair winds and following seas” that everyone has been wishing us. We were slightly concerned about the approach to Great Harbour because all the charts warn that the channel markers are missing, and show water depths as low as 5 feet. So as our three boats and a fourth unknown boat converged on the island, we ALL sort of slowed down and hoped someone else would go first. But the new boat, C’est La Sea, hailed us on the radio and said that they draft 8 feet (!) and asked if we’d mind testing the waters for them. Well that made Sanitas’ 5.5 foot draft seem shallow, so they shamed us into heading in. We timed it well, and had about 1.6 feet of extra water due to the tides, so we were all fine, and anchored just off Rat Cay for the night.

After snorkeling the wreck of a DC3 airplane just outside the anchorage, we all dinghied ashore to explore the small town of Bullocks Harbour. Not much to it but a few brightly colored houses and some pretty flowering gardens and one actual hill to give us a bit of exercise. We sat outside on a grassy bluff overlooking the harbor and had a lunch of pork chops and peas and rice at Coolie Mae’s Sunset Restaurant. (I took this picture with my phone inside my Ugo waterproof purse. Not the best quality picture, but a fun experiment to see if it would actually work)

Everything runs on island time, and there is no such thing as fast food. So lunch can take the better part of the afternoon. After taking our orders, the waitress returned and asked, “For the people who ordered the pork chops, do you want the good news, or the bad news?” I chirped up “The bad news!” And I guess I stumped her. She couldn’t think of any bad news, just told us that the pork chops would be served grilled with barbecue sauce. I think that’s going to be my new motto for this cruising season, “There IS no bad news” 😀

The next morning, we raised anchor at 7am and sailed around the north side of Great Harbour Cay and then 31 nm south to Devil’s Cay. It’s been fun traveling with Elixir and Leef Nu. Their crews are both from Ontario and their backgrounds involve sailboat racing on the Great Lakes. So they always prefer to sail rather than motor, and they challenge us to do the same, even when wind condition isn’t optimal. We essentially raced around the top of Great Harbour, constantly trimming the sails, and pointing as high into the wind as our various boats and sails would allow. Sanitas’ cutter rig gave us an advantage, and we were able to point at about 38 degrees to the wind, keeping ahead of the longer and faster Leef Nu who had to repeatedly tack. Good fun!

Great Stirrup Cay and Little Stirrup Cay, just off the north tip of Great Harbour, are private islands owned by the cruise ship lines. For some reason, they think you need zip lines and a water slide park to get the full Bahamas Island experience. For the record, I disagree. As we sailed by a Royal Norwegian Cruise ship, close enough to watch the movie they were showing on the deck and the count the little people running around the track, I was disappointed that not one person waved to us (or threw us an omelette or some bacon from the buffet). Sanitas was trying her best to give them a show, flying all three sails and heeled over prettily, sailing about 6 knots. I thought of a good way to show our displeasure. I radioed back to Leef Nu and went for the nuclear option; escalating directly to double-dog-daring them to moon the cruise ship as they sailed past. A few minutes later, we got the happy news of “Mission Accomplished!”

This is what a massive cruise ship looks like from 0.2 nautical miles away.

Our pleasant sail was made even more enjoyable when a pod of about a dozen dolphins, including babies, joined us and swam along side. Capt. Mike and I took turns going to the bow to wave at them and squeak at them while they circled around and around to accompany us as long as possible. These social and intelligent creatures are magical, and I feel blessed every time they choose to keep us company.

We made such good time, that we were anchors down west of Little Gaulding Cay by 2:30 pm. Plenty of time to put Bug in the water and go explore some of the pristine white sand beaches that surround the stunning anchorage.

Literally in the Middle of Nowhere

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When planning a sail to the Bahamas, cruisers put a great deal of effort into planning the Gulf Stream crossing. For good reason, of course. The distance is significant, often requiring an overnight sail, and that river of current sure makes route planning tricky. But no one really tells you that once you’ve successfully reached the Near Bahamas islands, you immediately need to start planning your next passage.

From Bimini, a sailboat can head north to the beautiful Abacos, although the winter storms are more powerful that far north, and you may find yourself stuck waiting out a northerly longer than planned. Or you can head east east across the Great Bahama Bank to the Berry Islands. Since we completely missed the Berrys last season, we decided not to make the same mistake this time! So from South Bimini, we set off east across 90-some miles of shallow sea. And if you do the math, you’ll soon find that at a pace that’s somewhere between a fast walk and a slow jog, you can’t cross those 90 miles during the limited daylight hours available in mid-January.

Since we are in no particular hurry, we set out from Bimini Sands with SV Elixir and SV Leef Nu and aimed for an imaginary point in the middle of all that water near Mackie Shoal. The shoal is exactly what it sounds like – a giant sandbar in the middle of all that water. While you wouldn’t want to encounter the shoal by mistake, skirting the northern edge of it on purpose makes a great rest stop on the way across the Bank. Hours after we’d lost sight of land and lost cell phone coverage, we could see a very small wooden pole that marks the shoal, and we veered a bit south to get off the waypoint to waypoint route. Scanning for shallows, we decided to drop anchor in 14 feet of water surrounded by nothingness in all directions. Even with two buddy boats, our little flotilla seemed like a very small speck in a very large ocean. But the waters were calm, the sunset was spectacular, and my Thai green chili tasted way better than it ever does on land.

After the Zombie Apocalypse

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I assume that Bimini Sands Resort is a shadow of its former glory. There are hints of that glory everywhere: the two swimming pools, the floating docks, the abandoned tiki bar, the coral-pink townhouses that are visible from miles out to sea.

But the entire time we stayed there, I never saw a single guest staying in the hotel rooms or timeshare condos. And they are so desperate to look like the marina is still in business, that if you commit to staying for an entire week, it will only cost you $100.

The regular nightly rate of $1 per foot isn’t bad either. This is the point where I usually say, “But it has everything a cruiser needs” but this time it wasn’t really the case. The reverse-osmosis water filtration system was broken, so the only available water was salt water. We had filled our tanks in Marathon, so we didn’t really need water, but when you’re paying for a marina, you want the luxury of or a hot shower and the chance to wash to salt off your boat or to do laundry. The small cafe only served breakfast. The ship’s store stocked no produce or ice cream. There was no place to buy a beer, or even a bag of ice. And the sand flies were atrocious! After the first evening, my legs were covered in thousands of bites, and I itched too much to sleep. Capt. Mike decided we must have timed our arrival just after a Zombie apocalypse. It’s the only reasonable explanation for the fact that the only two things left alive at the resort were Donnie the dock master and the ravenous sand flies.

But we were finally in the Bahamas, and we were going to enjoy ourselves. In addition to SV Elixir, there were two other boats in the marina: SV Providence, captained by Bill who organizes the dinghy poker run during the Cruisers’ Regatta in Georgetown, and Leef Nu, owned by Kevin and Cheryl from Hamilton, Ontario. The Canadians are starting to outnumber us!

We got some work done; cleaning Sanitas up after the crossing, varnishing the steering wheel, and replacing a mysteriously missing prop anode. Then we played tourist – exploring every inch of South Bimini, including the original Fountain of Youth, and taking a $3 water taxi across to North Bimini where we took a golf cart tour with Anthony.

After a quick loop through Alicetown and Baileytown, we learned another reason why everything was so quiet. The huge Hilton Resort World which contains two marinas, a casino, and several hotels and restaurants was closed for two weeks. That meant no guests, no employees, and very little of the businesses that spring up to keep them entertained. One local said he had never seen Bimini this quiet in his 37 years. Luckily Stuart’s Conch Stand was open and serving fresh conch salad and rum punch.

We also visited the intriguing and bizarre labor of love that is Ashley Saunders’ Dolphin House. Ashley was born in Bimini, studied in the US, and returned home to become its unofficial historian and to write several books about the island. He says that after a chance encounter with dolphins out on the water, the dolphins brought out something buried deep with him, and he became an artist. To thank the dolphins for this gift, he began building Dolphin House back in 1993 and it’s now a complex mosaic-covered building that evokes Gaudi’s Barcelona Park. Ashley says that his house contains a bit of everything built on Bimini, and I believe him. It’s decorated entirely with found objects such as leftover tiles of all shapes and colors, buoys and corals washed ashore on the beach. And whatever bottles and jars and plaster animals caught his eye. I really enjoyed our tour, exploring every corner of every beadazzled room, and even climbing a narrow flight of concrete stairs to the “observation deck” and a view of the town. As we left, we taped one of Sanitas’ boat cards on the gift shop wall to prove we’d passed through.

Back on South Bimini, we visited The Shark Lab. We learned all about the almost 30 years of research that The Lab has performed on the habitat, biology, reproduction, and behaviors of nurse sharks, lemon sharks, hammerhead sharks, and tiger sharks. Fascinating stuff. Did you know that lemon sharks always return to the same nursery where they were born to give birth to their own young? Even a dozen years later and after migrating all over the waters of the Bahamas and Florida? Or than sharks have personalities? A Shark Lab investigator spent several years proving that some sharks individual sharks are shy, some are bold, some are curious, and some are aggressive and they exhibit these same characteristics in captivity or in the wild and over a period of years. The first afternoon, we weren’t allowed to walk down the beach to the shark pens because a group was filming a music video for Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo. (Ok, not really. But a film crew was working on something, and our guide was sworn to secrecy and couldn’t tell us who they represented or where we’d see the results). But Jessie, our guide, did bring a juvenile nurse shark up to the beach where we could see it and briefly touch it. Jeff and I returned the next afternoon to get the chance to see the pens and a juvenile lemon shark that had been captured the day before. Each shark is kept for no more than two weeks of study and tagging so that they are not stressed, and can be returned to the wild to live a long and happy shark-y life.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to get ashore easily, so I ran everyday around South Bimini and had the chance to explore a nature trail, some lovely homes, and rustic beach art. It’s a lovely introduction to the Bahamas and island life. Just hope that the water filter has been repaired, and don’t forget your sunblock!