Oh, yes! Resort life is the life for me!
…unfortunately, the cost is beyond our means! Still, I enjoyed our three days at Highbourne Cay probably more than any place down here in the Exumas. I know that doesn’t say much for my hardiness as a sailor and cruiser!
There are lots of beautiful places in the Exumas. I just did all the hard bits first, so a bit of luxury at a resort really impressed me.
There were numerous beaches to visit, and all but one had thatched umbrellas with Adirondack chairs underneath. Two of the beaches were raked everyday… I kid you not... so that there would be no unsightly high tide line of seaweed and other debris. I wonder how many men it takes to rake a mile of beach, and what time of day do they do this? We never saw them! I spent a good deal of time each day sitting on the beach under the umbrellas reading…. then walking along the beaches for a bit of shelling.
There were wheeled carts and little shopping baskets for getting one’s provisions onboard easily. You can just leave these on the dock and they would mysteriously return to the market. The fresh vegetables looked quite tempting, and I got a cucumber as well as a head of cauliflower! No avocado though…sigh. The restaurant was on a higher elevation with a balcony overlooking the beach and endless miles of the Great Bahamas Bank….beautiful waters that shade from pale aqua through turquoise and on to deep indigo. Every table in the open air restaurant and bar had a wonderful view, but I liked being on the balcony most!
We passed through the storm with no fear and no discomfort either. We heard that one of the nearby inlets measured winds at 200 mph! We saw lots of wind, but hardly felt much in our protected little harbor. The palm trees were bending dramatically, and there was a non-stop lightning show for hours, including a number of sideways strikes. Just before sunset we saw a water spout north of Highbourne Cay. I was very happy to be tucked inside such a small and well protected harbor. The weather router we use had warned that this storm would come from almost all directions, making it almost impossible for boats to find a safe haven.
The day after the storm was stunningly clear and perfect.
During our post-storm visit to the restaurant I mentioned to our waiter that I would not want to experience a hurricane in the Bahamas after seeing the force of that storm! Yet he said that he’d much rather go through a hurricane in the Bahamas than in the US. After listening to him, I realized he is right. The islands are pretty well protected by all the reefs…certainly better than the coastal towns and cities of the US. And these islands are mostly limestone with a bit of sand right at the edges. We lose entire cities in the US, but here even the little houses built of ‘found objects’ manage to only lose a few roof tiles or windows.
Typical of many Bahamians who are devoutly Christian, this man told us it was because God loves them so much, and loves the islands of the Bahamas so much, God would never let them be destroyed. I know that sounds arrogant, but that’s not the tone I hear when people talk freely about how much God loves them. I have never been anyplace where religious belief is so fervent and so openly displayed. It’s really quite endearing! In spite of their economic problems, political problems, and a lack of so many things (things I struggle to live without while down here), Bahamians seem to feel very blessed. How refreshing to be among such people who are happy in the face of hardship, thankful for their simple lives with so few amenities….people who count their blessings.
We have now left the Exumas and have traveled for two long days to get to the Abacos. It was over 40 miles to Royal Island at the top of Eleuthera, through a maze of coral heads that Bob navigated with no help from me…
The black spot in the central background is a coral head where the depth would definitely be too shallow for Pandora. The shadow in the lower right corner is Pandora’s shadow on the water.
…and then another 50+ miles yesterday to Little Harbor and Lynyard Cay in the Abacos. That 50-mile ocean crossing was particularly uncomfortable, and I spent eight long hours being more seasick than previously on this trip. Remembering how pampered I felt at Highbourne… now we are here!
