Four days of foul weather, rain, dark grey clouds and winds up to 42 knots. Not fun at all, and to make it worse, we were anchored with the stern some 20 feet from a rock wall...................... but that was yesterday, and now that the wind is down, life looks good again......... Time to go out and smell the flowers here in Eleuthera Island. We came in to Hatchet Bay through the narrow cut (on the right), which was man-made in the 1920's....... Hatchet bay, a lagoon really, is the only protected anchorage on this whole island coast from southerly, westerly and northerly winds. The whole island of Eleuthera has protection from easterly winds, but the holding in the bay is poor and of fine silt and ooze on a rock bottom. During the same bad weather period, the owner of this yacht (below) had rudder problems and could not make it back to Hatchet Bay. He has since flown back to the US with a bag of personal possessions and his yacht and dream have been written off. A monument to the hidden danger of sailing in Paradise....... The Hatchet Bay entrance is just around the point. So close, yet so far. He could have steered his yacht under engine, by dragging a sailbag on either side of the hull......................
While in Hatchet Bay, we got wind (of a different kind) that there was Chilean wine on sale at $5.00/bottle, back in Governor's Harbour. We hitch-hiked 40 miles for the round trip to prove it, and while the house on the right is not the liquor store, it is however, right next to it. ......... We bought two cases, and packed them into the wet/dry backpacks. I've never ever carried 48 bottles of red and white wine like this, nor will ever do so again........ then again we are taking it to the wedding in Hope Town in the Abacos.............. Bad weather necessitates reading, and four days of it has meant a book-a-day for both of us. Check out the cute " Mother of the Bride " in full reading mode................
And when the sun comes out it is time to go EXPLORING.............. Alicetown, the small settlement alongside Hatchet Bay also has its seaside cemetary. .......... A final resting place with great views...........Cemented coral-rock burial chambers above the ground, for the sub-surface limestone is too hard to excavate.............. Sad and forlorn, with many headstones laid flat and facing inland from past storms.................... We'd be guessing that the coffin, or the remains of one, in the photo below on the right is only inches beneath the ocean washed surface.............(double-click on it to enlarge)...OH,..AND WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE DO MORE THAN JUST VISIT CEMETARIES...................or should I call them "cementaries"............
The more recent burials are further inland away from the waters edge........ more solidly built with wave deflecters (I think).....................And the use of cement block instead of coral rock................
And here is something that doesn't happen everyday..............
We also got wind of a local fishing boat that goes out to collect 'stone crabs' from its pots set out on the ocean floor. When the catch is brought to the surface, only one claw is removed from the crab and the crab is released and in time regrows the missing claw............The vessel is easily recognised when it comes in to the harbour because its Caterpillar diesel engine is missing some oil rings, and it may not have a muffler.............. sound and sight recognition from afar, allows you to jump in your dinghy to go and meet it............. Now for a mere two bottles of beer and $15.00, you get this awesome batch of crab claws, cooked onboard the fishing boat for just the right time and temperature................ The happy and smiling Bahamian Captain watches over both the thermometer and his Mickey-mouse timer.............. So here's what we had for dinner last night.... How about you?
Do a double-click on the bowl and then eat your little heart out.
No comments:
Post a Comment