Letter from the Bahamas, 2024 #4 – Greg Allard
Our sincerest thanks to Greg and Barbara Allard for once again sharing their thoughts and beautiful photography from their Bahamas cruises. These photos and descriptions will have you aching to follow in Meander‘s wake! For more of this excellent photography, type Allard in our Homepage search window for letters from previous cruises.
A few more pictures from Spanish Wells.
The beautiful beach at the western end of Spanish Wells, complete with in-the-water swings.
Boats kept in salt water need to have their bottoms periodically cleaned of marine growth. Since we had been cruising for over three months, we hired this diver who did an excellent job. His name is Ivanhoe Sweeting, and there are many “Sweetings” on Spanish Wells. He is 49 years old, a native of the Cay, and had been a commercial lobster fisherman. That work is exhausting, so he took up local day-fishing where he would not have to be out at sea for months at a time. And of course he works as a diver.
Every other Saturday on Spanish Wells there is a Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market. This friendly gentleman is “Farmer Kieth Kelly”, also a native of the Cay. He had some beautiful vegetables which we bought, since fresh produce is sometimes difficult to find in the Bahamas.
\This photo was taken by our friends Steve and Diane Koch, of a SpaceX launch a couple of weeks ago. We missed it, as we were already asleep. The Bahamas are downwind of most of Musk’s satellite launches, so on a clear night the view of the rocket is superb as it passes overhead.
Virtually every home on Spanish Wells, and on most other Bahamian islands, grows bananas. There are many varieties. All very good.
The name Spanish Wells come from the Spanish sailing fleets which regularly stopped there for the abundant supply of fresh water.
Ephasia, a Haitian girl, who lives in the ghetto on Russell Island. We picked her up in our golf cart as she was walking four miles to work on a brutally hot day. She works at Wreckers restaurant, at our marina. Spoke almost no English.
Russell Cay is adjacent to Spanish Wells, and is connected by a bridge. There is a significant Haitian community on Russell, living quite poorly. We were in a golf cart on Russell, heading back to our boat, when we passed this Haitian woman walking towards Spanish Wells. It was a sweltering hot day, and she looked exhausted, so when we offered her a ride she was relieved and thankful. She hardly spoke any English, but we did learn her name is Efhasia (phonetic), and that she worked at the restaurant at our marina, so we were all going to the same place.
Storm on the horizon.
A sportfishing boat docked near us came back from their trip with this 85 pound yellow fin tuna. At $20 a pound for fresh fish like this, it was a worthwhile catch.
On the next leg of our cruise, on the way to Davis Harbour on southern Eleuthera, we laid over for a night at Highbourne Cay, and watched the (mostly) nurse sharks who hang out near the fish cleaning stations waiting for scraps.
Davis Harbour, on the southern end of Eleuthera, is a time-warp of an old Bahamas marina. Our boat is on the far side of the protected marina, just off the right side of the building with the white roof. Not many boats come here, as it doesn’t have many of the conveniences of a high-end marina, such as a pool, and the entrance is shallow (thanks to Dorian.) But it does have a superb restaurant called Northpoint. It’s a simple, unpretentious restaurant: about eight tables with blue tablecloths in a square small room overlooking the marina.
The restaurant did a wonderful job on my favorite Bahamian dish, cracked conch.
Our regular waitress at the restaurant; her name is Addassah Griffin. A superb server and a nice person with a sparkling personality. She is studying phlebotomy.
The coconut shrimp at the Northpoint. None finer…anywhere. With friend plantains and Bahamian mac and cheese.
The picturesque shallow cut into the marina. Based on our unscientific measurements, we estimated the low tide depth in the entrance channel to be around 5’+/-. Of course winds, the current stage of the moon and offshore storms may lower that. Deeper draft boats should wait for a higher rising tide.
Next time, more on southern Eleuthera, including a visit with one of the most accomplished and intriguing persons we have ever met in the Bahamas.
Warmest regards to you all.
Greg and Barbara
Copyright Greg Allard 2024
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