March 1-15, 2013
Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas to Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas
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| March 1, 2013 | Harbor View Marina, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| Carey was cleaning the boat and I just went for a walk this morning. I passed several local shops along the streets and the Marsh Harbor Wall of Heroes. The Wall contains plaques that tell the short story of people of the area that have passed away. You can blow up the one plaque I captured on the camera on one man ... he was a nationalist and was involved in community affairs. A boat we've noticed throughout our trip is also shown in one of the pictures below. It looked a bit out of proportion and I now know that the couple liked the boat so much they put a 30 foot plug into the boat to extend it. The last two pictures show Apolonia from the restaurant we had lunch today and a very nice Defever coming into its slip at Harbor View. My lunch was meat loaf and mashed potatoes with corn on the cob. The best meat loaf I've had except for the meat loaf Carey makes. The marinas are filling up in front of a nasty cold front en route our area. We went to Snappas for their Friday happy hour and food. We enjoyed visiting with new friends and even made some more tonight. We're now back aboard relaxing and sipping a glass of wine. | ||
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| March 2, 2013 | Harbor View Marina, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| We listened early to a dire forecast of several fronts traveling through the area this week. We expect high winds Sunday and Monday then after a quiet Tuesday more high winds Wednesday and Thursday. We cleaned up and took a taxi to the airport to await the arrival of Dick and Anita Elmore, friends that will visit onboard for a week. We arrived early and had a beer at the local airport bar ... note the wall of dollar bills and other paper money pasted as wall paper. After their arrival we got them settled and walked to Curly Tails restaurant for drinks. As you see, they were ready for their first drink. The wind was up and it was raining but we comfortably made it back to the boat after drinks and later walked the short distance to Mangoes Restaurant for dinner. We all had a great meal. We're back onboard settling down for the evening. Tomorrow we'll be up to see the area. I think we'll stay here until Tuesday then move the boat to Elbow Cay to tour Hope Town and Seascape Resort. | ||
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| March 3, 2013 | Harbor View Marina, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| We awoke to 25 knots of wind and choppy seas in the harbor. We enjoyed the coffee and fixed a big breakfast of bacon and eggs. We made plans to relax today, take an auto car tour of Abaco (to include Pete's Pub) on Monday and start the boat trip on Tuesday when the winds go down. After breakfast, some reading, and then lunch we joined a gang who were playing bocci ball. These people were the ones we have enjoyed during our stay in Marsh Harbor. We decided to watch instead of join the tournament but had a great time. At the end of the afternoon we moved to Snappas and enjoyed their Happy Hour. We're now onboard and Carey is fixing us a spaghetti dinner. | ||
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| March 4, 2013 | Harbor View, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| Up today to celebrate Anita's birthday. We rented a car and drove to Abaco Beach Resort for breakfast. We then toured the town by car and headed for Cherokee Sound and Pete's Pub, both on the south end of Abaco Cay. Cherokee Sound is a small fishing village with clean neat cement streets and tidy homes. The streets were just wide enough for one car. The two room school house had "public bathrooms" just outside of it. We then headed for Pete's Pub where we enjoyed walking on the Ocean, drinking and eating a bit and touring the store that sold bronze statues. These statues are made by the same family as the person who started Pete's Pub. There are artist in the family and a foundry on site. The bronze statue of a turtle, shown below, is on sale in the store for $1,700. Not cheap. Once back at the marina we decided to go to Wally's restaurant to complete the celebration of Anita's birthday. We enjoyed it and the restaurant brought out a fancy dessert with one candle to top off the meal. We're now on board, getting ready for a boat trip to Nippers and then Elbow Cay tomorrow. | ||
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| March 5, 2013 | Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| This morning the wind was less than 5 knots and we were ready to get on the water. At 10 am we headed out to Guana Cay realizing Hope Town would probably be crowded. A few VHF calls while underway indicated mooring buoys were available so we turned east and headed for Hope Town mooring on a buoy by 11:30 am. Hope Town harbor is a small but beautiful harbor that has room for about 50 boats on mooring buoys, all very close together. We walked the town for a while and then rented a golf cart for a tour to Tahiti Beach and areas south of Hope Town. At Tahiti Beach we walked the beach, then headed for Seascape resort for a drink. We heard of a new resort and restaurant called Fire Fly. We headed there. It is beautiful. Directly on the Sea of Abaco with a beautiful view of the area's sunsets. After sampling their bar we headed back to Hope Town. We found "Carey Lane" and had beautiful views of the Harbor, full of boats. We turned in the golf cart and returned to the boat on the buoy where Carey fixed a great meal including shrimp, baked byre, and scallops wrapped in bacon. We're expecting high winds for the next two days so probably will remain here for at least that long. | ||
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| March 6, 2013 | Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| We expected 30 knots of wind when we woke up. Luckily the weatherman was wrong. While a bit windy it was no where near 30 knots. We relaxed, ate a big breakfast as Carey made French Toast from Coconut bread she purchased at a local bakery the other day. After relaxing most of the day we headed into Hope Town at 3:30 pm. We walked around the town, had a cocktail at the local hotel and resort, then joined several couples we met earlier in the week and headed for Abaco Inn for dinner. A 12 person golf cart ... wished we had a picture ... took us to the Inn. Our first task was to watch the sun set at the Inn, then we had dinner. You can see from the expressions on Anita and Dick's face we enjoyed the meal. We're now back aboard and getting ready for bed. We'll stay another day here and head to Guana Cay on Friday. We'll see what happens tomorrow, but we do have plans to join our new friends on their sailboat for cocktails. | ||
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| March 7, 2013 | Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| Up for breakfast by Dick Elmore ... eggs, bacon, ham, and bagels ... great food. Yesterday the dinghy pull cord ... to start the engine ... started shredding. We used the morning cruisers net to find a repair facility and had a new pull cord installed on the dinghy motor by 1 pm. Dick and I had dropped Carey and Anita off in Hope Town prior to taking the dinghy for repair. They went shopping. After the repair was complete Dick and I met Anita and Carey at a local restaurant. We saw a boat graveyard and an old "garbage" looking sailboat at a mooring on the way back from the repair yard. Someone was living on the garbage boat. As we toured the harbor we also saw a beautiful wooden sailboat in a slip. Once we met the girls, Carey noted that the female restrooms were really well appointed and clean. Dick was quick to check out the men's room and only found a urinal. After lunch at the Harbor's Edge restaurant we picked up the repaired dinghy at the dinghy dock and took a picture of a very large catamaran on the way back to the boat. Aboard tonight, Carey fixed a Mexican dinner for us to enjoy. We're relaxing now, getting ready to head to Guana Cay and Nippers tomorrow morning. | ||
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| March 8, 2013 | Orchid Bay Marina, Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| Up at 7:30 am and underway at 8 am for a 12 mile trip to Guana Cay. We wanted to have lunch at Nippers. We arrived at 10 am and relaxed until lunch time. We walked to Nippers, on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. We passed an old decorated tractor ... it's been here for years. Later we stopped by Grabbers on the Sea of Abaco and had a drink, then returned to the boat for the late afternoon ... a few naps were in order. We had dinner at the Orchid Bay restaurant. A great meal. Hibiscus flowers on the table and fabulous food. During the afternoon Carey bought and held up the T-shirt she bought for Oliver, our grandson. | ||
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| March 9, 2013 |
Harbor View Marina, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas |
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Up at 8 am we had a quick breakfast then headed to Marsh Harbor. We wanted to get in before the winds came up and also make reservations for Steak Night at the Jib Room ... a weekly treat that included a great steak dinner and dancing followed by a limbo show that is amazing. We got underway at 10 am and tied up a little after 11 am. Lunch was at Curly Tails so Dick could have his lobster and mac and cheese appetizer. Sorry Dick ... but that appetizer is only available during happy hour. We still had a good meal ... pizza! Later that day we had a happy hour on the Harbor View Dock with a group of friends. For dinner we went to the Jib Room for their Steak Night. Dick and Anita, Rob and Kathy, and Carey and I all were up for the event and had a great time. The highlight of the evening was a limbo dance by Anthony who really goes low on limbo. Just see the picture below. We're home on the boat now and getting ready for Dick and Anita to fly back to the states. We're probably going to go cruising with Rob and Kathy this week, but plans include attending the concert of the "Barefoot Man" this weekend at Guana then heading towards Virginia. |
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| March 10, 2013 |
Harbor View, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas |
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We were up early to have breakfast and see Dick and Anita off to the airport and their flight to the states. We had a good visit with them and hopefully they enjoyed their first stop in the Bahamas. We relaxed aboard, took no pictures, and worked on our plans to transit back to Virginia. |
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| March 11, 2013 |
Harbor View, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas |
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Nice morning for coffee and relaxing on back deck. Low winds and beautiful sun getting ready for a 70 degree day. Carey later did some laundry and I think I did some work, but really enjoyed the book I was reading. For lunch we joined friends from the marina at Mangoes for a great lunch. All of the people you see here are planning their crossing back to Florida and trip north. While the weather is somewhat unsettled we're trying for a crossing this Sunday and will be watching all the weather forecasters to see if that is possible. Carey and I will leave Marsh Harbor Wednesday morning to anchor out near Elbow Cay until Friday then go to Guana for the "Barefoot Man" music concert at Nippers before trying to get to Florida. |
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| March 12, 2013 |
Harbor View, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas |
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Another sunny low wind day in Marsh Harbor. Boy are we loving it. The Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club held a beach party at Boat Harbor, better known as the Abaco Beach Resort. We were invited by members and for $20 per person enjoyed an open bar for 4 hours and dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs, plus all the sides. Charlie and Mary Beth, shown below got the tickets for us. The open bar was amazing with Margaritas, wine, beer, and a full hard liquor bar. We didn't crawl home at 7 pm but it was close. We are up for a high wind front tomorrow morning that will dissipate by Friday then good weather to get through Whale Cay passage on Saturday morning and hopefully a good run to Florida Sunday and Monday. Right now the Whale Cay passage is in what is known as a rage ... seas over 9 feet from the Ocean coming in the narrow passage to the Sea of Abaco that requires staying on a very tight track in very strong heavy seas. A sixty foot boat tried going through the passage and had to turn around ... too rough. We hope the forecast is good giving us a nice trip to Florida starting Saturday morning. |
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| March 13, 2013
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Harbor View Marina, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas |
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Easy day again as we awoke to cloudy skies and rain. Carey did some laundry, we read and visited with slip mates all day. We're studied the weather reports and planned our escape to Guana Cay and the Barefoot Man Music concert on Friday and a fast trip to Florida this weekend. |
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| March 14, 2013 |
Harbor View, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas |
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Getting ready for the trip to Florida, Carey did the laundry and I checked the boat. I helped Rob on Scot Free try to fix a broken VHF radio. We all checked the weather for the area between here and Florida. There are three boats, Scot Free, Lady Margaret, and Apolonia that will be trying to get to Florida this weekend. There is a window that will allow us to get there but it is tenuous. We'll see how it goes. In preparation we had cocktails this afternoon with boaters we've met over the last weeks. Tomorrow we head out to Guana and the Barefoot Man concert, then make the Whale Cay passage Saturday morning, |
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| March 15, 2013 |
Orchid Bay Marina, Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas |
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This morning the wind was blowing 20 knots but we were convinced we only had one shot at the trip to Florida this week. We got underway from Marsh Harbor with the help of a friends and headed toward Guana. Tomorrow morning we will try going thru the Whale Passage. For this afternoon we stopped at Orchid Bay marina -- the whale passage could not be made today -- had lunch then walked to Nippers on the Ocean front for the Barefoot Man music concert. The concert was heavily attended as you can see. Everyone was laughing, signing, and having a great time. We joined in. This is the place all of us 60 year olds enjoy having fun and acting like we were a few years younger. You also see the Barefoot man with his guitar. Later we went back to Orchid Bay where two guys were cleaning conch and we ate the dinner meal on the restaurant's deck overlooking the Sea of Abaco. |
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