We’re currently sitting in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. I’m going to split this one into two posts and talk about the trip getting here, then more on Rock Sound. Rock Sound was a goal of ours and we wanted to spend some extra time and get to know the place.

February 27th and 28th- Meeks Patch, Gun Point, and Spanish Wells; Eleuthera Bahamas

This was all about life at the beach. Meeks Patch has several beaches and we mostly had one to our selves. We finally went swimming. Last year we swam almost every day. This year the weather hasn’t cooperated. Correction – Ollie swims regardless of weather.

We were in a good anchorage for east winds but it was open to the south. The wind would vary between East then go South East. Sometimes Evergreen would get a little bouncy but that all depended on how far South the wind would swing. Eventually it got a little windy so we bailed out and looked for another anchorage.

Our next spot we pulled into was Spanish Wells. Unfortunately, the moorings were full so we went around to the north shore of the Island and anchored off Gun Point. This brought us to another beautiful beach. We wanted to explore Spanish Wells but it was breezy and the ride to shore would be a wet one from our current position. Still, we needed diesel so I took the dinghy in to get fuel. I only briefly saw the town. We hope to get back there and spend more time exploring together.

Some scenes from Spanish Wells.

February 29th- Gun Point to Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera Bahamas

We pulled the hook and headed out for the day. The first part of the day was a very fast broad reach, down to Current Cut. This is a small opening that needs to be negotiated at slack tide or with a following current. I chose the following current by determining the tide at Nassau. It all worked out and we picked up an extra knot or two.

This brings us to “The Thorny Path”. I learned from S/V Andante that the path from Florida, through the Bahamas, and on to the Caribbean is often called The Thorny Path. This is due to the trade winds. Basically most days the wind is out of the East or South East and sailing is upwind. This is the land based equivalent of going uphill all damn day. Once through Current Cut we spent a few hours tacking towards Hatchet Bay. Eventually I fired up Evergeen’s diesel and just pounded our way in. Upwind sailing would be our theme for the next few days.

The entrance to Hatchet Bay was surprisingly narrow. The harbor was once a pond but part of the cliff was blasted away to allow boats in. This was to support a large cattle farm which eventually failed. Hatchet Bay provides 360 degree protection from the wind.

On the banks of Hatchet Bay is the settlement of Alice Town. Originally I thought we’d stay here and explore for a few days but the town seems to have fallen on hard times. Here, Ollie and I had our first encounter with a pack of Potcakes. We since have developed a system, but after this first encounter I really wasn’t interested in walking him around town.

What’s a Potcakes you ask?

Potcakes are a mixed breed of dog in the Bahamas and Caribbean. The name is derived from the peas and rice dish that’s popular. The over cooked mass at the bottom of the pot (pot cake) is mixed with other leftovers and given to the dogs. It’s somewhat ironic that these dogs are wandering around all over the place since it seems like many Bahamians are fearful of dogs. So far our encounters have gone OK. We’ve met friendly ones. Others are territorial. Ollie has a certain intensity about him and they don’t approach us too closely. I was raised with dogs, enough said on that subject.

March 1st- Hatchet Bay to Alabaster Bay, Eleuthera Bahamas 

We had planned on pushing up to Governor’s Harbour but wind, waves, and squalls put an end to that plan. I knew the weather might become a problem so we moved on to plan B, Alabaster Bay.

The Bay has another beautiful beach and provided protection from the sea that was blasting over our bow. It was amazing how flat it was considering the wind was still gusting through our rigging. We ran into (figuratively) S/V Andante along the way and both of us pulled into the anchorage for the evening. Later we enjoyed sundowners on their boat.

No pictures today.

March 2nd- Alabaster Bay to Rock Sound, Eleuthera Bahamas

Another upwind slog. We sailed the whole distance. Evergreen performed well. We were able to do the trip with one long tack to get the right angle. It was difficult. The boat was healed over all day and spent much of it pounding into surf. We actually lost a few unimportant things off the bow in the deluge of water.

Toward the end of the trip we were in the lee of the island and the sea flattened out some. Evergreen soared along at 7 knots. Maybe we were picking up some current but I still felt great about the performance of the boat (with ancient sails).

Big problem:

I had Evergeen’s center board down for the upwind work. With the board down our draft goes from 3′ 9″ to around 9 feet! When we were approaching the Rock Sound area I knew there were shallow spots so I started cranking up the board. The winch broke! Somehow the shaft popped out and with the weight of the board down I couldn’t get the shaft back in. The board is too heavy to pull up. We’re still sailing along and it’s getting shallower…. I tried a few unsuccessful options. Now I’m getting a little worried. Finally using a hammer and a really big screwdriver as a pry bar, I was able to force the shaft back in. Board Up! Whew! We anchored in the Sound for the night.

More to come…