Friday May 17, we got up at the crack of dawn (6am!) to set sail for Eleuthra. We are enjoying the longer days of sunlight so it is easy to make good headway and still get to your destination in daylight. Most guidebooks recommend never entering a new harbor at night and we have planned accordingly…always having the anchor down by sunset. We must agree it is much more relaxing not to mention safe!
We skirted by Little San Salvador. We had tentatively planned to spend a night off the west end but there was a Holland Cruise Line boat and guests there (the island is privately owned by Holland). There are a lot of privately owned islands in the Bahamas but Bahamian law dictates that all beaches (up to the water line) are ‘God given beaches’ so we are able to at least dinghy ashore and walk any beach. Even with this law, Holland Cruise Line probably wouldn’t be happy with us crashing their beach party for their guests so we moved on to Rock Sound, Eleuthra.
Rock Sound is a fairly protected anchorage from all wind directions which is a rare find in the Bahamas. We had settled winds throughout our stay but it was nice to know we could stay put in any weather.

There is yet another Blue Hole in Rock Sound. A Blue Hole is a very deep pool of water that is fed from underground tunneling that has made its way from the eastern Atlantic shore. People jump into Blue Holes...usually on a dare. They are very dark/deep so there is no telling what kind of creatures are lurking in there. We opt to look from the side and take photos of the aquatic creatures! The Blue Hole has a bunch of sea turtles in it all 'begging' at the side of the pool where tourists throw in stale bread for them to eat.

Monday, May 17....A tough day. Today my cousin's family is holding funeral services for their 21 year old son, Dylan Stiegers. He sustained a head injury while playing college football and it was a rare accident indeed. They asked us to say a prayer and sprinkle some sand at sea because he loved the ocean. While we were in town that day there was a local man making bouquets out of the flowers from the island. Dylan, Godspeed.

Tuesday, May 18th….Happy Birthday Ed! Today is going to be a play day! We went ashore and walked to the market for a few items. The market was a mile away from our boat so a loaf of bread and some cookies hardly seemed worth the round trip! We scoped out a place to beach the dinghy closer for when we do our major reprovisioning! Then it was back to the boat where we broke out the noodles and the floating lounger. We played in the water, off the back of the boat and even the puppy dogs joined in. We found out the Mija likes to float on one of our seat cushions! The water is getting warmer and is ‘just right’! Tonight is Mahi for dinner followed by a port we received as a gift from Robert and Joann Nadler, bottled in the year Ed was born. Nummy!

Bare Footin’ and Konaloa are also in Rock Sound. We have been at several of the same anchorages with them along the way. Bare Footin’ are friends of Steve and Ann Bolin who were in our marina in Kemah, TX. (the world keeps getting smaller). We had heard the South Palmetto Point Settlement was having a Home Coming celebration over the weekend so we decided to make our way north to check it out. A bit of grocery shopping, refueling and the purchase of 5 DVDs (yes, we now have movies on our boat!) we are ready to take off the next day. Tonight…movie night! FYI: Pirate Radio is a fun movie!

Friday, May 21st…..South Palmetto Point is a lovely spot. We had a choppy 24 mile ride north but once we reached the lee of the shore it was settled water and very scenic. The beach is set up for the event with food booths and the prerequisite DJ/band stage with very LARGE speakers. Bahamians love their music LOUD, so loud that you can’t talk to the person next to you. In fact, the volume is just about perfect from the cockpit of your boat a few hundred feet away! The first night we met Skip and Sharon Warner who own the Barefoot Beach House just up the beach. They have 3 guest quarters in a house right next to their home that they built themselves. We had admired the home and they invited us to come the next day for a tour. The bottom floor is a workshop (Hairy…you would be impressed) and an art studio. The upstairs is their living space with a stunning view. If you would like a nice get-away…this is a neat spot. The owners are delightful! http://www.thebarefootbeachhouse.com/

Sunday, May 23rd…..Time to head north to Governor’s Harbor. It is a whopping 7 miles so we had a visit with the Warner’s and took off at 5pm for a quick run up the coast. Ah, another lovely spot. We are really enjoying Eleuthra! It turns out that the next day there is going to be a Whit Monday celebration. Our timing has been unplanned but perfect! Everything is closed on this holiday so laundry will have to wait! 10am the marching band from Hatchet Bay kicked off the event. Then, at the main square gazebo all of the Methodist churches from the island came together for song and services. Even the church service had the BIG speakers and it was LOUD!

We have decided to rent a car to see the northern part of Eleuthra. We would like to see Harbor Island where the older Loyalist homes have been nicely preserved. One choice is to stage your boat at Spanish Wells and then have a captain pilot your boat across the northern part of the island called the Devils Backbone (lots of coral heads, reefs and wrecks scattered along the way!). It costs $75 each way for a pilot so we opted to rent the car and see even more of this lovely island. We just have to remember to stay LEFT.

Tuesday, May 25th….. Here’s how one rents a car in the Bahamas. First gather up all of the dirty clothes for a trip to the laundromat. Pile into the dinghy and go ashore, then walk the mile or so to the laundromat. While the four loads are in the washing machines ask the owner is she knows where we can rent a car for the day, actually the best time frame is 12 to 12, that is a 24 hour period from noon till noon. Of course she knows where to rent a car, however unlike in the states where we would be given directions to the rental office in the Bahamas she calls the rental agency and asks if there is a car available. After some conversation Vicky gets on the phone and it is then agreed that there will be a car left at the library for us, sometime that morning. Once the laundry is finished we fold it up in dry bags for the trip back to the boat and pay for the laundry. We also pay for the rental car in cash. It seems the owner of the laundry lives next door to the owner of the car rental company so she’ll drop off the money that night. Back to the boat to put away the clean clothes and pick up the dogs and our lunch basket. Then swing by the library to pick up the keys and fill out the paper work for the car. The paperwork is a simple receipt showing our name and the rental fee, no credit card required let alone a drivers license. Off we go in our rental car, simple as that. Of course the steering wheel is on the right side of the car and we have to drive on the left side of the road, but that’s another story.

The car is great and we head to Harbor Island. Taking the pedestrian ferry across the bay to the island where we step back in time a few hundered years with all of the Victorian homes, tressels and smiling happy people. We’re greeted at the dock by a young man asking if we wish to rent a golf cart when we tell him we’ll be walking he gives us a map of the island and says to have a good day. Off we go in the heat. With the dogs in tow the strategy for the day is to see the entire island while hitting every shade tree we can find. The trees are GREAT. huge, beautiful flowering trees, it’s amazing that some of these trees have survived the storms over the years. The island is very clean and the homes and buildings are nicely maintained. As we wander the side streets and alleys we get an eyeful of what life might have been like in the Bahamas during the 18th Century. With a visit to the pink beaches on the Atlantic side the girls are able to run in the surf and cool off while we meander along the beach enjoying the view. After wandering about for a few hours the four of us are hot and tired, so we seek shelter in the shade of leanto in the Conch section of town. Here we have a few icy cold Kaliks Golds (more alcohol content!) while chatting with some of the locals who are also enjoying the shade. All of the adults are kept amused by the antics of Mija and Chula trying to get a French fry from the little girl out with her Grandmother. After this much enjoyed break we are told that before we leave the island we must put some sand in our shoes (sandals) to ensure our safe return one day. Of course we have sand in our shoes, we always have sand in our shoes, in the dogs paws, between our toes, etc…… Guess that means we’ll always enjoy a safe return to all of the Bahama Islands. The final stop on our Harbor Island tour is at the Romora Bay Club. We have seen the signs advertising the islands only, FROZEN Goombay Smash, and after the heat of this day FROZEN is good. Oh yeah...the cushy couch and umbrella didn't hurt either! With our frozen cocktails in hand we climb aboard the water taxi “Lady M” for our trip back to Eleuthra.

In addition to being able to see an entire island from the interior, the other wonderful thing about rental cars is the AIR CONDITIONING. With the air on full blast and Mija and Chula crashed in the back seat we’re off again. Visiting the Preachers Cave, where the original Eleuthra explorers spent their first shipwrecked years, we meet up with Farrel and Tina, he’s Irish she is Canadian and they met in Freeport. Farrel is a musician and confirms that we must stop by Elvina’s bar later that evening for the weekly jam session of local musicians as well as world reknown rockers such as Lenny Kravits. With empty stomachs and some time to kill we’re off to the Rainbow Inn where we enjoy the meatlovers pizza. While most may think this odd let us tell you after two weeks of Mahi Mahi, no matter how fresh the fish, it is time for some red meat. The pizza didn’t disappoint either. With the sun setting off the balcony of the Inn’s restaurant and a good time with the owners we are ready for a night on the town. Well, truth be told it is already past our bedtime and things don’t start hopping at Elvina’s until the wee hours, so off we go for a final-final and some conversation at the bar. With just a few guys pickin away on the stage we have a chance to visit with some folks and get some of the local color for the island, by now it is 10pm and well past cruiser midnight, so its off again back to the boat for a good nights rest.

Many folks ask what it is we do all day? Sit around and enjoy fruity cocktails with umbrellas in them. Well, we don’t use umbrellas. Given that we have the rental car until noon of the second day we’re up and off early, 10am. A great breakfast along the Atlantic and then its time for chores. The car will make it easy to carry water from the towns supply (water weighs a little more than 8lbs per gallon our two jugs when full are 50lbs) after taking on water its time to hit the Shell station (it’s the only game in town, otherwise I’d stay away from Shell) to get some diesel, again tis better to drive it back than walk it back. We try to keep it simple. A few items from the grocery store and it’s time to return the car (1230, oops we’re late). So park the car at the library and leave the keys at the desk and back to the boat (the car was picked up sometime during the evening, we think, as it is not there this morning). Wash the decks, clip the dogs, vacuum the cabin, make some drinking water (the town water is for showers and dishes), oh its sundown time for one of those fruity cocktails, sans umbrella. My how the time flys.
Up with the sun and check the weather, looks to be another fine day, where shall we go next?