Farewell Until Next Time

Spanish Wells to Royal Island  |  1.7 Hours  |  6 Miles  

It was a sunny yet chilly morning in Spanish Wells. I enjoyed one last walk past my favorite plumerias and desert roses on the way to Demetria's house to pick up my food order. At 9:00 she and Tia were busy packaging their many entrees for the food sale. I secured my lobster thermidor, potato salad, and carrot cupcakes in my backpack and, after one last hug and goodbye, was heading back to the marina. There were still a few chores to be done in order to meet target departure time of 10:00 from the Yacht Haven. We unplugged from shore power, settled with the office, and took out the trash. With Larry's (Beverly S) help untying the dock lines, we were off. I was on the stern and took one long final look back upon Spanish Wells while great memories of this visit raced through my head. Farewell, Spanish Wells, until next time. 

Our first destination was the St. George's Cay Power Company's fuel dock. Unfortunately for us, the fuel barge beat us to the spot. We dropped anchor, had lunch, and did a little reading while we waited for a new load of diesel fuel to be offloaded. This was the same Belize-based fuel barge we saw at Staniel Cay a few weeks ago. After a few hours, the tanker pulled out and we pulled in. This dock is supersized for ships much larger than us and the pilings towered over our flybridge. I had to tie the dock lines around the substructure, but it worked and all was good. While filling the port side tank I enjoyed the view of Russell Island and the cool little cave just off our bow.  

While I was filling the starboard tank, a motor yacht pulled in between us and the rocky shore. They had a few issues with their dock lines and finally came to rest a few feet from our anchor. Barry chatted with the first mate once everything settled and while we were waiting for our payment to process. We paid $5.04 a gallon for 514 gallons. Ironically, this price was less than today's going rate in Charleston even with our Safe Harbor discount. We backed off the dock and were on our way, feeling much better with full fuel tanks.

Our final destination for the day was the protected anchorage on Royal Island. We had not been here before and were a little wary of the entrance. It looked tighter than it actually was and we could actually see water between us and the large rock at the entrance. It was a chilly afternoon with low humidity and a good breeze. The sky was beautiful. I wanted to sit outside and read, but even after putting on sweatpants, socks, and a long-sleeved shirt I was cold and eventually moved inside.

We noticed a strange chimney structure up on the hill away from the resort. This old mansion would be a perfect hiking destination. Royal Island is a 430-acre private island and home to the Royal Island Resort. According to Google, rates start at $12,000 per night or the whole island is available for $45 million. "It is the only island on the market with approvals for both a golf course and a marina and is well priced in the market." We won't be going ashore. We enjoyed our delicious Bahamian dinner that was gone before I could get a picture. We did pause long enough with Demetria's carrot cupcakes for a picture before they met the same fate. The sun set behind the island and between the clouds. We will be here tomorrow and hope to check out The Sandbar by dinghy at the 2:00 low tide if the wind/waves cooperate.