Mount Alvernia Hermitage Since Georgetown was just a little too crowded for our taste we set off for Cat Island. This is on the Eastern side of the Bahamas so it would be a good place to depart for Puerto Rico when we were ready. It’s a little less traveled which is perfect for us. Of course the big draw was the Mount Alvernia Hermitage. This Hermitage is a medieval monastery that was hand carved out of rock by Monsignor John Hawes. He created the Hermitage in 1939 so he could get away from the world and be alone with his faith. He also created hand-carved stone reliefs of the Stations of the Cross. The staircase leading up to the hermitage is beautifully done and worth every step. When you do reach the top you are treated to a breathtaking 360 degree view of Cat Island. The top of the hill is 206’ and is the highest point in all of the Bahamas. It is an easy walk from the anchorage in front of the Settlement of Freetown. On our way back from the hilltop we stopped by Olive’s Bakery for freshly baked coconut bread.
We were keeping an eye out for a weather window to make our way to Puerto Rico. The trade winds generally blow from the East so it makes sailing East a little challenging. There was a low pressure system coming in North of us in a few days and we were hoping to catch some of that wind to sail to Puerto Rico. Since we had a few days to ourselves we also had a bite to eat at Hidden Treasure. This is a fantastic little restaurant right on the beach. You can park your tender right in front of the dinner tables and order a freshly made meal. It was a delicious dinner with a brilliant sunset.
In preparation for departing the Bahamas we took Unwritten Timeline a short hop North to Fernandez Bay to wait for the final departure weather window. The weather we wanted delayed us a couple days. With the extra time, we took the opportunity to take our OC tender and explore the mangroves with Sophia. Fernandez Bay has great holding and is very well protected. There is a resort at the bay, but since we were early in the season we had the entire place to ourselves with the exception of one other sailboat.
When the time came we took the tender to the customs office, made one last stop at Alvernia Food Store and got ready to depart on our next journey. This was our second time clearing a country with Unwritten Timeline, if you count the US, and it went fairly smoothly. It probably helped that we were just going to another US territory.
Next time we weigh anchor for a 5 day jaunt to Puerto Rico.
We were keeping an eye out for a weather window to make our way to Puerto Rico. The trade winds generally blow from the East so it makes sailing East a little challenging. There was a low pressure system coming in North of us in a few days and we were hoping to catch some of that wind to sail to Puerto Rico. Since we had a few days to ourselves we also had a bite to eat at Hidden Treasure. This is a fantastic little restaurant right on the beach. You can park your tender right in front of the dinner tables and order a freshly made meal. It was a delicious dinner with a brilliant sunset.
In preparation for departing the Bahamas we took Unwritten Timeline a short hop North to Fernandez Bay to wait for the final departure weather window. The weather we wanted delayed us a couple days. With the extra time, we took the opportunity to take our OC tender and explore the mangroves with Sophia. Fernandez Bay has great holding and is very well protected. There is a resort at the bay, but since we were early in the season we had the entire place to ourselves with the exception of one other sailboat.
When the time came we took the tender to the customs office, made one last stop at Alvernia Food Store and got ready to depart on our next journey. This was our second time clearing a country with Unwritten Timeline, if you count the US, and it went fairly smoothly. It probably helped that we were just going to another US territory.
Next time we weigh anchor for a 5 day jaunt to Puerto Rico.
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