Island Hopping

New Bight, Cat Island to Rock Sound, Eleuthera  |  10.3 Hours  |  76.6 Miles   

A chorus of roosters provided our early morning wake up call. I was on deck at first light and we had pulled away from Cat Island before even a hint of orange appeared in the sky. Heavy cloud cover prolonged the sunrise and created richer colors. The sky eventually transitioned to blue, but the clouds remained for a few more hours. We set the autopilot for our hop to the southern tip of Eleuthera, the next large island north. No rain was in the forecast, but Barry was fortunate enough to catch a rainbow -- a result of the sun hitting the edge of the pilothouse window at just the right angle. We joked about chasing and finding the mythical associated treasure.

The waves were low in a following sea which made for a pleasant ride. We took turns on watch and when Barry had the helm, I moved to the flybridge and enjoyed the sunshine. Most of the day was spent in the open water of Exuma Sound with very little scenery. We passed Carnival's Half Moon Cay on Little San Salvador and could only make out the white sand beach in the distance. Waves built as we moved from the lee of Cat Island. By noon we had spotted rocky Lighthouse Point at the southern end of Eleuthera. The beachside cabins' colorful roofs at Disney's port occupied the sandy beach. A short distance north, colorful umbrellas signaled the location of Princess Cays. It was odd to see all three cruise ship ports empty and void of the massive cities of the water. The ships will arrive overnight. Boat traffic picked up as we neared Powell Point and the Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina. 

We turned east into Davis Channel and passed the familiar Stone Beacon perched on a sandbar. We also turned into the wind and our pleasant ride turned into a salty one as wind-driven waves sent spray over the bow and onto the windshield. The cargo ship Vi Nais passed us outbound from the Rock Sound dock. We followed our old tracks into the familiar anchorage and found our "pot of gold." Paradigm Shift had arrived a short time before us. After our anchor was set Glenda and Cooper shouted hello, and boy did it sound good after our longest day on the water since arriving in The Bahamas. Following showers and dinner, we watched our first Eleuthera sunset from the cockpit. We're hoping the cargo ship dropped off some fresh produce. A grocery run is on tap for tomorrow when we go to shore.