Cat Island & Eleuthera

Well folks, White Seal has finally pulled anchor and sailed out of Georgetown, Exuma. It was sort of sad leaving, but to be completely honest, I was ready for a change of scenery. Since departing Georgetown we have visited three towns on Cat Island, the island of Little San Salvador, and Rock Sound, Eluethera. I’ve had the privilege of sharing these adventures with my friends Rachel and Jake which has made everything 32948x more fun.

            Cat Island was another island that is almost surreal in it’s beauty and peaceful atmosphere. Our first stop there was at the town of New Bight. From the beach it is a pleasant walk up the highest mountain in the Bahamas, a whopping 206 feet above sea level. Atop this hill there is a little churchlike castle known as The Hermitage that was built about a half century ago by Father Jerome, a well-known architect and priest. From The Hermitage one can obtain a 360-degree view that can best be described as indescribable. I know of no adjectives that could effectively convey how astonishingly pretty it is up there. We hiked up there one sunset with Sisu with the intention of viewing the green flash, but alas the clouds foiled that hope. But seriously, it was prettiest man-made spot in the Bahamas.

            From there we went on to Orange Creek, a pleasant little town on the northern end of Cat Island for a few days. Orange Creek is a sleepy little town that consists of little more than a handful of houses and a general store. One day we embarked on a long walk that ended up taking us to a blue hole and a cave, both of which were pretty awesome. I also picked up a bunch of sand dollars from the bottom while snorkeling. I meticulously packaged them in hopes that they make it to Vermont intact, but the likelihood of this happening is rather slim.

            We also spent one day exploring the town of Arthurs Town on Cat Island. It was a very sweet, quiet place. We struck up a conversation with an old woman who owned a bar there for quite some time. She was full of strong opinions and seemed to enjoy offloading her thoughts onto my dad.

            After Cat Island we went to Little San Salvador. Fifteen years ago this island would have been paradise; peaceful, uninhabited and unscathed by humanity with a magnificent sandy beach to boot. A few years back however, the Holland-America Cruise line purchased the island and proceeded to wreak havoc upon the shores. It has now been transformed into a tacky American outpost of sorts, with three thousand plastic beach chairs, restaurants, water slides, and a gargantuan pirate ship/ bar plopped right in the middle. A guest can even ride ponies on the beach if they so desire, but of course only while wearing a helmet, life jacket, and under the strict supervision of a professional. The morning after we arrived we were joined in the anchorage by a 1000-foot cruise ship that had come to deposit their passengers onto the beach for a day of genuine Bahamian relaxation on their private cay. We pulled up anchor and got the heck out.

            We arrived at Rock Sound, Eleuthera mid-afternoon after motoring all day in heat that nearly boiled me alive. We went ashore and were greeted by two high school students who introduced us to their delightful town and told us all we needed to know. Rachel, Jake, and I hung out with a couple of local kids and walked around town and browsed the local CD/ DVD store. My parents and I walked over to an inland blue hole which was really, really awesome. I wanted to swim in it but I didn’t have my bathing suit. While returning to the boat my parents got slightly sidetracked and we ended up in a bar. The three of us played dominoes and got absolutely obliterated at it by the Bahamians. The fellows there were a lot of fun and talking with them while I munched away on my chicken and fries was very entertaining. I’ve resolved to master dominoes.

            Thursday morning we woke up and headed into town with the intention of going to the Island School. I stuck out my thumb and we managed to hitchhike very successfully about 25 miles to Powell Point where the well-renowned high school is. (Note to Aunt Annie or anyone else who is horrified by the idea of me hitchhiking: Hitchhiking in the Bahamas is considered far safer than doing so in America. It’s a common mode of transportation here, but you may rest assured it’s not something I’ll ever do in the States.)

We got a tour of the campus and learned about what they’re studying there. It was an extremely cool school. They have an extensive ‘wet lab’ with huge fiber glass tanks full of fish, as well as hydroponics gardens, a small farm, a windmill, and the largest solar panel system in the country. They compost everything, recycle everything, and produce enough energy on site that they sell some of it back into the grid. In addition, the location is on a pristine section of beautiful Eleuthera. Perhaps if the tuition wasn’t so obscenely expensive I would apply to go there for a semester.

            For the past couple of days I’ve been exploring the extensive cave system located just outside of Rock Sound. In the afternoons all the kids generally migrate towards the ocean hole to impress one another with daredevil dives and other highly treacherous antics. I went to church Sunday morning, (a rare occurrence) and found it to be a very interesting experience.

           I went to the public high school at Rock Sound on Monday. It was a very interesting experience, I hadn't been in an actual school in months. Religion is a central aspect in their educational system, which was quite different from what I was used to. I attended biology, math, commerce, business, and PE classes while there. I did have to wear jeans and I ended up sweating more than I thought humanly possible.

          Tuesday we headed up to Governor's Harbor. We reunited with friends on the boat Curiosity and went out to the movies with them. The only thing playing was The Roommate, a movie that we all agreed was imminently forgettable. The village here is very sweet, but due to the weather we have to leave today for a more protected anchorage. We're going to be pulling anchor soon and heading north to Hatchet Bay where we will wait out a norther. Hopefully I'll be able to get internet access there and upload some pictures, my mom has been a little camera crazy and we have a bunch of awesome shots from the past weeks. Hope all is well with all you readers!