We spent a lot more time exploring Eleuthra this year than we have before. The winds kept us in Rock Sound for a few days so we made good use of the time exploring locally by foot and the rest of the mainland by car. The Island is known for having many caves, often connected by underground tunnels. The "Spider Caves" were within walking distance from town and were quite impressive. The car we rented was compact and not really suitable for off road driving, but we made it work and bumped our way down the long, rocky, unpaved road to gorgeous limestone cliffs at the southern tip, Lighthouse Point. Another highlight was stopping at the Glass Window, the narrowest part of the island originally connected naturally but now by a man made bridge, where the ocean meets the Eleuthra Banks. The contrast between the 2 bodies of water is stunning. We enjoyed driving out to Current Cut, the narrow channel with a very fast and strong current most boats use to travel north from the Exumas and Eleuthra, and seeing it from a different perspective. 110 miles long and 1 mile wide, the island has one main road that extends from one end to the other. There are miles and miles of undeveloped land with scattered settlements here and there.

We took our time sailing up the coast and enjoyed several lovely anchorages. In the past Royal Island has been a pit stop for us to stage for crossing to the Abacos, but this time we anchored instead right nearby at Egg Island and enjoyed an afternoon and night of calm conditions and abundant aquatic life before we crossed.

The winds were minimal for most of our sail to the Abacos, so we had the engine running for the whole trip and fished the whole way. For the third time out of four that we've made this passage, we caught a good sized Mahi-Mahi and enjoyed it grilled that evening, anchored off of Pelican Point, Great Abaco.

Anticipating big north winds, we made our way up to Hopetown on Elbow Cay yesterday. We plan to stay here a few days then move on!