Spanish Wells to the Abacos

 From Allens Cay we enjoyed a 50-mile boat ride to Spanish Wells in perfect weather and calm seas.  Spanish Wells is a fishing town adjacent to the north end of Eleuthera.  While in the area, we also took a commercial ferry through the reefs to Dunmore Town on Harbour Island.  This is the working waterfront at Spanish Wells.

The ferry arriving at Spanish Wells.

Harbour Island has several beach resorts for vacationers, but there's also an active fishing industry.  These fellows are cleaning conch (well, two of them are....).

Most of the villages have a government building,with post office, social services, and sometimes a clinic.  This is the government center at Dunmore Town, Harbour Island.

Southerners will recognize the local grocery....sort of.

Harbour Island has pink sand beaches (if you look closely, in just the right light).  Nancy scooped up jugs of it for use in shell projects.

From Spanish Wells we endured an uncomfortable 50-mile crossing to Little Harbour in the Abacos.  Leaving the Eleuthera Banks we went from water depths of 10-15 feet to 10-15,000 feet.  Seas came from every direction and the winds were higher than forecast.  About 40 miles out we encountered heavy rain with nearby lightning strikes, but not much wind.  The rain was welcome, washed all the salt off the boat.

Little Harbour is home to the world-famous Johnson Foundry, where they pour bronze art works in the traditional lost-wax method.  We were able to witness a pour.

They make the bronze out of scrap metals, with some glass thrown in, heated to more than 2000 degrees.  Sometimes they get slight burns even through their heat-resistant clothing.

 Here is Pete Johnson, son of the original artist, pouring the molten bronze into molds.

We had lunch at the equally world-famous Pete's Pub.  Peter said the mahi sandwich was the best he's ever had.  Here's Pete's Pub.  The floors are sand.