We had some extra time so we decided to go a little further north and then come back to watch the Junkanoo. We thought about the native plant reserve but once we got there, we would not have much time as it would be closing at 4. We had an interest in seeing Hatchet Bay as that is where we chartered a boat for our honeymoon 36 years ago. We also wanted to check it out as a potential anchorage on the way up the coast of Eleuthera.
We drove and pulled into Alice Town which surrounds the anchorage. The old charter people now run a boatyard there which was closed. We made our way to the Boater’s Haven Bar and Restaurant where we met the owner Emmet who is a well known entrepreneur and musician here. He has a nice dinghy dock outside his place.
The area was very quiet in the late afternoon with a few boats in the anchorage. We saw some boats entering the narrow cut between the tall rocks that we remember well.
At Hatchet Bay, we were close to Surfer’s Beach and a walk would feel nice. This is one of the few sandy ocean beaches on the island and listed as a good stop. For all of its mentions, however, it was hard to get to with many washed out roads. Finally we met someone local who told us the best way to drive and the best way to walk. A little further down the road, there was a sign that outlined the same information.
We opted for the walk and parked at the end of the good road. We walked down a section of bad road and then followed a path to the beach. At the end of the path was the beach and a covered hut called The Shack. Some surfers were there.
There were two surfers who live on the island. One of them went by the surf name Rat Dog. There were two novice surfers as well who were island vacationers checking it out. We thought some other surfers were coming as well as we saw them driving in but they must have given up on finding the beach.
We watched one of the novice surfers try to go in but he could not make it out past the break. The two seasoned surfers were waiting for conditions to clean up a bit. They had surfed earlier and were pretty tired but waiting to try again if conditions warranted. We walked the beach; it was an outgoing tide and a little rough for swimming. Lovely beach.
We made it back to the car and headed to Governor’s Harbour. We got there around 6 but it was clear festivities were not going to start anytime soon. The kids and parents were busy with last minute touches in the staging area. We got a parking place and walked to the parade route near a large field where vendors had set up. We shared a chicken kabob for dinner. We found a spot in front of the judging area. The groups were marching from the school to the bank, about a quarter mile route. They would march one at a time, one from one side, then one from the other side. This was going to be a lengthy event. We hoped to see at least a couple of schools.
After much suspense, the action started around 730 with some very young children leading off. They were very cute, the Captains, dressed in navy and white, a small group.
The girls in their costumes were beautiful.
The next group was a larger school with a great drum corps, still an elementary school. There was a 15 to 20 minute break between troupes as one had to clear before the next could start.
We had time for one more group, the elementary school from Governor’s Harbour. This was one of the larger groups. with a huge float featuring Bahamas flora and fauna. There were several dance groups with elaborate costumes, crabs, butterflies and flamingos. The drum group was tremendous. The video is long but you can hear all the different beats that make Junkanoo.
We headed back to the car sorry to leave but worried about the drive home. We found our car and navigated a route to get out of town around the parade. The road out was narrowed from parked cars everywhere. We crept along. They were parked for several miles along the Queen’s Highway south of town.
After leaving Governor’s Harbour, we lost street lights and road lines and reflectors. I will always now appreciate the lines on the roads that I used to take for granted. We soon learned that oncoming traffic does not often use dimmers on approach. For a few seconds during the pass, we were fairly blind. I would focus on the shoulder on my side and try to let David know where we were. He had to look at the oncoming car and avoid it. We dimmed our brights so as not to blind them in the same way, hoping they could avoid us.
We were back in the blind dinghy race. I had google maps on my phone. I would tell David which way the road would curve and when we were coming to a settlement where we would have to watch for people and animals. Sometimes near the settlements, we would get streetlights and road lines for a bit and that was helpful.
As if conditions were not bad enough, there was always room for worsening. We needed some added hazards. I felt like we were moving to harder and harder levels on this video game and we were almost out of lives. We had a downpour and our driver’s wiper was not the greatest and we discovered a film on our windshield that was worse when wet. We pulled over to clean the windshield with wiper fluid and a microfiber towel.
Large puddles formed that were difficult to see and obscured the potholes beneath them. Steam then rose from the road creating a low fog. Large clouds of bugs came out under any lights.
People were moving and standing near the road next to poorly lit bars. Two dogs passed in front of us, then a pack of twenty dogs passed in front of us.
Finally, we came to a road block. The police were there. We could not pass through. Bystanders were all around. They told us there was a way around, we had to back up and turn around and then try to map the route. We passed through a town where a building was right next to the road. Two people sat on the steps out front, their legs almost in the road. Terrifying.
Somehow, we made it to the good road close to our marina. We had lines and reflectors and a wide well paved road. We parked near our boat and unloaded, grateful to be back.