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.