Rock Sound

We took advantage of less horrible winds to move south to wait out more horrible winds.  It's not that bad but 30+ knots of wind is just not something we want to be out and about in.  The boat can handle it but we (mostly me) can't.  We took off early and sailed close hauled.  This means we leaned over a lot.  We had our first chance to put our solent sail to the test and she passed.  This is a sail that flies on a removable stay and is much smaller than our regular jib.   This allows us to sail at a closer angle to the wind which then allows us to reach a destination with fewer changes from side to side (tacking).  We had 2 reefs in the main as we were getting a steady 20 knots of wind with gusts to 25.  Being a solid boat, Blue Moon handled the waves but the spray left every inch of the boat coating in a thick layer of salt.  If my stomach had been more cooperative it would have been a totally exhilarating sail.  Anyway, we made it to Rock Sound and dropped anchor.  We went ashore yesterday to see where things were and arrange for having our laundry done.  This will be a first for us, having someone else wash our clothes but that's how it's done here and the price is right. We plan to hang out on the boat and catch up on email and the blog since I have WiFi, albeit a slow connection. We'll visit the local church for Easter and rent a car to explore the rest of Eleuthera next week.
 On another topic, we sometimes feel like big deals since we made it "all the way to the Bahamas" but then we meet a boat with a couple and 3 kids who are finishing up this circumnavigation and planning the next! Or the young couple on the small boat who decided to take a year to explore the Caribbean from SWEDEN.  The cruising life can be an amazing thing.

More shades of blue in our anchorage.

Rock Sound harbor from the highway.  

The Bahamians really like pink.

This house was of stacked stone so I thought it must be quite old.

The town's haunted house.

Another old building.  The roof had collapsed but the walls were
still quite sturdy.

This was the courtyard of a cafe/gift shop where we stopped.  Two nice
cousins who create some unique art pieces and make a tasty pina colada smoothie.

The combination of these hot pink flowers with the brilliant blue
flowers on the bush even impressed David.

This bright plant is used all over this region.

The local Catholic church.

We shared some drinks and stories with the couple on this cruising cat.  Doesn't get
better than to depart with a rainbow!