Georgetown to Cape Eleuthera

We spent 7 days in Georgetown/Lee Stocking waiting for the winds to diminish. There’s a small restaurant/bar on Lee Stocking called the Chat 'n Chill where we enjoyed a conch burger and cheeseburger during which time we chatted with a couple of guys on a 40ft Oyster sailing vessel bound for Cuba. Interesting stories and we look forward to hearing from them once they’ve been and returned.  There have been numerous boaters we've met this year who will head to Cuba soon.

On the 25^th of March we motored to Thompson Bay, Long Island, and settled in for the night. The next morning we walked to the grocery store and the farmers market which had pretty much been picked over, then rented a car and drove to Clarence Town where Hurricane Joaquin (a category 4) hit hard in early October 2015. They have slowly worked to repair the damage but it was clear they had much more to do. Tarps covered roofs, plywood boards were still up and some buildings were demolished. We enjoyed seeing the Anglican churches designed by Father Jerome in the 1930’s and some others which had been abandoned quite some time ago. Father Jerome (an architect and later a Priest) was sent to the Bahamas after a 1908 hurricane by the Anglican Bishop to rebuild the churches. They are pretty impressive from the outside. We didn’t enter either one. 

The Farmers Market in Long Island

A small abandoned church

Gravesites in the church yard

Looking up the bell tower

After  checking out the scenery we enjoyed lunch at a small waterside restaurant affiliated with the Flying Fish marina, then drove back to Thompson Bay, turned in the rental car and headed back to the boat.

Some sights along the way...

The next morning we had a great downwind sail to the northwestern tip of Long Island and we anchored in Calabash Bay. When we left the bay we sailed past the Columbus monument but did not hike to see it. The 15 ft concrete iron obelisk memorial was built by Long Islanders in Oct. 22, 1989 to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus on October 17, 1492. The inscription on the monument reads: "This monument is dedicated to the gentle peaceful and happy aboriginal people of Long Island the Lucayans and to the arrival of Christoper Columbus on Oct. 17, 1492."

3.28.16 – 3.30.16
Cat Island was our next destination and we motor-sailed there in light winds. On our way we caught a 45" Mahi and after a good fight we put 8 dinners for 2 in the freezer.

I have to say, after having spent three days around Cat Island, we’ve seen all there is to see. This island has a nice marina at the southern end called Hawks Nest, where we spent a night. What a pleasant surprise! After giving the boat a much needed scrub down (you should have seen the salt!) and since we had 8 meals for two in the freezer after our mahi catch, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the marina restaurant. We brought two servings of fish with us which the kitchen turned into a tasty meal. Making it more delightful were Jerry and Jane, the owners of the marina who invited us to join them at their table. We heard many interesting stories and met some friends of theirs who surprised Jane with a beautiful handmade bowl of mahogany wood that was found on the beach – a gorgeous gem. Maury and Martha (their friends) highly recommended we try a new Greek restaurant a way up the island, so the next day we rented a car from the local gas station and headed that way. We bid them farewell and made our way back to the boat – across the air strip and then ¼ mile down the road lit with solar lights.  

Check out the corner posts of what I like to call the "control tower" at the air strip

At almost noon on the 29^th after getting some laundry done earlier that morning and checking out the beach near the restaurant (across the air strip) we left for an anchorage further up the island called New Bight in order to hike to The Hermitage, atop the tallest point in the Bahamas, locally known as Mt. Como, to see where Father Jerome had built himself a small medieval monastery where he could get away from the world. Using local stone, he built The Hermitage on the peak of Mt. Alvernia in 1939.

The road to the Hermitage. See it way in the distance on top of the hill?

Getting closer

As you can see it was quite a hike 

An interesting find on our walk back down the hill

Who knew?

The crossroad to Olga’s restaurant called The Mermaid was very rocky (no wonder they pumped our tires up at the gas station before we headed out!) and we traveled at no more than 8-10 mph. It took a while to cross the island, perhaps no more than a mile or so and we finally arrived at Olga’s resort called Ocean Dream Beach Resort. One of the grounds keepers told us that the restaurant wasn’t going to be open that day. I asked him to say hello to Olga for us and he motioned for us to come inside. She was there getting ready for a big function she would be holding in a day or two and we said our hello’s and told her of the recommendation from friends to try one of her fabulous Gyros. She insisted that she’d make lunch for us since we’d rented a car and come a fairly long way to see her. It was very tasty. Her eagerness to make lunch for us even though she wasn’t open for business was such a generous gesture. She shared her story with us of how at age 60 she came back to her native land (she’s a Dr. of Psychology and has traveled the world helping to teach about rehabilitating prisoners) and began building little villas one at a time. She now has 6 to rent for people wishing to have a secluded vacation overlooking the ocean.

Another abandoned church along the way

See if you can find this guy in the preceding picture 

On the last day of March it was time to move on. We sailed 6 hours to Little San Salvador, caught a tasty Almaco Jack and then anchored in Half Moon Bay where there is some protection from the southern swell. It also is a private island used for cruise ships. When we arrived there was one ship anchored. We watched the “cruisers” enjoying their beach activities and when they were all back onboard the Carnival Sensation (around 6pm) they pulled anchor and left. Just before they pulled away we moved our boat in closer to have a little easier overnight ride out of the swell. The three other sailboats in the anchorage followed suit. The next morning we awoke early to another ship in the bay – the Carnival Conquest and decided to leave before they began ferrying passengers ashore. So – at 7:40 we were on our way to Eleuthera. We were secure in our slip next to the Let It Go (our friends John and Cherre) at 2:15 on April 1^st.

Cooling off the horses 

We borrowed their car the next morning and headed to Rock Sound for groceries, brought them back to the boat, stowed everything away and put together a lunch for the beach. Off the four of us went to Lighthouse Beach for an afternoon of exploring, beaching and swimming. 

The Lighthouse

And out of nowhere...

Limestone cliffs

The next day we headed out on the Let it Go at 9am then trolled 5 lines at 8.5 mph in 2000 feet of water. Almost immediately we had a hit. I love the sound the line makes when we have a FISH ON! Cherre and I were up on the fly bridge (Cherre was at the helm) and would watch the guys haul in these fish. One time there were several fish swimming off the stern. These Mahi are so pretty in the water and to see them circling is like watching a colorful fish ballet.  We spent around 6 hours trolling up and down the southwest shore of Eleuthera and returned with 7 fish – one was 5’1” and 50+ lbs! It took us 2.5 hours to clean the fish and put 35 bags in the freezer. What a day! Naturally, we had fish for dinner.

It rained the following day which gave us all time to catch up on things like defrosting freezers, getting new sheets on the guest bed (not an easy task), re-splicing the anchor rode, and working on this post.  On the 5^th we went to the Cape Eleuthera Institute and Island School for a tour of their facilities. “CEI works to best conserve our marine ecosystems, while challenging young minds to become tomorrow’s environmental stewards”.  It is amazing to see and hear what they are doing. Their website is www.ceibahamas.org if you have any interest. We saw tanks of Talapia fish in various stages from a couple of inches long to edible size. They supply "fertilization" to the vegetable gardens there. Another interesting fact is that they pay fishermen to bring them live lion fish to study, then eat. Lion fish have no natural predators in the Bahamas as they are not native to the area. Instead, these fish can kill three-quarters of a reefs fish population in just five weeks. With that in mind, if we see a lionfish while snorkeling - it is speared!

After that we once again left for Lighthouse Beach. Since it had rained so heavily a couple of days back, there were crabs all over the dirt road leading to the beach. They had apparently been washed out of their holes and were seeking higher ground. Some of the locals were out collecting them. 

We were to head north today but the wind has decided to keep us here a while longer. Tomorrow should be a better day to sail toward a central location up the island of Eleuthera and closer to the Abacos.