The name of Eleuthera derives from eleutheria, meaning freedom. A group of religious colonists were shipwrecked on a reef now called Devils Backbone (ironic, huh?) and named the island Eleuthera. The more we dig, the more we learn the rich history of these islands.
As we have been able to move south along Eleuthera this week we are now enjoying Rock Sound. A beautiful waterfront and really friendly people. We pass Bahamians along the road when we are walking and say “hello” and they call out “have a wonderful day in Eleuthera”!
We met up with another cruising couple from a boat named Hold Fast who have been coming here for several years. We went to church with them on Sunday and then shared some great times together. Turns out we had met them briefly 2 years ago in Elizabeth City, NC. Since then we’ve followed their blog as they’ve worked with local church congregations and volunteered in the schools here and other settlements. Hopefully our wakes will cross again in the future!
Rock Sound water front as seen from our boat. The church is supposed to be one of the most photographed churches in the islands.A view of Paperbird, our boat, from the dinghy dock in Rock Sound.An afternoon of praise and prayer of the youth in Rock Sound. In typical island fashion, the start time was listed as 3:00. The actual start time was a little after 4:00 and the music started about 6:00.Taken from the gazebo on the beach on the right side in the first picture.A nature preserve at the Ocean Hole in Rock Sound.700 islands, covering 5,400 square miles of land and 100,000 square miles of ocean….the Bahamas!Blackbeard is part of the Bahamian history…..The Ocean Hole inland in Rock Sound. The hole is a limestone formation at least 600 ft deep. Jacques Cousteau, who used to winter on Eleuthera, dove it and never found the bottom. Interestingly, it’s about a mile from the ocean, but rises and falls with the tide, so it is definitely connected by underground passages to the ocean.Whatcha see in there???Lots of fish!!No, not ice….drinking water being delivered. We are enjoying our water maker that we installed this year.This place has a profusion of color everywhere!Lunch at Sammy’s….with a produce stand out side.
