Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Glass Window Eleuthera Bahamas

The morning came but the winds didn't stop.  The big question today... would we even be able to get off of this dock?!  The passengers Stayed out of the way while the crew worked feverishly to get us underway. 
They tried several different ideas including using the dink to push the nose away, but in the end, they did what Chip thought would work, they used a line as a spring which gave us just enough distance to allow the motor to grab hold. 

The crew did most of the line handling.  They needed our muscle to get the two big sails up but the rest they did themselves.  These high winds had me a little concerned.  I was thinking that this would be a rough ride.

I was pleasantly surprised!  Once we were off the dock and underway... it was business as usual.  What a difference a few tons makes.  The Skipper opened up the helm for the guys to take over and one by one, they had their fun. 

I decided that it was time to take my hair out of the corn rows.  My mind had been working on me all week and I was afraid that my hair would be ruined.  Plus, I was feeling kind of icky since it was necessary to slather between the rows with sunscreen.  Annette took pity on me and with the help of another passenger, they painstakingly unbraided it all.

That opened the door to the "Beauty Shop" on deck.  Annette volunteered to french braid others but wasn't yet ready to take down her own corn rows...

That done... we still had a distance to go, so we settled down for the rest of the ride to our destination.  I was sure hoping the wind would stop at some point so we could get in some snorkeling.  It was not to be...


Thanks to "local knowledge", our Skipper was able to find us something fun to do anyway.  He took us to the Glass Window Bridge on Eleuthera.  We got our first glimpse from the water with the waters of the Atlantic sneaking into the relative calm of the Caribbean Sea.

The crew got busy preparing to drop the anchor in another idyllic spot out of the wind.  Our eager eyes searched the shore and found white sands once again.  The passengers prepared to go ashore and broke up into dinghy sized groups. 

Our turn came and Bruce and I hopped into the dinghy to be carried to join our friends on this beautiful beach.






Photo ops abound in this place.  I could spend weeks walking these beaches and looking for treasures. 






We broke up into two different shore parties.  One group went off to find some cave that was supposed to be a bit dicey.  Mostly the younger crowd, as this entertainment involved hitchhiking.  Us older people chose the Glass Window.  First stop however, was just as breathtaking... the Moon Pools.

 This is a place on the Atlantic side of the island where the waves have worn the rocks into a natural shelf with pockets (pools) of calm crystal waters.  Today, the waves were working hard at it!  We stood and watched as the massive waves crashed the cliffs and sent spray and rainbows sky high.  We could feel the ground quiver beneath our feet at the power of the Atlantic.   I would not like to be in a small boat out there today! 

We left there to continue on our way up the main (pronounced only) road to our next destination. We developed a keen appreciation for the aforementioned winds as we trekked along the road in the sun.  How much further could it be?!?


This was an indication that we must be nearing the bridge which separates the two bodies of water over a very narrow passage.  You think I'll pass?

Local lore has it that many cars have been swept away while attempting to cross the narrow bridge, by huge rogue waves off of the Atlantic. 


 

Finally we had arrived at our destination...  On the right side, the Atlantic and on the left, the calm Caribbean Sea.  It was beautiful!





What a difference a few feet can make... look one way and it's this... waves crashing and roaring.



Look the other way and you have this -->  calm and placid.

And if you wait a few seconds... the calm placid spot becomes awash with a wave from the Atlantic trying to make it's way across to the other side. 







Who could blame it!  As we turned to go back to meet the dinghy to return us to our ship, we were once again awestruck with the scene before us.








There was one more real treat left on this little excursion.  How could we have missed this before.  A small hole in the rock, about 4 inches in diameter that went all the way through to the water below, was making a sucking noise.  All of a sudden... it blew like a giant sneeze!  Please do not try this at home and no animals were hurt in production of this photo! 

Onward to our next stop.  We followed our guide as he ducked off the road onto a well hidden pathway that lead to the water's edge.  He took us past a big termite mound.  I'm sure I've never seen one of these at home.








We stepped out onto a rocky beach with a carpet of pine needles lining our path to the shore.  The trees provided cooling shade for Bruce while I poked around in the shallows while we waited for the dink. 

We were next to last in arriving back at the ship for the night.  One other group brought up the rear, the cave group.  They were full of talk about what they had seen but I was happy with our choice.  We settled down to relax and were treated to another marvelous sunset.







We showered and went below to the main salon to await the delicious pork loin dinner that Chris had prepared for us.  We were seriously pampered by our crew.  Another great day in Paradise and who knew what would be in store for us tomorrow.

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