Yesterday rained almost constantly so we stayed on the boat. I barely even stepped out of the cabin. George ventured out a few times to use the hand pump to pump the water out of the dinghy. I was really wishing we had finished making and attaching bungee cords to the awnings I made so that we could use them. We had to keep the hatches closed because of the rain and it got really warm inside. 
Today looked to be a much better day so we went to Harbour Island. It is about 10 miles away and accessible by boat through the Devil’s Backbone, a narrow, winding channel through reefs. It is recommended that you have a guide to help you through but we decided to take a ferry or water taxi. We looked into the large Bahamas Ferry. It would have cost us each $50 round trip. Then we saw that we could take Pinder’s Water Taxi. We see their water taxis coming and going frequently. We stopped at Pinder’s grocery store (there is a reason these are called the “family islands”) to inquire. The cashier said it would be $15 round trip. That would include a water taxi to N. Eleuthera Island, then a van to the other side of the island. From there we would take another water taxi to Harbour Island for $5 each. We decided to choose Pinder’s over the Bahamas Ferry. It was cheaper and provided more local flavor.
At Harbour Island we first stopped at the Board of Tourism office to get a map and advice. Next we walked to the Lone Tree, a large, dead tree at the edge of sand flats. It was quite a sight. After that we walked over to the Atlantic side of the island to walk along the famous pink beach. It really is a nice shade of pink but the color doesn’t really show in photos.
We had a terrific lunch at Sip Sip (Bahamian slang for a place to gossip and drink) overlooking the beach. Another squall came through soon after we left the restaurant so we went back to stand under their covered patio for shelter. After it stopped raining we continued to walk around the island and stopped in a few shops. Harbour Island has some modest homes but also quite a few upscale resorts and houses. The prices in the shops were ridiculously expensive. One place had what looked like beach coverups for $250 and $325! Nevertheless, we had a lovely day and thought the trip was well worth it. After our return water taxi/van/water taxi ride George held out $40 to the driver, expecting $10 change. The driver said we owed another $40. George told him the price we had been quoted but he insisted $20 per person each way is always the price. It makes no sense that they would charge the same price as the larger, faster ferry. I suspected we were charged the “sucker tourist” price. Oh well. Live and learn. We still had a nice day.
Before we returned to Breeze On we stopped briefly at Tom and Jean’s house to say hello and exchange boat cards we made arrangements for Jean to show us around the museum tomorrow.
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