ROCK SOUND TO THE ABACOS

On Good Friday there was a jailbreak of boats leaving Rock Sound – the first good weather day available in a while.  However, the winds and seas were higher than forecast, about 25 knots and 5 ft. waves with a Northeast swell.  We had not stowed the dinghy, so it was banging and jerking during the trip, providing an added concern.  We had intended to make it to Governor’s Harbour or Alabaster Bay, but the most comfortable point of sail was to make for Hatchet Bay Pond.

The cruising guides don’t have much good to say about Hatchet Bay Pond, but it really was fine.  The water looks dark green, because of the grass bottom, but it is clear enough.  The entrance channel is difficult to spot and only 90 ft. wide, although it looks more narrow than that, with sheer rock on either side.  They manage to stuff a high speed ferry through it, which gave us some consolation as we passed through. 

The pond is protected all around except for the narrow entrance.  We picked up a free mooring ball not far from the government dock, took Toby ashore to a small island in the middle of the pond so he could have a nice private dog romp without any interference from local potcakes – the stray dogs found in most Bahamian communities, and went to sleep with nice Bahamian music playing from somewhere on shore.  We would like to come back and explore this community when we have more time.

The next day, we stowed the dinghy and headed for Spanish Wells by way of Current Cut, a narrow channel with strong currents.  Winds were down and we motor sailed with the main up.  George timed our passage through the cut so that we went through in the same direction as the current.  Not having been in a marina since Clarence Town, we decided to tie up at Spanish Wells after fueling. 

Spanish Wells is a separate island off the north end of Eleuthera. The community is mostly white, and residents are quick to tell you that they are not part of Eleuthera, and many of them asked us how we liked the island.  The houses are mostly small, and meticulously maintained and landscaped.  Many are  painted white, with a bright color trim of lime green, or purple, or orange.  Transportation is by golf cart, so we rented one to tour the place.  By the end of one hour, we had been completely around the island and back to some places twice!  Being Easter Weekend, most of the places were closed. 

Lobster season is over in the Bahamas, but it is Stone Crab season.  We have had stone crab claws in Florida and they are wonderful.  Stone Crabs are a renewable resource – the claws are harvested (only one at a time, leaving one for the crab, and the crab grows a replacement.  However, these are many times bigger then the Floridian claws.  At fist-sized, $12 per pound and already cooked we were anxious to try some.  However, (Easter weekend again) none would be available until Monday.  We added Spanish Wells and the giant stone crab claws to our “come back” list.

The Abacos is the northernmost chain of islands in the Bahamas, and it was our next destination.  To get there from Spanish Wells, we had two options:  Make a two hour detour back the way we came to Royal Island and through Egg Island Cut, or go straight out of Spanish Wells through a nasty system of reefs called "The Devils Backbone" to get on our route quicker.  The best way to do this is to hire a pilot – and there are several expert pilots available with local knowledge of this reef system.  We had never used a pilot on Sunspot Baby, but at for $40 and a two hour time savings in a long day, this seemed like a good opportunity.

We hired A-1.  He showed up right on time, just as we were casting off our last line.  He was surprised to find us so organized!  He had a typical open skiff with a big motor, and scooted out ahead of us, telling George to follow in his wake.  He varied the width of his wake to the width of the channel through the reefs, and before long we were in the clear and headed for the Abacos!

Lynn Stateham

Next Report: Abacos