TEXAS RANGER: Hatchet Bay to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera May 19

      Our anchor was finally wrested from the grip of an old mooring which it had snared on the bottom of Hatchet Bay, and we exited the narrow entry cut out onto the Eleuthera Bank. A couple of hours of running northwest brought us to Current Cut, between Current Settlement and Current Island, where we passed through the relatively narrow passage only a short time after slack tide. This carefully timed arrival placed the ebb current with us instead of against us, but it was already flowing at about three knots. It is known to peak at two- to three-times that velocity, making transit against it impossible by many slower boats such as our own. Most sailboats, being somewhat underpowered, would make very slow progress even against the amount of current which we experienced.
      After another couple of hours traveling northeast, we entered the shallow south channel into the harbor at Spanish Wells. This town is located on St. Georges Cay, but the name of the cay has almost become synonymous with that of this romantic-sounding port which has been in use for over 500 years. We docked at Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, which is nearing completion of its rebuilding project. Not only are the docks new, but also the offices, outdoor bar and restaurant, and shower facilities. There are also several cottages on the grounds which are available for rental, and extensive landscaping is being completed as we are here.
     This charming town is far better maintained than most of what we have seen in the Bahamas. They evidently reject government assistance and its strings, and operate much of the infrastructure in a somewhat communal manner. Industrious people, they supply about 80% of the lobster and commercial fishery harvested in the entire country. Almost everyone and everything here is somehow related to some member or other of the Pinder family. Budda's (that's the way they spell it) is a fascinating local hang-out, with tables and a bar in the rear (behind the golf cart in the photo and a large, noisy caged parrot. The kitchen is in the school bus out front, and food is available for on-site consumption, or as it is called in the Bahamas, "takeaway". There are far more golf carts than automobiles, and the arrival of the cargo ship or mail boat is a community event. EVERYTHING must arrive by such cargo ships, and all travel off the island is by boat of some type…either small water taxis or by daily large fast ferries from Nassau.