About a year into planning this trip, I’d read Julie Bradley’s Escape from the Ordinary. A super fun non-fiction read and a nice reminder that we were making the right decision to hit pause on our land life and go for it. It stuck with me how much they loved Cat Island so I knew it was a stop we’d have to make along our journey.
After a couple nights of rough sleeping over at Conception Island, we enjoyed a dreamy beam reach sail to The Bight at Cat Island, landing not just a mahi underway but also a Kalik! We first dropped anchor in Old Bight hoping for some south wind protection. Little protection was had but luckily the winds were shifting north so we sailed up to New Bight the next morning.
New Bight was a real treat. I could’ve spent a few more days in this nice little settlement. Once you dinghy to shore you’re welcomed to the fish fry area.
The other direction you’ll find a couple more restaurants and the hike to Mount Alvernia, Home of the Hermitage. This point is also known as Como Hill, the highest elevation in all of The Bahamas sitting 206 feet above sea level.
Once you reach the top you’ll find an old monastery, the former home of Roman Catholic Priest, Father Jerome. More on his residence and the story of The Hermitage here!
Once back down at sea level we went exploring. But not before stopping at Olive’s bakery to stock up on all our carbohydrate needs for the boats!
The six of us then set out for Hidden Treasures. I’d read from other cruisers that their daiquiris were worth the trek. It was a hike, but they lived up to our expectations! We all opted for mango with a heavy pour of rum. We met another couple on vacation who were kind enough to let us join their table and had a lovely time before turning back for the harbor.
We’d heard that New Bight had the nicest laundromat around and with nearly 6 weeks of laundry piling up we decided to bite the bullet and get it done. The rumors were true. This place was state of the art with brand new everything. We passed the time chatting with other cruisers, happy to head back home with clean clothes, sheets & towels!
After a couple nights, Full Circle needed to start the journey north to Eleuthera so we had a farewell dinner and parted ways.
Elation and Blue Pearl headed up to Bennett’s Harbor. We were in for a rolly night. When you drop anchor your boat faces into the wind. But sometimes there’s a swell coming from a different direction which creates a miserable roll that’s nearly impossible to sleep in. After giving up on sleep, Rocky decided to set out a stern anchor at 4am. Nothing like trying something for the first time in pitch dark. It helped some and we were able to fine tune it in the morning.
We enjoyed a dinghy ride through Bennett’s Creek past the government dock and popped back out at Alligator Point, riding the coast back up to our anchorage.
Our last night in Cat we went ashore with the crew of Elation for dinner at Yardie’s and were pleasantly surprised! The food was delicious. It ended up being a better deal to buy a bottle of rum instead of individual drinks, so a bottle of rum it was!
Brains foggy with rum, we woke up early the next morning to set out for a long passage to Eleuthera. We would have 12 days to make our way north to Hatchet Bay awaiting the arrival of some special visitors.
-LS
Blue Pearl Sailing 
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