“No! Wait! Stop! You’ll sink the dinghy!” So maybe Kathleen was feeling a bit amorous or something. “No, we can’t both be in the same stern quarter of the dinghy at the same time!” Water started pouring over the gunwale and seconds later we were sitting in the water. We had spent a very pleasant evening at happy hour with other boaters in the harbor.
Then, we had a terrific time at “Da Spot.”
"Da Spot" Makes a really good conch salad.
So maybe we had a little encouragement from John Barleycorn to be a bit crazy. Even so, as enticing as the water was, I wasn’t interested in a swim at that time of night. I had to swim out to rescue the “dry” bag which turned out to be not so dry. At least we saved the conch horn and the SD card in the camera reluctantly yielded the contents of its electronic innards. The camera, alas, was a total loss as was the iPod.
All this began a few days earlier in Rock Sound when I declared, “We’re leaving tomorrow.” We were expecting a serious blow and I didn’t want to be stuck in Rock Sound for another week. “Tomorrow” promised an easy ride up to Hatchet Bay which offered really good protection from the blow.
Unfortunately, the ride didn’t start out so well. First of all, the batteries in the house bank were basically dead and then I couldn’t get anything from the engine battery. I had been flying a riding sail and it shaded one or the other of the solar panels to the point that they didn’t provide enough juice to keep the batteries charged. Then, there was a bad terminal connection on the engine battery. Two hours later, the solar panels had charged the batteries enough to start the engine. I figured that even with such a late start, we could make Hatchet Bay with daylight to spare. Light SW winds and smooth seas provided one of the most pleasant sailing days of the trip.
Our last day in Rock Sound was spent with a rental car. We visited Tarpum Bay, a picturesque fishing village. Some years ago, an American artist made his home there and he built a “castle” for himself.
Then we went to the Ocean Hole, a large, inland body of water that has a subterranean connection to the ocean. There are large numbers of fish—snappers, angelfish, parrotfish and others. They come in huge numbers when you toss bread crumbs on the water. Fishing is prohibited.
Kids here are much like kids everywhere. “Take my picture, take my picture!” We were besieged by a group of school kids. “OK, everybody get together over here.” “No, I don’t want to stand next to him. I don’t want him to put his arm around me!” “OK, you stand here and he’ll be over there. You kinda like him, doncha?” Sheepishly, with a little smile, “Yeah.”
Coming into Hatchet Bay, I saw a couple of lines of crab pots. They caught me by surprise. I learned later that crabbing is a big industry here. Lightly steamed with melted butter they tasted great at the “Front Porch.”
Lobstering is a big deal, too. Over a month in the Bahamas and still no lobster! You can usually count on somebody coming by the boat with, “Hey, Captain, wanna buy some lobster?” No such luck. We did come close. We were walking down the street when a guy on a bicycle called, “Wanna buy some lobster?” You bet! “How much?” “I give ‘em to you cheap.” So that means a dollar a tail, right?” Laughter. “No mon, can’t do dat. Six for $20.” “Deal.” “I’m behind Robert’s Grocery, stop by.” Later, we stopped by andf he invited us up to his place and called for his wife. She appeared carrying a big pot. “Look mon, you don’t even have to cook ‘em.” His wife gave him an if-looks-could-kill eye. He was going to sell dinner! We declined but it looked and smelled wonderful!
While we were at Hatchet Bay, friends from s/v Kalunamoo showed up with friends of theirs, Roman and Olha on s/v Moya Mreeya. It was a pleasant surprise. I cruised with Bill and Maureen last year. We all had lunch at "Da Spot" with Judy and Don on s/v Nemo.
“No! Wait! Stop! You’ll sink the dinghy!” So maybe Kathleen was feeling a bit amorous or something. “No, we can’t both be in the same stern quarter of the dinghy at the same time!” Water started pouring over the gunwale and seconds later we were sitting in the water. We had spent a very pleasant evening at happy hour with other boaters in the harbor. 
Then, we had a terrific time at “Da Spot.”
"Da Spot" Makes a really good conch salad.
Unfortunately, the ride didn’t start out so well. First of all, the batteries in the house bank were basically dead and then I couldn’t get anything from the engine battery. I had been flying a riding sail and it shaded one or the other of the solar panels to the point that they didn’t provide enough juice to keep the batteries charged. Then, there was a bad terminal connection on the engine battery. Two hours later, the solar panels had charged the batteries enough to start the engine. I figured that even with such a late start, we could make Hatchet Bay with daylight to spare. Light SW winds and smooth seas provided one of the most pleasant sailing days of the trip.
Our last day in Rock Sound was spent with a rental car. We visited Tarpum Bay, a picturesque fishing village. Some years ago, an American artist made his home there and he built a “castle” for himself.
Then we went to the Ocean Hole, a large, inland body of water that has a subterranean connection to the ocean. There are large numbers of fish—snappers, angelfish, parrotfish and others. They come in huge numbers when you toss bread crumbs on the water. Fishing is prohibited.
Coming into Hatchet Bay, I saw a couple of lines of crab pots. They caught me by surprise. I learned later that crabbing is a big industry here. Lightly steamed with melted butter they tasted great at the “Front Porch.”
Lobstering is a big deal, too. Over a month in the Bahamas and still no lobster! You can usually count on somebody coming by the boat with, “Hey, Captain, wanna buy some lobster?” No such luck. We did come close. We were walking down the street when a guy on a bicycle called, “Wanna buy some lobster?” You bet! “How much?” “I give ‘em to you cheap.” So that means a dollar a tail, right?” Laughter. “No mon, can’t do dat. Six for $20.” “Deal.” “I’m behind Robert’s Grocery, stop by.” Later, we stopped by andf he invited us up to his place and called for his wife. She appeared carrying a big pot. “Look mon, you don’t even have to cook ‘em.” His wife gave him an if-looks-could-kill eye. He was going to sell dinner! We declined but it looked and smelled wonderful!
While we were at Hatchet Bay, friends from s/v Kalunamoo showed up with friends of theirs, Roman and Olha on s/v Moya Mreeya. It was a pleasant surprise. I cruised with Bill and Maureen last year. We all had lunch at "Da Spot" with Judy and Don on s/v Nemo.
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