Blog of Events & Happenings

Up on Thursday the 5th, we continued north on the ICW, covering 55 miles to Eau Gallie—home of one of our favorite stops, the Eau Gallie Yacht Basin. On our last visit we discovered the Cottage Irish Pub, a cozy spot where local Irish musicians gather to sing and play the old songs. We returned as soon as we tied up, and with Peggy alongside we had another wonderful evening of music, laughter, and that unmistakable Irish charm.

Friday was an easy morning. With only 18 miles to travel to Cocoa Village Marina, we took our time with chores, coffee, and catching up on the news. After nearly three weeks together, it was bittersweet to see Peggy head off. Her son Kyle drove over from Orlando to pick her up for a weekend with the grandchildren, and from there she’ll make her way back home—hopefully to a warm Colonial Beach.

We’ll be here a few more days visiting Carey’s cousins who live nearby. Below are a few photos from our night at the Cottage Irish Pub, where the musicians sat in a circle and played their hearts out. A truly great evening.

Crossing Back to the States

On Wednesday the 25th, we left Green Turtle and made the run to Great Sale Cay and anchored in a quiet, isolated spot off the Grand Bahama Island shoreline. Enjoyed a peaceful dinner aboard—just us, calm water, and a wide‑open sky. Next morning we continued on to West End and Old Bahama Bay, our final stop before crossing back to the States and a past retreat for John Travolta and family. We stayed two nights, soaking up those last warm, tropical winter days, and final rounds of Bahamian goombay smashes.

A Tough Start, a Tougher Crossing

At 0700 on Saturday the 28th, we attempted to begin our crossing, but the seas were stacked 3–4 feet, with a 3 second interval and ugly. After a short attempt we turned around and returned to our slip at Old Bahama Bay. By noon the weather had settled just enough to make another try. It still wasn’t the most pleasant, but it was doable, so we pushed on.

The six‑hour run to Lake Worth was a full experience. Weather predictions were for 2 foot or less. Instead the sea rose to steady 3–4 foot seas, plenty of rolling, a nasty thunderstorm near the Florida coast that dropped visibility to zero at times, and a surprise visit from the U.S. Coast Guard. They boarded us for a safety inspection, which we passed without issue. As they departed they rode alongside to give us a photo op … waving as they swept by.

Back in Florida

Once safely anchored in Lake Worth, we treated ourselves to a good meal and a few toasts before calling it a night. Next morning brought more rain and thunder as we got underway for Fort Pierce, where we planned to stay four days. We arrived in the early afternoon just in time for a phone call from dear Diane McKee. “Come join me at the inlet” she said. And we did … for fun and music and some old-fashioned bar hopping! As always, great fun with Diane.

Friends, Family, and a Few Chores

Fort Pierce gave us the chance to reconnect with familiar faces. We visited with Bonnie Scanlin, Ronnie Farmer and Diane McKee, and my cousin Jan. We didn’t have enough time to see Randy and Barbara Semper or Sam and JoAnn Hess, all from Aquia Harbour, and Steve and Kim Donnock, transplanted from Lake Barcroft in Falls Church, but we’ll make up for that when we return in the fall and spend more time in that area.

Between visits, we tackled the usual chores to keep BenjOllie ready for the trip home. As we turned in Wednesday night, we both agreed: next time, we’ll plan for a longer stay in Fort Pierce. A few pictures of people we visited are below.

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 Coco Bay, Green Turtle Inn

We’ve spent the last few days in Marsh Harbour with some high winds and rain. Our good friend Peggy Saylor arrived for a visit on the 15th. We all jumped into a rental car and headed to Pete’s Pub in Little Harbour for lunch, followed by a later tour of Marsh Harbour. Monday we stayed put in the morning and later braved a driving heavy rainfall and arrived, soaked to the bone, at a colorful Bahamian grill and bar for a tasty lunch and the mandatory goombay smashes.

Tuesday we headed for Hope Town on Elbow Cay – a short 8-mile ride. BenjOllie handled the 3-foot seas smoothly. Safely tied up by noon, then lunch at Hope Town Inn and Marina then off for a golf cart tour of Elbow Cay. A very nice day showing Peggy the sights of this gem of the Abacos and the boasters’ favorite spot. It has a growing vibrant community of US expats that mirror Colonial Beach’s very own come-heres, lending time, energy and cash flow to this historical and lovely settlement. For a good glance at the history of Hope Town that speaks to the settling of the entire Abacos, google “Hope Town, Abacos” ,,, an interesting read. Some pictures of the day.

Wednesday, we had another day of running around. Starting at 9 AM at Capt Jack’s for breakfast we then walked around Hope Town village a bit. Afterwards we fired up the golf cart and started a round trip of Elbow Cay. “At Da Beach” grill stop lead further south to Seaspray Marina. It was closed so we proceeded to Tahiti Beach, a great place to enjoy the sand and sea. Peggy and Carey found some shells and walked the surf while I enjoyed time with a good book. On the way back we found Seaspray’s waterfront bar ready for us. After an appropriate [?] amount of time, we carted away to Fire Fly, the next establishment on the Sea of Abaco. Great stop, goombays and all. Biding time until our dinner reservations, we further wasted – or, rather enjoyed, our time and libations again At Da Beach, where we initially began the afternoon. We bad. Finally, time for dinner at the Abaco Inn that sits mere yards from the Atlantic Ocean. The food was fabulous. The day was great. Some pictures of this day below.

Loving life at Harbour View Marina. We’ve enjoyed a few beautiful days of 75 degree weather and light winds and met some seasoned boaters, had great meals, and libations. We’ve checked out the dinghy and completed necessary maintenance so we’re ready to roll. We are planning our Abaco tour for Peggy who is arriving Sunday. Looking forward to her visit. Loving it.