Exploring Around Coast and Hatchet Bay Cave

Yesterday evening, we explored around the bay with the Whaler, and saw a couple of birds on the boat. One on the vhf antenna, another on the side band antenna. We tried to get a photo, but, they flew off.

This morning we took the Whaler to the north exploring. The coast has cliff bluffs, with numerous caves and interesting rock formations. The water is 18-25 deep along the cliffs, except for areas that huge slabs of rock have fallen off the cliff, and they are easy to spot in the clear water.Armed with sunscreen, swim suits, flashlights, cameras, and shoes we could climb with, we checked out many nooks and crannies.Further to the north, we saw some houses with stairs to the water, but the couple of miles right above Hatchet Bay is deserted and ripe for exploration!

We had to stop and snorkel in the bouldeer pile, with its juvenile tropical fish, some makeral, and a leopard ray.

I loved these steps, carved probably centuries ago. We climbed them to a field of briars and palmettos that look like no one has been in the area in a long time.

We returned to the boat for lunch, and took the Whaler to the town dock to begin our land exploration.

If you walk through town, walk about 3 miles north on Queen's Highway until you see two silos on the east side of the road, look to your left and find a two rut dirt road between two low rock columns. Follow that road to the left, and keep an eye to your right, and you will find a sign marking Hatchet's Bay Cave. This land cave has been explored over a mile, has steps into the entrance, and has a line through the main corridor. It would be like cave diving, without the water!

 There were bats in the entrance, and a few cave decorations. The big detraction was the graffitti scrawled along the walls. We explored the cave for a little, and then began walking back to Hatchet Bay.

We met an official I won't name, who we talked to for a long tiime, and he told us aabout some wonderful things in Eleuthera, and a little of the history. He said to me sadly that he had never been to Hatchet's Bay Cave, and what a shame it was that so many locals were losing a sense of their history.We continued our journey back to Hatchet Bay when that gentleman came by and offered us a ride back into town! We looked past the "no riders" sign and gleefully climbed in! I know we had walked over five miles, and I sure was grateful for that ride home!

We came back to the boat, and Allen pointed out the bird nest sticking out of the radar reflecter! I climbed to the roof, picking up dropped twigs as I went, and deposited them in the nest. The mockingbird started screaming at me, and dove for me as I started off the roof. I wonder what she's going to do when we get underway?