 |
Northern Route to Spanish Wells
Goes through this area! |
Over the past few days we have been moving north at a fairly leisurely pace, with the exception of one longer leg from Highborne Cay to Spanish Wells. Studying the charts would give one sime cause for concern and perhaps second thoughts about our intended route. I include a screenshot of the area in question. Quite a lot of rocks! and the route goes straight through the middle of them!
Well actually it was not that bad and as I said, I would not have attempted this but someone gave me waypoints back in 2014 and assured me it was fine. We made it through twice in 2014 and had a terrific sail though that area again this week. Yes there are rocks....its generally 12-16 ft deep....and most look to have clearance. The odd one has you worried. We made the 50 or so miles from Highborne Cay to Royal Island and anchored in the well protected natural harbour there. After a night, we moved on to Spanish Wells. I can't give you one specific reason, but I just like this quaint, quiet little town. The marina - Yacht Haven is now finished and we had a great stay. A little pricey at $2.50/ft. but that has become the new norm in the Bahamas. They have a great restaurant and nice pool, and very friendly staff.
Today, we took on the challenge of the Devil's Backbone; known as perhaps one of the most
notoriously tricky passages in the Bahamas. We hired the services of a local pilot "Bandit" and took 3 sailboats through the passage. To be honest- - it didn't seem too bad and I think we could have done it alone. However, the warnings on the Charts are enough to make you think that a pilot is definitely warranted. We were also very fortunate to have excellent and calm weather. I am sure its a different story in challenging seas, at the wrong state of the tide etc! Anyway, Bandit did a great job - we negotiated a discounted rate for 3 boats and were joined of course by TraSea and also OnY' Va - new Canadian friends we met in Spanish Wells.
The passage through the backbone was very uneventful, but definitely scenic. And this passage brings one through to the beautiful "Harbour Island" on North Eleuthera. We had been told about a wonderful anchorage just north of Harbour island, inside the Devils Backbone called Man Island, so we decided to check it out. Very glad to do so as this turned out to be a wonderful spot with great beach and access to the Atlantic Side of the island. I have included a screenshot of the chart location.
 |
| Man Island - Note Devil's Backbone to the North |
We have spent the last two nights here and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and calm. Although you can see through to the Atlantic there is no roll or swell here - its just an amazing spot - perhaps one of the best anchorages so far on this trip. so thank you to Leslie and Ralph on "S/V Now and Zen" for sharing this spot with us!
 |
| Anchorage - Man Island, North Eleuthera |
We are headed in to the marina at Ramora Bay today as we are picking up friends Dave and Tracy tomorrow. Since things are quiet up here, we negotiated a discount rate with the marina - not quite as good a deal as Leslie and Ralph apparently got.......but not bad at $1/ft/day. Definitely our best deal since Bimini. We are looking forward to exploring Dunmore Town on Harbor Island later today.......and we will be cooking lobster for dinner - purchased from local divers yesterday at $10 each.
The plan from here is to head to the Abacos - likely Little Harbor. Hoping that the great weather we have been enjoying the past few days will last for this next 50 mile leg.
Check out our current location at:
https://share.garmin.com/Midnightsunii
No comments:
Post a Comment