We decided that we would not wait in Nassau but that we would go to Eleuthera and visit Hatchet Bay as we wait for a weather window. Through Marinetraffic.com great AIS tracking system we knew SV Cardea (Gary and Sue we met in Vero Beach and then again in Big Majors) were anchored in the bay so I make contact with them to see if there is room for us. Sue emailed back to say there was so off we go on new adventures. We were so happy to leave the busy harbor of Nassau!!!
Leaving Nassau and sailing to Eleuthera felt invigorating since we have been tied up at a marina way too long. There were a lot of boats leaving Nassau at the same time heading south and east. The motor sail to Eleuthera was benign with very little waves and wind. It was a glorious sunny and warm day where I could read for almost the entire time (except when I was on watch!!).
For awhile all we could see was ocean and then we see the beautiful island ahead of us!!!! When I see Eleuthera I feel like I am home!!! It is such a contrast to the Exumas and Abacos (we cruised a few years ago). As we approach I see cliffs with all rock faces; similar to some of our cruising areas home. We entered the channel to Hatchet Bay through a very narrow channel of about 50 feet with cliffs on each side. There is shallow water with rocks visible directly in front of you during your entry and a breakwater to your side. It is a very intimidating entrance initially. Once inside it is a beautiful, all around protected, anchorage where you could actually anchor in one spot for all wind directions instead of doing the anchorage shuffle we had to do in other areas while searching for safety. I loved it!!!! This, however, was not the beautiful white sand and turquoise water the Bahamas are renowned for. Instead it is more similar to Bra D'or Lakes in Nova Scotia (the area we love to sail in during the summer) regarding its protection and the landscape was similar to sailing down the southshore of Nova Scotia; particularly Mahone Bay area. It was beautiful and I felt like I did not want to leave.
Once there it did not take us long to reconnect with SV Cardea (Gary and Sue) as we were invited over for a chat. They had also invited a beautiful couple from South Carolina (Cindy and Rick on SV Float On). Through-out the night we found we had a lot in common as the females were all nurses!!! It is funny in the cruisers community as we never know anyone's profession since we are all sailors and we are all the same... Anyway finding out what we did us nurses had some gory stories that the men did not want to hear but we had a ball anyway (keep in mind we may have a sick sense of humor lol). Since we all had a great time together we decided to go see the pineapple farm the next day. Cindy took the lead on it and knowing I was challenged with physical activity she arranged for Mr. Russell (the farm owner) to pick us up. I was so grateful of her consideration!!!
Mr Russell picked us up in his truck to go to his Pineapple Farm. It was the first time since I was a kid that I actually went for a ride in the dump of the truck. WE had so much fun there and we all felt like we were reliving our childhood. Once we got to the farm we were amazed at the process required to grow pineapples and that they can take anywhere from 1-2 years to grow to be harvested depending on what method is used. He also had a great variety of local vegetables and trees that he provided information on; including what is used medicinally instead of the medications that we are familiar with.
In Eleuthera the soil is red. In Bahamas this only occurs in Eleuthera and Long Island. This soil is rich with nutrients and explains why this area is very lush with grass and many trees whereas the other areas we have seen are sparsely covered with trees and very little grass. At the end of the farm tour he requested that we pick as many different types of vegetables as we desired. We were amazed at his generosity. Between all of us we picked lettuce, cabbage, beets and peppers. We were all so excited since fresh vegetables are a treat in the out islands of Bahamas.
We were expecting that the farm tour was over and we would go back to Hatchet Bay. Instead Mr. Russell had a surprise for us and he became our tour guide to the famous bridge called the Glass Window. The 'Bridge' connects the Northern and Southern points of Eleuthera by a paved road. Here you have a panoramic view of the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean on one side of the road and the calm Bight of Eleuthera (Bahama banks) on the other side, separated by a strip of rock just 30 feet wide. It was amazing as the Atlantic Ocean was turbulent that day with crashing waves whereas the Bahama Bank, with its variety of turquoise water colors, was calm and beautiful. This was certainly an amazing sight to see. We were all delighted and thankful to have been able to see this unexpected true wonders of the world.
He then brought us to another marvel of nature: the Queen's Bath. The baths are really hot tubs on the Atlantic side of the island. The hot tubs are natural pools that have been carved out, from erosion, by the waves crashing over the rocks. The pools are filled with rocks (many round ones that get caught in the pool and the waves cause them to rotate around in the pool forming round rocks), shells, and small sea life. The shallow water in the pools is warmed by the sun, creating a bath like temperature pool perfect for relaxing into. It really was breathtaking!!
Finally it was time for this wonderful man to take us back to Hatchet Bay. We were so grateful for all he had done for us; including the vegetables we received and the extra excursions we experienced. Life is good!!!!!!!!!!!!
We decided that we did not want to separate our bounty of veggies so we decided to have a meal together. Between all of us we had quite the feast on our boat. Needless to say we were "stuffed" when we finished and we had such a great time connecting, telling stories and laughing.
We also had the opportunity to meet Emmet who owns the store of the dinghy dock. He was a wealth of information and very helpful as he answered all our questions and provided information on the community he loved in. We saw Emmet a few times and we can't wait to go visit him again as he was so welcoming. We found the whole community that way during our walk as everyone waved to us. The community has lots of churches (at least 5) and reminds us of the Abacos. The town was very colorful with houses painted the traditional bright Caribbean colors. All in all I fell in love with the area. The only problem we encountered was the stray roaming dogs. To protect Duke we walked with a stick in case there was any aggression shown towards him. Fortunately for us there was none displayed and all was good.
Wouldn't you know it that we were only there a couple of nights and a weather window was opening for our crossing... so the third night there we have intentions of going to bed early so that we could get an early start to Nassau in the high winds and waves forecasted. Unfortunately (not really!!!).. fortunately what happened is that a retired Coastguard employee that Andrea (our daughter) had us on the look out for (SV Sonho..Ryan and Andrea) since we have been in the Bahamas enterd the anchorage. Byron alerted me right away that this was who Andrea wanted us to meet. I was reluctant to interrupt them as it was late and they were just anchoring after punching a bad day sailing. Byron, however, had other plans as he jumped in the dinghy and went to see them to introduce himself. Within 30 minutes we were on their boat visiting and chatting like we had known them forever. They are such sweet people; newbie's cruising the Bahamas too. After a couple of hours I had to force Byron (and really myself to) to go back to our boat to leave those poor tired people alone... and for us to get to bed for our early start in the morning for our anticipated lumpy sail back to Nassau. We promised to get together with them in Saint John (where they live and Andrea lives) when we visit Andrea in the summer. Life is good!!! We are so blessed to have met such wonderful people!!
Early in the morning we head out the channel after SV Cardea and make slow and lumpy tracks back to Nassau. It was not the most comfortable sail and to amplify the discomfort we saw in the distance an overturned hobie cat... Our duty and due diligence was to investigate the area to determine if the overturned boat had any people on it or in the water.... It was a scary encounter... All I could think of as we approached was what do we do if there are bodies there?? Byron did not want to make a distress call over the radio until we investigated... while I wanted to make the call before we got to the boat... We were not in agreement at all. Fortunately once we got to the boat there was no one there and the rudders were up. It looked like it may have blown off the beach from one of the resorts and there was no one at risk or in danger... Thank god. So Byron called Coastguard (with no response) numerous times. Eventually he called a "Pan Pan" to notify fellow boaters of an overturned boat in the water with no victims present. The only call we received was from a cruise ship that also went to investigate the area. Thankfully the cruise ship was able to communicate with Coastguard and by the time we finally contacted them all we had to do was forward the pictures we took of the boat. It certainly made the time go fast for us as we sailed to Nassau.
In Nassau for the night prior to the crossing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Scared, sad and excited... I was on an emotional roller coaster. Oh we hope it goes well....
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