4/16/2017 Wind = Road trip, laundry,reading, and chores

The wind continues here in the Bahamas.  Last night we had gusts to near 40 and lots of rocking at the dock.  With this weather, we have not wanted to venture out in the boat.  But we really needed to get out and DO something.  We had talked to boat friends, Rob and Kim about taking the ferry to Man-O-War Cay, but decided to instead on a road trip.  We rented a car and Tim braved driving on the wrong side of the road as we took off to the west.  Our first stop was Treasure Cay.  This area was settled by loyalists from New York after our war of independence, unfortunately the settlement did not last long.  Driving through the area it is clear why.  There is very little here that could sustain life.  Limestone outcropping and scrawny pine trees create a bleak landscape.  The beauty hits when you reach the sea.  Treasure Cay beach is on the Sea of Abaco and it stretches in a crescent shape for about 5 miles.  It is said to be one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world.  The sand is like sugar as it runs through your fingers and the water is the most amazing aquamarine.  Unfortunately there are only a few public beach access points.  Many beautiful homes line the dunes keeping others out.  We  pulled into the Treasure Sands Club and used their access point to get down to the beach.

We retraced our path back to Marsh Harbor and then drove south to Little Harbor and the infamous Pete’s Pub and Gallery.  Little Harbor has a small protected anchorage and was the home of Randolph Johnston, an “internationally known artist renowned for his lost was casting in bronze”.  Randolph’s son, Pete has taken over his father’s foundry.  We enjoyed a yummy lunch here-  mine was a ginger tuna steak sandwich.  Then walked across the dunes to the Atlantic side.  Here the strong wind was clearly evident as the waves churned and crashed against the reefs and rocky shoreline.  We also hiked a short ways to the remains of a lighthouse and looked across at Lynyard Cay in the distance.  Amazingly we faintly saw one set of sails up north us and a couple sailboats tucked in behind an uninhabited cay.  We were happy to be on land and not in one of those boats in the wind we had.

Just a few miles south of Little Harbor is the settlement at Cherokee Sound.  We arrived at during low tide.  Cherokee Sound is a small fishing village with a very shallow bay.  The settlement claims to have the longest dock in the Bahamas.  It needs it because I could walk out to the end without getting my shorts wet.  Kim and I waded in the shallow waters looking for treasures. We found several small conchs, live sea biscuits and I uncovered one dead sea biscuit.

Since it was getting late, we headed for home.  We could feel the wind increase during the night, at one point reaching 40 mph.  Subject to Change was rocked to sleep.