Day 17 - Bahama Cruising (Hatchet Bay - Eleuthera Island)

25:20.8N
76:29.4W
The
morning dawns with the local fisherman (singular) paddling his "boat" to the bay
shorelines ....perhaps fishing(?) ... not really sure! So, to the next job on
the list - replace the intermittently faulty GPS for the AIS (so that Magic
Friday can transmit its position and status to other vessels) - should be a
simple task of removing the old antenna and wiring and installing the new. But
of course, all work on a boat are in accessible places...and the number of cable
ties to cut (I counted 21 in the 5ft of cable I I could see (really...so many :
research shows that sailors are one of the most prodigious users of top tight
(“Ziploc”) plastic bags AND cable ties!!). Eventually we get to the pulling of
the old cable through a 12ft conduit - all behind the head and aft locker -
hoping and praying the string so carefully attached does not part company with
the old cable as Di feeds it in and I pull it out at opposite ends of the boat
... success! Enough for the day - we make ready to dinghy across to the gazebo
dinghy dock and explore the town / find the Post Office. Fish abound the local
dock. What a sleepy town it is, baked under the afternoon's heat...but friendly
folks sitting on their porches, no more than 2 or 3 sand streets and one
tarmac "main road", painted houses, numerous churches, plentiful fruit on trees
- mangos, bread fruit and other (unidentified), the village fire truck, a
bar/restaurant, a grocery store (actually quite well stocked) and a shopping
"mall" (well 2 or 3 smalls huts). Finally, we find the Post
Office alongside the Government Office, the Police Station and Customs
offices - all in the same building - none very busy at
all!! True Bahamian lifestyle. Back to the boat - we investigated the
narrow entrance from the safety of our dinghy and then to the boat. The Island
Link ferry makes an appearance - almost swamping the tiny bay as it turns to
dock and unload. Evening bbq, more unusual clouds (what do they eman?)...and
then again the sermon(s) start up, eventually singing drifts over the bay as the
sun sets on a another day in the Bahamas. Phil and Di |