After a couple of peaceful days anchoring in the Berry Islands, we're off to Eleuthera.
Like most anticipating this tricky crossing, we stop at Spanish Wells to pick up a guide to assist us in navigating the Devil's Backbone coral heads between the Berry and Eleuthera islands. The guide ties his much smaller boat onto your stern, takes over as captain and he speeds away maneuvering the unmarked coral. One false turn and you better be ready to swim. There's no Tow Boat US or coastguard here. We've relied on Bandit to guide us since our first crossing in 2006 - AND......
to supply us with Stone Crab claws - deliciously sweet, larger than you'll ever see and as fresh as they come. When we're really lucky, "Mrs Bandit" sends along coconut bread.
Spanish Wells itself is worth a stop. It's first settlers were of Scottish descent, unexpectedly landing here when shipwrecked crossing the Devil's Backbone on their way from the Bahamas to Eleuthera in 1647. (They should have called Bandit!) They were followed in the mid-1700s by British Loyalists escaping America. (Yup - you read that right.)
Today Spanish Wells is the primary settlement on St George's Cay with a population just under 2,000. They remain primarily of British descent, Caucasian with a very specific accent and dialect, all of which makes the island and its inhabitants unique within the Bahamas. The majority of its youth leave the island for a college education with over 95% returning to live here. Commercial fishing, lobster and stone crabs are their primary industries. The settlement was dry until about 5 years ago, when they opened up to tourism. So we suggest you skip the Stone Crabs on South Beach and put Spanish Wells on your list. You can always fly to Eleuthera and ask Bandit to bring you across - who knows, maybe he'll offer you Stone Crabs and coconut bread!
No comments:
Post a Comment