Still in Hope Town Thursday (19th) where I completed a few chores like filling the water tank, washing salt off the boat and cleaning isinglass. That evening we went to dinner at Hope Town Inn to celebrate Peggy’s freedom, then back aboard to get ready for tomorrow’s trip along the Abacos.
Friday, the 20th, underway for Guana Cay, home to Nippers and Grabbers, two excellent beach entertainment centers (bars) and restaurants. Both are big favorites with boaters. It’s also home to Bakers Bay where several US movie stars maintain getaway homes. We enjoyed touring and the great weather and it’s that good forecast that gets us on the move Saturday.
We have to pass Whale Cay on the Ocean side due to shallow water in the Sea of Abaco. It’s subject to rages so you grab your first opportunity to transit it so you don’t get weather-bound for lengths of time. We were joined by a cargo ship rounding the cay. Next stop … Green Turtle Cay. Arrived at Leeward Marina in Green Turtle at noon and gave Peggy a quick preview of the southern part of the Cay by golf cart before sampling Bahaman lobster dinners at a local restaurant sporting a lobster fest by serving the dish any of 19 ways. The following two days included more sightseeing (nurse sharks, pike fish, manta rays, and green turtles), searching for seashells along the beaches, and sampling tropical libations along the way. At Sundowners, a local bar known for guess what? — we learned that Green Turtle Cay was named for actual green turtles that inhabited the area in the 1770s. Now they are almost extinct. Like Marsh Harbour and Hope Town, the small settlement on Green Turtle, named New Plymouth, was settled by Loyalists in the late 1700’s and is a compact community that is also going through a big home development stage by American and Canadian repats. Lots of construction and rebuilds resulting from Dorian.
It’s now Tuesday the 24th and the strong wind that came in yesterday is still here, so we’ll stay another day before proceeding on our tour of the Abacos as we move slowly back to the States. Our time in Green Turtle was great!
Beach at Cooco Bay, Green Turtle Inn