M/V Spanish Rose (the second vessel to carry the name – see “Current Queen” for the first), docked in Nassau 1985. Note the car placed precariously on the foredeck ahead of the wheelhouse. It looks as though this photo was taken at Prince George Docks, not Potter’s Cay Docks, Nassau.
Source: LA TIMES Spanish Wells A Bahamas outpost that dwells in another time is a choice for sunshine and serenity, May 12, 1985|JERRY HULSE | Times Travel Editor
MAILBOAT NAME: M/V Spanish Rose
PAST NAMES: none known
DIMENSIONS: 75′ long, wood
CONSTRUCTION: wood
YEAR BUILT: 1977 or purchased by Pinder brothers in that year
BUILDER: not known, probably Spanish Wells boat builders
EARLY CAREER: not known, presumed to have been owned by Pinder brothers throughout
BAHAMAS CAREER: ferried frozen fish and produce and mail and passengers Spanish Wells-Nassau
CAPTAINS: brothers Captain Gurney Elon Pinder and Captain Stephen Pinder
OWNERS: brothers Captain Gurney Elon Pinder and Captain Stephen Pinder
“Alongside the dock a familiar freighter, the Spanish Rose, was taking on provisions. She’d be sailing at dawn the following day, delivering cargo and passengers to Nassau. If you’re in no hurry, it’s a bargain–only $18 for the five-hour ride, which includes a soft drink and a sandwich and a world of untroubled waters.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the Queen Elizabeth 2. Sometimes an errant chicken will run squawking along the deck in a flurry of feathers, a dog hot on its spurs. But there are compensations. If the seas are smooth, it’s a pleasant journey, and occasionally someone will break out a guitar and strum calypso melodies.”