Layin low in Abaco

We arrived into the Abacos with our visit into Little Harbor and Pete's Pub after crossing from Spanish Wells. We immediately noticed many differences in our new cruising ground.

We've been to the Abacos twice before and have a good idea of them. The Abacos is the chain lying in the northeast corner of the Bahamas and consists of Great Abaco Island and a long series of small Cays. The Abacos are more populous than many of the other islands in the Bahamas. They have also become a large vacation destination especially or people from Florida with the many resorts, cottages and boat charters. There are few boat charters in other island groups but there are several in the Abacos including large fleets by Moorings and Sunsail. As a result the Abaco waters are full of boats of all kinds and the hope of finding a quiet anchorage is minimal.

Breakers coming in around Channel Cay.

Sandy Cay with other boats looking for snorkel opportunities.

So far the least number of boats we've seen was at Little Harbor and that's probably because the entrance is shallow. When we left Little Harbor we anchored behind Sandy Cay to snorkel but it was too rough so we traveled on to Tahiti Beach at the south end of Elbow Cay. When we got there we found about 15 other boats had the same idea. What a beautiful spot but tons of traffic.

Boats at Tahiti Beach.

After spending the night we headed up to Marsh Harbor to hide from the next cold front due to arrive in a few days. We got a slip in the Marsh Harbor Marina and Jib Room that many people had talked about. It was the first time our boat got plugged in since we came over. It was also nice to give the boat a fresh water bath although some of the rain we've had did a great job of it. We had several missions to accomplish while in Marsh Harbor. We had many boat chores to accomplish, get provisions, freshen the batteries by plugging them in and of course ride out the bad weather. The marina was nicely sheltered from the winds blowing through with the front.

View from the Jib Room.

One of the ancillary benefits we wanted to achieve was to snorkel the Mermaid Reef which was just across the ridge from Marsh Harbor Marina. We missed it last year.  So after rinsing off the salt from the boat we headed over to the beach while the weather was still good. Rain and miserable weather was in the forecast beginning late Friday. So we snorkled the reef on Thursday afternoon and went back on Friday morning while the weather was still good. The reef was excellent. Somewhat limited in diversity of coral and sponge types but lots of fish species.

Views of Mermaid Beach.

Got numerous boat chores completed. Changed the oil and filters, cleaned the strainers, cleaned out the turbocharger, tightened the packing nut and cleaned out the engine compartment. Also got the first good cleaning inside the boat in a few weeks completed.

But it wasn't all work. We had a great time meeting several new folks and a couple of our old friends, Hayden and Radeen Cochran on Island Spirit came in on Friday so we partied with them and others while at the marina.

We stayed at the marina and left on Wednesday since the weather didn't look favorable for heading north and we enjoyed being there. Wednesday we left with the plan to go to ether Guana Cay or Treasure Cay but coming out of Marsh Harbor we had a great sail and lots of boats were crossing the Whale so we decided to go for it.

And that begins our next adventure still layin low in Abaco.

Linda outside the Jib Room.

Crossing deep water again

We left Spanish Wells Monday morning 11 April and went to anchor in Royal Island harbor. Getting off the mooring and out of the channel in Spanish Wells was uneventful despite some traffic and a working dredge. We were able to sail the 5 miles or so from the SW channel to the entrance to Royal Island. The wind was blowing 15-20 out of the east so we just raised our main and had a nice sail at about 5-6 kts.

Anchoring in Royal Harbor.

There were several other boats anchored in the harbor but we found a spot in about 10' of water and dropped the hook. I swam down to look at the anchor and it was buried very deep so had no concerns about the holding. Even though it was windy and cool I swam along the ledges snorkeling and Linda enjoyed a nice quiet afternoon reading. We finished our prep to go across the channel in the morning.

 Look around the anchorage.

We arose early so we could depart as soon as there was enough light to see. As light came into the sky we hauled the anchor with wind still blowing. Forecast was or 15-20 kts out of the ENE but falling off to 5-10 in the afternoon. We got out and around Egg Island and went to sail with nice wind ahead of the beam. But it didn't take long for the wind to drop and we had a strong easterly swell about 6-8' at 6-7 sec. so forward progress became challenging.

Early departure.

About the time the wind started to drop we got a call on the radio from a voice we could barely understand asking us to avoid them. Looking around there was nobody in sight and and we responded that we didn't see anyone. They came back and we finally understood the name of the vessel and saw them on AIS they were 15 miles away. They wanted us to turn to starboard and take their stern. I told them I saw no need to turn but would take their stern. It appeared that based on our positions that we would pass in front of them so to meet their request we did turn. The move added at least an hour to our passage. After we passed behind them I called them and told them I thought their request was stupid. Other boats passed in front of them and they never called them. They only called us because they saw us on AIS. At happy hour later we talked to other cruisers who heard the calls and thought it was bizarre. Obviously an incompetent ship pilot.

So we motored the bulk of the way across trying to make the tide for entering Little Harbor but the wind came up and we decided to go to sail and put out a fishing line. We sailed until we got close to Little Harbor and decided we still had time to make the tide so we pulled in our line and sails and motored into the channel.

We thought about just anchoring in back of Lynyrd Cay but there were numerous mega yachts anchored there so we decided to go into Little Harbor. We bumped once but got in OK and took a mooring.

The entrance to Little Harbor.

We went into the very famous Pete's Pub for happy hour and met some cruisers we met in Spanish Wells and elsewhere and talked about the crossing. Enjoyed a quiet night and casual morning before heading up through the Abacos.

We left the bank that included Eleuthera and Cat Island, crossed the Northeast Providence Channel and back up into the Little Bahama Bank that includes the Abacos and Grand Bahama Island. When we leave here it will be back to continental shelf.

Spanish Wells deja vu

By the time I get this posted it will beat least a week late. We have already moved on but I ant to tell the story chronologically.

Our weekend in Spanish Wells was fun. Another front passed through while we were there and confounded our travel plans. Since we decided a Saturday departure to the Abacos would not work it meant that our next best window would be Tuesday so we hunkered down to enjoy Spanish Wells.

Last year we spent a weekend in Spanish Wells and enjoyed the picture book town jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. Spanish Wells is home to most of the Bahamian commercial fishing fleet. 75% of the seafood harvested in the Bahamas comes from Spanish Wells. It’s interesting how every island in the Bahamas is different and unlike most of the southern islands, Spanish Wells and several of the Abaco Islands have indigenous industry and the prosperity shows. 

Views of some of the fishing fleet in Spanish Wells.

Views from walking about.

Friday night we had dinner at the Shipyard with some new friends that we met on the cruise from Hatchet Bay. Joe and Char from Sun Cat left Hatchet Bay almost the same time we did so we began communicating during the passage. We followed Sun Cat into the mooring field coming around the outside in very shallow water because there was a dredge blocking the channel. While at the Shipyard we met several other cruisers that we had seen before who were going to be there also waiting out weather.

Saturday was a relaxing day as we walked about the town and had a refreshment at Buddha's Place and then back to the boat for some cleaning and boat work. While were doing that Joe and Char stopped by in their dinghy and invited us to go with them on Sunday back to Harbor Island. We initially accepted but later changed our minds given the weather and past instances where the moorings failed so we thought it best to stay close to the boat.

On Sunday morning when Joe and Char were headed to Harbor Island we dinghied in to chat with them and noticed the golf cart rental agency was open so we asked if we could rent a cart for the day. Normally they are closed on Sunday. We returned ashore after going back to the boat and drove down the island and crossed the little bridge to Russell Island where we went to the Sand Bar for lunch. We had visited it last year when we were here but we were there before it opened and didn’t stay. We followed another golf cart into the parking lot and noticed Joe and Char pull in behind us. They decided not to go to Harbor Island because they were told everything is closed. They knew the couple who pulled in ahead of us and the six of us had a nice leisurely lunch.

 The Sand Bar

That night we met on Sun Cat for drinks and then went to Buddha’s for dinner.

Again we enjoyed our few days in Spanish Wells.

Monday we got ready and left about high tide downwind sailing to an anchorage in Royal Island which is about 5 miles from Spanish Wells, mostly deserted but features a nearly fully enclosed bay which offered excellent shelter from the heavy winds.

Next stop, the Abacos.

We really enjoyed Governor's Harbor but time to move on

After our great stay in Governor’s Harbor we moved further up Eleuthera to stage our trip over to Spanish Wells. So we motored up island the short distance to Hatchet Bay for 1 night. Hatchet Bay is almost like a man-made protective zone. The only way in to Hatchet Bay by water is through a 30’ cut through a cliff into a pond that is completely enclosed.

Leaving Governor's Harbor.

The cut into Hatchet Bay.

Hatchet Bay boasts that they are the safest harbor in the Bahamas since they offer 360 degree protection from wind and waves. On the southern shore of the sound is the small village of Alice Town. Not one of the most exciting towns we’ve seen but it is a quaint little town with a few stores and restaurants. Many cruisers we talked to spent many nights there which would be ok if you weren’t looking for anything to do on shore in a secure anchorage. The bottom was pretty silty and our anchor had disappeared into the abyss so it seemed to be ready to hold.  When it came up in the morning it was caked in mud so it must have really dug in well.

Views around the Bay.

Scenes in Alice Town by Hatchet Bay.

Although the town seemed low-key during the day, someplace was really hopping with loud music and party sounds. Otherwise the night was beautiful with no moon. The stars were so bright that the close constellations ere obvious and the farther galaxies looked like clouds of lights. We spent the night planning the next couple legs of our journey. Some people only plan a day ahead. We try to plan at least 2 days ahead and then use the last night to clarify and verify everything.

Our travel plans that we were working for the next day would take us through the infamous Current Cut through the ridge that runs from Eleuthera to New Providence. If you look at a map you will see a clear line of islands and shoals that run along the deep water and form the northern edge of the Bahama Bank. Current cut is a clear cut through this isthmus of Eleuthera and sees lots of water flow through it either way as the tide if rising or falling making tremendous current as much as  5-6 kts.  When we went through we had over 4 kts going our way. Timing is everything and to determine the proper timing requires research and study and we hit it right.

Cruising toward Current Cut.

Our second day plan was to continue on to the Abacos or in the alternative go into Spanish Wells to ride out a coming front. The pattern of frontal passages every 3-5 days has continued since December so we either went to the Abacos to ride it out or get some shelter in Spanish Wells. So we planned to cross and at the same time made contingency plans for Spanish Wells. In the final analysis we determined that when we got to Little Harbor in the Abacos it would be at low tide so we wouldn’t be able to get into the protected harbor to ride out the weather so we chose Plan B.

Our mooring field in Spanish Wells.

The passage from Hatchet Bay to Spanish Wells was uneventful except for the run through Current Cut and then dealing with low water around Spanish Wells due to the “Spring Tide” caused by the recent New Moon. Spring Tides are extreme high and low tides caused by the moon’s phase and the water was unusually low all the way into Spanish Wells.

Once in we got a mooring in a sheltered area and enjoyed the weekend in one of the gems of the 

Bahamas.

Sunset at the Shipyard Restaurant in Spanish Wells.

Exploring middle Eleuthera

One of the fun things to do when visiting each island is to get out and see the things and experience as much of the local milieu that we can.

Eleuthera is a huge island with many diverse parts. With so much to see it was impossible to see it all so we opted for what we could reasonably see and especially the pearl of Eleuthera, Harbor  Island. So we rented a car and with another couple, Rich and Karen McManus from IP 380 Free Spirit and took off for the day.

Our first stop was to see the pink sand beach on the ocean side owned by the resort where we are staying. Here in Governors Harbor we are staying on a mooring at the French Leave Resort and Marina. French Leave is a resort being developed on a property that was part of Club Med at one point. The resort and marina are being developed to be a Marriott Autograph Collection resort. They have 5 well-installed moorings for visiting yachts. I swam down and looked at the moorings. They are anchored by a cubic yard of concrete with a shackle of 1" stainless steel attached to the buoy line. Should hold up in a storm.

Our resort's pink sand beach.

Heading up the road we found a real-life produce stand and what a treat. The stand sold their own locally grown produce, They had several stems of bananas hanging from which they cut off as many as needed. They had a stem of the small "sugar" bananas that we like that are so good so we bought some that were beginning to ripen and some that were green. They also had papaya trees growing along with tomatoes, onions, citrus fruit, herbs and other vegetables. This was one of the first commercial farming ventures we've seen in the Bahamas. Excellent produce. Just wondering why there isn't more farming like it in the islands given the high cost of imported produce.

Papaya trees.

Banana and coconut trees.

The produce stand.

From there we drove to the Glass Window made famous by a painting from Winslow Homer. The Glass Window is a point where the ocean had eroded the land away through to the Sound. Up until a few years a go when a hurricane destroyed it, there was a natural bridge across the opening. At high tide the water from the ocean flows through to the Sound but at a lower tide and with the heavy winds the waves were crashing on the rocks around the cut. A real breathtaking view especially with the rough seas from the wind. Seeing it from land we don't need to sail there.

Driving in the Bahamas is an experience. They drive British style on the let side of the road. I've done it enough now I don't hesitate at intersections or roundabouts but the edges of the roads have lots of potholes and it is still a challenge to miss all the rough edges.

After chatting up with some other cruisers who were visiting we went on to Harbor Island. There are no bridges to Harbor Island so we took a water taxi to the Island. Harbor Island is famous as a playground of the rich and famous. The pink sand beaches, exclusive resorts and little beach bars all add to the ambiance where movie stars hang out with no fear of inundation. Harbor Island is very beautiful but it's just another island along with the many we've gone to.

Welcome to Harbor Island.

Some street views.

Tide going out in the sound.

Walking down to the beach.

Sapodillas growing on a tree.

One of the many upscale resorts.

The beach.

More street scenes.

We did have a refreshment stop at the Tiki Hut where we met a couple from Maine who were Captaining a boat for another couple around the islands and then delivering several boats back to the northeast US.

After another day of exploring we drove back home and ready for what's next.