April 7, 2017 - April 12, 2017
One morning we did the touristy thing of visiting the light house. I’m glad we did because the views from the top were incredible. The story of the light house is that it was built by the British, but the progress was constantly slowed by sabotage. It seems that the settlers on the island had turned to being “wreckers” (those who plunder ships that have wrecked on the rocks) as their original plan to be farmers wasn’t working out too well in the thin sandy soil of the island. Once the light house was completed their livelihood would be ruined.
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| This light house still sends its beacon out to the Atlantic Ocean to warn mariners of the dangerous reefs. |
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| Yes, we climbed all 101 steps, even in our aged condition. |
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| This is the channel we had to get through in order to get into the harbour. All of the light colored areas are sand bars and some of the darker colors are rocks. Now you see why we have to pay such close attention to tides. |
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| These houses line the water as the channel opens up into the harbour. That's the ocean you see in the background. |
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| Hope Town Harbour is not very large, as you can see, but very well protected from winds from any direction. That's s/v Rainy Days in the back of the second row of boats from the left. |
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| Hope Town Marina is the largest in the harbour and has 50 berths. |
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| You can see how small this settlement of 458 residents is. That is the ocean on the far side of the isthmus. |
I’m glad I could take these photographs because I think the “birds eye view” gives you a better idea of the areas we are visiting. These small cays are part of the limestone plateau that juts up into the ocean about 60 miles off the coast of Florida just east of the gulf stream. Each community is unique and fascinating in its heritage, culture, and appeal.
Every morning while in Hope Town we listen to the Cruiser’s net which is a radio broadcast by cruisers that gives weather, events, restaurant, etc. information for the cruising community. At the end of the announcements cruisers can call in with questions and messages. Birthdays are celebrated with mike clicks.
One morning we visited the Wyannie Malone Museum. Wyannie was the first settler in Hope Town. She was a widow who brought her two sons, son-in-law, and daughter to the island to escape the persecution of loyalists back in the Carolinas. It was an excellent display of historical artifacts and historical information.
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| This room was set up to represent a bedroom in a historic house in Hope Town. |
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| These bathing costumes were hanging on the line in a room adjacent to the bedroom. |
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| One room in the museum was dedicated to a display of model boats representing the types of boats that were built in the Abacos. Boats are still being made in Man-O-War Cay and models are built on several islands. |
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| Shells are a plentiful commodity on the islands. This art work shows a creative use of shells. |
Thank you for reading my blog post.
