Spanish Wells, Eluethra, Bahamas

Spanish Wells has been our port for the last 6 days--a few days longer than expected due to weather concerns and an unexpected repair. This is a bustling fishing village and tourist haven. A large majority of the lobster, fish, and crabs for the entire Exuma chain of islands are captured in the local waters.

In fact, we met a young (age 24) ship captain named Tommy whose boat and crew were featured in a new cable show called 'Lobster Pirates'. He was whizzing around town in a new Mustang convertible--sporting a gold chain and telling everyone about his upcoming debut on the show. Lobster are caught here with the use of lobster 'condos'--raised wooden planks that are placed on the ocean floor attracting lobsters with a false sense of security. Tommy said he had 20,000 such condos in the waters around here and yes--pirating is a problem due to weak laws. We watched a boat like Tommy's unload hundreds (thousands?) of lobsters last week--the season is in full swing for 3 more weeks...

The beauty of the islands is an important part of our journey here--but so are the people we meet. We enjoyed dinner with friends at a new local restaurant--outdoor dining overlooking the water.

We also enjoyed hosting 6 fellow boaters for a 'storm party'--featuring Chef Barry's world-famous gumbo!

 Russ and Lori; Bob

Annie and Tom; John; Linda

During our stay, we visited the local history museum--learning that the island was settled by religious pilgrims from England--who shipwrecked as they approached the island, leaving them with nothing to start their new life. As we walked the island we found women selling homemade conch salad and sweets, explored a few local shops, did some provisioning (at a decent price), and enjoyed the snack shacks. There are many rental cottages available, along with golf cart rentals. Busy, happy place! After 5 nights on a mooring ball, we anchored off of Royal Island for our last evening in Spanish Wells.

 Tom and Annie joined us for some snorkeling at Royal Island

 Sunset over Royal Island

Ahhhh....paradise. Until you suffer an unexpected engine failure in the wee hours as you are underway to your next location. That happened to us this morning--as we were heading to the Abaco islands, our last stop on our trip. We were up at 3 a.m. and were through the cut to the ocean by 4:30 a.m. when we both heard a pause in the engine. "Did you hear that?? A Diesel engine can't pause like that because....."(here comes the dialogue during which my eyes glaze over). But--he was right, because a few minutes later the engine DIED. This is NOT GOOD. It is pitch black, we are in the ocean, and for some reason the battery charger is acting like it's possessed. Luckily, we aren't too far out and the wind picked up a bit, so Barry put out the sails and we headed back into Spanish Wells--hoping to make it into a marina there. (We are in a sailboat, but we RELY on the engine to maneuver in tight spaces like marinas. Let's be honest--we motor sail more than anything....)
 My eyes leaked a little, but I tried to not let Barry see. I had already been told to 'keep a stiff upper lip'. (In his defense, I think that may have been said to me after I told him I wanted to go home.) At this point, we are 6 miles out and the wind is light. Barry does not get rattled--instead he decides to 'tow' the sailboat in using our dinghy--did you know you could do that?!? He secured it to the port stern and turned on the outboard and let it run independently. It pushed us for several miles and into the approach to the marina, where I took over the helm and Barry jumped into the dinghy in case we needed to back up or slow down. On the hand-held radio, Barry warned other boats that we were being 'towed' in--trying to keep the entrance to the marina clear. (After all--I was at the helm. WATCH OUT) But we were a TEAM--the lines were ready for the dock hand and I followed Barry's instructions perfectly as we made a soft landing in the marina slip. 

The ghost at the controls

Update: Luckily, our engine problems were not catastrophic (i.e. expensive). Barry worked ALL day to fix the problems which were caused by a broken bolt on the transmission--the head of the bolt caused the engine to lock up. He took everything apart, replaced the bolts, changed a belt, and serviced the generator. He is exhausted!!

Barryism for the week:

"When you're living an adventurous life, sometimes you get more adventure than you counted on" :)