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The World Cruise of Veleda IV |
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Eleuthera, Bahamas. February 1999  As mentioned in the last log, we pumped out our fuel tank in Nassau just before leaving and the marina had no fuel left in their tank. Fortunately I had a jerry can of fuel left which I put into our tank, sufficient to get us out under the new bridge, around Potters Cay, back under the new bridge and the old bridge heading east and into the Nassau Yacht Haven to refuel. After that we continued east, then north east, north of Rose Island to an anchorage off Green Cay. As this is a private island, we did not even launch the dinghy, but enjoyed a quiet evening aboard and watched a beautiful sunset. The next day on our way over to Royal Island Harbour we saw a beaked whale that gave us a dramatic display of broaching from the water as it rose up out of the water and crashed down with an impressive splash. It continued to circle Veleda, which we stopped, for about 15 minutes, before swimming off to the east. We noted the time, location, and details of this 20 foot species to send to a Bahamian conservation group which is trying to keep track of these mammals. We took several pictures as it swam around and beneath Veleda. Just off Royal Island there is a shipwreck, part of which is above the surface, and although I wanted to anchor and snorkel around it, there was too much wreckage strewn on the bottom that might have fouled our anchor, so we missed the opportunity to explore it. Royal Island Harbour is well sheltered and has good holding bottom. There were about ten boats in there, half of which were Canadian, a few Americans, and a few Brits. The island is uninhabited now and has the remains of a dock, and concrete steps leading up to a deserted plantation villa and work sheds. The villa is a two storied ruin that has traces of its former grandeur in its arches, beautiful vistas overlooking the harbour, and intricate tiled floors still reflecting the patterns and vivid blues and pinks of its bygone era. There was a paved walkway that wound around a coral stone wall over to a shallow harbour on the opposite side of the island. There was some good snorkeling on that side as well. When walking along the path we heard and saw some wild chickens and roosters as well as the only small snake we have seen in the Bahamas so far. Apparently this plantation was built in the early 1900's and abandoned in the 1930's. There is a cistern up on the hill with a hose running down to a tap on the dock, providing an enjoyable fresh water shower. This was the first of many sad ruins we were to see in the Bahamas. The clarity of the water is spectacular. Twenty foot visibility from the surface is common and a mixed blessing. The bottom has to be carefully monitored, as on the banks the depth is often only 12 feet or less, and there are coral heads which stick up to within a few feet of the surface in many places. The areas of these coral heads and shoals are generally marked on the charts, but not the specific heads. Thus one has to be vigilant at all times and read the water. However, since there is 20 foot plus visibility, a coral head 15 feet below the surface looks darker than the surrounding sand, as does a grassy patch 10 feet below the surface, as does a cloud shadow passing across the water. We are glad we only have a four and a half foot draft. Our depth sounder is still malfunctioning and periodically will cycle down to six feet for a few seconds, then will cycle back up to the actual depth. If I glance at it at six feet, I get nervous until it cycles up to the actual depth. I actually have to ignore it at times and trust my old Mark-1 eyeball.  It is interesting at night when at anchor, to be able to see the bottom 10 feet below the surface and to see the shadow of the boat on the bottom by moonlight. We have been fortunate so far in not touching bottom in the Bahamas. If we do, please let it be sand at a slow speed and not a coral head under full sail! On to Spanish Wells the next day, only a two hour sail. However, the navigational buoys in the Bahamas are not standardized, and often consist of spars in various states of disrepair or I-beams stuck alongside channels. As we were heading into Spanish Wells, we were focused upon a set of I-beams that we thought marked the entrance at which we were to turn 90 degrees to port to go up the channel towards town. I felt we were heading too far over, but we were on track for the marks. The water was shallowing to less than 8 feet, and we were going dead slow just in case. A Boston whaler was coming out, and I watched it to see which way it passed the marks. It did not go through the marks we were heading for, but came straight out towards us. He asked if we were headed for Spanish Wells. Yes, we were. Well, we were headed for the wrong set of marks and he told us to follow him in to get into the proper channel. The entrance marks were two rusty I-beams that blended in to the shoreline and were completely missed by us, even though we were looking for them on our approach. He gave us his card ( a local pilot ) and directed us to the mooring buoys at the eastern end of the town channel. We picked up a mooring buoy as we did not feel like trying to find a decent spot to anchor in the uncertain channels around Spanish Wells.  This delightful community is not tourist dependent as they have a reliable fishing industry and commercial
infrastructure. It dates back to the original Eleutheran Adventurers who settled after being shipwrecked there in 1648, plus Loyalists who sought refuge here after the end of the U.S. War of Independence in the early 1780's. The cay is St. Georges Cay, and is 95% white. Several boatloads of black Bahamians travel back and forth to work each day from the north end of Eleuthera just a few miles across the channel. The homes were exquisite! Many wide, low-walled gardens with bright sub-tropical foliage nestled into rock gardens by babbling fountains provided an artistic setting for well-maintained pastel coloured homes. There is a strong Protestant-Methodist church influence on the island. The Outback restaurant where we had supper was also hosting a Valentine's party for a local church. The people were quite friendly and jovial. Traces of the inbreeding that must take place on a small
self-contained island community like this were evident, especially in the facial features we noted. Their accent was easy to understand, but it was not like the casual black Bahamian accent, but more drawn out similar to a southern U.S.or Bostonian
accent. This was the most pleasant community we have visited so far.Next, on to Harbor Island, another island past the Devil's Backbone of north Eleuthera, and off its northeast coast, a perilous journey requiring a pilot. Aubrey and Judy |
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