The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95 verse 5 As we made the exit from Current Cut, we were headed toward the Glass Window and took some great shots as we got our first view of the bridge as we headed on down to Hatchet Bay. The Glass Window Bridge is one of Eleuthera's more popular attractions. Many times referred to as the “narrowest place on Earth”, the bridge is located just North of Gregory Town on the Northern end of Eleuthera Island. The man-made bridge took the place of a naturally formed bridge of rock that was destroyed in a hurricane. From the bridge, you can see a phenomenal contrast between the dark blue Atlantic Ocean churning away and the calm turquoise waters of Caribbean Sea. The colors are truly amazing. The ride down to Hatchett Bay allowed us to get our first glimpse of the cliffs that make Eleuthera special. Eleuthera Island was founded in 1648 and is the birth place of the Bahamas. a group of Puritans, known as the Eleutheran Adventurers, sailed from Bermuda in search of religious freedom. Along the way, they found this beautiful gem of an island and named it Eleuthera. From the Greek word “eleuthero” which means “free” or “freedom.” You can still get a feel what the founders felt when you visit the island. Eleuthera has that unspoiled feel about it. As got close to the cut at Hatchett Bay we grew concerned because we just couldn’t see it. This 90 foot artificial opening to Hatchet Bay did not exist before 1940’s so Hatchett Bay was just Aland bound lake next to Alice Township. With the creation of the cut, Hatchet Bay then became known as the "country's safest harbour" since it was completely enclosed and provides full protection from winds and storms. It became, therefore, an inviting stop for cruising vessels like us. We made the cut at hatchet Bay around 1:30 and found an anchorage in the back northwest corner all alone. Sometimes a shallow draft makes for the best little anchorage spots. We took Shelby for a spin around the bay and out along the cliff to explore some of the caves along the waters edge. And after the sunset each night we would cut on JOurney’s underwater lights and watch the sea turtles swim around the boat. The weather will keep us here a few days so it is nice to be stopped for awhile. We headed into town to meet Emmett Farrington who we had heard so much about from other cruisers and get some music out of him especially his famous Eleuthera Song. Check out our youtube video above to hear the entire song.
We explored Alice Town and the Hatchett Bay Area and enjoyed this slow and easy going settlement. Alice Town is a simple, authentic Bahamian settlement. No frills. No glamour. Located within walking distance of the dock at Hatchet Bay, this small township is a nice place to unwind a bit, take care of a few domestic chores, and experience a little Bahamian life-style. The fronts always seem to pass us by overnight but not the winds. A spotlight woke me about 1:15 and two of our neighbors were missing. Thankful for our Rockna anchor! The next day was Super Bowl Sunday so we headed in to see what Super Bowl fun might be going on in Alice Town. We walked around stopped at a little bar for a beer. The guy was super nice and even cut off his music so we could hear the tribute - Johnny Cash’s The Old Rugged Flag. Then back to Emmett’s for another beer, some more Emmett entertainment and see the beginning of the game. Sadly, the Bahamas do not carry the commercials from the states. Funny how big that is in the states but here just ESPN commercials. So we headed back to the boat to watch the commercials and the Chiefs win. We woke to a beautiful calm morning and boats started leaving the anchorage early. We went from 18 to 6 boats by the time we left and we watch two leave after we had pulled out heading south. We will miss Emmett but it was time to explore Alabaster Bay.
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