Northern Abacos

Our days spent in the northern Abacos were pretty spectacular! We had to balance a desire to check it all out with our desire to take advantage of a weather window back to the U.S. that seemed to be opening up in about a week. 

With those constraints we anchored at Man-O-War Cay for a few hours of exploring and lunch. This is a community that is still rebuilding, but we loved the shipbuilding history and small-town feel. There was a great grocery store and we snagged a fantastic lunch at the convenience store with fellow cruisers on S/V Samba. That was a real treat as we had met them many months prior at the free docks in Great Bridge, VA and it was great catching up with them and discussing future plans.

A nice walk around town with a visit to Albury Boatbuilders and a nice send-off from Samba!

That same day we hit Great Guana Cay to check out the famous Nipper's and Grabber's bars. On it's own, that whole experience was just ok (and holding was sketchy where we were), but since we got to hang out with our friends off of S/V Yemaya for the afternoon it was pretty fun! We probably need to give Great Guana some more time on a future visit, but we just anchored for the night, had our Nipper's/Grabber's experience, and saw the crew of S/V La Vagabonde (THAT La Vagabonde for all you YouTube fans) have a VERY close call with a cargo barge while they were anchored before continuing on.

Nice beaches and bars...I can see how this would be fun with a crowd!

We had a lazy, easy sail west through the Whale Cay Passage and anchored off of Green Turtle Cay at Joyless Point. I don't get the name as it was a wonderful anchorage! We dropped the hook and headed into Black Sound look around and walk around Plymouth Settlement. We stumbled upon fresh baguettes, loyalist history, and tons of places to eat in this cute, colorful village. We returned via dinghy to try out happy hour at Pineapple's (and dip our feet in the pool) before heading to the really nice dinghy dock in New Plymouth to tie up for some dinner. We once again got to hang out with the crew of S/V Yemaya before spending the evening at the local park, playing basketball and swinging with the local kids. It was much fun! And there is a bar serving up great Goombay Smashes right next to the park so the Skipper was happy, too! The kids we super talkative and nice and we had a really great time. This whole place just felt "right" and I think this is the vibe we were hoping for in the Abacos...I may have even looked at properties for sale there! The next day the adults returned to town for a morning walk, breakfast sandwiches, and coconut bread before we all went to the Green Turtle Club to check out of the Bahamas at Customs and Immigration. We would still have a few days to explore, but it was a little tough checking out knowing that it will likely be years before we return and even then it will likely be without the kids. This is a tough pill to swallow!

We loved walking around New Plymouth!

This town has plenty of places to hang out, but our favorite may be the town park!

With check-out complete we pulled the hook and hopped over to Manjack (a.k.a. Nunjack) Cay. This was a sweet little spot and while it was too rough for our taste for snorkeling on the outer reefs, we did have a great cruise among the mangroves and harvested a few conch for dinner.

Easy conching on Manjack Cay.

Next stop was Powell Cay, where we planned to stay for a strong front that was forecast to come through. We got there with plenty of time to walk the trails and beach and we collected a big haul of plastic. I love that Fishing for Plastic has a collection point here! We had a great day of service and made it back to the boat before the weather turned. This is another spot where we could probably spend a bit more time...

Lots of trails and beautiful beaches, and a great place for dropping off collected plastics!

After two nights at Powell we had a brisk sail to Great Sale Cay. Winds were 5-10kts above forecast and we definitely did not need the motor! The anchorage was even sporty once we got there and we almost ran over a sunk casuarina tree! But we got settled and started making preps to cross back to the U.S. After that first night at anchor there conditions calmed down and I was able to give the hull, prop, and rudder once last scrape in clear water. We DESPERATELY need a bottom job, but my efforts should be enough to get us home. I also did a little sewing (with Trent's help!), prepped some food, we rigged jack lines, and we decided to put the dinghy engine on the rail for this transit. Honestly, we are hoping to ride the Gulf Stream all the way up to Charleston and we don't really want to have all that heavy load on the arch for it, so we are trying something new!

A FAST sail got us set up to cross and we had a nice morning for chores.

Annnnddd...change of plans! We were going to leave Monday morning but we just got a weather update and have decided to leave this evening so that we can have more time to just sail and make Charleston ahead of a front later this week. Bon voyage!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Marsh Harbour and Elbow Cay...and a reunion (or two)!

With a few days of strong winds in the forecast, we had a decision to make! We had friends coming to Lubbers Quarters, friends in Hope Town on Elbow Cay, and several anchoring options. Hope Town would require us to time entry/exit on high tide and we didn't want to be trapped. But then a fellow cruising family offered us a mooring at Man-O-War Cay so we decided to try that very skinny, shallow entry out! The ball ended up not working out so we decided to head for Marsh Harbour--we trust our ground tackle and anchoring there would allow us to get some provisions even in bad weather. We were pleased to find plenty of room and ample depth there! 

Along the water in Marsh Harbour. The anchorage was clear though.

Marsh Harbour definitely still showed scars from Dorian. Several beached boats and piles of rubble line the coast, but many businesses are back up and running, too. Maxwell's Grocery Store was a shock to the senses with it's American-sized building and large selection! Some marinas are back in business, as are some old restaurants (and a few new ones!). We didn't need to stray far from the public dock to find what we needed--great conch salad at Fatty's and great happy hour specials at Colors! We made water, did laundry, provisioned...and then we got a little adventurous!

So much selection at the grocer! And boy, did we east well!

With our anchor holding well went ashore in 20+ knot winds, double-tied the dinghy to the dock, walked 25 minutes to the ferry port, and had a surprisingly comfortable ride on the local ferry over to Hope Town! The ferry dropped us right at the lighthouse upon request--this was on my "list" for while we were here and I'm glad we got to walk up to the top and enjoy the view and the classic construction of this historic lighthouse! Learn all about it at Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society. Our friend Ian from back in my Navy days generously ferried us from the lighthouse to town so we could explore a bit before joining him and his wife, Caroline, for lunch at Cap'n Jack's. We really enjoyed wandering around this quaint village and seeing our friends! It was a great "side trip" from our anchorage and the ferry service was great!

A wonderful day full of history and good friends!

When the wind started to subside we headed back to Tilloo Cay for a few nights so that we could visit our friends Ladleah and Shane at Lubbers Quarters. We have enjoyed their hospitality in Maine and passed a great afternoon here in the Bahamas with them and their friends Keryn and Mike. I'm so glad the weather and our schedules lined up!

I love these peeps! Can't wait until our next "MMA reunion!"

We are starting to see a window to slip back to the U.S. on the horizon. We don't want to rush out of here, but we don't want to be rushed this summer, either. It's a balance!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Hello, Abacos!

After two seasons of trying to get to the Abacos but having to wave off due to COVID, we have FINALLY made it! We departed Spanish Wells via Ridley Channel and had a full day of somewhat rolly sailing through Little Harbour Cut in the Abacos. Frank reeled in a mahi mahi along the way (and another got away with one of our favorite lures) and we settled in for a peaceful evening off of Lynyard Cay. We had arrived in the Abacos! Lynyard Cay provided a nice spot to wait out some really stormy weather and we enjoyed a little beach right near where we were anchored. 

Good (albeit rolly) sailing and GREAT fishing! We ate well!

Once the lightning and storms cleared, we had this sweet beach to ourselves.

Once the weather chilled out we took a little day trip down to Little Harbour. While you can get moorings in the harbour, we didn't want to be slaves to the tide and weren't planning to stay too long. I really wanted to check out Pete's Pub and Gallery, the local art gallery and foundry that used the lost wax process to cast bronze sculptures. As we entered the harbour we were utterly shocked at how busy it was! It was about a week before Easter and a weekend so we guess that we might have hit a spring break crowd, but it was a shock to the system after all of the peace and quiet we've had. So many boats, so many people, and so much music blasting from empty boats. We did manage to get past the chaos and visit the gallery (the work is exquisite!), braved the crowd for a rum drink, and hiked out to the lighthouse ruins. I'm glad we went, but hope to return when it's a little less wild.

Pete's! And we celebrated 13 years aboard Lehe Paine that day!

From there we made our way up the southern Abacos, stopping off of Channel Cay (We Did Not Set the Hook) and the north end of Tilloo Cay. This is where we first really started to see some of the damage that remains from Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Having never visited the Abaocos pre-Dorian it's tough to really say how recovery is going compared to what it was like before, but we see old ruins alongside new construction, visitors zipping around in boats, and even the local floating bar is serving at Tahiti Beach. Recovery seems to be well underway. More to come as we continue north!

First real glimpse of Dorian damage on Tilloo Cay

Hanging at the Thirsty Cuda on Tahiti Beach

~Jo, 1st Mate