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| View from our Spanish Wells mooring ball |
On Sunday we planned to sleep in and then go for a walk with Don and Gail around the ruins at Royal Island. Each couple was packing a nice picnic lunch which of course would include a cold beer or two. Just as Don had started his dinghy to come pick us up we received a phone call from Spanish Wells Moorings telling us two mooring balls had opened up. They won't hold balls for customers, so if we wanted them we had to be there asap. Don turned off the dinghy and raised it back up on his davits. We also lifted our dinghy and started the Yanmar to warm it up.
We motored dead into the wind for the five mile trip to the channel into Spanish Wells. It is a skinny little channel at low tide especially when there is a huge commercial ship docked right at the tightest corner. We slid by the big ship with just a few feet to spare and rounded the corner to the mooring field. We have picked up quite a few mooring balls in the past, but nothing like what we saw here. There wasn't any water behind the line of boats and the wind blowing toward the shore. Brenda did an amazing job of one-handed driving to round up Wrinkles right over the mooring ball. Mike snatched the line and used a caribeener to snap onto the pendant. Sweet! That went really well.
Island Tyme came around the same tight corner where they said they could have reached out and touched the big ship. Once they saw the tight little mooring ball spot Don said, "That isn't even a possibility in this boat." They circled a couple of times to plan their attempt (this was their first ever mooring ball) and then went for it. Bless their hearts they snagged the pendant and snapped on a line. Whooo Hooooo!
We tidied up our lines and sat back to relax. We were so proud and happy for them. Don immediately had two beers and a nap to calm his nerves. Now we can sit back and enjoy a few days of exploring Spanish Wells and Eleuthera.
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| The wide commercial channel area |
About 5 p.m. the four of us dinghied over to shore for a celebration supper at the Shipyard. A bit pricey, but we deserved a reward. During supper we apologized to Don and Gail for changing the plans for our picnic on such short notice. Don said, "I know, we missed a four beer picnic." After a nice supper we wandered the working waterfront enjoying the well cared for community. The people of Spanish Wells obviously take pride in their island and keep it neat as can be. We found a local bar/restaurant called Budda's which features a bus converted into a restaurant kitchen and a bar with that wonderful island feel. We felt immediately at home there.
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| The Shipyard Restaurant |
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| Budda's kitchen bus |
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| Budda's |
What a fantastic introduction to Spanish Wells. We truly look forward to exploring the rest of Spanish Wells, Russell Island and Eleuthera.
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