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4-10-2014, Thursday: Lazy morning.  Rained off and on during the day.   We got a pump-out this morning.  It is probably the best kept secret in the Abaco and we didn’t find out about it until we got here.  It is the only pump-out in the Abaco that we know of.  Took a walk over to the Lighthouse Liquor store to replenish our wine and rum supply.

4-10-2014: Painted our new anchor so we can see it better in the clear water.

4-10-2014: They have short fingers here so we have room for the dinghy.  The CO would rather have a longer finger.

4-11 through 4-13-2014, Friday through Sunday:

Friday:  Happy Birthday Don!

More lazy days with intermittent sun and rain.  We took the shuttle over to Hope Town Settlement and did some shopping around and picked up a few groceries.  This will probably be the last place to buy groceries until we get back to the US. 

Michael, the Shuttle Boat driver and all around dock hand, told us about a local fisherman.   Friday afternoon the local fisherman came into the marina with his catch for the day.  He fishes for all the local restaurants in the area but he let us buy a fillet of Mahi Mahi.  When we cut it up it made 5 meals for the two of us.  Can hardly wait to try it.

Our friends from “Wind Warrior 1” got here Thursday with their company from Nova Scotia.  We got together for drinks on our boat Friday evening and had a very enjoyable visit.

On Saturday it really stormed hard from 14:00 to 17:00 with very high winds at least 25 knots with higher gusts.  Then it stopped raining and the winds calmed down to almost their norm. This was the worst storm we have had since we have been in the Bahamas.

Sunday we woke up to the sun and winds a little stronger than normal. The weather forecast doesn’t look good for the next week. There does look like a little break on Monday and Tuesday with thunder storms only predicted for part of the days so we are going to try and boat over to Treasure Cay.

CO comments: I told Michael that I was going to apply for his job driving the shuttle.  He said fine, go ahead, but you will be on the night shift because I am not giving up my day shift and I have seniority.  He is a good guy and likes to kid around.  All the locals here are very nice and helpful.

4-12-2014:  Hope Town Inn and Marina.

4-12-2014:  Marina slips with Lighthouse in background.

4-12-2014:  Hope Town Inn and Marina main dock.

4-12-2014:  Hope Town Inn and Marina main pool with waterside bar.

4-12-2014:  Hope Town Inn and Marina Bar, Restaurant, and play area.

4-12-2014:  Hope Town Inn and Marina second pool and hot tub located in back of the resort.

4-12-2014:  Michael driving the shuttle that takes us from the marina to the other side of the harbour to Hope Town Settlement.

4-12-2014:  Resident kitty napping in the bird bath.

4-12-2014:  Storm coming in.

4-13:014: CO really knows how to relax.

4-13-2013: When you have a problem on your mast, you have to fix it, even in 20 knot winds.

4-13-2014: Our friends from Ontario are here and plan on staying for 6 months.

4-6-2014, Sunday:  Another beautiful day in the Bahamas; 80 degrees, sunny, and a little breeze.  Took the dinghy out again today; went to the north end of Elbow Cay this time.  In order to get on shore we had to go a…

Date: 4-4-2014, Friday:
Took the free fairy across the harbor to Hope Town Settlement and checked out all the sights. Had lunch at Captain Jack’s and came back to the boat and went to the pool and sat with Keith and Jo from Dream Weaver. Had fresh Stone Crab for dinner. We bought them from a local guy over at Marsh Harbour Marina. They were very good but we really had to work hard to get at the meat as the shells were very hard.

4-4-2014: Sun Rise at Hope Town Inn and Marina

4-4-2014: Channel coming into Hope Town Harbour

4-4-2014: Walking the concrete streets in Hope Town Settlement.

4-4-2014: Waiting at Hope Town beach for Vernon’s Grocery Store to open.  Both grocery stores here close daily from 13:00 to 14:00

Date: 4-5-2014, Saturday:
Took the dinghy out and explored Elbow Cay some this morning and early afternoon. Went down to White Sound and to Tahiti Beach. Walked the beach, got a few shells, and came back to the marina and had a late lunch at the pool. Fixed lobster for dinner.

4-5-2014: Beached, old, derelict, boat.

4-5-2014: Tahiti Beach on south end of Elbow Cay

4-5-2014: Captain Jack’s Bar and Restaurant



Wrecks abounded throughout the Bahamas in the early 19th century and concerned shipping interests implored the British Imperial Lighthouse Service in London, to increase navigation aids in their colonies.

The Elbow Cay lighthouse is probably the most recognizable landmark on Abaco.  The 89 foot high candy-striped edifice was built in 1863 and is one of two hand-wound kerosene-burning lighthouses still operating in the world.  The Lighthouse has been maintained by the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society since 1973; Bahamas Independence from Great Britain.

The smooth sweep of the turning lens with it’s five swords of light cutting the darkness over the sea, while light constantly glows between those beams, is known as the “soul” of a lighthouse. 

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Barge unloading supplies for the week.

4-3-2014:  My sister flew out of Marsh  Harbour airport yesterday afternoon and landed safely in Minneapolis last night.  After 12 days at Jib Room, Marsh Harbour Marina, we left about 10:30 this morning.   …

Wednesday through Monday:  We are still at Jib Room and will be for a few more days. Not much happening to write about. The weather hasn’t been the best, but still warm and windy. On one of our walks here at Marsh Harbour we found some more conch shell that had been harvested already. They were pretty nice shells so we kept them. I think Sharon has all the shells she wants now. The marina owner found a centipede; big, ugly, and poisonous. It was put under cover in a jar to calm it down. It was gone today when I went to take a picture, don’t know what they did with it.

We went to Wednesday Rib night and to Saturday Steak night. Steak was just as good the second time around. After dinner they had entertainment again. This time the limbo guy lit his pole on fire and went under it at about 18 to 20 inches above the ground, lighting his cigarette on his way under the flaming stick; awesome.

The other day we biked into town and did some souvenir shopping. We found some very nice shops. We went to the liquor store looking for Vanilla and Cinnamon Rums for our friend. So far, no one in the Bahamas has heard of such a rum so I settled for Banana Rum.  Since Saturday we have been biking daily.  Lots of hills and good exercise. Yesterday afternoon and evening we had an enjoyable time at the pool with our Canadian friends, Jan and Ron, from the Gulf Star nest to us.  This afternoon we enjoyed a game of Mexican Train with 2 other boaters.  Apparently it is a popular game in the Bahamas; Sharon won.

CO’s comments: No what the XO says, the weather has been great.  No excessive winds, just the normal for the Bahamas.  I need to get moving; I have been here too long.  Just as I was starting to like sail boaters, on Saturday during dinner we met one that was a complete horses butt.  There is always that 10 percent that spoils it.

1st Mate’s comments: Learned to play a new instrument Saturday night: the handsaw, played with a screwdriver. It was fun accompanying the local music. Counting down my days left here in the Bahamas. I’ll be leaving this beautiful weather and going back to the frozen north on April 2. Thank you Keith and Bobbie for inviting me on this wonderful vacation and for putting up with me for this past month.

3-26-2014:  Port and Starboard dark green canvas ladder covers are finished and looking good.

3-26-2014: Keith’s Conch shell with a Hermit Crab in it.

3-28-2014: Going through all the shells collected, cleaning them up and getting them ready to leave.

3-30-2014: Biking into town.

3-30-2014: Our dock at Marsh Harbour Marina.

3-30-2014: Marsh Harbour Marina; pool.

3-30-2014: XO working on blog.

3-30-2014:  Gulf Star sail boat next to us.  Beautiful hull made by the same company as our Gulf Star.

3-30-2014:  Boats moored in Marsh Harbour.

3-30-2014:  Sun Set at Marsh Harbour.

We are still at Jib Room, Marsh Harbour Marina. We had beautiful weather except for one day. We had a huge storm on Tuesday, the 25^th. Very strong winds, and rain.  Even though we knew there was a big storm coming, Dream Chaser left anyway.  I got an email from them and they made it through the Whale; said it was a bit rough but they are safe at a Marina in Black Sound. We ran into Mike from Casey Dee who is also staying here. Since it was a rainy day it was a good day to wash clothes. Cheaper here than at Bluff House Marina; it only cost $16.00 for two loads instead of the $30.00 we paid at Bluff House.

We had our first conch burger the other day at Curly Tails in Marsh Harbor and it was just alright. They looked a lot better at the restaurant at Man-O-War. At least we can say we tried one. I liked the Conch dinners much better. We saw a man cutting conch out of their shell and making Conch Salad. After seeing him do this, my sister decided she would never eat conch again. Nightly, about sun down, the conch horns come out. We can hear them across the harbor and then our side returns the call. My sister Sharon is getting real good at it.  The other night it kept up about ½ hour.

Internet in the Bahamas leaves a lot to be desired. You have to go down to the Jib Room to get a good signal. We decided to buy a month service from Bahamas WiMAX; so far it has been just OK. Also, we have been trying to buy a telephone from Bahamas Telephone and haven’t had any luck as yet. They are kind of like the Post Office and don’t work regular hours.
　

CO’s comments:  I have been meeting quite a few sail boaters on this trip and, you know, they are not so bad after all.

1st Mate’s comments: I’m having a blast blowing my conch horn each day at sunset. It gets better each day. By the time I get home, I should be an expert!

3-22-2014:  Sun Set at Marsh Harbour Marina

3-24-2014: This is the conch freshly removed from it’s shell

3-25-2014:  Answering the conch call from across the harbor.

Had a lazy day and got going about 09:30 and got to Marsh Harbour Marina by 11:20. It was a beautiful, sunny day; about 85 degrees. We got settled in and went for a walk to see what is around the marina. Got here just in time for Saturday Steak Night. We have heard it is very good and they were right; a very tasty steak with all the fixins. After dinner there was music by the locals. Very entertaining. They also did the limbo and this one local got amazingly low on the limbo bar. It was another wonderful evening.

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CO’s comments: The men’s room has one of the largest, porcelain, urinals I’ve seen.  This is a real man’s country.

3-22-2014: The Sea of Abaco on the way to Marsh Harbour.

3-22-2014: Marsh Harbour Marina; The Jib Room.

3-22-20214: Beautiful garden we saw on our walk.

3-22-2014:  We see these flowers on all the Cays, pretty.

3-22-2014: After steak night there was local entertainment.  This guy played the hand saw.

3-22-2014: Unbelievable how low he got on the limbo bar.

3-20-2014, Thursday:  Another beautiful day in the Bahamas.  Went 13 + miles to Man-O-War Cay and picked up a mooring ball for the first time since 2010.  It took a while, but after some help from Sharon, we finally got it hooked.  Very tight spaces for the moorings but we all swing the same direction so it was OK.  We ran into Steve, Mary, and their son from Dream Chaser who are also here for a few days.  We took the dinghy into the little town of Man-O-War and did some shopping and looking around.  We walked up to the Post Office to try and get some stamps for Post Cards and she wasn’t open.  This is the second place we tried to get stamps at a Post Office in the Bahamas and the person wasn’t there.  We were told in both places that they have regular hours but pretty much only show up when they want to.  So, we will try again tomorrow.

3-20-2014:  Man-O-War Cay, clear water, can see bottom at 30 feet deep; well, maybe not quite that deep.

3-20-2014:  Man-O-War mooring field

3-20-2014:  Supply boat dropping off supplies for the town

3-21-2014, Friday:  Stayed a second day.  Took our time and had lunch before taking the dinghy back into town.  We walked up to the Post Office and she wasn’t there again.  As we were leaving, a voice came from a home across the street and it was the lady who ran the Post Office.  She said she would be at work from 14:00 to 16:00 so we said we would be back later.  We walked to the beach to check it out, the ocean was beautiful.  We walked it for about an hour and didn’t find any shells.  By this time it was after 14:00 so we went back to the Post Office and we finally got some stamps.  She was very helpful and explained why Conch Shells were on some beaches and not on others and she also told us how they cut the conch out of the shells.  It was very interesting.  From there we went back to the shopping district.  Keith got a very cool conch shell that had this huge Hermit Crab in it; dead, of course.  Sharon and I each got a conch horn.  Sharon was better at blowing the horn than I was.  It is harder than it looks.  This evening we went back into town and had dinner at the Dine and Dock restaurant at the marina; very good meal.

3-21-2014:  Sewing canvas covers for our ladders, thank you Sharon.

3-21-2014:  Yacht coming into Man-O-War Marina

3-21-2014:  Posted notice on the First Caribbean National Bank.  Do you think a bank in the US could get away with this?

3-21-2014:  Walking down to Man-O-War beach

3-21-2014:  Sharon walking the Atlantic ocean at Man-O-War beach.

3-21-2014:  Keith patiently waiting at the Beach, Man-O-War

3-21-2014: Lignum Vitae; National Tree of the Bahamas

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CO’s comments:  On all the inhabited Cays that we have been on, the transportation has been by golf carts.  A big America car would not fit on their roads.  Excellent meal last night; Mahi Mahi.

1st Mate’s comments: Really enjoyed our lessons on the Conch shells from both the Post Office lady and the man who sold us the horns.

We checked all the weather web-sites, Barometer Bob in particular, and it was a go for the Whale. The reports were swells from 3 to 5 feet in the Atlantic going around Whale Cay and from what we have heard, that is pretty common. We were on our way by 08:30 and made it around the Whale by 09:50. We encountered several swells in the 5 foot range and there were at least 2 swells that were 6 foot plus. We were rocked some but it was manageable. We found a nice little anchorage in Baker’s Bay just off of Great Guana Cay. 

We put the dinghy back in the water and went ashore on a little island to try some shelling again. We hit the jackpot. They were not big shells, but very nice little ones and lots of them. We had a good time. I have to thank the CO as he has been very patient with us in our search for shells.

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CO’s comments: Another beautiful day in the Bahamas; I think I’m going to stay.

1st Mate’s comments: Going around Whale Cay was very interesting. From our anchorage, we can see Whale Cay and the waves. Doesn’t seem possible that the waters can be so violent and then be so calm a short ways away in the protection of a Cay.

3-19-2014: Sun rise at Bluff House Marina

3-19-2014: Leaving Green Turtle Cay

3-19-2014: Whale Cay with the huge waves splashing on the Atlantic side

3-19-2014: Video of the waves hitting the Whale

3-19-2014: Kim Jo IV at anchorage by Great Guana Cay

3-19-2014: Sun set at Baker’s Bay anchorage

3-19-2014:  Yacht leaving Baker’s Bay Marina