Island Passage: Spanish Wells, St George's Cay, Eleuthera

June 27 - 29, 2010

We pulled away from the tidy docks at Highborne Cay about 11:00 a.m. and, after circling around some coral reefs just off the cay, turned the bow northeast towards Eleuthera.

Our route will take us over fairly shallow banks with numerous coral heads for the first 20 miles or so, a section called the "Middle Ground". Some of the coral heads are just below the surface, so good light is essential.

I have included a screen shot of my chart to show the general location. New Providence Island (Nassau) is at the upper left, Highborne Cay at the lower middle, and Eleuthera at the upper right. Our destination is actually Spanish Wells, a town on St George's Cay just off the northern tip of Eleuthera.

We pass over the Middle Ground, through Fleming Channel and up past Current Island to St George's Cay. It was a beautiful trip with light winds and gentle waves.

The legend is that Spanish Wells was named due to the Spanish ships that stopped to take advantage of the sweet water available there. In reality, I can't believe any Spanish captain would risk career and ship to try to get through the intricate channels through the reefs to get in here. Thank goodness for GPS and good charts.

We rent a golf cart, which seems to be the main mode of transportation here, and check out the town. The island is only 1.5 miles long and .25 miles wide, so it doesn't take long. In fact we go around the island one way and then turn around and go around the other way just in case we missed anything.

The island is first and foremost a fishing village and accounts for about 50% of the seafood produced by the Bahamas. There is a large fleet of first rate fishing and lobstering vessels.

As well as processing facilities. We were told that most of the lobsters are purchased by Red Lobster in the US. From August through March, the fishermen stay out for 3-4 weeks at a time.

Of course we must try the local delicacy, so we visit the seafood store...