Ambling Through the Abacos

After what ultimately was a less than pleasant crossing of the northwest channel, we arrive in the Abacos, anchor along Lynyard Cay, and make a beeline across the water to Little Harbor, home of Pete’s Pub.  We need to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat in a setting that isn’t moving.   

Fun times at Pete's Pub - the t-shirt second from the right has the names of friends on The Pearl who were here a few days prior

The late lunch is yummy, the rum drink calms our nerves, and we enjoy a stroll along the nearby ocean side beach where we find sea glass and an interesting crab, 

Unusual crab on rocks along the ocean beach

while also watching the other boats that were behind us crossing over from Eleuthera negotiate the cut into the Sea of Abaco. Little Harbor is also the home of the Johnston Art Gallery and Foundry. Randolph Johnston brought his family to this remote location in the early 1950’s, seeking isolation and a place to practice his skill as a sculptor.  Recently we read a fascinating book about the Johnston family entitled Artist on His Island: A Study in Self-Reliance. This would make an interesting read for anyone headed to the Abacos or curious about what life was like over a half century ago in the Bahamian Out Islands.

We have several stops we wish to make in the Abacos.  First we pull into Pelican Cay National Park to walk the deserted cay 

Sand spit at Pelican Cay

and snorkel at nearby Sandy Cay where we see plenty of beautiful corals, a few fish, but none of the magnificent spotted eagle rays that previously have lurked in these waters.  Next we head further north to Tahiti Beach at the southern tip of Elbow Cay.   

Tahiti Beach as the tide goes down

Star fish found in the shallows along Tahiti Beach

Beach combing is in order along with a stop at Cracker P’s, a beach bar on nearby Lubbers Quarters.    

View from Cracker P's across the water towards Tahiti Beach

Unlike other island groups, the Abacos are well developed for tourism with cute restaurants and beach bars in many locations. The food, drinks, and service are similar to what you would find in the United States – we are beginning our acclimation to the “Land of Plenty”. Another popular stop on our itinerary is Great Guana Cay where the shore line is dotted with vacation homes and cottages and where on Sunday afternoons hoards descend on Nipper’s Bar and Restaurant for a pig roast and dancing.  I am not feeling very energetic so Burt hoofs it up the hill on his own to observe the chaos while later I join him at Grabber’s Beach Bar, right on the beach by our anchorage, for dinner by the pool.  

Looking out towards the anchorage from Grabber's

This year we have a day of calm weather to do some snorkeling at Fowl Cay National Park. We first explore the tiny Cay and beach 

The beach at Fowl Cay with the snorkeling on the far side near the breakings on the reef

and then take the dinghy to the oceanside where we find dinghy moorings amongst the exposed reefs.  The coral is in good condition where it is flushed by the ocean waters, but the fish population is disappointing. An overnight stop at Man of War Cay gives us a chance to walk the village and admire the Albury Boat works, famous for quality hand laid up boats found in both the Bahamas and the States.  Man of War considers itself to be the boat building capital of the Bahamas.  And it is here that I finally find the Androsia hand made batik fabric for which I have been searching.  Exuberant will soon have a toss pillow, table cloth, and napkins in these colorful fabrics featuring Bahamian fauna and flora.

The majority of our time in the Abacos is spent in the harbor at Hope Town.  This is our first time actually bringing our big boat into the harbor.  The entrance is shoaled, and we have always been concerned about attempting it with our deep draft.  But, this year friends on an even deeper draft boat made it in, so we play the tides and find we have needlessly worried.   

The channel into Hope Town and one of my favorite places to sit in the shade.

Hope Town harbor is very popular, but we are late enough in the season that many of the boats which winter over in this protected spot have left.   

Abaco Rage, the Class A Bahamian sloop with an impressive racing history, is moored nearby.

We pick up a mooring and begin to enjoy the resort-style life in this picture postcard perfect village.  The iconic lighthouse dominates the western side of the harbor.  

Hope Town Lighthouse towers over the harbor

 Every night the lighthouse keeper climbs the tower to light the gasified kerosene lantern and hand crank the counter weighted mechanism. 

The steep climb up to the top of the lighthouse

The view from the top across the harbor and to the ocean beyond Elbow Cay

At sunset we see the glow begin to form behind the lens and, a bit later, the light begins to turn to make its signature combination of flashes.  This is quite different from the highly automated lights we see along the US coast. We spend our days wandering the narrow streets of Hope Town, wide enough for only two golf carts to barely pass, 

Bicycle meets golf cart can get a bit dicy - forget about cars and trucks!

and biking the length of Elbow Cay to admire the vacation homes and resorts.   

Breakers pound the northside beach at Elbow Cay

There are two resorts directly on the harbor.  Hope Town Inn and Marina houses docks full of large yachts, an open air restaurant with swim up bar, and a number of villas spread throughout the landscaped grounds.  The place welcomes cruisers by offering the use of its laundromat, wifi, and two pools.  Across the way is the older Hope Town Lodge that oozes understated sophistication.  We enjoy a lunch on their deck overlooking the Atlantic reefs and again are welcomed to use the pool and beach. 

The lovely pool and terrace dining at Hope Town Lodge with the ocean in the background.

The view of the beach and reefs from the Lodge deck

We join other cruisers we know for dinners out and happy hours on various boats – it is a very sociable group gathered here. In stark contrast to the rest of the Bahamas, the Abacos are downright lush with tropical vegetation and Hope Town offers many examples.  A little memorial garden is tucked in between homes along the island ridge.   

Memorial garden with plaques describing the native plantings.

An art gallery has a manicured lawn and garden overlooking the ocean.  

 

Periwinkle Gallery's back yard, overlooking the ocean

 The brightly painted houses are complimented by plantings of bougainvillea, oleander, and periwinkles.    

Just a few of the beautifully maintained, colorful cottages in Hope Town

We are keeping an eye on the ever changing weather to find an opportunity to head back to the States.  Our refuge in Hope Town is providing shelter from the fronts and squalls that descend on an almost daily basis.  We see what would be considered the “least bad” forecast and cast off our mooring.  First we must negotiate the Whale Cut which can be quite treacherous in certain sea conditions.  We happily find it to be completely placid. We have a lovely, speedy, beam reach for the remainder of the day as we begin our trip to the west.  At sunset we are passing Great Sale Cay, the last possible overnight stop before the crossing to the States.  Several boats we are traveling with choose to spend the night as thunderstorms are lurking in the distance.  We decide to continue on as the forecast for the coming days is less positive.  Just after dark, we encounter a squall line with lightning,  thunder, and winds in the 30’s.  We slow the boat down to allow one cell to pass ahead of us and then make maximum speed to cut between two more.  Our radar, along with similar experiences in the Great Lakes, is invaluable for this maneuvering, and once we pop out on the other side we are squall free while our friends at Great Sale spend two nights battling the storms.  The remainder of the passage is a motor sail in light north winds.  We are only aware of the breeze when we are in the Gulf Stream and the wind against the current kicks up an uncomfortable cross chop.  Forty eight hours after leaving Hope Town we pull into St. Augustine with a hearty welcome to our home country from the local bridge tender.

We will remain in St. Augustine at a mooring for almost two weeks as the storms and fronts in the Atlantic keep us from heading further north.  Meanwhile, we have time to reacquaint ourselves with the “Land of Plenty”.  The marinas in the area have sponsored a shuttle bus that each day takes cruisers to grocery stores and shopping centers.  The friendly driver, Sandy, fills us in on all that is available and even offers to drive a group of us to the regional amphitheater for “The Taste of St. Augustine” event. Within blocks of our marina we find an amazing commercial marine supply store that easily undercuts West Marine prices. Burt is able to do maintenance and repairs that were not possible in the Bahamas while I restock the cupboards and find time to do my Androsia projects.  With a waiting list for the moorings, as the weather has backed up the boats heading north, we find plenty of companionship amongst the crowd of cruisers. If this level of service continues in St. Augustine, it will soon be known as “Velcro Beach North”. But, we are on a schedule, needing to be in the Chesapeake by mid-May, so we eagerly await what is to be a significant change in the weather pattern we have been experiencing all winter and spring, and head, hopefully, all the way to Beaufort, NC in one hop offshore.