5/11/15 – We rented a car this morning and set out for the North end of the island. The car was decent enough and the A/C worked, The service engine light was on as was the ABS light. The fuel gauge showed full. The rental process was most informal. Absolutely no paperwork. They just handed us the keys and off we went. It is quite an experience driving on the left side of the road. You get quick training due to the narrow and windy plus hilly roads. Potholes are frequent and some are quite deep. You spend some time trying to dodge these. Speed limit is 45 mph and 15 MPH in town. Most towns have some very tall and hard to spot speed bumps which if you hit fast will make you think the front end is damaged. Drivers here are more sane and drive slower. The island is mostly undeveloped with small settlements at about 10-15 mile intervals. There are old silos which are remnants of a failed cattle industry. Cattle and Pineapple farming still exist but on a much smaller scale than earlier days. The most impressive site was the Glass Window. This is where the island is split with a narrow opening to the Atlantic ocean. It once was a natural bridge but was eroded away by waves and then they constructed a bridge. Huge waves from the Atlantic moved the bridge 7 feet sideways and they repaired it where it was. You can see the erosion on the bridge and the repairs are obvious. The waves smash into the rocks with much force. The bridge is rather short about 100 feet high and is only one narrow lane wide. The next best site was the Ocean Hole in Rock Harbour. It is a like a big hole surrounded by limestone in the middle of town. It is full of seawater and is somehow connected to the ocean. Lots of fish of many species come to the viewing area and are apparently accustomed to being fed. The water level also changes with the tides. There are claims the depth is bottomless.
By the time we were about 60 miles North, the fuel gauge suddenly went from full to empty with the low fuel light coming on. I stopped the engine and restarted and the problem seemed to go away. A few more miles we stopped at a gas station to ask directions and when I restarted the car the fuel gauge did the same thing but more erratic. I pulled to the pump and filled it up. They had only given us enough fuel to get this far and the fuel gauge did not work. Luckily we did not get stranded in a remote part as fuel stations are only found in the towns. We drove about 10 miles further North then headed back South As we passed back through Governors Harbour, I filled back up and only used 2.5 gallons. I guess the tank had less than 5 gallons when we got the car. Needless to say, I did not fill it back up before I returned it. They did reduce the price $10.00 for a total of $70.00 plus the fuel cost of $65.10.
The towns are generally unchanged to tourism and you do not see the commercialization as you do in the Keys. Here in Governors Harbour there are only a couple of small local boats but not fishing boats. The local dive shop does not have a boat. Very few of the towns, although located on the water, are fishing towns. Fishing industry is further to the North with a few on the south end of the island. Of all the towns in Eleuthera, Governors Harbour is the best. We started to anchor in Hatchet Bay but after seeing it by car, we are glad we didn’t. It is extremely hard to make choices by the cruising guides because they make all places somehow sound good.

5/12/15 – We left Governors Harbor and arrived in Rock Sound Harbor about 2:45 PM. The car allowed us to recon the area before coming so we know where the essentials are. The harbor is relatively shallow with depths ot 7 to 10 feet in most areas at low tide. Tide here is about 2.5 feet. There are what they call Blue Holes scattered around the harbor which have depths of 16 meters or more. These need to avoided when anchoring. We found a spot near the restaurant dinghy dock in about 8 feet of water. The grocery store is well stocked and reasonable by Bahamian standards. It is about a mile walk. There is even a NAPA Auto parts store in the shopping center. Depending on tomorrows weather, we may not even go ashore and head for the Exumas in the morning. We need fair seas to cross the Exuma Sound and if it is like today it will be very rough crossing in which case we wait for fairer weather.

5/13/15 – A strong storm came through last night with heavy rain for several hours. It broke our favorite wind scoop but it will be an easy repair. When it rains we have to close the hatch and turn on the fan. Much better and cooler with the wind scoop directing the air to you. This morning the winds are light around 7 knots. Prediction was 15-20 knots. I think we missed an opportunity to cross the Exuma Sound. We need to go ashore anyway for a propane refill since there are few opportunities after we hit the Exumas. Will head out early in the morning.