Saturday and Sunday April 23 & 24: Rock Sound, Eleuthera

     Saturday morning we were up early, intent on making the crossing to Eleuthera today.  The winds had died down in the night, but the big question was how active were the seas on the Sound?  We wouldn’t know until we got out there.  Neither of us wanted to have to turn back, but crashing headlong into rolling waves for thirty miles didn’t sound like fun either.  We scurried around getting ready for a possibly rough crossing.

     It wasn’t the calmest sea we’ve ever crossed, but it wasn’t too rough either.  By nine in the morning we were well on our way, and Dan set up the fishing lines.  Ever the hopeful fisherman.  Shortly thereafter he hooked a mahi-mahi.  Now, we’ve not had the best luck, and people near and far have been giving us all sorts of advice, from what kind of bait, to what kind of lure, to how to let the fish play.

     This fish wasn’t in the mood to be pulled in, and quickly gave a great yank and spit out the hook.  “We know they’re out there.”  Dan said resignedly.  At least we didn’t lose any gear.

     The fishing rods remained active for several more hours.  When we were in sight of Eleuthera, we got another bite.  This time we’d let the fish drag some, tire him out, we thought.  Forty minutes later he was still fighting.  Eventually he seemed quieter and Dan began to reel him in.  Slowly.  The fish would give a great jerk and Dan stop.  Then the reel broke on the fishing rod, and the fish took advantage of the sudden slack, spit the hook and left.  After all that, no fish for dinner, and a broken reel to boot.  I won’t repeat what Dan said then.

     We got in to Rock Sound, a pretty little town with a big white Anglican church right on the beach in front of the anchorage, about three-thirty.  The guide book told of cruiser-friendly businesses, multiple opportunities for provisioning, and free water.  There was also a large blue hole park to visit.  Today was Saturday, and most everything would close at five, not to open up again until Monday.  So we quickly got our act together and got into the dinghy to go find the grocery store and at least get our shopping done, but we were unsure which grocery store was the best one to go to.  Sometimes what is listed as a grocery store is a small place with a few cans on the shelves and a bin of sweet potatoes or plantains.

St. Luke's Anglican Church.  On the beach and literally on the road.  One of 15 churches in this small town.

     We dinghied over to the next boat, a Cadley Crogan cruiser named Erben Renewal we’d seen before.  We met Julia, who told us her opinion of the better grocery store.  She was awaiting her husband Steve who was off snorkeling;  she needed milk, she said, but it could wait if Steve didn’t return in time to get to the grocery store.  We thanked her and headed for the appropriate access dock for the Rock Sound Market.  

     The grocery store occupies a small strip mall along with a hardware store.  We ducked into the hardware store first and headed over to the fishing section to check out lures and hooks.  A man came up behind us, joking “Leave some for me.”  He and Dan struck up a conversation, with Dan telling him our fish stories, and he offering his advice.  Introductions were made, boat cards exchanged - turns out this was Steve from Erben Renewal.  Erben is their last name.  “Your wife thinks you are snorkeling.”  Dan joked, and then told him to bring home some milk.  Steve told us to drop by the boat on our way back to the Willie, that he would give us some mahi-mahi for supper from their freezer.  

     Well stocked with groceries, we did stop by Erben Renewal and Julia gave us a small bag of frozen fish - enough for two meals.  “You’re doing us a favor.”  She assured us, saying they had too much fish in their freezer.  We had fish for dinner after all.  They also shared with us some corn a local had given them from his farm, but it was too tough to eat.  Nevertheless, we had a feast for dinner, and yet more advice about fishing.  Steve said not to slow the boat down too much, and not to give the fish much play at all.  The guy at the hardware store also told Dan that mahi-mahi change color from bright blue to gray when they are all tired out. Maybe next time we’ll get one aboard the boat, and then we can be the people sharing with other cruisers.

     Sunday we went into town mid-morning to walk around and check out the blue hole park.  We brought along a baggy of the shucked corn from last night’s meal.  The guide book said it was ok to feed the fish in the blue hole.  The day was sunny and already quite warm and humid.  

     Rock Sound is a small but busy town with many different churches and several small businesses.  The churches would be open soon, but most of the businesses would remain closed all day.  We found the public water spigot where Dan would return later to fill our water jugs, and walked down to the blue hole park.  If we didn’t understand about blue holes (deep pools of ocean water with access to the ocean itself) we would have thought this was a quarry swimming hole.  It was ringed by a stone wall and surrounded by a park.  There were several picnic tables and many little signs telling us what kind of tree or flower, as well as an historical sign about Eleuthera and an informative sign about the blue hole itself.  This one has a high sulfur and mineral content and people are urged to take a swim in its healing waters.  (We declined.)  We did feed the corn to the fish and they loved it.  We saw several kinds of snapper, as well as blue tangs and grunts.  

Feeding the fish in the blue hole.

This view shows you how clear the water is.  We were looking straight down at the fish.

     On our walk we encountered a bakery/deli/convenience store that was open and wandered in to see what they had.  Coconut bread is thing here.  We’ve never had some, so we bought some to try it.  In the process we met Evan, who owns and runs the place.  Really nice man, curious about us and our lifestyle, eager to share his knowledge of the history of this island.  We spent a good twenty minutes talking with him, while his cat ‘Kitty’ and his dog ‘Pepper’ came around looking for attention.  

     We also found the laundromat which has scattered hours due to its being Sunday, and I went back later in the afternoon to do the laundry I haven’t been able to do by hand.  (Sheets, towels.)  Dan refilled all the water tanks and jugs and settled down for a few hours’ worth of sewing.  (There’s very little that man can’t do…)  I had a long conversation with the man who ran the laundromat - Walton Cooper - who once played center field for the Bahamian National Softball team and traveled extensively to play other countries’ teams.  Born and raised in Rock Sound, he wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.  He returned here after the softball career to work for the town water department and now “as a hobby” works in the laundromat.  Really nice guy, I enjoyed meeting him and talking with him. 

Dan is working on a window shade that will work as a sun shield and a rain shield.

     Mahi-mahi again for supper, this time with broccoli and mashed potatoes.   Afterward we went back ashore for a quick walk down to the edge of town to view another blue hole.  We didn't see fish in this one, but watched some yellow-crowned night herons for a little while.  The mosquitoes were starting to gather for their dinner, so we didn't spend a lot of time there.  I didn't get pictures of the herons, so I'll end this blog with pictures of a Wilsons storm petrel which was playing around the boat this morning.