Royal Island to Spanish Wells
It was very
calm in the Royal Island anchorage when we woke. The sun was shining bright and we leisurely
drank our morning coffee in the cockpit.
A couple of sea turtles appeared and circled Foreign Affair. It was a
fabulous morning. It was also the calm
before the storm.
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| Caribbean Express I |
By 1030 we were quickly hauling anchor and underway seeking shelter in Spanish Wells. Squall lines were appearing on the horizon and the winds were soon in the mid-teens. We made the short 8 miles run to the Spanish Wells Yacht Haven Marina and Resort and were securely tied to a dock within 90 minutes of our departure. Within a half hour of our arrival, the winds were in the 20s and it was raining. We sat out the rain reading and studying charts aboard Foreign Affair. We expect to remain at the marina for at least 3 days waiting for winds to subside.
The rain
eventually stopped and we ventured out to explore Spanish Wells. Spanish Wells settlement covers almost all of
St. George’s Cay which is about 1 ½ miles long and about 1/3 mile wide. It doesn’t take long to make a walking
circuit of the entire settlement. This
settlement has a population of about 1500 people. It is a close-knit community which relies on
fishing as the base of its economy. The
Spanish Wells fishing fleet is the largest in the Bahamas. The fleet brings in over 70% of the Bahamian
lobster catch and there is a lobster processing plant on the island. Citrus groves on neighboring Russell
Island. Tourism is less important to the
economy of Spanish Wells than its other industries.
Points of
interest we encountered during our walk around the island include the wharf
where we saw the arrival of the Caribbean
Express I bringing provisions to the island. We also saw the Eleuthera Express waiting to take on cargo to transport to other
settlements of Eleuthera and neighboring out-islands. The government ferry had just arrived and was
disembarking passengers and cargo. A
number of golf carts and small trucks were waiting to haul the goods and people
away. A dozen or more of people and
additional golf carts and small trucks were waiting for the ferry to empty so
they could board for the outbound trip.
We discovered the lobster processing plant a little further down the waterfront road. One vessel was unloading its catch. The docks were otherwise empty as the fishing fleet was out harvesting and it would be several more days or longer before they began to return. Most lobster boats are at sea for approximately 3 weeks at a time and lobster season just recently opened. Some boats are what they call “day boats” and are usually out and back within a day.
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| Government Ferry, Eleuthera Express and Caribbean Express I |
We discovered the lobster processing plant a little further down the waterfront road. One vessel was unloading its catch. The docks were otherwise empty as the fishing fleet was out harvesting and it would be several more days or longer before they began to return. Most lobster boats are at sea for approximately 3 weeks at a time and lobster season just recently opened. Some boats are what they call “day boats” and are usually out and back within a day.
The houses
in Spanish Wells are modest in size. The
smaller cottages are survivors of numerous hurricanes which hit the islands
hard and often during the past 50 years.
Hurricane Andrew in 1992 destroyed much of the settlement. As a result, there are many homes of newer
construction and ranch style rather than bungalow or Cape Cod style. The houses are painted in a vast array of
pastel colors and nearly all building have white roofs to reflect the sun’s
heat.
Golf carts are the primary means of transportation on the island. There are very few cars. Small pick-up trucks are used to haul goods around town. It is quite easy to walk to anywhere on the island. We saw no reason to rent a golf cart to get around. We walked everywhere.
We closed out the day with Frank and Carol at the Wrecker which is the marina’s bar and grill. The prices were reasonable and the food was very good. The place was busy as the marina was full of boats which arrived with the past two days to ride out the weather. We will be here at least 3 nights and possibly longer. At least we are in a safe harbor with good facilities.
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| Older House - Spanish Wells |
Golf carts are the primary means of transportation on the island. There are very few cars. Small pick-up trucks are used to haul goods around town. It is quite easy to walk to anywhere on the island. We saw no reason to rent a golf cart to get around. We walked everywhere.
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| New House - Spanish Wells |
We closed out the day with Frank and Carol at the Wrecker which is the marina’s bar and grill. The prices were reasonable and the food was very good. The place was busy as the marina was full of boats which arrived with the past two days to ride out the weather. We will be here at least 3 nights and possibly longer. At least we are in a safe harbor with good facilities.
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