Harbour Island to Spanish Wells to Hope Town

The day before we traversed back through the Devil's Backbone we spent checking out the beach and sandbar at the far end of Man Island. It was a huge treat for the dogs (and us!) and afterward Cappy had a much needed bath upon our return to the boat. Another Mexican Train game night aboard Toucana, then to bed. 

At 10:00 the following morning we left the anchorage and headed back to Spanish Wells where we each took a slip at the Spanish Wells Yacht Harbour. We rented a golf cart for the next day so we could gather up some groceries and tour the island. We had lunch at one of our favorite waterfront restaurants, the Sandbar which has always been fun and tasty. Jeff and I had stone crabs for dinner which were purchased at the local seafood shop and then once again we played games on Rhumbline. We had to get as many evenings together in since  we would be parting ways with Jack & Carol (Toucana) the next morning. They would be heading south to the Exumas and Sharon & Dan (Rhumbline) and Jeff & I would be heading north to the Abacos. 

The following pics are some sights along the way in Spanish Wells. The tide was way out while we were having dinner at the Shipyard. I know you're thinking all we do is eat, but it's definitely an "event" over here in the Bahamas where we can get the best cracked conch, fritters and Kalik.

See the fisherman?

Lunch at the Sandbar

Carol & Sharon trying out the hammock

At 7:40 on Thursday morning, we said our goodbyes and set our sights on Little Harbour.  Unfortunately, there was only one mooring ball available so we  made the easy trip to Lynyard Cay to anchor for the night. We never got in to the harbour to visit Pete's Pub, The Gallery or the beach. But we were treated to a beautiful sunset anchored in Lynyard Cay.

A rainbow in front of us while leaving Spanish Wells

Rhumbline anchored in Lynyard Cay

Sunset in Lynyard Cay

Since the weather was predicted to become quite windy we thought it best to motor up to Hope Town to wait it out. It rained most of the trip. Secure on Truman's mooring balls, we settled in for what turned out to be 9 DAYS due to the high winds and the need for calm seas in order to cross THE WHALE to make our way to Green Turtle Cay. The protected side of Whale Cay is very shallow so everyone has to go around on the ocean side making it an absolute necessity for relatively calm seas. During our time in Hope Town we saw up close & personal the devastation from Hurricane Dorian and the progress since then. There are only a few restaurants open and some favorite places were totally gone. Some are rebuilding, some are not. It's been slow going and the pandemic certainly hasn't helped. Supplies are hard to come by even though Hope Town has received much support from the US and other countries. Samaritans Purse has been instrumental in assisting where they can. Friends we have come to know in Hope Town are glad to see all the boats back in the harbour. It was so empty for so long. Some shared their stories of enduring the storm here on the island, a terrifying experience. We walked to On Da Beach for lunch that day and enjoyed their famous Fish Melt (something Jeff pines for all year) and other yummy things.

There used to be a cute house on the spit of land at the entrance to Hope Town

The dock where Jeff and I were married is gone

Some Donnie ferry boats are up and running although most were lost in Dorian with no insurance 

On Da Beach

Sharon and Julie having a little fun learning some new dance moves

We celebrated my birthday at Firefly for lunch and enjoyed good food, good friendship and great views. Our friends Matt & Julie offered to take their center console there, so we piled in and off we went. 

On Tuesday we began our trek to the Abaco Inn for lunch (another restaurant that was up & running) and fortunately were given a ride by some locals since it's about a 3 mile hike up and 3 miles back. The people of Hope Town have always been so nice - one of the reasons we return over and over. We had tried to rent a golf cart but there were none available. 

Lunch at the Abaco Inn

The next morning Jeff went to the lighthouse to help with some repair work (as usual) while I stayed aboard and gave Cappy a bath & blowdry. He was one happy puppy since the salt water even though rinsed off, makes him itchy. He had a huge smile when his "Mom's salon appointment" was over.  We ate dinner at Matt & Julie's villa at the Hope Town Inn & Marina that night, a pot luck sort of meal. I made Jambalaya, Sharon made a salad and Julie made the appetizer and dessert. Since it was blowing 30k it was nice to be onshore, although it was a bumpy ride back to the boat after we played some Mexican train! The dogs (Cappy, Gus & Penny) joined us and were quite content hanging out together. 

Goodnight Hope Town

On Thursday morning it was still blowing (what else is new?) so Jeff went back to the lighthouse to work a little more while Cappy and I hung out on the boat. It's nice having a buddy... and the rebuilding continues...

One last night in Hopetown and the six of us contributed various goodies for our grill out at Matt & Julie's Hope Town Inn villa and finish our game of Mexican Train which we began several days earlier. Appetizers, cheeseburgers, potato salad, baked beans and more. We always have mixed emotions when leaving Hope Town - goodbyes to friends are hard yet moving on to the next out-island (Great Guana Cay in our case) is always fun.  A water tank fill up first, and we'll be on our way.

Sharon with Cappy, Penny and Gus

See you next time Matt and Julie!

On to Chub Cay and Beyond

Now we're getting somewhere!

Morning shining down on Jack & Carol aboardToucana 

Rhumbline at anchor watching the sunset

Getting off the boat at Bimini Big Game Club required skill and assistance! Our fellow boaters came to us since we couldn't leave the boat.

When my passport arrived on Sunday and we were cleared through immigration and customs,  we headed  straight to the restaurant at Bimini Big Game Club for lunch. What else but cracked conch! Quite yummy. Then a walk on the beach with Cappy and found tons of sea glass. Back to the dock for cocktails, nibbles and a fun game aboard Toucana.

We were off the dock at 7:05 am on Monday and readied ourselves for a long day. We arrived at Chub Cay at close to 6pm and chose to eat aboard. The chef (yours truly) made Beef Stroganoff and the Captain was happy and full. The next morning, I used Chub Cay’s laundry room (spic & span compared to most in the Bahamas) while Jeff cleaned the boat for most of the day. We went to the beach and pool for a short time, then enjoyed happy hour aboard Rhumbline before heading to our 7pm dinner reservation. There were eight of us as we had run into friends of Dan & Sharon’s from Blue Ridge, GA and we had a great time watching the sunset. Dinner was fantastic. Not the old Chub Cay of years past. This will be a regular stop from now on.

 

Quite the clubhouse!

The first of many Kalik's for Jeff

Dan & Sharon

Jeff & me with my new palm tree hat

On Wednesday, the 5^th (Happy Cinco de Mayo) we tossed the dock lines and were on our way at 7:05. The anchor went down in West Bay (New Providence) at 11:30 and we took Cappy to the beach and explored the area by dinghy. A beautiful day. Dinner aboard then heading to Royal Island in the morning. We’re getting closer to our first REAL destination, Harbour Island.

Peter Nygard may still own this property but he's in jail.

 

Royal Island is part of North Eleuthera and has a very protected oval harbor with a cut through the rocks to enter. It is sheltered from winds in any direction. There is an old house in ruins there which was quite the mansion with a private harbor in its day. It was on track to be developed into a harbor community in 2006-08 but like most dirt dreams in the Bahamas, it went bust early and remains undeveloped with some rusted excavation equipment left ashore. It takes VERY deep pockets to complete a project in the Bahamas.

The water is always so clear

Carol, Jack & Lili returning to their boat after exploring Royal Island

When cruising, weather rules your life. Our planned stop in the fishing village of Spanish Wells was postponed because the winds were favorable for passage through the “Devil’s Backbone”, which is the passage from Spanish Wells around the north shore of Eleuthera to Harbor Island. It is a 6 mile passage bordered by coral heads on one side and shallow sand beaches on the other. It is not a passage to make with the wind from the North and a sea on.

Entering Spanish Wells

EXILE bringing up the rear

Straight on through to the Devil's Backbone

That day Bandit, one of the local pilots, was leading a gaggle of boats through the Devil's Backbone. We just happened to be behind them by chance. Although we have traversed this several times, both with and without a pilot, it was the most boats we've seen going through at once. What a show!

Leaving Spanish Wells on the east side.

The water is as beautiful as ever

The reason a lot of folks hire a pilot to maneuver around the coral heads

There are several beautiful beaches along the way

We arrived at Ramora Bay after a six hour trip from our anchorage at Royal Island. We absolutely love this place and the people there along with the welcome Rum Punch delivered to the boat. After settling in we walked up to Sunset's, the marina bar & grill for lunch. Always good! 

We rented a golf cart to purchase a new sim card for the Aliv modem/hot spot that our friends Jon & Leanne loaned us for the time we are here. After getting that squared away we returned to the marina for the evening. There was a DJ playing at Sunset's so we returned there for music, snacks & drinks and crashed aboard after a long day. The following morning all of us loaded into the 6 seater golf cart and headed out to tour the town. Jeff did all of the driving since he had a fairly good idea of where he was going. The men waited patiently while we girls popped into some of the shops (more like ALL of the shops) for some retail therapy although not much was purchased.  From there we continued on to Coral Sands for lunch. The pizza is always fantastic. Mine was proscuitto and artichoke.  Yum! 

The scenery is gorgeous along the water with the pink sand beaches as fine as sugar. Along the drive there are always lots of roosters. There will never be a shortage, as there were a multitude of babies running around. 

There were about 8 chicks in this family and only one was yellow,all the rest were black

 

Back at Ramora Bay Marina a fishing vessel had a good day! Lots of Mahi!

Carol and Gus chilling at the pool

That evening we ate dinner at Acquapazza, the Italian restaurant at the top of the hill above the marina. We enjoyed a great meal (too much food!) and another beautiful sunset. EXILE and Rhumbline can be seen tied up along the wall in the picture below.

The following morning we bade farewell to our dockhand friends and headed out to the next island over, a short 40 minute motor. It's a beautiful anchorage with beaches on both sides of the island. In past years we have found an incredible amount of seaglass and shells however this year would prove to be different. Perhaps the hurricane winds shifted the sands. At any rate it was a fun excursion. The dogs spent a long afternoon on the beach running, splashing and digging up crabs; they were content to stay aboard while we explored. A large iguana was passing by and I was thankful he didn't spot Cappy. Nevertheless, while I was snapping a couple of pictures Carol picked Cappy up to be sure there were no mishaps.

Once we returned to the boat, Cappy was fascinated with the Romora swimming at the stern of the boat. They hide out in the shade under the boat and come out for dinner scraps. There hasn't yet been a time when they didn't show up.

Treasures

One pooped out puppy!

Tomorrow's another day.