March 3rd to 15th- Rock Sound, Eleuthera Bahamas

We’ve spent almost two weeks hanging around Rock Sound. We really wanted to spend some time in a place and not think about where we are going next. A word I’ve typed many times, in this blog, has been “Onward.” Now I think our mantra Is “Relax.”

This is a wonderful town and I’m so glad to have been able to spend some time here. There is everything we need in walking distance. The town has two excellent grocery stores along with some smaller places that also sell goods. Halls grocery has a deli/ bakery where we’ve been picking up desserts. Walton Cooper aka Showboat runs a very clean, well organized laundry mat. Lynne spent an afternoon with him and found out he was a champion on the national softball team. There are a few liquor stores. Diesel and gas is available and close to the dinghy dock. There are several excellent restaurants. Since this is not a big tourist town some of the prices are better than on other islands. At least a half dozen churches are scattered around town. We have access to good RO water. What really makes this place special are the people that live here. Hopefully I can summarize some of the fine memories I have of Rock Sound.

Early on in our stay I started picking up glass off the beach near the church. There is some poverty in the Bahamas and with that brings garbage and litter. Garbage pickup is spotty. Sometimes the dogs get into the trash. Obviously, the boats that come through here (including us) have trash. While Rock Sound is a pretty clean town, litter can still be a problem. So, picking up glass on the beach was my way of contributing to the area. This brings me to my friend Warren aka “Grandma”. Warren is an accomplished artist, a one man anti-litter powerhouse, a patriotic Bahamian, a botanist, a wealth of local information, and a friend to boaters. We met shortly after a clean up day. There are trash bins throughout town with hand painted messages such as pick it up, no plastics, don’t litter, etc. Warren has made all of these bins and drives around with his truck to bring trash to the dump. He has also lobbied the local government for dumpsters. I also found out he mows the lawn at the church and other places. He’s done most of the signage in town and painted murals on some of the ruins.

One day I was tossing the frisbee for Ollie at the beach and Warren came by with a big Bahamas flag. He was planning on swimming to a pole, that’s out in the water, to hoist the flag. Ollie and I are always looking for a mission. We were granted temporary citizenship and used the dinghy to get the pole and hoist the flag over the sound.

Over a few days some of our boating friends started to drift in. S/V Ecola came by and we all went out for dinner at the Wild Orchid Restaurant. We hardly ever go out for dinner due to budget constraints. I’m happy to say my dinner was excellent.

Next S/V Shanks Mare pulled in then soon after Lukiest anchored near by. We found out Shanks Mare was going to be celebrating a 65th birthday and a party was in the making. Luckiest gathered an enormous amount of drift wood for a bonfire. Plans were made. Food was prepared. Lynne painted a card. We needed a spot. We scoped out a spot on the beach by the church. There is a gazebo that would work perfectly for food. We were unsure about lighting a big fire on the beach. Warren happened to be mowing the lawn ( his words “Penance! and I’ve been Bad”). He said we could have our party if he was invited and God was OK with it. Warren decorated the whole gazebo and provided a grill made from the wheel (hub) of a car. Everyone brought different dishes and we grilled up various things. Other boats were invited and a big party came together. A fun night was had by all.

Ollie has enjoyed his stay also. Some of the Potcakes have gotten used to seeing him around. He is a celebrity in town. The other day we were walking by the school and about 20 small children ran to the fence to see him. The kids all wear uniforms here when they are in school. We got Ollie to stand close to the fence so all of those little hands could feel his soft fur. He seemed happy. They were all laughing and excited. It was a special moment.

One day we walked down to Cathedral Cave with the crew of Shanks Mare. It’s a cave but part of the roof has collapsed over time letting light stream in. It was well worth the walk.

Some scenes from Cathedral Cave.

The plan is to move on tomorrow. We’d like to see some more of the beaches on Eleuthera and visit a few other settlements. There may be a quick front moving through next week so Evergreen might have to hide out for a day. There are only a few spots with protection from West winds. We’ve enjoyed Rock Sound and will be back again.