Rock Sound to Tarpum Bay | 2.1 Hours | 11.8 Miles
We awoke to a still morning. The wind was nonexistent and the water was flat. A final trip to the top-notch dinghy dock was made to dispose of some last minute trash. It was high tide and the climb up to the dock was uneventful. The town was also still. Not even the church mouse was stirring at St. Luke's Anglican/Episcopal Church on this Palm Sunday morning. We returned to Crossroads, raised the dinghy to the upper deck, and pulled up the anchor. With light wind and waves, the water had returned to being crystal clear. Taking advantage of a strong cell signal, I tuned into the Palm Sunday service and got to sing along with both parts of Hosanna. I'm thankful for the livestream that will keep me connected with traditional family Holy Week activities. We are indeed heading north along with most of the cruising fleet. Thoughts and prayers are with our friends who are making their way north on a quicker schedule.
Today's calm and settled weather presented us with the opportunity to make a stop in Tarpum Bay. The anchorage is very exposed to wind and waves so we've always bypassed it in favor of the more protected areas of Rock Sound and Governor's Harbour. The town is known for its vibrantly colored buildings, artistic influences, and large waterside Anglican church. We joined two other boats in the anchorage in sight of the church, had lunch, then lowered the dinghy and headed to town. We tied up to the concrete portion of the dock as the wooden section had seen better days and had been claimed by dozens of seagulls. Our walk began by turning south and walking along the waterfront along Bay Street. The blue water served as background for an assortment of trees including the green-needled casaurina pines, and dead trees serving as hosts for a giant termite mound and a collection of nautical floats and markers. An odd duck caught our eye. It looked like a mallard drake with a dark green head and brown body, but sported a long, slender beak.
Bay Street rounded into Lord Street and took us north. Colorful walls and buildings lined the street. The mix included rental property, private residences, commercial structures, and several churches. Lord Street even had two stop signs. One of the nicest buildings was The Kupcake Lady Dessert Shoppe (bakery). Being that we were visiting on a Sunday afternoon, everything was closed. Where Lord Street dead-ended, a strange structure appeared. Castle Macmillan was the former home of artist Gordon MacMillan-Hughes, includes stained glass windows and walls inset with coral, and is now available to rent as a vacation spot. Although we saw only a minimal amount of the structure, it was both unique and impressive. We turned left and walked back to the waterfront, past the pickleball court and softball field, and toward the primary school.
We decided to walk along the beach back to the dock. The sand was course and rocky, but there were shells to search through. Our moods quickly turned sour as we came upon several large fish heads in the sand. Their presence and the hundreds of accompanying flies were definitely a buzz kill. We kept walking, however, and came to the highlights of the trip for me. I am a sucker for swings and directional signs. The sign provided a comprehensive listing of Eleuthera's highlights from north (Preacher's Cave/Spanish Wells) to south (Lighthouse Point). We finished up at the waterfront St. Columba's Anglican/Episcopal Church (est. 1849). Again, all was quiet here following the morning service. Back to Crossroads we went for the remainder of the afternoon. I read on Fiberglass Beach in the bright and very warm sunshine. The light wind gave us a good view of our tattered Bahamian courtesy flag. Half of it had disappeared, so we brought out the new one to fly for the final month of our stay.
Following dinner we went upstairs to watch the sunset. We were actually pointing west for a great view. I climbed out to my favorite spot on the pilothouse roof for the best possible view of the colorful conclusion to the day. The calm conditions should give us a smooth and quiet night despite being in the unprotected anchorage. The dinghy is back up top and we will again move a little further north tomorrow.
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