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.
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