We had a lovely sunset Thursday night at the Glass Window. However, due to developments in the weather, we would have to move the next morning.
With another large low and gale developing in the US, the forecast for us was for potentially significant squalls and nasty weather coming our way. When winds clock around to the west, as this was predicted to do, there are very few areas on the east side of Eleuthera that afford any protection.
Fortunately for us, we were just 8 miles away from one of the most protected anchorages on this side of the island, Hatchet Bay.
The trip down the coast was pleasant. The winds were below 10 knots and the rugged coastline was a pleasure to watch.
Though Hatchet Bay is fairly large, the man-made cut into it is NOT. In fact, it is difficult to see until you are almost right on it. Fortunately, once through the cut, the bay opens up nicely. We checked out the whole bay & decided to anchor on the side away from the town and sheltered by some large hills.
Once anchored, we dingied in to check out Alicetown. In this picture, Samba is waaay off in the distance on the other side of the bay.
As we were leaving the dinghy dock, we ran into a couple of guys from the only other occupied boat in the harbour. They told us about some of the highlights to check on & then headed to the town faucet to get water for their boat.
Alicetown was generally run down. Though there were quite a few homes, most were in need of repair. The people we met were all nice and cordial.
Even the government offices, below, were a little sad.
We think this is the EMS office since the ambulance was parked there.
The one bright spot in town was the pre-school with its Disney figures painted on it. Fun!
Next to it was the all-grades school that served the area.
And, of course, there were chickens and roosters. We can hear the roosters each morning. 😏
After lunch on the boat, we headed over to the government dock where we squeezed the dinghy between a couple of older boats. Our objective was to find the "bat cave" which was only about "a mile" out of town. Ha, ha!
In the Bahamas, things are always a little different than portrayed by the locals. A few minutes actually means a couple of hours and a mile can actually mean 5 miles. Argghhh!
It was very hot and long journey. Finally, just as we were about to give up, a lady stopped by & picked us up and took us the short distance to the cave sign. Though she had never been in the cave, she knew where the sign was. PTL!
Our 2 sailor friends at the well had told us that the entrance was not where you would expect it to be and they were right! We went down a long lane that ended at a locked fence that appeared to lead down a hill to some kind of private farm. Jim backtracked & started looking through weeds and, voila', a little trail through the weeds and into a small hole in the ground that had a ladder attached to it. Will the fun never end????
Once down, there were several passages to choose from. At that point, Carol decided to guard the entrance to keep us safe.
One of the passages had steps carved into the rock that led down and ended at another ladder that went down another deep hole. The sign at the top of the hole was a bit disconcerting.
At the next level, some thoughtful soul had left a string on the floor that marked the main passage. Good thing, as there were a number of side chambers and passages. It is an active cave so there were lots of beautiful formations scattered throughout it.
There was also lots of graffiti throughout the cave. This one was dated 1899 - pretty kewl!
After about a mile, there was another ladder that led into a hole, but this one ended in ankle deep water. Though we think it may have led to the ocean, Jim decided to not go any further down. On beyond that hole a little bit was an opening to the surface. This one had an old rope ladder that could be used to get out. Jim didn't test it, though.
As he was heading back, Jim ran into a couple from Florida who were checking out the cave. The guy was nice enough to take a picture of Jim at one of the beautiful formations.
Since they were using their phones for light & their batteries were a bit low, Jim used his light to help them get back out of the cave. Fortunately for us, they also offered to take us back to our dinghy. PTL!!!!
Back at the dinghy, there were a number of beautiful upsidedown jellyfish pulsating through the water among the thousands of minnows.
The proprietor of the little dockside restaurant told us that they were having a fish fry that night and to come on over between 4:00 & 5:00.
We showed up at 5:00 and decided to enjoy the evening while waiting for some food. Notice Samba waaay off in the background, behind the sailboat.
He soon let us know that it would be around 6:00 before they started doing anything. Hmmmm.
A little before 6:00, some guys pulled up in a boat with a nice catch of fish. The proprietor apparently paid them for their catch. Do you suppose someone will clean them??? Still not much going on. Hmmm.
As darkness fell, this bush next to where we were seated was swarming with large moths who were having a nectar feast. Once satisfied, they all flew away.
Remember we told you that in the Bahamas, a few minutes actually means an hour or so? Well, we finally gave up & headed back in the dark to Samba. At that point, no one was around and we couldn't get anything to eat from the restaurant. They didn't have anything to serve until the fish fry started. Ughhhh. Once at the boat, we cooked some chicken on the grill & called it good.
Around 8:00, the music started cranking and continued on until after midnight. We think the proprietor may have finally started the fish fry. It's a mystery to us how the locals know when to show up.
