White Pepper arrived at Rock Sound in southern Eleuthra intending to ride out some north winds that never materialized. Instead we ended up staying 10 days. The reason we stayed was that we were befriended by a wonderful Bahamian family--Paula, her brother Randy and daughter Tova. They were from Freeport but were here for the annual homecoming festival which is always at Easter in Rock Sound. Annual homecoming festivals are increasingly popular in the Bahamas. As more and more Bahamians move to Nassau or immigrate overseas the festivals will hopefully reinforce loyalty to the out islands. The official name for the out islands is the Family Islands. We decided to stay for the festival and then celebrate Easter at a local church. The actual festival is a small roadside affair which food booths, loud music, and overpriced drinks. But, of course, the magic is in walking around visiting with old school chums and distant relatives. Below is a pic of the festival and our gracious hosts Paula and Tova.
Cruising guides consistently dismiss Rock Sound as pleasant but boring. The harbor is said to be too shallow. Indeed there is no marina, but the anchorage has all around protection in about 7 feet of water over sand. The holding is very good. Ashore there are well stocked stores including numerous hardware stores. Rock Sound seems to be something of a building supply center. The town has excellent internet access with plenty of bandwidth.
Jan and I walked about a mile and half across Eleuthra to the ocean side beach. The locals call this Northside or "Nortside." The beach is the usual dazzling display of white sand and fringing coral reef with the deep Atlantic beyond. On the way to the beach is Ocean Hole Park. This is large blue hole that has been converted into a swimming hole and city park. It is connected to the ocean about a mile away but no one has ever found the opening. There is an extensive cave system close to town. Here is a picture of Randy at the site of his boyhood playground.
We celebrated Easter at Rock Sound Methodist Church. The little church was beautifully decorated with palms and orchids. There was a small but good praise band. The service was very familiar to Jan and I, unlike our experiences at high church with the Bahamian Anglicans. One difference from America was the hymns. They use the old hymn book but use it often. Everyone is expected to sing and loudly. It was great. There was much fellowship afterwards.
Easter Monday is a holiday in the Bahamas. We would have left except there was a trough from the east passing by. Squalls and unsettled weather were predicted. The weather is definitely changing from a winter pattern of cold fronts to a summer pattern of tropical waves. Pretty soon one of the these waves is going to start rotating that that will be called a tropical storm or hurricane. It it time to get back to Florida.
Cruising guides consistently dismiss Rock Sound as pleasant but boring. The harbor is said to be too shallow. Indeed there is no marina, but the anchorage has all around protection in about 7 feet of water over sand. The holding is very good. Ashore there are well stocked stores including numerous hardware stores. Rock Sound seems to be something of a building supply center. The town has excellent internet access with plenty of bandwidth.
Jan and I walked about a mile and half across Eleuthra to the ocean side beach. The locals call this Northside or "Nortside." The beach is the usual dazzling display of white sand and fringing coral reef with the deep Atlantic beyond. On the way to the beach is Ocean Hole Park. This is large blue hole that has been converted into a swimming hole and city park. It is connected to the ocean about a mile away but no one has ever found the opening. There is an extensive cave system close to town. Here is a picture of Randy at the site of his boyhood playground.
We celebrated Easter at Rock Sound Methodist Church. The little church was beautifully decorated with palms and orchids. There was a small but good praise band. The service was very familiar to Jan and I, unlike our experiences at high church with the Bahamian Anglicans. One difference from America was the hymns. They use the old hymn book but use it often. Everyone is expected to sing and loudly. It was great. There was much fellowship afterwards.
Easter Monday is a holiday in the Bahamas. We would have left except there was a trough from the east passing by. Squalls and unsettled weather were predicted. The weather is definitely changing from a winter pattern of cold fronts to a summer pattern of tropical waves. Pretty soon one of the these waves is going to start rotating that that will be called a tropical storm or hurricane. It it time to get back to Florida.
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