The Abacos

Our first venture outside the Exumas was going to be to Royal Island as a one night stop over enroute to Great Abaco Island.  Of course the weather had other ideas so our plan went out the window and we had a great time staying in two places we were not going to visit this year.   After staying at Royal Island for two nights we had a rough ride to Spanish Wells where we stayed for five days.  It is a tiny fishing community of descendents of Loyalists who fled their homeland from the American revolution. The first settlers were a group of shipwrecked Loyalists who had fled the US after the American Revolution.  Hence the population of Spanish Wells seemed almost exclusively white – an about face from the Exumas.  It is a very pretty town with brightly painted homes and well kept gardens.  It seems that in this end of the country you can put a table on your back deck and call yourself a restaurant.  So it was at Buddah’s  Burgers  and Liquors (in the backyard) or the ice cream spot (someone had a soft ice cream machine on their driveway) and the coffee shop (in the  front yard, but it was locally roasted coffee!).

Typical Spanish Wells home.

These folks just love paint!

Since we had time to wait out the weather we took the ferry to Harbour Island – the second place we had not planned to visit this year.  The beach at Harbour Island is one of the “ten best beaches in the world” but getting there requires transiting the Devil’s Backbone which is a treacherous area of shoals and shallow reefs.    Many sailors use the services of a pilot to take them and their boat to the island and then return to bring them back out.  This is our plan for next year so it was good to see the route from the ferry.  The town on the island was most charming with very New England style cottages and small shops.  After spending so much time in the dry and rocky Exumas we were amazed at the dirt in the Abaco!  Most islands and cays here are lush and green.  The beach was spectacular pink sand as far as your eye could see. We are really looking forward to a good visit there next winter!

Lush gardens at the Pink Sands Hotel on Harbour Island

Bay Street Restaurant on Harbour Island

Golf carts are everywhere

Miles of pink sand on Harbour Island .

Our next move was to sail the 53 miles to Little Harbour on Great Abaco Island.  In the 1950s an American University professor left the rat race behind to start life as a sculptor here.  His son Pete carries on the beautiful  bronze sculpting and also runs Pete’s Pub, an institution on the island.

Pete's Beach Pub - a great place.

Kim's big challenge of the day - get the ring on the hook.

The Abacos has far more people and businesses than the Exumas. It seems everywhere we go there are places to stop and eat.  However we can still find a deserted beach when we want.  Lubbers Landing provided new excitement with the bean bag toss and the beach sofas. (there will be a period of adjustment when we finally come home!)

E'ry little 'ting is gonna be alright

Toronto 1268 nautical miles and the Bahamian flag.

And Cathy's challenge ... get the bean bag in the hole and have a snooze in the hammock!

Man O War Cay is a boat building community that we really enjoyed.  Kim had a good long chat with a boat builder and there was a great walk along the Queen’s Highway from one end of the island to the other.  We've learned a little about Abaco architecture and many of the houses are small rectangular 'salt boxes' of timber or post and beam construction with clapboard exterior.   We visited a couple from Michigan who have a cottage that has survived through 50 hurricane seasons. The entire town closes down on Sunday – without exception.

Yes, this is a highway...for golf carts

A typical Loyalist 'Salt Box' house.

A brain coral treasure from the sea.

A picture perfect Methodist Church.

Who knew there were Spider trees!

Whale Cay Channel can be a treacherous spot where a number of boats large and small have sunk and lives have been lost.  Because of shallow areas we need to sail outside to the ocean and then cut back into the Sea of Abaco through Whale Channel. We took advantage of an opportunity to transit the area on a day with little wind and swell so this time the Whale was a minnow!  We have spent a week and a half at Green Turtle Cay due to weather.  It is a great spot and the small town of New Plymouth, population 450, feels almost like home now.  As with most of the towns we’ve been in the homes are small and brightly painted.  Every street and many of the tiny properties have million dollar views of the ocean.  We rented a golf cart with two cruiser friends; the brakes barely worked, the parking brake did not work, and if you turned the engine off it had to be jump started to move on.   Ah well, don’t worry mon’…

The Goombay Smash rum drink was invented here (more rum then fruit juice!)

Ye Olde Gaol (jail) has small barred windows on the other side but it must have been a hot place.

Some rental cottages overlooking the Sea of Abaco

Cathy couldn't resist a picture of a local school, note the teacher's vehicles.

A typical street in New Plymouth

There were a number of closed up businesses, a sign of fewer US cruisers

Since the cays are relatively skinny most streets have a view of the water

Kim heading in to the Lowe Museum

We will be leaving Green Turtle tomorrow after the current weather front moves through and hope to be crossing the Gulf Stream to Florida in less than a week! 

Kim...hard at work...tomorrow mon'...the Bahamian lifestyle

Sailing in the protected waters of the Exuma banks is hard to beat