One stop before heading to the Berries

One stop before heading to the Berries

From our anchorage off Governor’s Harbour we headed north to make a stop at the narrowest point on Eleuthera.  30 meters is all that keeps the Atlantic from the sound.  At high tide waves crash over this narrow strip so a bridge is needed here.  At one time there was a natural bridge with a window worn by the wave action, but that failed a long time ago. Check the painting by Winslow Homer (1885) for an idea of what was lost.

  The first man-made bridge over this narrow spot also was destroyed by the power of the Atlantic and today a newer bridge now connects the north and south parts of Eleuthera.  This is the Queen’s highway connecting most of the island’s communities.  Without this vital link road travel here would be limited. Even without the natural bridge – the area is one of sharp contrasts between the calm crystal blue of the sound and the dark turbulent Atlantic.

Our walk also passed two large boulders called the Bull and the Cow.  They reportedly were moved to the cliff by wave action – another testament to the power of the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

Off for a stop in the Berries before heading back to Florida in early May.

On to Eleuthera

On to Eleuthera

After a couple of quiet nights off Alligator Point on Cat Island where we walked to the Atlantic beaches, we headed north to Eleuthera.   Our route passed the island formerly known as Little San Salvador but now renamed by the Holland America lines who own it – “Half Moon Bay”.  There was a massive cruise ship arriving so the passengers could enjoy a day on the beach.

Between Little San Salvador and the tip of Eleuthera is an interesting geological formation called the bridge.  The depths on the Atlantic side quickly drop to 10s of thousands of feet and again 2 to 3 thousand on the sound side.  This narrow bridge area is shallow – in some places only 10 feet deep making it a prime fishing ground. Also if there are waves and swell coming off the Atlantic with a strong east wind, this can be a turbulent area.  We were lucky to find south winds and a slack tide for our crossing and since our freezer is full we did not even fish our way across this 10+ mile stretch.  Steve did twitch a few times watching the fish on the depth sounder.

Our first stop was Davis Harbour Marina – our first dock since leaving Bimini Sands back in March.  We tied up for a good wash down and water to fill our tanks.  The folks here are eager to please and offered every assistance making it an easy place to relax in this remote area of the island. Davis Harbour is on the southern end of this island and a lot of the population is centered on the northern shores. Eleuthera is long – over 100 miles – and skinny – barely 3 or 4 miles at the widest point.  Stops here offer many chances to cross to the beaches on the Atlantic with their extensive coral reefs. On the West side there are fewer beaches but protection from the prevailing east winds. 

We rounded the cape to make a stop in Rock Sound Settlement.  The big attraction here is the Ocean Hole – which is interesting. It is a large round sunken saltwater lake which is fed by tunnels from the bay.  The fish swarm for any handout.  It made a nice walk through this small town. 

The hidden treasure here might be Edrin’s  deli with his jerk chicken and pork takeout meals. To work off the calories, Steve took his bike on shore and crossed to the Atlantic at low tide for a swim.

From Rock Sound we again traveled north along the curve of the island to Governor’s Harbour site of the first Parliament in the Bahamas.  This town is one of the most picturesque we have seen here with charming, colorful, cottages on narrow tree-shaded streets along a rock shore. We walked the loop around Cupid’s Cay and found the site of the first American Consulate in the Bahamas – 1789. We also found Ronnie’s Bar – although it was empty in the morning, it clearly was the place to hangout for fun in the evening.  Next door was Bristol Liquors – an air-conditioned store with an amazing selection and duty free prices.  The famous pink beaches again called us for a walk across the island. We were not only ones enjoying these beautiful beaches.