Man O War Cay and Back to Green Turtle

After a delightful visit to Hope Town if was off to Man O War Cay. This cay has a long history of boat building dating from when the Loyalists settled on the island years ago. There is still a boatyard there that makes the Albury line of boats. The Albury name is widespread on this island and neighboring ones as well. There is the Albury Ferry Service,  a real estate agency, grocery store, an artist and probably more that bear the Albury name.

We hiked some on the island and found some interesting sights.

 A Bronze Sculpture near a driveway on the Queens Highway

Another driveway on the Queens Highway with a British mailbox, gas lamp and phone booth probably indicates a loyalist family still lives here!

Dunes along the beach

Now it was time to head back north again and think about crossing back to the states. We sailed back over to Great Guana Cay where we had enjoyed Nippers and the anchorage at Fishers Bay. There we met up with Patty Jean, Running Free, Meltemi and Vesely', other boats we had seen in other places.We all went ashore for sundowners at Grabbers on Sunset Beach and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

The next morning we started our sail north and through "the whale".  That is a short ocean passage that at times can be formidable and dangerous but this time of year it was fine.  We were able to safely pick up a mooring at Donny's boat rentals to ride out the unsettled weather.  Now we wait for the "weather window" for smooth passage across the Little Bahama bank and then across the Gulf stream back to the states.

HopeTown

On the way to Hope Town we stopped and anchored at Mermaid Reef for a swim. The sea was calm and we enjoyed snorkeling and viewing the colorful fish. We had lunch on the hook and left for Hope Town planning to arrive as the tide was rising as it is a shallow entrance.

Hope Town with Elbow Cay Light

A little "street"

One of many beautiful gardens

 A colorful yard

one of the unusual flowers

The lighthouse entrance, built in 1864

At the top of the lighthouse

Viewfrom the mooring

From the lighthouse looking out on the Sea of Abaco

From the top of the lighthouse towards the harbor with Emme on her mooring

Marsh Harbor

 Marsh Harbor is a very protected harbor on Great Abaco Island. Mangoe's Marina is a fine destination as we wanted to do laundry and get fresh water. It is a small Marina with only one main dock but the people are great and the facilities are clean and well kept.

We also saw another boat we knew, Patty Jean, from Canada. We traveled from Brunswick, Georgia to Vero Beach, Florida with them last year on the trip south. They have been hosting family for most of their time here and have been cruising the islands for about a month. It was nice getting caught up with them and glean some local knowledge as they have cruised here for the past few years.

The Mangoe's Marina dock

Next door to the marina is the Moorings and Sunsail Charter base for the Abacos, it is a popular gathering place for sailors. The onsite restaurant and bar is called Curly Tails after the curly tailed gecko which seem to be a very common here in the Bahamas.

Sailors at Curly Tails

Marsh Harbor is the largest town in the Abacos and the third largest in the Bahamas after Nassau and Freeport. We stopped for groceries here too and fixed a short in the running lights. There is a good selection of stores and marine supplies are more available here than anyplace we have visited so far.
Now that the chores are done we will depart for Hopetown on Elbow Cay and spend a few days exploring there.

Green Turtle to Great Guana Cay

We left our new friends and Green Turtle Cay and set sail for Great Guana Cay.  The winds were favorable and we had a nice sail to the anchorage in Fishers Bay.

Mary and Randy on beach at Green Turtle Cay

We spent an afternoon swimming and cooling off here.  The water is sooooo clear.  We rented a golf cart and explored the cay along its windy bumpy roads.  

You can get the idea about the color of the water on this beach.  It's so inviting and so private.

Orchid Bay Resort 

View from the legendary "Nippers"  restaurant and bar on the beach at Great Guana Cay.

Mary enjoying the world class view from Nippers deck.

More Nippers.

View of the beach and the reef.

It is tough to leave each Cay as they all have their own charm and beauty.  The people are very friendly and welcoming allowing you to feel right at home.  Apparently high season starts here in May when the Floridians start heading this way for the summer.

We pulled anchor and set sail for Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco after a couple of days and arrived at Mangoes Marina yesterday afternoon.  We can take care of some business here such as groceries and blog writing.  We also ran into Cinnamon Girl belonging to some friends from South Freeport Harbor in Maine.  It is a small world indeed.

In The Bahamas

We left North Lake Worth at 10 AM on the 8th to take advantage of the favorable conditions that the weather router had predicted for crossing the Gulf Stream. We were a pair of boats crossing as the third one that was hoping to go decided not to go at the last minute. Leaving at such a late hour would have us arriving at Memory Rock at dusk or slightly after but the folks on the other boat had done that a number of times and were comfortable with a late arrival. The crossing was relatively smooth with a wind blown chop for the last few miles which slowed us down some so the we did arrive just after dark as we thought we might. We decided to continue on to Mangrove Cay to anchor for some rest and were safely at anchor by 2AM. The next day it was off to Great Sale Cay, another uninhabited island on the Little BAhama Banks. 

It is OK to anchor out without clearing customs as long as one does not go ashore so we could not land to do any exploring. We had planned to go to Green turtle Cay the next day to check in, about 50 miles, but the other boat had some mechanical issues and had sail power only so we stuck with them and anchored short of our goal at Foxtown where they had cell service and were able to call for assistance. We made Green Turtle Cay on the 11th but Customs was closing when we anchored so we waited until today and checked in first thing. The customs officer was very pleasant and after about 20 minutes of filling out forms we were all set. We now moved from the anchorage out by the Government dock into Black Sound a very protected harbor that can only be entered by deep draft boats like ours at high tide. There is only about 3-4 feet of water in the channel at low tide and it only rises bout 4 feet so you have to be careful. We motored in slowly following the narrow channel and are now on  mooring in plenty of water for a few days.

Just before lunch we walked into town in what felt like sweltering heat and little shade to be found. A Bahamian asked us why walk when you can rent a golf cart and get around?  Sounds reasonable, so tomorrow we will rent a cart and find the swimming hole so to speak. 

New Plymouth is an early town that was formed around 1742.  The streets are clean and white.  The colors are soft and the flowers are brilliant.  There is more traffic than I had imagined but very manageable.  We had lunch at Harveys Grill that had fans running inside but you could also sit on the beach at tables with umbrellas.  We opted for indoors and the gentle moving air.  Randy ordered one of their specialities called  conch in a bag.   It reminded me of a deep fried basket dinner that you might find on the coast of Maine but served in foil.  I ordered a blue cheese, cranberry walnut salad with grilled grouper that was delicious.  I also saw a conch salad at the local grocery that I must return and buy.  It is made locally along with a counter full of homemade baked goods.  We were told not to miss the bakery so will find it soon.  

North Palm Beach and holding

We arrived in North Palm Beach on April 1 and checked into Old Port Cove Marina to await a window for the passage to the Bahamas. This marina has exceeded our expectations with great facilities and many stores nearby. They have a shuttle for trips to the grocery store and it is in a gated community so it is very safe and secure.

Hibiscus flowers along the sidewalks

The marina has a few sailboats but most are powerboats ranging from 20 feet to one that is at least 150 feet long. There are many fishing boats here of all types as the inlet is just a few miles away.

One fishing boat with four 300 horsepower motors, he must be able to get out to his favorite spot in no time!

We have been sitting in this marina while the severe thunderstorms and tornado warning weather  moved through.  Thursday there was torrential rain in the early evening with wind gusts to 60 mph, so we were pleased to be holed up here.  There are several other boats that are awaiting the opening so we are in good company.  It looks like Sunday night or Monday is the upcoming recommendation so we will see.  It will either be east to the Bahamas or south to the Keys.

Meanwhile, our neighbor is a fisherman who was planning on going to a tournament in
Grand Bahama but couldn't go due to the weather.  He has been kind enough to give us some fishing advice and a couple of lures so that we can troll along the way.

Today is beautiful and quiet so things are looking up.  We will keep you posted when we know more.