April 17 – The Glass Window

I love the way Eleuthera sounds when you say it. The word feels ethereal and full of mystery. Most of what we have seen of Eleuthera so far sits high on a cliff over looking the blue, blue water of the Bight of Eleuthera. It seems so romantic, yet slightly tenuous up there.

On Tuesday we dinghied to shore and hiked up Queen’s Highway to the Glass Window. The Glass Window was once a natural rock bridge that was washed away by a hurricane in 1926. It was replaced by a man made bridge in the 1960s and underwent repairs after it was knocked 7 feet west by a rogue wave in 1991 and became impassable for some time. To the east of the bridge lies the Atlantic Ocean, to the west, the Bight of Eleuthera.

The Window looked quite striking from our view aboard Blue Wing as we approached it under sail the day before. Up close, it was hard to see the whole window effect without climbing to the very edge of some very craggy rocks hovering way over the ferocious waters of the Atlantic. The fear of a horrible, painful, bloody end won over art this time.
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But the Glass Window is not the only natural wonder that Eleuthera has to offer. On our hike to the bridge we passed a Heritage Site, called The Cow and The Bull, two imposing boulders overlooking the a breathtaking view of the ocean. Apparently when the wind is high it zips through the rocks making a roar reminiscent of a bull.

On our trek back to Blue Wing, we made a slight detour and discovered another Heritage Site, The Queen’s Bath. Another amazing view over the Atlantic, The Queen’s Bath, is several small natural tide pools of ocean water supporting fish and other wild life. A large cave sits at the rear of the baths.