Destination: San Salvador or Eleuthera?

[Godot]

Is there any first hand information about the advantages of Eluethera or San Salvador?  I am mostly looking for input from folks who have either been there or are considering Scooting with us, although if anyone has any info to recommend one over the other it would be useful.

Geographically, I prefer the much smaller San Salvador, as it is kind of off to the side and is not quite as busy.  On the other hand, they have only one port of entry which appears rather exposed from the west to which the chart  warns "Anchoring isn't recommended in westerlies or when swells are present."  But the navigation should be simple, and the approach should be simple.  As long as there are no Westerlies it is perfect.

Eleuthera, on the other hand, looks like a much more complicated entry (I'm thinking tired sailors here); but has several Ports of Entry.

At first glance, the ideal place to enter would be the well protected bay at the north end of Eleuthera which is protected by Harbour Island.  This looks like the most logical place to enter coming from the North, without having to travel many extra miles in with an extra sharp eye to chart and water.  Looking at the detailed map, though, it is obvious there is a LOT of shallow water here and we find the notation "Caution: Local knowledge is required to transit between Spanish Wells and Harbour Island.  Don't attempt the passage without an experienced pilot" and "Anticipate a strong current in Harbour Mouth. Cut can be dangerous in high easterly winds.  Travel in good light and weather."  Another note states "From the north, enter only at Ridley Head or Bridge Point."

A well protected Port of Entry on the wrong side of the island with a very narrow entrance is at Hatchet Bay with the note "Hatchet Bay entrance is difficult to spot until you're right on top of it.  The Batelco tower in town and white silos to the north are landmarks."

Also on the wrong side of the island is Governors Harbour which, happily, has no notes of doom and gloom.  It looks pretty well protected except from the west and north west, and should be a piece of cake to enter.  But it is right about the middle of the island on the south side.  Lots of extra sailing near shallow water to get there.

The last Port of Entry is also (sigh) on the wrong side of the island, further south, at Rock Sound.  Good protection.  I think this would probably be the best place to enter if we use Eleuthera, even though the POE is the furthest from where we are coming from.  It looks to be a good, simple approach, without too many hazards out side of sandbars in the Davis Channel area (if the approach is made from the west side of the island it is definitely harder).  The best bet would probably be to sail down past Eleuthera Island on the east side, cross between Little San Salvador and Eluethera, round Eleuthera Point, then Powell Point, and finally arrive at Rock Sound.

Between these two islands I personally prefer San Salvador.  If there are Westerlies, we can always plan on getting into Riding Rock Inn Resort and Marina (might not be a bad idea regardless ... at least for the first day or two) which is located in a little basin and looks rather protected. (rate: $1/foot/day or $6/foot/week), or if the wind is forecast to change soon, just anchor on the east side of the island for awhile (the island is only 12 miles long... if the wind was contrary I think I would aim for the south-east side of the island, and round the southern points and up to Cockburn Town when the wind moderated).  San Salvador is a little, sparsely populated island.  It is also one of the more South Easterly islands, with nothing directly to the east for thousands of miles.  And, oh yeah, it is where Columbus was supposed to have originally landed.

Alternatively, we could try entering at one of the tiny Ports of Entry Cays around Great Abaco Island or possibly on Grand Bahama Island.  I don't know.  They seem too close to Florida.  Probably lots of boats zipping back and forth daily from the USA, more congestion, more population.  It just doesn't seem quite as adventurous somehow (spoken by someone who's only experience with the Bahamas is a couple of hours looking at the chart kit).

When I get home tonight I'll try and scan in parts of the relevant charts and upload them here so folks who don't have charts would have some idea about what I am talking about.

Any input?



Edited misspelling in thread title - CapnK

[CapnK]

I asked Connie/"Pixie Dust" about this in an email. She sent me an email back, said she is gonna be in the States in a few days or week or something, and when here and under the coverage of her cell phone plan (instead of $2/minute, like in the 'hamas...), she will call and give me her ideas and observations based on the fact that she goes to and sees both places frequently...

Should be good input, as her sailFar small boat experience will likely give her a perspective others might not have...

[Godot]

Coolness.

[Pappy Jack]

The other two islands we could think about is Cat Island and Abaco(if we wanted to shorten the course ). I've never been to Cat and its been twenty years since I've been to Abaco and I would assume that it has become very touristy. Oh well, just more grist to grind.

Fair winds,

Pappy Jack

[CapnK]

I'll check those out, Pappyjack.

We have plenty of time for grist grinding! lol

[CapnK]

Spoke with Connie at some length today. She will be getting us some more info based on our discussion. The gist of it was:

San Salvador - does not seem a good place to go, because of 1) the time of year, and 2) and lack of protection in anchorages. C said she saw 3-4' chop/waves in *protected* anchorages in the Berry Is. at about that time of the year, when cold fronts were still coming down from the north with strength. Doesn't sound like that would be good spot for us to go to.

Eleuthera - North end of Eleuthera, Harbour Island, is where all the rich go, and so it is both crowded and expensive. Yay! (NOT!!!)

Dunno 'bout y'all, but that does not sound ideal to me. C has a contact there that she will get in touch with for more info, just in case...

While poking around Google Earth and asking questions of C, I found Rock Sound, on the south end, and Cape Eleuthera Yacht Club (clicky), there also. This is a Port of Entry, and getting in to either the CEYC or to Rock Sound looks darned easy. It is the extreme southern end of Eleuthera, see pic below.

And as 2 other possible alternatives that came up during our talk. there are 1) Georgetown, in the Abacos (I think that it's likely to be similar to Harbour Island, mentioned above, but am not sure...), or perhaps Chubb Cay, in the Berry Islands (WNW of the N end of Eleuthera). Both are PoE's, and are fairly easy to get to for a tired sailor, it looks like...

[Tim]

That area of Eleuthera is very pleasant I was there about a year and a half ago. Friendly people even in the midst of an election! Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay above it are very shallow though. I was not in a boat so I can't say much more but here is a chart of the area.





And it certainly is a beautiful place

[CapnK]

Thanks for the reminder, Tim -

If you look at the Rock Sound images on Google Earth close enough, you can see a fair-sized steamer headed due north up the sound. It's drawing a nice line of sand in the water, kicking up some bottom (which was why I saw it, and started looking closer), but it must draw *at least* what any of our boats draw...

Auspicious possibly exempted.

Looking at it the bottom *appears* fairly uniform and sandy all over, so I think it might be an easy place to get in to, and to anchor in...

And if you look just around the corner towards the Sound from the CEYC, there is a development not-yet developed which has some nice deep dredged places several sailFar boats could tuck into as well. No telling how old the imagery is though, and whether or not the development continued since then... Shouldn't be hard to find out, though.

[CapnK]

Screengrab of the above, thanks Google Earth.

[CapnK]

Some links:

The name "Eleuthera" is derived from the feminine form of the Greek word ελεύθερος (eleutheros), "free". - Source: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleuthera

http://www.eleuthera-map.com

http://www.discover-eleuthera-bahamas.com/index.html

http://www.capeeleuthera.com/marina.php

http://www.myoutislands.com/bahamas-resorts/eleuthera-map.cfm

[Godot]

Excerpting from the "2007 Yachtsman's Guide to the Bahamas Turks and Caicos & The Dominican Republic"...

There are no safe natural harbors on San Salvador, but in the prevailing trades the anchorage in the Bight off Cockburn Town is quite comfortable.
...
If caught at Cockburn Town by a norther, you should move at once to a good anchorage in French Bay at the south end of the island, where good shelter from winds from northwest to east will be found.  This is a reef anchorage full of coral heads, and extreme caution should be taken on proceeding to a safe area.

Rock Sound is one of the best places to stock up in this part of The Bahamas, with provisioning and hardware facilities as well as mechanical repair and welding services.  The most convenient place to anchor is in 5 feet of water off the beach in back of Edwina Burrow's restaurant and cottages, a little north of the government dock.

And quoting myself...
 

The last Port of Entry is also (sigh) on the wrong side of the island, further south, at Rock Sound.  Good protection.  I think this would probably be the best place to enter if we use Eleuthera, even though the POE is the furthest from where we are coming from.  It looks to be a good, simple approach, without too many hazards out side of sandbars in the Davis Channel area (if the approach is made from the west side of the island it is definitely harder).  The best bet would probably be to sail down past Eleuthera Island on the east side, cross between Little San Salvador and Eluethera, round Eleuthera Point, then Powell Point, and finally arrive at Rock Sound.

Something about San Salvador sings to me.  I don't know why; but whenever I look at the chart that is where my eyes gravitate to.  Maybe I have an affinity for i it because it is out separate from the rest of the islands. However, it can not be denied that it is an open harbor with very little protection from northers.  So perhaps it can't be counted on, and perhaps it wouldn't be that comfortable at anchor.  The Riding Rock Marina and Inn only has 11 slips, apparently.  So, with that said, maybe I'll make San Salvador my last stop in The Bahamas and depart back home from there.  With luck, that will satisfy the siren call.

I'm not (usually) overly stubborn, and I can listen (on occasion) to reason.  Let's set Rock Sound, Eleuthera, The Bahamas, as our destination.  It's protected, easy to enter, and a point of entry.  Barring learning that they are using Rock Sound to  test nuclear weapons or having Jet Ski races or something, I doubt any other place would suit us much better.

[CapnK]

Hmm, reading that description of San Salvador, with the possibility of half-dozen (and maybe more?) Scootin' boats all there at once, seems to make it possibly even less desirable.

A "Scooter race" might wind up happening to see who gets to the best protected area first, if the wind piped up from the wrong direction... I'm guessing that that guide refers to the area shown in the attached pic...

I'm with you that I'd bet SS is a great place to visit, to get "off the beaten track"...

I'll give the Cape Eleuthera Marina a call this week, and see if they are at all interested in our potential business. And I'll have Connie see if she can get us some scoop from her friends and co-workers about the Rock Sound area, too.

[CapnK]

Edited the Scoot Details page to reflect what we are thinking now...

Edit: More, and more specific, linkage -

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/madcap/?xjMsgID=53981

http://journals.aol.com/cindysisland/log/entries/2008/03/31/southern-eleuthera/2878

http://www.winanstech.com/juliab/logDest.php4?id=Eleuthera

http://www.winanstech.com/juliab/extendedLog.php4#RockSound

http://www.winanstech.com/juliab/extendedLog.php4#caves

http://news.bahamianyellowpages.com/2008/02/06/cape-eleuthera-resort-and-yacht-club/

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/svkellyrae/?xjMsgID=53921

http://svintuition.blogspot.com/2007/04/rock-sound.html

http://svintuition.blogspot.com/2007/04/more-rock-sound.html

[David_Old_Jersey]

Why not add these to a "useful links" page on the Scoot website?

[CapnK]

Good idea, I'll do that soon.

[Captain Smollett]

That area of Eleuthera is very pleasant I was there about a year and a half ago. Friendly people even in the midst of an election! Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay above it are very shallow though. I was not in a boat so I can't say much more but here is a chart of the area.

Just to avoid confusion, the soundings on that chart are in fathoms, not feet. 

I saw those 1-1/2's and thought "no way."  But 9 feet is a bit better.   

[s/v Faith]

Why not add these to a "useful links" page on the Scoot website?

  Rose and I posted from Rock Sound on 12 December.

[CapnK]

Rose and I posted from Rock Sound on 12 December.

I remember reading that post, now. It's funny, because without your post blog specifically in mind, when I was reading through the blog links I posted yesterday, I distinctly remember thinking:

"They must have these 'Blue Hole' things *all over* the Bahama's!"

...because I knew I'd read about them before, lol.

So Craig - what do you think, having been there: would Rock Sound/that area be an easy place for someone who's never set eyes on the Bahama's, shallow reefs and sand bars, etc... to make it into when possibly tired, and not in the best of weather conditions?

Glad you guys mentioned Dingle's in your blog - I was wondering if they were still there. It sounds like they are maybe among some of the folks we should contact ahead of time.

[s/v Faith]

Sorry man, I was gonna post some more impressions last night... musta got side tracked.

  I was thinking about Rock sound, it was a rather large 'harour' as they go..... so much so that there is not much protection to be had.  I am thinking that after what some may do as a passage, that may be a real liability.  The best protection on Eleuthera, hands down, was Hatchet Bay, and the support in Alice Town is excellent.  The entrance can be a real chore to get in, and riding swells into it can be downright dangerous.

    We anchored just south of the settlement in Rock harbor, and we ended up moving to the south end of the sound when a cold front came rolling in.  We had to move again as the wind clocked. 

  Other then Dingle Motors, there were not much support services for cruisers.  In the cruising guides Dingle motors sounds like one stop shopping.  It is really a gas station, with a couple shelves of stuff.  They do sell water, and have a dingy dock which is very helpful.  There were grocery stores and an awesome bakery but the town was not built around the waterfront. (unlike many towns in the Bahamas, especially the out islands)  There were lots of buildings near the water, but not as many facing the water.... It is hard to express the difference that this makes.

  Governors Harbour was where we saw the sunfish sailing that later turned out to be a very nice place to stop.  The protection was not as good as Hatchet Bay, but the people were friendly.  There was good access to services.... one of the best things about Governors Harbour is the Governors Harbour Sailing Club  They are a great group of folks, who focus mainly on the local kids... Bahamain children learn about boating from an early age, but opportunities for their future is directly tied to their education.  The folks I met with the club tied learning into sailing and the kids loved it.  It might be just the group to connect to, and might broaden the 'goal' of the Scoot to something bigger then it already is.

Just a thought.

 

[CapnK]

Grog for the discussion grist.