Cruising the Bahamas in my pajamas

We had a last minute change of plans and instead of visiting Hopetown we decided to take advantage of a good weather window to make the offshore passage from the Abacos to Eleuthera. Friends on another Island Packet (hi Chuck and Trudy!) buddy-boated with us and we made the crossing with no problem. It took us from sunrise to moonrise (full moon!) to make it to Royal Island off the northern tip of Eleuthera. I did spot a waterspout that was maybe a little over a mile away. In the picture here it looks tiny, but trust me, it was quite menacing in real life-we could even see the upheaval on the water's surface. We were about to adjust our course to avoid intersecting its path, but just as quickly as it appeared it was gone. Royal Island was a calm, dependable anchorage, but that was it. Quite a depressing place actually, so the next morning we moved on. That's the nice thing about living on a boat: if you don't like where you are for any reason, you can go somewhere else! I have been cruising the Bahamas in my pajamas. We sometimes sail for days without seeing another soul, so who cares? :)

I read wonderful things about our next stop-the independent, lovely island of Spanish Wells-and a layover was definitely called for after three days of consecutive togetherness. All three of us were driving each other bonkers so we struck out in different directions to refresh and exercise. The homes here were brightly colored (Bahamian style) and well taken care of, the people were talkative and kind and I have never seen a cemetery that had more love lavished upon it. Each island is quite distinct from all the others. The people have varying accents, different architecture, some cays are prospering and others are deteriorating. That evening we anchored off of a beach at Meek's Patch.

The next morning we sailed a good ways to Hatchet Bay. Eleuthera is definitely more remote than the Abacos. It's not so much a tourist destination and the safe anchorages are farther apart. Hatchet Bay was praised in our books as a good place to see, caves to explore, etc. They were wrong. Hatchet Bay is an industrial wasteland. There was garbage everywhere, creepy abandoned boats, even creepier trashed dark caves and the water was brown! Everywhere else we have seen absolutely pristine waters and it has seemed as if people have pride in and respect for the beauty of their homeland.

Our next destination was Governor's Harbor and it was exactly what was needed to remove the bad aftertaste of Hatchet Bay. There were picturesque roads galore to hike up and down, miles of beaches to walk, and the whole place smelled like blooming flowers. There are dogs everywhere around here just smiling and roaming around looking to make friends with whoever comes along. Chili is very popular and they get to romp all over the sands playing together. We stayed in Governor's Harbor for two nights and then heard that bad weather was moving through, so we decided to get to a marina.

We are currently at Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina close to the bottom of Eleuthera. We have been here since Monday evening and have only seen one rain shower. Wouldn't you know it-the rain finally came this morning (Thursday) when I was about two miles away from the boat on my morning run! It felt amazing actually and made all of the island smells even more potent. Nature is spectacular. It is quiet here this time of year. We have been playing at the beach, reading, watching movies on our portable dvd player (electricity!), going for walks, and sprucing up Tranquility. When we are sure the high winds have passed through we are leaving for the Exumas. I am excited! The Exumas are said to be one of the most beautiful stretches of earth and a large portion of the cays are protected as a land and sea park. Everything that I read leads me to believe that we will be really isolated there. I will take lots of pictures and keep a log of our explorations so that when I come across Internet access I will be ready to share with you!
-Caitlin