Spanish Wells - must be salty.

Sunday we sailed north on Eleuthera Island to Hatchet Bay.  The settlement there is another Alice Town.  The cut to get to the bay was blasted out of the rock cliffs and is about 90 yards wide.  It is hard to find from a distance and would probably be nerve racking with big winds or waves.  We got the last available mooring.  There wasn't much to see or do in town.

Monday we sailed to a place called the Glass Window.  We were just going to sail by to take a couple of pictures but the water was so clear and the view was so interesting that we decided to spend the night.  The island is only 100 or so yards wide at this point and there used to be a natural stone arch.  From a boat on the Bahama Banks you could look through to see the ocean through the arch, thus the "glass window".  When the tide is up the waves still break from the ocean side onto the banks - looks pretty cool.

Tuesday we sailed through "Current Cut" on our way to Spanish Wells.  Depending on the phase of the moon and the state of the tide the current can be 8 to 10 knots!  We got lucky and came through the cut with about a 4 knot assist.  We followed a power boat we had met at the window.  He radioed us the depth as he went through so we knew we were in the channel.  The sand shifts in that area so the charts aren't always accurate.  A boat coming through after us ran aground and had to wait for the rising tide.

Here in Spanish we got one the 8 moorings in town.  The moorings are just across the channel from town which makes it a short row if your outboard doesn't run and the local dealer doesn't have the parts you need.  We were going to rent a golf cart to see the town.  Then we realized you could see the whole town in a 2 or 3 hour walk.  We bought 10 gallons of diesel - the first fuel we bought since January 28.  We also bought 15 gallos of water for $1.50.  We're not sure if it's reverse osmosis (R O) salt water or cistern water.  It has a slight salt taste to it so we don't really want to put it in our tanks with our "good" water which also has a slight off taste or smell.

Spanish Wells is quite "white".  The town fills St Georges Cay - about 2 and a half miles long by not very wide.  It is home to a very big lobster fleet.  It is probably the most prosperous town or settlement we have seen.  The houses and stores are brightly painted and for the most are in good repair.  Lots cost $70 to $100 K.  Add a cottage or a house and you're looking at $350 to over a million.  I'm hoping my friend Jack sells his glider and buys a place down here so I can come visit him next winter.

Tomorrow and Friday we head north to the Abacos.