Royal Island

Yesterday before dawn we raised the anchor and set sail for Eleuthera. Our 57 mile trip to Royal Island, Eleuthera was surprisingly nice. Although we had four foot waves on the beam they were spaced widely enough that Breeze On just rode over them instead of getting slapped on the side or rolling back and forth. The 11-15 knot winds were perfect for sailing. We chose Royal Island as our destination because we have never been here before and we also wanted to lay down a track to follow in the future. The entrance is quite narrow—although it looks wide—and having a track to follow would give us more confidence to enter in the dark someday, if necessary. 

We passed what looked like an upscale resort on our way into the harbor. George did a little investigating and found that the resort rents to just one customer at a time, accommodating up to 18 people, in 5 “bungalows”, starting at $20,000 a night. Phew! I will take our mode of travel in the Bahamas anytime. 

On another note, the water in the bilge issue has not yet been solved. I should emphasize that it is a small amount of water, so the leak is relatively minor. In any case, we want to find it and fix it. 

We are anchored in the harbor labeled Royal Island. The resort is on the left. 

The entrance to the harbor is between the red and green marks. 

Sunset in Royal Island. 

Looking for the leak. The floor of the engine room is dry. There is, however, another bilge compartment underneath the floor of the engine room. The investigation continues.