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An Escapade of Misadventures in Eleuthera

Nikki Wynn

Nikki Wynn

— 4 min read
An Escapade of Misadventures in Eleuthera

Some days it seems adventure and misadventure are so tangled together, they’re one in the same.  Or at least that one leads to the other.  We never know which one we’ll encounter but I find it’s the misadventures that usually make the day most exciting and memorable.

We’ve been gifted a car for the day and we still have much of the island that needs to be explored.  Eleuthera is a skinny, 110 mile long island in the Bahamas.  Much of it is rolling beaches and coral reefs but there’s a few draws inland we’re told are not to be missed.

We already ticked off Harbour Island along with the Glass Window Bridge and Queens Bath from our must-see in Eleuthera list.  Now we’re focused on all things south of the famous Dunmore Town.

What a trip!  I love the irony of switching from an RV to a sailboat and yet we still manage to get a flat tire within the first year.  Another big thanks to Dave for the car and the local insights.  We’re super sad we couldn’t deliver on the drone footage request. ;(  On the upside, we now have the perfect excuse to buy that new waterproof drone we’ve been dreaming of!

Hatchet Bay Cave

We’re learning that the Bahamas is littered with caves both underwater and above.  I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, the islands are nothing more than a series of rocks (mostly limestone) surrounded by water.  A naturally perfect setting for cave creation!

As of now, Hatchet Bay Cave is the most extensive cave on Eleuthera.  It’s said to be at least three levels and extend 1100 feet underground. Now, I am no cave expert by any stretch but we have visited enough to know formations are fragile and growing/living things.  Touching them with bare skin is a no no but the abundance of spray paint points out just how oblivious and careless some people are.  Sad, but it’s the reality of what happens when natural treasures aren’t protected.

exploring caves bahamas
hatchet bay caves eleuthera

If you plan to go see them for yourself, I suggest bringing a flashlight, a headlamp and for good measure a pair of gloves.  Plan on spending a couple hours here, especially if you want to capture some neat photos.  Here are the GPS Coordinates:  N 25° 21′ 59.9”, W 76° 31′ 12.8”

Eleuthera Island Farm

Eleuthera was once a bustling agricultural scene and producing pineapples like nobody’s business.  I am not sure what exactly caused that business to bust (rumors point to the USA and Hawaii) but it seems a shame.  There is something about these islands that produce green leafy things that would satisfy the dinosaurs.  Thick, hearty and bold is how I would describe everything from the arugula to the kale.  Farm stands have been hard to come by but, when we find them, they are incredible!  Eleuthera Island Farm does show up on google maps and is right off the queens highway.

sailing and exploring eleuthera bahamas
island farm eleuthera

Lighthouse Beach

A lovely remote beach that despite the name, has no lighthouse.  I would suggest visiting during the day as sunset produced the most ravaged and intense no-see-ums we’ve experienced in the Bahamas.  If you make it there and capture some drone footage, feel free to show us what we missed out on.

sailing and exploring eleuthera bahamas

Rental Cars In The Bahamas

The islands are small and don’t house big corporate operations like Enterprise or Hertz.  These are individual entrepreneurs and from our experience, prices are high ($50-$100 a day) and the cars could be in any type of condition (beat up, bald tires, bent rims, brand new, who knows).  But, with roads like these, I can only imagine how hard and expensive it is to keep a car in decent condition.  That said, it’s amazing how much you can see, do and experience in a day with a car…road side assistance and all.

Sailing Report

To see our full map with interactive pins, click here: gonewiththewynns.com/map

sailing and exploring eleuthera bahamas

Dates: February 3-6, 2017
Anchorages: We dropped the hook near CocoDiMama and Alabaster Bluff.
Cell & WiFi: Our BTC signal was decent but better with our booster on.  We were also able to pick up nearby WiFi using our WifiRanger.

Gear Used In This Video

Cameras Used to Capture Photos/Video

Thanks for joining us on this adventure of misadventures in Eleuthera!  If you enjoy what we do and want to help us keep the videos and posts flowing, check out our Say Thanks page. It lists out some ways you can show us some digital love and most won’t cost you a penny.

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