Arrival In Governor's Harbour

Tarpum Bay to Governor's Harbour |  2.5 Hours  |  14.1 Miles  

The calm conditions in Tarpum Bay continued through the night and into the morning. I do not recall either feeling the boat rock or hearing the anchor bridle squeak once. We waited for high tide to raise the anchor and move a little further north. The water was almost flat. Only a few miles into our trip we saw weird brown discs floating in the water. Upon closer inspection, they were crab pot floats, and there were many in all shapes and sizes. We felt like we were home on the Chesapeake maneuvering through a slalom course of floats. A diligent waterman was also out tending to his harvest of crabs. Another flashback to the Chesapeake was zero apparent wind. Crossroads and the southerly wind were both moving at roughly 6.5 knots, cancelling each other out. It was a warm ride.

Today's destination was Governor's Harbor, the capital of Eleuthera and the largest town on the island. We joined over a dozen other boats of all sizes in the anchorage. Despite its reputation for poor holding, our anchor set on the first attempt. We cleaned up and prepared lunch as a large gray cloud moved over us. A mid-day shower lasted half an hour and gave Crossroads a much-needed rinse. The sky cleared and the sun returned. I read on the flybridge and watched boats come and go. The government dock was a busy spot with the arrival of large supply ship. At 3:00 we lowered the dinghy and went into shore. A challenge in Governor's Harbour is predicting the tide when going to shore. Poor planning can result in dragging the dinghy a hundred yards back into water or, at the other extreme, wading out to the dinghy in thigh-deep water. We hit the beach at low tide, so we drug it up as high in the sand as we could. Governor's Harbor is one of our favorite stops and we have a checklist of places to visit. First on our list was the bakery. Although we arrived just before closing, we were able to get a loaf of fresh raisin bread. The next stop was the grocery store to scout out the inventory. We'll be back in a few days to pick up the usual items. Norma's Gift Shop is a great spot to find souvenir shirts and other resort wear. Barry and I each got a new T-shirt, but also enjoyed the conversation with the super-nice lady at the counter and a few other cruisers. This point of the trip reminds us of our time on the Great Loop. We are loosely traveling with a group of boats that are all going in the same direction (north) We see many familiar faces wherever we turn. With our purchase secured in the backpack and goodbyes shared once more, it was time to stretch our legs with a walk. We took Pine Street up Buccaneer Hill. A well-placed sign alerted us to the island's highlights. 

Victorian-era houses dating to the 1850s line the steep and narrow one-way street. Many have been converted to vacation destinations. As expected, the landscaping was beautiful in its mix of color, texture, and variety.

At the top of the hill, Pine Street rounded to meet up with Haynes Avenue which we took back down to the waterfront. Fence boards sported an elegantly simple pineapple design. Pineapples are Eleuthera's most famous product and were a booming industry in the early 1900s. They are still grown today on smaller-scale family farms and celebrated each June with a festival. Sections of the road have been carved out of tall limestone rock formations. Air plants have claimed their spot on the sheer rock face.

At the base of the hill stands one of our favorite restaurants in all of The Bahamas -- The Buccaneer Club. We came in for an early dinner and were surprised to find the patio almost full with three large parties and two other couples. The free-range hens and roosters scurried by dog-style waiting for dropped french fries. The kids this evening provided them with plenty of food. With the Wifi password and a Pink Sands, Barry was happy. My grilled grouper, peas n rice, and coleslaw was delicious and left me smiling.

The tide had come in while we were exploring and we waded out in calf-deep water to the dinghy. The look back into town kind of summarizes Governor's Harbour with beautiful tropical sky and palm trees with bigger city amenities like yellow gift shop (Norma's) and the Shell station beside the grocery store. We spent the next hour on the flybridge awaiting sunset. Congregational singing from across the anchorage at Wesley Methodist Church filled the air with soothing melodies as the sun disappeared to the west. To the east, a nearly full Easter moon rose over town.