Nicole on coral head alert

Another day of sailing. Our final day running outside up the Exumas, we got caught in a torrential downpour. Though Chris Parker had called for mostly dry conditions, we got caught in one of the few squalls in the area. Luckily it was water and no wind, so both we and the boat got a good freshwater rinse-off.

Bush Cay sunset

We anchored off Bush Cay, one of the northernmost islands in the Exumas chain. The next morning as we were listening to weather forecasts and getting organized, I thought to look at Marine Traffic (an app that allows you to track other boats in their present locations). I’m sure it’s due to all the tourist traffic, but there are cell phone towers on nearly every island in the Bahamas and coverage is extensive. While I love being cut off from the world, it’s also pretty sweet to have coverage when you want it. Wouldn’t you know it, Tuvalu (our friends from Luperon) had passed only 5 miles south of us within the last hour or so. Trip got on the radio, and sure enough they were in hailing distance! We were thrilled to hear from Sandra that they all were feeling better and eating well once again. They had left 8 days after we had, and were pushing straight to Nassau, where they would be interviewing for visas to spend the summer in the states. Our friend Matthew had just gone through the process and was still in Nassau waiting for his passport, so we gave them each other’s contact details so they could share info as needed.

Fishing fleet

Then it was off for Eleuthera. The next step was the one that had me more than a little nervous. VPR (visual piloting rules) are required in much of the Bahamas because the water is so shallow and coral heads are everywhere. GPS can only be trusted so far, and you really need someone at the helm to keep a lookout. The three mile stretch that we were about to cross – Middle Bank (between the Exumas and Eleuthera) goes an extra step. It’s recommended that one person actually stand watch on the bow and point out coral heads to avoid. We put on our headsets and I headed up to the bow. Though we had had overcast skies earlier in the day, the sun came out now. I perched myself on the bow railing and called out coral clumps so Trip could adjust course as needed. It turned out to be rather easy and fun, though I certainly would not have wanted to do it in rough weather with limited visibility.

Mastering the golf cart

Though we had motored for all of the morning, once we made it through Fleeming Pass we were able to set sail again. We were only doing 3 knots or so, but it was a nice run up to Spanish Wells. We anchored off of Meeks Patch, a small island just south of town, and enjoyed the sunset in a new Bahamian island chain.

Bahamian flower

The next day we headed into Spanish Wells. It’s a narrow cut with mangroves and shoals on one side and lots of docks and local boats on the other, so we moved slow, but made our way to the mooring field. We wandered around town a bit and headed over to Wreckers, the bar at the local marina, where I had a killer smoked mozzarella, mushroom & arugula pizza. After that we wandered town some more, before winding up at the famous bar Budda’s (though everyone spells it Buddha’s probably because the poster had a Buddha image on it) for happy hour. We had the first tasty conch fritters we had had in a long time (gave up after nasty ones in the BVI & USVI).

Bahamian architecture

Wandering back along the main street, I couldn’t get over the fishing fleet. Spanish Wells provides half the fish and lobster to the entire island chain of the Bahamas, and judging by the size of the boats on the docks I could see how. It’s off season right now and most of the boats are in port for repair and maintenance. At one point I remarked to Trip that the harbor looked more like Gloucester, MA than what anyone would picture in the Bahamas. Unlucky for us, we won’t be enjoying lobster, as it won’t be in season again till August.

Watching a storm leave the island, whew

The next day we decided to rent a golf cart, which is pretty much what every local uses to get around the island. We did a giant circle of the island to get our bearings and then crossed over to Russell Island. At the far end of Russell is a cool bar and restaurant called the Sand Bar right on the water. Fried pickles, fish bites, and conch chowder, mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Sunset

 

After lunch we headed back to Spanish Wells and stopped a few times to enjoy the beach on the northern side of the island facing the Atlantic. We were going to stop for groceries, but discovered that the grocery store closes at noon on Wednesdays – go figure. We headed to Shipyard, the other bar on the island, and had a drink looking out over the water.

Our dream house

Still looking good after a non-stop year on the water!