Day 42 May 3. On to Rock Harbor Sound, Eleuthera Miles 25.2 Total Miles. 631.8

Day 42

Another beautiful day in Eleuthera, Bahamas! Bill took the drone up and took some shots of Governor's Harbor before we left.

We weighed anchor and left Governor's Harbor to turn south toward our next destination- Rock Sound Along the way we had one foot seas and 10-12 knots of wind. The turquoise water was 15-25 feet deep.

As we headed south, the shore slipped away for 12 miles until we got to Tarpum Point. Again small settlements dot the coast line, fewer the further south we go. Names of the settlements are South Palmetto, Savannah Sound and Tarpum Bay.

Bill likes to ponder the seas as we travel! I prefer to sit and ponder the sea.

About 18 miles into our trip we cruise closer to shore and the waters calm even more. One section of the water is dotted with rocks. Is a bit disconcerting to see all the rocks in 12-13 feet of water. You have to get used to telling ourselves that those rocks are not a worry, but they sure seem close!!

As we get closer to our destination the shore to our east is beach with pines and shrubs.

The island of Eleuthera curves to the west to form the Bight of Eleuthera, as shown on the chart.

We traveled through the Bight and rounded the point to turn into Rock Sound Harbor proper. The settlement of Rock Sound lines the shore.

We anchored off the town, near Blowhole Bluff, and settled in. We have two other boats as company tonight. Rock Sound is one of the largest settlements on Eleuthera whose name has changed over the years. Originally the town was called New Portsmouth as it was settled by some of the original Adventurers. The town was also called Wreck Sound, a nod to its major source of income- salvaging ships that wrecked along its reef strewn coast and harbor. As the economy changed the town's name became Rock Sound.

After lunch, Bill took the drone up and here are some of his shots.

We then we went into town to find the Ocean Hole and walk a bit around town.

We liked their hand painted street signs.

We found the Ocean Hole and enjoyed watching 15 teenage boys jumping in and racing across the hole.

Water is fed into the hole by a series of underground channels from the Atlantic Ocean. This hole has pretty good sized fish in it!

Bill couldn't let the teens out class him so he jumped in also.

Once Bill got dried off and we watched one last race, we headed to town. Along the way we met Warren, a retired nurse turned artist at his gallery.

Warren talked a blue streak and introduced us to sapodilla fruit. Very sweet!

Bill ended up purchasing one of his paintings.

We then walked a bit through town and then headed back to the boat, stopping to collect a few old conch shells that we found on the beach.

Our last task today is to nail down the details of our trip tomorrow. Gotta go get that done!

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

Crustacean Travels

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