The Rest of Rock Sound

May 27 – 28, 2012

In retrospect, for this part of the Bahamas, Rock Sound is really a good place for cruisers to drop anchor to regroup and catch up on things.  It may even be a final resting place for some, as evidenced by this sign posted on a gumbo limbo tree near the main road.

In case the worst happens

We didn't end up leaving the following day after we made the last blog post like I suggested we might.  It took 2 more days for the weather to settle enough for us to make our next move.  It was just as well that we were delayed again because it gave us the opportunity to do some more interesting exploring that I'm glad we didn't miss.

Meeting place for the previous photo

I think this church is the most striking man-made landmark in Rock Sound.  The white building stands in stark contrast to the adjacent beautiful blue waters, the grounds are kept up nicely, and the door is always unlocked.  We peeked inside and saw shiny wooden pews and an altar stacked with colorful flower arrangements.  All the light streaming in from the Sound side of the church and the view of water lent an ethereal quality to the whole atmosphere.

Fun for the kids

When we made the big hike to the ocean beach we ran into one of the local kids, Carston, and later his brother, Christopher.  We saw them a couple of more times, one of which was at the public dock where we had parked the dinghy.  That dock is also a popular fishing spot for the locals, so it is a good place to meet people.  When the kids saw us getting in the dinghy after our big hike they asked if we would take them for a ride.  Since it was well past lunch time, and the guys were already in a bad mood because they had to wait for me to buy the Crack, I told them we had to get back to the boat to eat.  When we went back to the dock another time, both boys were there and Captain Wayne asked if they wanted to go for a ride.  They practically jumped off the dock because a few of their friends were there, and they felt special getting a ride in front of their friends.  Of course they asked to go fast, and away they sped, far out into the Sound; Wayne said they were grinning the whole time.  I'm sure they had a great story to tell their family when they went home.

According to the cruising guide and a cruiser's report we had read, they said it was worth the walk south of town to find another blue hole and a set of big caves.  Late one afternoon, Wayne and I took Ursa for a walk to see if we could find them.  The site is marked by a Bahamas Heritage Site sign, and the entrance is easy to find off the main road, across from the A.M.E. church.  Churches are big business in the Bahamas.

Jungle blue hole

Unlike the Ocean Hole Park we visited in the community center, this blue hole is amidst dense tropical vegetation.  Fortunately, a path has been cleared so that you can walk around it a portion of the way, and even get down to the water if you want to go swimming.  Since a part of the hole is in the shade, I would think it might be a cool place to float around when it gets blazing hot and no air is moving.  When we were standing there, it was only 100% humidity and warm, with no air moving, so I still felt like jumping in.

To find the caves, you have to take a narrow, but nicely cut path in a southerly direction from the blue hole.  There aren't any signs, and there is only one path, so you can't go wrong.  The path ends at a gaping hole in the limestone.  The worst part of the way to the caves is getting onto the ladder that takes you down to the next level, just above the floor of the caves.  While the ladder is new and very sturdy, you have to stoop onto the ladder from a slanted piece of rock right on a precipice.  There isn't much to hold onto.

Take the ladder

Since we had Ursa, Wayne told me I would have to go down by myself.  I safely made it down the ladder to the next level.  There was a 3' drop to the next level, and I kind of jumped/slid down to a soggy area with lots of rotted sticks and leaves.  Since the footing seemed questionable, I was trying to scout out my next move by looking down, and I realized that I had ended up right next to a snake!  We were both lucky I hadn't stepped on it.  I got a stick and coaxed it over the ledge and onto a log in the opposite direction I planned to go.  I've only seen a few snakes in the Bahamas, and they have been flattened on the road.  I don't know what kind this one is.

Cave guard

Once I got to the floor of the cave I realized that I would be better off with a flashlight and I knew that Eddie would love going back into the cave too.  So, I climbed back up and told Wayne that Eddie and I would come back the next morning to explore the rest of the cave.

When we got back to FLUKE, I told Eddie that he and I were going to go spelunking the next morning if the weather cooperated.  He needed to take off his newly acquired archeologist's hat (from the donkey excavation) and get out his flashlight and miner's hat to go underground.

Eddie the spelunker

The underground formations were a series of big, open “rooms”, connected by lower passageways, all of which you could walk upright to get from one to the other.  Ficus tree roots hung down all the way to the bottom in many areas, and there were a lot of holes in the roof where the sunlight shining in could help illuminate parts of the underground areas.  It was still handy to have a flashlight to peer into the dark areas and smaller spaces.

Cave residents

The bats hanging from the ceiling were not happy to be photographed; the camera flash frightened them and some of them squealed and flew around.  I had to remind Eddie not to be looking up with his mouth open!  At least he didn't have to worry about the bats flying into his hair, since he doesn't have enough to hide even one bat.  We found some other cave creatures: lizards and some roach-like insects.  I was surprised the place wasn't filled with mosquitoes, only a few buzzed us.  Water dripping down through the cave made some interesting color patterns in sections of the wall.  We thought we had seen everything and it was time to climb back out and get back to FLUKE in time for lunch.

On the way to the cave site we saw a road that appeared to head in the direction of the Sound and it had been barricaded.  Eddie wanted to see where the road went on the way back, so we took the detour.  I don't know what the road was ever intended for, but people had used it as a dumping site, which was probably why it was finally barricaded.  We walked past the end of the road and could see the water, so we just kept going until we made it all the way through the brush to the rocky shoreline which jutted out on a point.  Since it was low tide we decided we would try to walk along the rocks all the way back to the main highway which ran along the waterfront.

Rock Sound rocks

The footing was tricky in most of the places because the rocks were not well-worn, and you had to walk on points instead of flat surfaces.  Slipping off one of them could be very troublesome, as the sharp rocks would easily cut through any flesh and even bone.  I know that I am definitely not as sure-footed as I used to be, so I go slowly and pay attention to each step.  It made me think of that coffin sign I saw on the tree!  However, the view was pretty, and we could even see a distinct blue hole out in the Sound.

We had to pass by the liquor store on the south end of town, and I thought it would be a good time to see if they sold Crack, thinking Eddie might like some too.  However, when I went to pull the door open, it was locked.  A couple of locals hanging out across the street yelled over that the store was closed because it was a holiday.  Then I remembered about Whitmonday and wondered why there hadn't been a church service at that chapel by the sea.  I guess they celebrated the holiday the day before, in combination with the regular Sunday service.

Our satellite TV seems to have quit working from an electrical connectivity problem, and we know we are about out of its North American range now, so I don't know if the guys will even try fixing it at this point.  Eddie can still pick up the signal for his Sirius XM radio, so we, mostly Eddie, are able to get news and audio entertainment from that.

The NAVTEX weather info indicated that seas and weather should be favorable for us to make the next big jump over to Cat Island early in the morning of May 29.