It’s been a while since the last blog post. I didn’t keep notes this time so I’m going to have summarize our nautical travels. Sometimes pictures are better than words and I have a few to post. When last we left our intrepid explorers they were preparing to leave Marsh Harbour on April 13th, so I’ll start there.

April 13th- Marsh Harbour to Manjack Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas 

We left Marsh Harbour to cross back through the Whale Passage to Green Turtle Cay. We were able to sail much of the way. There were fairly large seas at Whale Passage but no waves breaking on the reef.

About a day before leaving Marsh Harbour Lynne developed a potentially serious eye problem. We needed to get back to the USA to get her checked out. We were able to book an emergency appointment in Vero Beach we just had to get there. We made the decision to bypass Green Turtle and keep moving on. We found we’d soon have a window to cross the Gulf Stream in a few days.

We ended the day at Manjack Cay, a beautiful spot for the night.

I try to contribute a few shells to this natural fence when we’re here.

Evergreen anchored off Manjack Cay.

April 14th and 15th – Manjack Cay to Allen’s/ Pensacola Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas 

Another beautiful day. We are hardly using the diesel engine due to the favorable winds. Our next stop was Allen’s/ Pensacola Cay. It’s actually two islands that were joined together by a past hurricane. We spent two days here since we had to time the crossing right and this place is another favorite of ours. The eye issue still weighed heavily but the weather was perfect. I had planned on snorkeling here to clean Evergeen’s hull and check a few things but we repeatedly had a shark circle the boat. This was probably due to people feeding the shark. No swimming for me.

Some scenes from Allen’s/Pensacola Cay.

Signage pointing out the path to “The Naming Tree”.

The Naming Tree. Boaters leave signs with their vessel name. I wonder what kind of tree it is?

Of course we made a sign.

Shallow water. No sharks.

Evergreen anchored off Allen’s/Pensacola Cay.

April 16th- Allen’s/Pensacola Cay to Great Sale Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas 

Today we moved on to Great Sale. This will be our jumping off point for the US. It’s a remote spot so we don’t have any last minute coverage for weather updates but everything looks good.

Evergreen anchored off Great Sale Cay.

April 17th and 18th- Great Sale Cay, Bahamas to Fort Pierce, Florida 

Back to the USA. I think the trip took around 20 hours. We were able to sail during the day on the Bahama bank but the wind died out at night. This left a sloppy sea for our crossing. Due to ships and bouncy conditions we both stayed awake all night. The trip wasn’t hard, just a little uncomfortable.

Sunset.

April 19th- Fort Pierce to Vero Beach, Florida 

We rested up and then “put the pedal to the medal” for Vero Beach. Lynn’s eye exam is today so no sleeping in. We made it to the marina, grabbed a mooring, and she took an Uber to the eye doctor. The appointment went well. No surgery needed. Eye is healing on it’s own. Good news!

April 20th to May 5th- Vero Beach, Florida 

During this time we stocked up Evergreen for the trip north. As I mentioned in my last post we lost my Grandfather. At that point we rented a car and drove to New Jersey for the funeral. We soon returned to VB and got Evergreen ready to go. I can’t add too much. It was a sad time.

Some scenes from Vero Beach.

Coming back from our New Jersey trip. We’re both smiling but about 20 minutes before this picture was taken we slammed into a piece of road debris which smashed in the bumper on the rental.

Ollie playing with his girlfriend Maggie.

View off the back porch.

Evergreen moored in Vero Beach. We are tied to another boat but no one was on it.

May 6th- Vero Beach to Melbourne, Florida 

We are going to try to keep moving forward every day if the weather cooperates. We might take an extra day in Georgia. Also we’re planning on spending a few days in Beaufort South Carolina. 

Tonight we are anchored on the side of the Melbourne bridge. Not very scenic but it blocks the wind and there is a spot to bring Ollie to shore.

Sunset at Melbourne.

May 7th- Melbourne to Titusville, Florida 

Florida is experiencing an early heat wave. Evergeen’s thermometer read 93 degrees fahrenheit. Not much wind. It may get hotter. 

In the past we’ve taken a mooring at the Titusville marina. Today we decided to anchor on the side of a sandy little island in the lagoon. Ollie immediately jumped in the water upon reaching shore. The anchorage is exposed to any breeze but we need it!

The sandy little island. Google maps calls it Horseshoe Crab Island.

April 26th- Vero Beach, Florida

Evergreen has been tied to a mooring in Vero for around a week. I have more pictures of the Bahamas to post and will continue the story soon. I’m behind again. I need to break away from the log to talk about something else.

In the beginning, the main reason I started this log was my Grandfather. About a year before our first southern odessy I informed him of our plans. He didn’t take this well and thought it was a bad idea. So, I just didn’t talk to him about it anymore. We got Catalpa ready for the trip. A few days before leaving, I called him and let him know we were sailing south. Ironically, our departure date was September 15th 2019, which was his birthday. As you might imagine, he was upset. I believe his response was something like, “How can you tell me this at the last minute?? This is crazy !” I felt bad about the whole conversation. I sent him a WW2 submarine book and wrote him a letter to explain how he could use his computer to get on this website. He was familiar with using email, so no problems there. I thought if he followed the log he’d see it’s not such a crazy/ dangerous trip. He followed the log religiously and we often discussed events during our phone conversations. I remember he was concerned about the amount of fuel I had on deck. He always told me to look out for sharks. He didn’t like the idea of us leaving the country for the Bahamas but was amazed at the turquoise waters in my pictures. If I was late in posting, I’d often get an email or phone call as he’d be wondering, “what’s going on?”

My Grandfather was a WW2 veteran and served in the Pacific theater. He was injured in the battle of Saipan. He always said he was done with ships and airplanes after that war. He enjoyed canoeing on a lake but would not go out on the ocean again. Still, we talked boats. Years ago I read the Hornblower series which is about the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars. I sent these books to him as I finished them. He enjoyed them and we often talked about things like top gallants, weather gage (up wind), lee shores, studding sails, and cannon. He wasn’t a mariner but certainly enjoyed reading about it and learning new things.

He lived alone for many years after my Grandmother died. Around a year ago he became sick and it was necessary for him to move into a nursing home. He could no longer use a computer and had difficulty communicating over the telephone. I miss our conversations. On April 24th, 2024 my Grandfather, Bernard Hopkins, passed away. He was 99 years old.

I would not be the person I am today without his influence. I hope he is with my Grandmother and I hope to see them both again someday.

Goodbye Pop.

Crossing The Bar (1889)

April 1st- Spanish Wells Eleuthera to Black Point Cay/ Great Abaco Island, Bahamas

The trip back to the Abacos went well. We exited through Ridley Head channel which runs through a large reef. Conditions were calm so it was just a navigational exercise to stay in the middle of the channel. The rest of the day was a mix of motoring and sailing. The sea was a little sloppy so I devised various ways to keep our sails from flopping around.

One more picture from Spanish Wells. I’m in island mode.

Many boats were crossing so we assumed Little Harbour would be full. Since we were running early we kept going and anchored in a place we used last year. There is nothing at Black Point Cay other than nature. Buckaroon bay is near and has many small secluded beaches. We had hoped to spend a couple days but…. The Weather. It seems we never go more than a day or two without making preparations for the next front that’s moving through. The weather has been difficult this year in comparison to our last Bahamas trip. We’ve heard from one ocean veteran that this has been the worst weather in his eight years of cruising the Bahamas. What ever! It’s still better than the winter weather in Massachusetts.

April 2nd- Black Point Cay/ Great Abaco Island to Man-O-War Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

We had a perfect down wind sail to Man-O-War. Actually there are a few twists and turns so not all down wind, but close enough. We’ve anchored off of Man-O-War in the past but decided to take a mooring in the harbor. The harbor has a narrow entrance and full protection from the wind. It also has a couple of good dinghy docks and a good coffee shop. There is no booze on the island so that can be an issue if you are running low (we were). Other than that it’s great! Good grocery stores. The new marina sells fuel and water. Buddy runs the moorings and is a genuinely nice guy and a wealth of local knowledge.

April 3rd to 5th- Man-O-War Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

We had a good stay. We had our “weather day” and were protected in the harbor.

Some scenes from Man-O-War Cay.

Priority one. Giant beach to play ball on. My back and arm are killing me. Ollie is fine.

Evergreen moored at Man-O-War Cay.

April 6th to 12th- Man-O-War Cay to Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island Bahamas

Next stop – Marsh Harbour. We first planned a short stop but this extended to a week. Marsh Harbour is a good place to get stuff done. Groceries, liquor, fuel – done. A problem we had sneaking up on us was laundry. The Bubbles laundromat solved that issue. The Admiral gives it an A rating as far as laundromats go.

We also spent time waiting for calmer seas at the Whale Passage. Another front rolled through so we decided to wait that out too. I’ve been finding different docks to bring Ollie to shore and different places to walk. There is new construction around town. It’s nice to see things improving in Marsh Harbour. The place was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian.

Tomorrow we plan on moving a little further down the island chain. We’re likely to make a few stops and then cross back over to Florida late next week. It looks like the trade winds will be helping us along. Our cruising permit expires soon so it’s time to sail back home.

Some scenes from Marsh Harbour.

Ollie’s exercise field.

Evergreen anchored in Marsh Harbour.

March 26th- Hatchet Bay to Glass Window Bridge (Twin Sisters Beach), Eleuthera Bahamas 

Another nice day so Back To The Beach! It was a short, easy sail down to the Glass Window Bridge area. Shortly after arrival we found out that S/V Luckiest and S/V Windweaver were also coming over from Spanish Wells.

We spent much of the day swimming and snorkeling. I saw a ray and a few barracuda but mostly small fish. Lots of very colorful small fish.

One thing a little different on this stop was the sound of surf pounding on the other side of the island. There was a constant deluge of water coming under the Glass Bridge. We could also occasionally see giant explosions of surf spray higher than the hills and trees that were blocking the sea from our anchorage. More on that later.

In the evening we got together again with Luckiest and Windweaver for another beach bonfire. We still had wood left over from the last one. Other boaters showed up. Also, tonight there were a bunch of teenagers (from The Island School) camping on the beach. They were curious about Oliver and cruising in general. Ollie made a lot of friends this night.

Our anchorage near Twin Sisters Beach AND Lenny Kravitz’s house (maybe).

Beach party.

March 27th- Glass Window Bridge (Twin Sisters Beach), Eleuthera Bahamas

It’s deceptively calm on the Bahamas bank. The surf is still pounding on the other side of Eleuthera. We’ve heard the waves are over ten feet. We also received a report that a boat broached and sunk at Whale Passage in the Abacos. All crew were rescued. Not a good decision to head through that turbulent opening when there are big seas.

We decided to hike over to the Queen’s Baths and the Glass Window Bridge to see what’s going on. It was impressive.

The waves were breaking on the cliffs. No one could swim in the Baths today without being swept into the sea.

This is a blow hole. Water is forced through an underground cave and shoots through the hole.

Road to the Glass Window Bridge (Queen’s Highway).

Surging water under the bridge.

All is calm at the anchorage.

Sunset off of Eleuthera.

March 28th to 29th- Glass Window Bridge to Sandbar Anchorage/ Spanish Wells, Eleuthera Bahamas

Today our nice anchorage turned into “not an anchorage”. The wind swung out of the south west and we were getting swells off the bank. Getting the anchor up was a chore with Evergeen’s bow bobbing up and down. We needed to move on anyway as we were expecting some weather overnight and this anchorage would get worse. We headed back up to Spanish Wells. We first stopped at Meeks Patch to drop our sails and take Ollie for a walk. Then headed over to anchor in front of the Sandbar Beach Bar and Grill. Everything else looked full and this spot would provide protection from the upcoming northerlies we were expecting. We also had plans for the bar but didn’t make it. The storm wasn’t bad. Just mostly a wind event.

Ollie doesn’t really care where he is, as long as there is a beach to run on.

March 30th and 31st- Spanish Wells, Eleuthera Bahamas

Happy Easter!

On Saturday we wanted to move the boat closer to the actual town of Spanish Wells. We’ve been in the area but never really in a convenient location to get in. We needed some groceries and our liquor supply was at a critical level. There are five moorings located in the harbor and about 40 boats anchored outside of the harbor so I I figured there was a zero percent chance of us getting a mooring. Since I was motivated to move Evergreen I figured I’d check anyway. We got a mooring! Easter miracle? The boat is moored right in the downtown area. We got groceries at Pinder’s Market. We also got booze at the Value Liquor Store. The owner was nice enough to have our loot delivered to the dock.

Easter started off with Eggs Benedict. We then wandered around town for a while. Everything is closed so it’s very quiet. Ollie enjoyed some beach fun. This evening we will be prepping Evergreen to cross back to the Abaco Islands. The wind looks good and hopefully the sea state has calmed down some. There were 10 to 15 foot waves a few days ago. We’ve enjoyed exploring Eleuthera.

Some scenes from Spanish Wells.

Everyone has their own “tourist photograph” sign.

Car transport.

Lots of shallow water around Spanish Wells. This was right off our bow.

Evergreen moored in Spanish Wells.

March 16th- Rock Sound to 10 Bay, Eleuthera Bahamas

A day at the beach.

The weather was nice for an easy ride down to 10 Bay. I was hoping to spend around a week exploring some of the beaches along the coast of Eleuthera. This plan was very short lived once I started looking at the long range weather forecast. The problem is when fronts move through the wind clocks around to the west and there are very few places to seek protection from the wind and waves. On to plan B. We’ll go to the beach when the weather is good and hide out when it’s not.

10 Bay was beautiful. We were the only boat anchored. We hadn’t been swimming in a few weeks so that was priority one. Ollie was exhausted by night fall.

Some scenes from 10 Bay.

A perfect afternoon for this guy.

Evergreen anchored in 10 Bay, Eleuthera.

March 17th- 10 Bay to Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera Bahamas

Just one more day! Nope. Around noon time we finally made the decision to move on. I knew Hatchet Bay was going to fill up due to the approaching front. We had an extra day before it was going to happen but I wanted to grab a good spot in the harbor. 

We had a decent sail up to Hatchet Bay except for one event. At one point I noticed our speed had decreased. At first I just figured we were in an adverse tidal current. Then I noticed the auto pilot was making extra noise and we weren’t exactly on course. I shut down the auto pilot and found that I could only turn the wheel in one direction. Looking behind Evergreen I could see we were dragging a lobster trap. Apparently the line was stuck on the rudder. There is a quirk in the Bristol 35.5 design that makes a small area of the rudder perfect for catching lobster traps. We quickly dropped the sails on deck to stop the boat. Just as I was about to jump off the boat to cut the line away, I turned the wheel hard over in the one direction it would still move…… And the trap just fell off! Sails up! Back on track to Hatchet Bay.

March 18th and 19th- Hatchet Bay/ Alice Town, Eleuthera Bahamas

We put Evergreen in a nice little cove before the storm. The harbor did fill up but no one anchored near us due to shallow water. Day one was a sunny day so we went into town. I am warming up to Alice Town now and am enjoying it more than our last stay. The Potcakes still bark at us but don’t approach. Day two, we had our storm. It wasn’t that bad. The harbor is very protected and the water stays flat. We were able to harvest 10 gallons of rain water for our tanks.

Some scenes from Hatchet Bay (the nice day).

Big fishing boat on the Government dock. Sorry about the lobster trap.

Which way do we go. There is only one main road, Queen’s Highway.

March 20th- Hatchet Bay to Glass Window Bridge (Twin Sisters Beach), Eleuthera Bahamas

The weather calmed down and the sun came out. Time to go! The area around the Glass Window Bridge came highly recommended.

View off the back porch in Hatchet Bay. Suns up. Time to move on.

Exit through the narrow entrance.

Cliffs along the coast.

Our selves, along with S/V Luckiest and S/V Windweaver headed up the coast to The Glass Window Bridge area. We dropped the hook off Twin Sisters Beach.

I’ll start off with some info on the Glass Window Bridge. It’s over a narrow piece of land. It was once a natural bridge but collapsed into the sea. Other bridges were built over time. On one side is the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, on the other is the turquoise waters of the Bahamas Bank. People like to photograph the bridge due to the contrasting color. I didn’t but there are many pictures online (I didn’t want to climb up there). We did photograph the bridge from the dinghy. On the Atlantic side there are often dramatic waves crashing on the cliffs. The same storm that produced the “Perfect Storm” up north sent giant waves down here that battered the bridge for days. They pushed the bridge 6 feet. The bridge was repaired and is now one lane instead of two.

Glass Window Bridge.

Later in the day the tide was higher and the waves were crashing on the Atlantic side, creating this very cool ocean waterfall.

Also on the Atlantic side is The Queen’s Baths. This a natural rock formation where tidal water flows in to fill the “baths”. This was a very dramatic area. Lynne climbed down to put her feet in the baths. Ollie and I hung back as the rocks became too sharp for his paws.

Some scenes from the Queen’s Baths.

On the lower left is one of the baths.

More baths.

Ollie started getting a little nervous when some of these big waves started breaking on the cliffs.

After visiting the Baths we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming at the beach. I snorkeled around some shallow reefs and saw many colorful (tiny) fish. I felt like I was in an aquarium. Ollie had a ton of fun running around and swimming. He gets over heated quickly in the sun but then he just jumps in the water to cool off. During the day we gathered some fire wood with Luckiest. Plans were made for an evening campfire on the beach. First we rode our dinghies over to a beach front bar for libations and chicken wings. That evening Evergreen, Luckiest, and Windweaver got together for sundowners and lit our bonfire. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Some scenes from Twin Sisters Beach.

Evergreen anchored near the Glass Window Bridge.

Beach party!

Sunset.

March 21st to 25th- Glass Window Bridge to Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera Bahamas

A perfect day and then the next weather report. 

After checking the weather I was stressed out about the approaching weather. It looked like the next front was going to be worse than the last one. Windweaver was moving to a dock. Luckiest had plans for moving up to Meeks Patch. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Lynne recently painted a small water color of Hatchet Bay for me to use as a bookmark. I found myself reading at 4 am to take my mind off of the weather issue. I looked at the book mark and instantly decided that is where I’m going. Decision made. We’re going back.

By the time we got back to the bay it was already starting to fill up. People were concerned about this storm and many boats are moving north from the Exuma Islands. My spot in our little cove was mostly taken up by a large catamaran. There are now many large catamarans in the harbor and they take up a lot of space. We cruised around a bit to find a spot. One of the two moorings were available in front of the Boaters Haven dock. The last two times we’ve been in here, there were two boats rafted on this mooring. We grabbed the mooring.

Good news/ bad news. Bad news- My friend on SV Ecola worked for the Bahamian Government and was involved with the installation of these moorings. There were probably around 10 moorings but most have failed over the years. The actual mooring block was rated to last for 80 years. Unfortunately, the chain was rated for 15 years and it’s been 20 years since the moorings were installed. The government has not maintained the moorings. Ouch! Good news – I found out from the captain of MV Captain Ron that the last 2 boats that had been rafted together on this mooring have been sitting here for 2 years. The captain of the boat dived on the mooring and attached chain and rope. I tied 3 lines from the mooring to Evergeen’s cleats and added a fourth from our supply. I debated diving on the mooring but in the end didn’t.

We had our storm. Things were a mess. Boats dragged their anchors during the height of the storm and had to reposition. During the day a large ferry came in to dock at the Government dock. The channel was blocked by boats and heated words were exchanged. Somehow the captain managed to weave this huge ferry through the anchored vessels. During one squall we had gusts over 50 knots. A huge motor yacht dragged it’s anchor and got hung up on a catamaran. Those boats almost drifted into a third. Evergreen stayed secure on her mooring. This time we were able to harvest over 40 gallons of rain water. Thankfully most of the salt and sand were pressure washed from the boat!

Some more scenes from Hatchet Bay.

Calm before the storm. Many anchor lights in Hatchet Bay.

Ruins from an old chicken farm.

Ollie and I went on a hike to check out the Atlantic.

Getting there! It was a little longer than I thought.

Ocean. Not really too dramatic yet.

Things are starting to look “blowy”.

This was the ship, which was coming back in the morning after the storm. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It’s hard to imagine how he fits through the entrance of this bay. By now everyone had vacated the channel and he thanked us.

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.

The Bahamas are riddled with caves. If they are filled with water they are Ocean Holes.

Ocean Hole. It was filled with fish.

Government building.

The Bahamas flag.

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.

Wild Orchid’s Fish grill. Grouper with veggies, spices, and broth- cooked in foil.

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.

The birthday party.

Warren aka Grandma’s Studio.

He paints these murals on his street.

A map

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.

The government dinghy dock. It’s one of the better ones that we’ve seen.

Ms Tessie’s Shop. A small grocery near the dock.

So many abandoned places. We love the architecture.

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.

Boiling hole.

I was amazed with the patterns on these roots.

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.

Evergreen anchored in Rock Sound, Eleuthera.

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.

Early morning. I found this little pond on the island.

Admiral looking for treasure.

Time for ball!

Evergreen anchored off of Meeks Patch.

This pirate has had enough adventure for the day.

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.

Approach to the harbor.

I think this was 7th Street.

Beautiful beach on the back side of town.

Sunset off Gun Point.

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.

Entrance to Hatchet Bay.

Inside the bay the cliff blocks the sea.

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).

Evergreen pushing to windward.

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…

February 22nd- Marsh Harbour to Little Harbour, Great Abaco Island Bahamas

Nice, easy, sailing for much of the day. We didn’t need much speed since we were trying to time our passage into Little Harbour for late in the day. The entrance is shallow and the high tide was around 7:00 pm. We were shooting for 5:00 pm which would give us plenty of water under Evergeen’s keel (maybe).

The sea of Abaco was calm but we could see breakers and rages in the various cuts along the way. The Abacos are protected by reefs and the Atlantic breaks on the reefs and islands, leaving the Sea of Abaco relatively flat. We weren’t heading out to sea today so no problem for us. Right? More on that in a minute.

Breaking seas at North Bar inlet.

As we got closer to little Harbour the water got a lot more bouncy due to water surging through Little Harbour Cut. A lot of water. Waves smashing against cliffs. Water rebounding off afore mentioned cliffs. Confused seas due to rebounding waves. You get the picture. On the other hand it was 5:00 and we were ready for sundowners. Our friend on S/V Outward Bound watched us coming in with binoculars. The crew on Island Girl watched us from their dinghy. Both told us that they’d see Evergreen almost look like it was going to shoot out of the water, pound down, then roll heavily side to side. Very violent motion. Back onboard Evergreen, I was basically gunning the engine to keep the boat from broaching. There are a couple of bouys marking the entrance and I had a Lazer focus on keeping Evergreen centered in the deeper water between them. We’re pretty sure we hit bottom on the low end of these surging seas but momentum exploded us into the harbor. We then tied to Outward Bound’s mooring which he made available for us. That’s it, five very exciting minutes during a slow, sunny day. We had our sundowners.

February 23rd and 24th- Little Harbour, Great Abaco Island Bahamas

Little Harbour is such a scenic place. It’s easy to just spend the day lounging around and seeing the sights. Of course Ollie is great at motivating us to get some exercise. We went on some nice walks in the hilly surroundings with the captains of Outward Bound and Ecola. Friday night there was entertainment at Pete’s Pub and finally, FINALLY, we were going out for dinner and drinks at the pub. This was supposed to be the apex of our trip last year, but when we got to Little Harbour I was sick for several days and had nothing. We had dinner with the crews from 4 different boats this year. What a great night! Good food and good conversation. Lynne and I had Wahoo with peas n rice. Many drinks were had and the entertainment was good.

Some scenes from Little Harbour.

Colvin schooner owned and built by the son of the designer.

Pete’s Pub.

Boats come in and leave stickers or tee shirts hanging from the rafters.

Finally some good weather for another crossing.

February 25th- Little Harbour, Great Abaco Island to Meeks Patch, Eleuthera Bahamas

I’ve had Eleuthera on my mind for a while. It’s an oddly shaped island. Much of it is undeveloped. Surfers love it. Lenny Kravitz lives here. That’s about all I know about this place. 

We crossed the deep blue sea from the Abaco island chain to Eleuthera. I believe the charts had us crossing over 16000 ft depths. Hard to imagine. We wondered what is down there. Our crossing went well. We were able to sail for a while but the wind died out and we fired up Evergeen’s diesel. Our first stop was the harbor at Royal Island. This looked like a perfect place to anchor but it seemed like it would be difficult to get Ollie to shore. If we have bad weather we might wind up back in here but the weather is nice so we decided to move on.

Next stop, Meeks Patch. This is a small island near Spanish Wells which is a town we eventually want to check out. It has multiple beaches, and swimming spots. It’s also got some easy coral reefs to snorkel on. I am an absolute amateur at snorkeling so easy is good for me! We anchored Evergreen and I brought Ollie in for his evening commando raid about sunset. Today was a great day and we were happy to be in Eleuthera.

Sunset off of Meeks Patch, Eleuthera.

February 26th- Meeks Patch, Eleuthera Bahamas

Days like today are why we do this. We explored much of the island and went to most of the beaches. We avoided the island’s main attraction, the swimming pig beach. I am unsure how a meeting would go. Ollie has been near goats with no problems but every once in a while the werewolf comes up. Regardless we had a wonderful day and Ollie is a salty, sandy, mess (and tired).

Forgot to take pictures today.

February 16th to 21st- Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island

We had a very short but exciting sail over from Man O War Cay. The wind was blowing just right and kept Evergreen moving along at hull speed. Marsh Harbour has a few dozen boats anchored but it’s a big anchorage.

Marsh Harbour is coming back little by little but still has a long way to go. On the days that we didn’t have wind and squalls we headed over to Maxwell’s for groceries, Jimmy’s for booze, and the Conch Inn Marina for water. We spent much of the rest of the time on Evergreen due to weather. The wind should be calming down tomorrow so we’ll haul up the anchor and head south.

View off the back porch.

Evergreen anchored in Marsh Harbour.

February 14th- Green Turtle Cay to Man O War Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

Sailing in the Bahamas on Valentine’s Day. Blue skies and blue seas. The sun is out. The wind is just right. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day.

We had no problems getting through The Whale. It was as flat as it gets.

Our destination for the day was Man O War Cay. There is a good harbor with moorings but we like anchoring out near the beach. At night you can hear the waves breaking on the rocks across the peninsula.

This gazebo is a public structure for anyone to use.

Since we arrived early in the day we did some exploring on the ocean side and walked down the “highway”.

Queen’s Highway.

Some colonial relics.

Evergreen anchored off Man O War Cay.

Sunset.

February 15th- Man O War Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

Today we took the dinghy into town. The amount of damage done to these islands by Hurricane Dorian is still evident but it is encouraging to see them coming back. There is still lots of construction. We noticed new businesses open on Green Turtle. Man O War has a new marina under construction.

Man O War has historically been the center for boat building in the Abacos. Boats continue to be built  here but have gone from wood to fiberglass. Wood craftsmanship is still evident in the boats they build and the details of the houses on the island.

Ride into town

Wooden skiff.

The houses on this island are all very “neat” looking. Everything is well cared for.

Ocean side.

Another new house. Blue and white are popular colors.

Bahamas sailing dinghy.

Here I was trying to take a picture of this wooden ketch. Of course Ollie is in the frame. Funny picture. Is he sticking his tongue out at me?