Exploring Eleuthera
Adiona and her crew find their groove, cruising Eleuthera, whose name is derived from the Greek word, “freedom.”
While chatting on the phone with my mom the other day, she asked, “Are you writing anymore?” I said, “Sure! I’m going to write another blog post soon. The last one was just ..” My immediate thoughts were: Mom is telling me: “Get going!” My next thought … what day is it again? It hasn’t been that long!
What we’ve been up to: Last evening’s sunset in Spanish Wells. We stayed beachside to see how many planets we could view in the celestial line-up. Last night it was three. We hope tonight that we will see all five!
I looked back at the date and was astonished to see that almost three weeks, many miles, and a few milestones have passed since my last blog post. I’ve posted less on social media. That may be a relief to my friends and family who have been living through the last days of winter and early spring’s temperamental ones.
We tried to cheer Dustin and Alex who live in the rainy Pacific Northwest through a series of playful texts last Saturday. They were dealing with work issues, the sleep deprivation familiar to new parents, and rainy, slushy weather. We were sweating it out in paradise. Repairs and chores. Our anchor light conundrum. Paperwork.
Joe climbed the mast to work on the anchor light. I spotted him. I also defrosted both fridge and freezer in preparation for a large provisioning run. I reorganized. Alex and Dustin finally told us: “Give up. No one is going to feel sorry for you! 😂😂”We weren't looking for sympathy, just wanted to show them that even in paradise our days are often filled with chores, struggles with equipment and weather. There are troubles that are external and the internal ones(often self-induced) that can loom larger than life out here, if not tamed. Just like at home. Maybe magnified. You need to pay attention to those noises and rumblings, whether they come from the boat or your inner most workings. Not doing so can be dangerous.
And yet we also get it. We ended that long work day with a dip in the pool, cruisers happy hour. We watched the sky light up with stars-so many- slung low in the sky.
We have been staying at the comfortable Spanish Yacht Haven, with Joe’s sister, Joanne and brother-in-law Walter, who are sailing on their Macintosh, SV Southern Cross. We treated ourselves so we could access Wi-Fi, do laundry, repairs, and provision. We parted ways, hours before I began this blog post. They are beginning their journey back northward.
Our days have been mostly filled with the stuff of dreams, as one who dreams of sailing, dreams. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Stargazing. Swimming. Beach walks. Memorable sails. Delicious meals. Local rum. Exploring. Discovering new flora and fauna. Meeting new friends and learning a bit about Bahamian culture. A weeklong rendezvous with both Joe’s sisters, Maureen and Joanne, our brothers-on-law, Scott and Walter, Maureen and Scott’s children and a few young friends.
Pause on that one. Maureen and Scott flew from Ohio into Eleuthera with the young people on their spring break. Walter and Joanne sailed from Cat Island and we crossed over from the Abacos. The effort and love that it took to gather us in one place was phenomenal. And worthwhile. I could feel Joe’s parents smiling down on us, raising their glasses in a toast.
Joe maintained “legendary uncle” status, according to his sister, Maureen. He worked hard at it. Joe taught the young people a number of poker games they could put to good use back home. That was late night to early morning venture - 3 am- the last one standing. He took them on a strenuous snorkeling expedition and taught them how to use a spear gun and hunt for lobsters. Joe took the guys caving and in true Joe style, to a dive bar that proved memorable, as they met locals, including a colorful guy named Mario. The guys sailed our boat, moving Adiona from Hatchet Bay to Governor’s Harbor, nearer the Yellow House, our central command post for the week.
My pursuits were tamer but no less fun- at least to me. We had a “girl’s” day, all the women driving/taking the water taxi to Holiday Harbour. We lunched, toured in golf carts. I was thrilled because I was the chauffeur for one of the carts. There is something gleeful about driving a cart. It just brings me joy! It was also the first time I’d been so far away from the boat since Fort Pierce. I was released from responsibility for a few hours. I felt as I did when my children were small and I left them with my mom; the edginess of watchful caring just fell away for a few hours. Joanne, away from her boat, concurred.
We shared walks and talks, poolside and beachside, on the beautiful French Leave beach. I spent plenty of time in the kitchen and one night made a salsa with sapodilla and cooked a new-to-us root, malanga. I hiked a few miles to the Levy Preserve where I spent several hours on a private tour with a Bahamian herbalist and guide, Inman. We talked native edible and medicinal plants, history, education, culture and even a little politics over a few hours. The Levy Preserve is one of those under-visited locales. It does not have the dramatic draw of the Glass Window, the Sapphire Hole, or the Queen’s Baths. It does have some beautiful vistas, a waterfall(no natural ones on the Bahamas)!!, and more than a few snakes! One wee boa showed itself right above my head. I could write an entire blog post about the reserve!
I brought a copy of The Word Collector to the little library in Governor’s Harbor. The head librarian, Miss Althea Willie, and I chatted about children’s literature, the culture of reading on Eleuthera, and ways to create structures that foster a love of words and reading. The beautiful Haynes Library relies heavily on donations of materials and time for their programs. Miss Willie ended by imploring me to return and help institute some of the ideas we discussed. I was sad to leave. I would like to help!
Joe and I found time to explore some of those more famous places too. We drove to Sweetings Pond, site of inland seahorses. We first drove to the Glass Window, then anchored right next to it. Our final family dinner was the six of us more chronologically advantaged adults at Tippys, an Eleutheran favorite. There was an excellent band. One waiter took a turn at carrying the microphone and singing, while still serving tables in this busy place!
Information on the seahorses:
https://www.iucn-seahorse.org/eleuthera
We anchored for a week, tucked away in Hatchet Bay, changing our position a number of times based on the wind direction, the amount of dragging(it’s said that everyone drags on that muddy bottom), or how close we were to other boats as people came and went. We were welcomed ashore by Emmy(Emmett’s son) of the Boater’s Haven with a free shot. I chose cognac. Emmett’s little haven is the gathering spot for cruisers. The dinghy dock there provides access to shore. He invited us to park our rental car there. He also rents cars, serves up a tasty fried chicken sandwich, scoops ice cream, serenades cruisers on his guitar, gives sightseeing advice and hosts parties that rock the harbor well into the night. We joined a game night under the gazebo, laughing away with our new friends from SV Ventolines, SV Peace and SV Voyager.
The rugged shoreline of Eleuthera makes for some dramatic views by land or sea. Once our week together was over, we sailed north to Gaulding’s Cay, near Lenny Kravitz’s house, as we continued on with SV Southern Cross. We had a phenomenal sail, 8 knots on a beam reach in 15-20 knot winds, flying just the jib. In the evening, Walter and Joanne patiently schooled us in cribbage, as we slowly add more games to our repertoire.
The next morning, 3/22, was Joe’s birthday. We began the morning lazily with homemade buckwheat pancakes and maple syrup from our camp(Sugar Daddy’s Sugar Shack) on Heisey Road. Then a birthday sail that made the captain very happy. We flew both the jib and staysail for a time and sailed a steady 7 knots to windward, close-hauled in 15- 20 knot winds to Meeks Island. We heeled 20-30 degrees, increasing the excitement. Some waves splashed over our bow, spraying my sunglasses. It was exhilarating!
We dropped the hook next to Southern Cross and hosted Joe’s birthday dinner on Adiona. Sundowners and appetizers accompanied by the sunset in the cockpit. Bubbly. Risotto and balsamic chicken followed by Joanne’s homemade chocolate brownies topped with our own maraschino cherries, carefully packed and carried from Ithaca. Home baked anything is such a treat! We savored the company, each bite of our meal and the magic of the entire day.
A boa surprise! Right above my head at the Levy Preserve!
The next morning we sailed into Spanish Wells for a week of exploration, repairs, and provisioning, staying at the Spanish Yacht Haven Marina. I’m taking advantage of the Wi-Fi to catch up on so much paperwork and write this post before we head off the grid to the Exumas. We hope to spend about a month exploring southward before we decide what’s next!
Will we go north or south? To be continued!
Thanks, Mike! Joe says he appreciates the thoughts and we are having a wonderful time out here!
Awesome guys! Reading this makes me feel like I'm there. Great family get together,what a blessing. Happy birthday bro, keep on keeping on! Fair winds😎