Harbor Island/Dunmore Town

On Monday (March 4) we said goodbye to Hatchet Bay and headed north to Spanish Wells, a small town on St. George's Cay, just off the northern tip of Eleuthera. Our plan was to get fuel and then see about getting our laundry done.  The fuel dock was a bit of a challenge, and turns out there are no laundry facilities in Spanish Wells unless you stay at a particular (and pricy) marina.

With a strong SE wind blowing, we ended up setting an anchor and using it to back down alongside the fuel dock, which was almost too tall for us to get lines around the pilings.  The dock is accessed by a long flight of stairs, and the fuel dock worker comes by golf cart, at an pre-arranged time.  His name was Devon, he was very friendly, and he did cast us off when we had fueled up.  It was, by far, the most challenging fuel dock we've ever gone to, but we managed it.

We spent Monday night there at anchor, but after learning there was no laundromat, decided to leave on Tuesday morning.  Dan wanted to make the passage through the Devil's Backbone, a long section of connected reefs on the east side of northern Eleuthera.  The chart does show a passage but it is narrow, with shallows, reefs and coral heads on both sides, and it's recommended you hire a pilot to guide you.  But conditions were perfect - no northerly wind or swells, morning sun above or behind us, and great visibility to see the different colors of the water - so we set off slowly to cruise the seven miles or so along Devil's Backbone to the bay between Harbour Island and Eluethera.

This is what Devil’s Backbone looks like in real life.
Below is the Navionics chart.

Harbour Island and its town Dunmore Town is the most touristy place in the eastern Bahamas.  There are many hotels and resorts, lots of restaurants and bars, and two marinas that seemed to cater to large yachts. And they have a laundromat! 

Dan and I went ashore Tuesday to walk the town and have some lunch. We found a nice airy restaurant and settled for splitting a couple of appetizers because it was a little pricy for our budget.  (We found the tourist boutiques to be the same...)  I did the laundry and found a great little produce store with lots of variety: Pineapple Fruit and Veggies.  Across from Pineapple's was a small pavillion where a group of men were playing dominoes with cheery, noisy abandon.  I was amused to listen to their discussion of US politics, as they speculated on the outcome of Super Tuesday.  

The Bay side is where the marinas and tourist places are, the ocean side contains the more exclusive resorts and a mile of the cleanest beach in the Bahamas.  We walked it today (Weds March 6) - Dan said it was "boring" and I said it reminded me of Hilton Head.  

The downside of this island is the spring break atmosphere - lots of loud music, lots of people zipping around in golf carts, lots of fast boats careening through the water taking people wake boarding or snorkeling.  We ended up moving to a quiet anchorage away from it all for both nights.