In the days leading up to the family arriving, we focused on getting chores done so we could give our family 100% of our time and attention. We dinghied over and quickly learned we had limited options to land or dock our dinghy. We tried Valentines Marina first and were told we could tie up at the northwestern corner. What we didn’t know was that at low tide, the northwestern corner is nothing but a mud pit. A note to Valentines Marina, if you don’t want dinghies to tie up there, please just say so in advance. There’s no need to punish us. Blake’s foot must have sunk 8 inches into the sewage reeking sludge.
From that point on, we decided to beach our dinghy next to the government dock in which we quickly learned that at low tide, the water receded about 40 feet from the shore, leaving our dinghy high and dry at times in a mix of sand and mud. To spice things up, my foot found a hole in this murky mix and one leg was knee deep. I’m grateful nothing accompanied my foot and leg in this unforeseen hole.
We had inquired about filling our jerry cans with water at Valentines Marina. One guy directed us to a spigot and hose by the fish cleaning station. This was not sitting well with me and Blake asked another employee about using that as drinking water and vehemently shook his head no and graciously took our jerry cans into the kitchen and filled them up for us. It wasn’t until a week later than we learned Remora Bay Marina was the place to go for water; with spigots on the pier. We had read several negative reviews about Remora Bay not being welcoming to those outside of the marina but our experience was the opposite. The dockmaster and dockhands were extremely kind and helpful.
Provisioning was relatively simple as there was a small grocery store called the Piggly Wiggly (not affiliated with the American chain) that had a healthy selection of fresh produce, meat, and dry goods. For a better selection of dry goods, eggs, and refrigerated products, I would recommend Park View Convenience Store on the northern part of the island. Between these two places and a decent amount of walking, our provisioning needs were met.
One need that was not met was laundry. While there are at least three laundromats on the island, none of them were available for us to use; they were either full or we were just told they were full. The purple house had a minimum wait of two hours while the others were at capacity for the day. After 2.5 miles of walking with laundry on our back, the laundry was done in the bucket on the boat.
It was clear to us that services on Harbour Island were geared towards the resort style tourist versus the cost-conscious cruiser. Regardless, chores were completed and we were ready to welcome our families.
During this time, back in Benbrook, TX, a tornado struck the Benbrook Lake Marina, owned by my stepdad. Benbrook Lake Marina is where Blake and I fixed up an old dilapidated Oday 25, named Sanctuary, and practiced sailing. Watching the video of this was heart wrenching but the silver lining is that no one was at the marina and therefore no one was hurt.
Anytime I feel a stronger, darker emotion, I find that it’s best processed when I’m outdoors surrounded by nature. We spent the day, exploring the small beach next to our anchorage where we encountered the largest starfish I have ever seen. There were dozens of vibrant red and orange starfish scattered amongst the white sand sea bed.
On March 24th, we took the water taxi from Harbour Island and caught a ride with three lovely ladies to the Northern Eleuthera Airport, where Blake’s mom arrived first followed by mom and sister a couple of hours later. The joy we felt to have them here to share part of this journey with us was indescribable.
We took a Mr. Fine Threads Taxi with none other than Mr. Fine Threads himself. Fred Neely, also known as “Mr. Fine Threads,” has been running a taxi service for over 25 years wearing a suit and a chauffers hat. I was thrilled when he loaded us up in his shiny black Escalade and took us a mile down to the ferry dock. It cost $6 per person, which means Mr. Fine Threads made $30 on a one-way, one-mile trip. Not too shabby.
Next we loaded up on the water taxi, which was about a 15 minute ride to the government dock of Harbour Island where we loaded up in another taxi to take us to the hotel. Again, another short mile and half trip at $5 per person, to Tingum Village Resort, a collection of small duplex-style houses spread across a few acres of land. We were warmly greeted by Juanita, as we walked into Ma Ruby’s, the restaurant/bar/front office of the resort. The first thing Juanita brought to our attention was the notorious paddleboard. She led us to the room, which was one room with two queen size beds and a bathroom, where we kept the paddleboard until Blake’s birthday.
The day was still young so we decided to walk to this world-renowned pink sand beach on the Atlantic side. Juanita told us to walk through the property, up a hill, and to the left. We were stopped by two Bahamian men that told us we can’t walk that way so we walked out and around where we found ourselves scaling what felt like a vertical wall, only to wind up walking through someone’s yard before we found what was most certainly a private beach access. We kicked off our shoes and let our feet sink into the warm pink sand as we walked the shoreline.
We took a different route back to the hotel and decided to have dinner at Ma Ruby’s. While sitting on the patio, a couple of roosters put on a show. I’ve never seen a cockfight before, and am grateful this one was not a fight to the death. Our sweet server, Lydia, prepared our table for dinner. Blake’s mom, Laurie, was lucky enough to order to the last available lobster and it was huge! I had the shrimp while everyone else ordered Ma Ruby’s famous cheeseburger in paradise. The food and service were remarkable!
We spent the following morning playing Qwixx inside to wait out the rain. As soon as the pitter patter of the rain stopped, we were outside walking and exploring the town.
Queen’s Conch came highly recommended to Blake and I by several locals, so that’s where we went. Before we got our meal, another storm started to blow in. We had to move tables to avoid getting drenched. A server tried to close the large garage style doors but couldn’t manage to do it so Captain Blake to the rescue! He figured out how to get them closed and the entire restaurant broke out into applause.
Bri, ordered a flight so she could familiarize herself with all the island cocktails. I wouldn’t say the food was as good as Ma Ruby’s but it was good. I honestly don’t remember what I ordered so I guess it didn’t leave much of an impression. We walked around a little more to take in the sights and sounds; unfortunately, many places were closed due to the rain. While rain may have limited where we could go, it did not shrink the spirit of the locals, who referred to the rain as liquid sunshine.
The next day is really when the fun really began. We rented a car for the day to tour central Eleuthera. It’s right-hand drive along narrow, winding roads. We were really putting Blake’s skills to the test. There was a large red sticker on the driver side window that said “Keep Left;” a much-appreciated reminder.
Our first destination was the Glass Window, which I described in a previous blog. In this case, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Next up was the Queen’s Baths, again described previously. Though I will say, things like this are much more fun when shared with people you love.
From here we walked across the street to Twin Sisters beach for a snorkeling attempt. It was a little too windy which compromised the visibility but had no bearing on the fun.
We changed clothes and drove further south towards Governor’s Harbour, a place Blake and I didn’t previously explore. We stopped in James Cistern for a snack at Delish. They have these amazing locally made fresh juices; and the group agreed that this is where you can find the best conch fritters. So while they had Bahama Mamas and Kaliks with conch fritters; I had juice and French fries, which makes me laugh because I sound like a toddler. Though I will say, the fries were hand cut and out of this world. After that little snack we took them to Cravings Bake Shop for the national Bahamian dessert, guava duff.
After everyone was in a proper food coma, we continued on until we arrived at Tippy’s Beach in Governor’s Harbour. We all played in the water like a bunch of kids followed by lounging on the beach. It was around 4:30pm and everyone was ready for a meal but Tippy’s didn’t open until 5:30pm for dinner so we went to the Bucaneer Club, a fabulous decision. I had the best curry shrimp of my life there. The food was seriously top notch; a must go if you find yourself in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera.
The next day was Captain Blake’s birthday! What better gift than to turn him lose with a golf cart on Harbour Island? I think we may have rented the last golf cart on the island because the frame bent every time we took a turn. There’s nothing like the thought of your vehicle coming apart while in motion to keep you present and alert.
Our first stop was a beach with the Lone Tree. The story of this tree is that it was uprooted during a hurricane and landed up right in this spot and has been here ever since.
Blake wanted to put the golf cart to the test and do a little off roading to the most northern tip of Harbour Island. Who are we to stop his birthday dreams from coming true?
We made our way to Pink Sands beach for lunch and drinks.
Bri devised a secret celebratory song for the birthday boy. That girl knows how to party and have fun!
Then it was back to the hotel to open gifts and wash up for a fancy dinner at Acquapazza Wine Bar & Ristorante.
Without fail, Bri worked her magic again the gracious servers came together to sing to Blake. It moved him to his feet and to top it all off, dinner was out of this world and the view was breathtaking!
With every high comes a low, and there was nothing sadder than saying farewell to our family the next day. The picture below where we look Amish is the last night with the moms and sister. Don't let our smiles fool you, while we were still riding the wave of a great day and evening, we were sad.
As we waited for a weather window to traverse the Devil’s Backbone again, to head north to the Abacos, we acquired a buddy boat. He was a solo sailor in his mid 60’s with shoulder length hair that he wore in a low ponytail with a visor. We all have our “uniforms” or clothes we wear frequently to avoid lots of laundry or just because they are most functional. His uniform was black denim shorts cutoff above midthigh.
He seemed quirky, to say the least, but kind, as he had dove into the water and untangled our anchor chain that he noticed was wrapped around a discarded engine block. He also had a watermaker and shared about 12 gallons of water with us. We noticed he didn’t have an outboard on his dinghy so we took him to shore and showed him around Harbour Island. When we came back, he insisted we come check out his boat and he told us all about the custom work he has done on S/V Long Shot.
The next day, we get hailed on the VHF asking when “we” were planning to leave and what was “our” route. It was Long Shot…and the “we” included him. On April 1st, we, including Long Shot, sailed from Harbour Island to Abaco Islands.
