Marsh Harbouir to Little Harbour
It was still
breezy when we woke in the morning; however, the forecast was for a decrease in
wind speed and wave height as the day progressed. We weighed anchor at 1000 which would give us
plenty of time to get to Little Harbour on a rising tide which we would need to
get over the sandbar at the harbor’s entrance.
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| Little Harbour |
We were able to sail or motor sail with our genoa most of the 15 miles to Little Harbour. We had 2 – 3 foot waves in the Sea of Abaco but they were following waves so we had a pleasant ride. You know the big elephants are marching on the Atlantic when you see white water splashing above the trees on the ocean side cays. Swells were reported to exceed 12 feet and of a short period. We hope things are much more settled by Wednesday when we plan to head to Eleuthera. The forecast was for light and variable winds with following swells of 5 feet.
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| Atlantic Ocean Breakers Soaring as High as the Tree Tops |
We met over a half dozen boats heading north and were glad of it since all the moorings at Little Harbour were full last night. We didn’t see any boats ahead of us which meant we would have no problem getting a mooring. Hakuna Matata left about the same time we did but had an extra 5 miles to go since they had to round Matt Lowes Cay before they could head south.
Foreign Affair plowed a little sand before getting
into the deeper water beyond the sandbar at the entrance to Little
Harbour. Two motor yachts snuck in just
ahead of us with one over-taking us in the narrow harbor entrance. They quickly grabbed the best moorings close
to the shore near Pete’s Pub. We took
our ball a little further out and shortly after, we launched the dinghy to get
lunch at Pete’s Pub and pay for our mooring.
We initially
landed at the dock which ran out to Pete Johnston’s studio. Pete and his father, Randolph Johnston, are
world renown sculptors. Pete’s father
moved to Little Harbour in the mid-1950s.
He and his wife Margot lived in the cave in the harbor until they could
clear enough space on the opposite shoreline to build a small house and
foundry. Randolph and Pete created
wonderful lost wax castings in bronze.
Margot worked with ceramics. Over
time, a small art colony grew up around their house. Today, Pete’s gallery and pub are the focal
point for visitors. As is the cave,
which can be reached by dinghy. Several
homes sit on bluffs over-looking the harbor.
This tranquil spot is a destination for cruisers and the last harbor of
refuge between the Abacos and the southern Bahama islands.
We had a
wonderful time at lunch and exploring the island afterward. Carla had the blackened tuna with rice and
cole slaw. Dwayne had the curry wild
boar stew with rice and Bahama cole slaw.
Pete’s Pub is famous for their Blasters which are a blend of four
different rums and a very little fruit punch.
(The Blaster: “Why walk when you
can crawl?”) Most people are blasted
after two of these potent concoctions.
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| Lunch at Pete's Pub - Tuna and Wild Boar |
Lunch was delicious and filling. We needed to walk off our full stomachs. Our first stop was the abandoned light house at the tip of the island overlooking Little Harbour Cut. The view was stunning. We could clearly see the entire cut which we will have to pass through on our way to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera on Wednesday. The ocean swells were slamming into the reefs creating spectacular breakers. The beach below was awash in the tide. The light house was interesting as it was made from locally quarried rock and was just a shell of a building abandoned long ago. From this vantage point, we saw Hakuna Matata entering the harbor.
Our next
stop was Pete’s Studio and Gallery. We
spent nearly an hour examining the art work and reading about the Johnston’s
artistic endeavors and their impact on the island. Dwayne bought Carla a small bronze casting of
a dolphin embedded in driftwood which made it appear as if the dolphin were
jumping a wave. Carla likes the
dolphins. “A dolphin a day keeps the
blues away.”
Frank and
Carol came ashore and we joined them at Pete’s Pub for drinks. Dwayne had a Cuba Libre which contained a
healthy dose of rum and a drop of Coke.
Carla had a Sands Radler which has become one of her favorites. It is a blend of lager beer and grapefruit
juice which she finds very refreshing.
Frank and Carol had Blasters. We
had a pleasant visit with other couples cruising the Bahamas while enjoying the
balmy weather and wonderful view.
We finished
the day with sundowners, cheese, crackers and summer sausage on Foreign Affair. Frank and Carol departed shortly after
dark. We spent the rest of the evening
reading. Dwayne finished his book which
was a fictional novel covering the history of the Bahamas. The author may have thought he was another
Mitchner; however, he fell way short of the mark. The ocean swells made it a bit rolly in the
harbor which was a bit surprising as the sandbar was not as effective at
baffling the swells as one would expect.
The boat rolled some but not excessively.
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