Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco - Hope Town, Elbow Cay

January 20, 2018 - January 25, 2018

Our last two days in Marsh Harbour were spent doing chores, provisioning, and watching NFL playoffs.  On Sunday morning we also attended a cover dish brunch in the Jib Room.  Meeting new people who share our lifestyle is one of the best rewards of cruising. 

This is what $200 buys at Maxwell' in Marsh Harbour.
They will last us about a week.

I made havarti and ham rollups to share at the brunch.  This was a new recipe and with the lack of temperature control in
 the oven I’m always nervous about the outcome.
They were very tasty.

After going into the Marsh Harbour BTC office to solve an issue with our cell phone digital service we left Marsh Harbour Marina heading for Hope Town on Elbow Cay.  Being back on the beautiful water of the sea of Abaco was wonderful.  Hope Town was an easy motoring trip of about one and a half hours.  We snagged a mooring belonging to Lucky Strike and took the dinghy into town to get a coffee at Abacos only micro roaster.  Unfortunately, it was closed, but I looked through a few shops and we stopped at Captain jacks for iced tea and a snack.  It’s great to return to a spot we liked so much last year with it’s historic light house and colorful houses. 

The lighthouse rises above the entrance to the harbour,
 and is the only oil burning lighthouse left in the world.

Hope town is full of ice cream color houses.

The weather was perfect on Tuesday for spending some time in the sun.  We had lunch at the Reef Bar and Grill at the Hope Town Lodge and spent most of the afternoon lounging at the pool (the pool water was a little too cold for swimming) and using the WiFi.  Thank goodness I’m starting to get a little of my tan back. 

We finally got to the coffee house when it was open.

Besides great coffee the shop is filled
with outstanding local art work.

 Wednesday morning was hot and humid with rain clouds on the horizon.  We took the dinghy into town and walked across the cay to the north beach on the ocean side to view the sailboat that had run aground there a couple of weeks before.  Men were using a backhoe to tilt the boat toward the ocean in hopes that the tide would help them to move it off shore. No one was injured in this grounding, but the boat had a crack right down the middle that could not be repaired.  The boat will be broken up and sunk off the farthest reef to the delight of the fish there.

Seeing a wrecked boat always makes me sad
for the owners loss.

The rest of the week was partially cloudy (sometimes more cloudy than not) with high winds (20-30 mph) which made it impossible to move out of Hope Town Harbour, go snorkeling, or swimming.  We entertained ourselves with eating lunch out, visiting the coffee shop, and looking through the shops in town.

We will be here for the rest of the weekend at least.

My next blog will relate the next phase of our adventure wherever it may lead.

Thank you for reading blog.

Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco

January 15, 2018 - January 19,2018

We rose early on Monday to meet the naturalist Reggie Patterson for an eco tour of the southern portion of Great Abaco.  The weather was cool but with very few clouds.  During the 30 minute drive to our first stop Reggie shared his family heritage.  He descends from loyalists who came to the island after the Revolutionary War and his wife descends from the original British settlers who came to Eleuthera by way of Bermuda in the early 1700’s.  His shared his vast knowledge of the history of the islands from the first inhabitants, the lucuyan indians, to present day throughout the trip.

Our first stop was to find the parrots that inhabit the area.  We listened for their cackle to locate them.  We made several stops and photographed several sightings.

The parrot's coloring helps it to blend into the foliage.

 Can you find all three parrots in this picture?

Our next stop was to tour some local resident’s gardens and learn about the various native and non-native trees and plants.

Moss is non-native, but clings to many trees in this garden.

This tree bears sopadilla fruit which we were told is very sweet.

Hawaiian sea grapes are an invasive species that can quickly overcome an
area if not vigorously cut back and removed.

I’m always drawn to photographing colorful flowers.

Next we visited a blue hole which is a geological formation most likely created during the last ice age.  This one, Saw Mill Sink hole, is 170 feet deep and 50 feet in diameter.  When professional divers explored its depths they found crocodile and land tortoise skeletons which were carbon dated at 1000 AD.  Fascinating, since neither of those animals live in present day Bahamas. There are also extensive caverns branching off of the blue hole which contain stalactites and stalagmites.

Our guide mentioned that people swim in the blue holes during the summer.

We stopped at a pond to feed some native ducks.  They are unusual in that the males and females have the same markings.

Our guide threw out a cup full of cracked corn setting off a feeding frenzy.

Our final stop was at Gilpin Point Beach.  It was stunning.

These beach decorations were at the end of the path that led to the beach.

A beautiful deserted beach!

Looking in the opposite direction the waves were crashing on the rocks.

Trees that are not salt proof die as the beach is
eroded and produce interesting formations.

Tuesday was spent doing chores -polishing solar panels, cleaning out the fridge, using the water maker, and sweeping the cabin.  After the water maker broke down we decided to take a slip for a few days at Marsh Harbour Marina as the weather was looking pretty grim and it would make it easier to do laundry, get showers, and find the part we needed to repair the water maker.  Miraculously, we found the part we needed at the local boat yard and Bob went about fixing the water maker.  As you know most boat repairs are an all day project and this one didn’t disappoint.  

The Jib Room is the restaurant associated with the marina
and serves lunch Wednesday-Saturday.

Inside is a colorful restaurant with a bar and plenty of tables. 

Mermaid reef, one of my favorite snorkeling spots,
is within walking distance of the marina, but the high winds and cold weather
 prevented me from snorkeling there.

My next blog post will be from Hope Town Harbour if the weather cooperates and lets us leave Marsh Harbour safely.

Thank you for reading my blog  

Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco

January 7, 2018- January 14, 2018

My plane from Florida landed in Marsh Harbour International Airport mid-afternoon on Sunday, January 7, 2018. Calling it an international airport just because it has flights to Florida is a bit of a stretch.  It has security, customs, two gates, a snack bar, and a waiting room. I took a taxi to Union Jack Dock where Bob was waiting for me with the dinghy.  Back on the boat I unpacked and reacclimatized myself to life on board s/v Rainy Days.  It was partly sunny, but Bob informed me that the weather report for the week was for rain the whole week.  Hopefully, the forecast would change.  But it didn’t…it actually got worse as the week progressed. All I can say is at least it wasn’t snow.  

In the beginning of the week we had a few hours of partly cloudy skies that allowed us to get out for lunch and errands, but from Tuesday afternoon on it was pretty much rain all day with a few incidents of lightning, thunder, and high winds.  We got some inside chores done like taking out the stove and cleaning out behind it, sweeping the rugs, and cleaning the bathroom.  We used the water maker one afternoon in the pouring rain and by the time we had the fore tank filled Bob and I both were soaking wet.  Fortunately, it has stayed warm even with the rain.  During these rainy days the dinghy filled up with water and I took advantage of the brief lulls in the rain to bail it out.  

The water was up to my ankles in the dinghy
each time I bailed it out.

Reading and playing word games on my cell phone filled the hours during this rainy week.  I did do some cooking out of desperation for something to do.  A couple of rainy days gives you a chance to relax and take it easy, but this long spell of rain is starting to wear on our nerves. The sun came out on Friday morning and we decided to go out to a local’s restaurant for breakfast and take our cameras for a walk. 

Marsh Harbour has one traffic light at the corner
of Don McKay Blvd. and Queen Elizabeth Dr.
Notice the cars drive on the left. 

The business district of Marsh Harbour consists of a
few strip malls, banks, bakeries, diners,
 and the BTC office (for cell phone service).

All through the Abacos visitors put stickers on various surfaces.
 I found this one on a piling near the public dinghy dock.
It appealed to me because I am one of four crazy sisters.

When we returned to the dinghy dock we
tipped these entrepreneurs who had
offered to watch our dinghy for us
 and helped us shove off.

We headed to Skagg's Fish Market to get some Mahi Mahi for a future dinner.

This fishing boat brings in the fish, lobster, and
stone crab that is available at the market.

Next to the fish market are these boats stored on
the hard (or on land as land dwellers say).

It is not unusual to see derelict boats
around the area,  

Saturday was beautifully sunny all day.  It was such a wonderful reprieve.  We lounged in the sun in the cockpit and took the dinghy into the Jib room for their steak out that occurs every Saturday.  We were able to watch the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons at the bar (yah!) and enjoy a delicious steak dinner.  After dinner we listened to the Bahamian music that was accompanied by two muscians.  One was playing the moroccos and the other was playing a saw with a screw driver.  It’s called rake and scrape and is quite unique. 

I think you will only see this musical
instrument in the Bahamas!

Sunday dawned windy and overcast, no rain but it was chilly.  Searching for something to do we decided to go out to lunch at Snappas and watch the Steelers vs. Jaguars play off game.  I enjoyed a bushwhacker with lunch.

This drink is rum, amarillo, Bailey’s, chocolate, and ice.
 Yum!

Hopefully, my next blog post will report better weather.

Thank you for reading my blog.

West End, Grand Bahama to Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco

December 24, 2017- December 30, 2017

First, I apologize for the delay in publishing this blog as I spent 12/31/17-1/7/18 in Sarasota, FL helping my children's grandmother transition to an assisted living apartment. 

After leaving West End we traveled through the Indian Cay Channel to the Little Bahama Bank headed toward Great Sail Cay.  The water was that beautiful blue green with the bottom visible during the whole trip.  It’s almost mesmerizing looking into the water.  We took our usual one hour on one hour off shifts and decided to save time by just anchoring off the bank instead of going into Great Sail Cay.  The wind was calm and there were no expected changes.  We spent a calm and quiet night basically in the middle of nowhere. We shared a bottle of champagne and exchanged the gifts we had made for each other.  The sunrise in the morning was amazing.

Christmas morning found us headed to Manjack Cay listening to contemporary and classic Christmas music on our Sirius radio channels.  It was a bit incongruous singing along to “White Christmas” when the temperature was expected to reach 80 degrees.  Got to love it though.  We weren’t traveling at our usual speed so the trip took longer than expected.  We arrived in our anchorage at 4:00pm and joined a multitude of other boats that had already anchored there.  I went in the water with my snorkel gear to check the anchor and the propeller.  The anchor was clearly dug in well, but the prop had vegetation twined around its shaft.  It took several dives for me to remove it all, but it should improve our speed now that it is clean.  Christmas dinner was already on the grill by the time we anchored…turkey breast, carrots, cranberry sauce, gravy, and apple crumble made for a great meal. 

 Maybe not traditional, but it was delicious.

As we were finishing dinner the sun set.

The next morning we went through the Whale channel which requires a passage around Whale Cay out into the Atlantic and then around the other end of Whale Cay and back into the Sea of Abaco.  It was a bit rocky, but I made it without losing breakfast.  We anchored in Corn Bay which is on North Man-O-War Cay.  It’s a lovely spot with a beach on the bay side then a small isthmus of land leading to a beach on the ocean side.  After diving in to check the anchor we took the dinghy into the beach.  Bob even got in the water with me.  Bob took the dinghy back and I swam back to the boat just because I love to swim especially with my snorkel gear on. There wasn’t much to see but a few starfish and a small clump of coral with some fish, but it was invigorating to be in the water.   

The next morning we took the dinghy into the settlement on Man-O-War Cay.  This cay has the most industrious local population of the Abacos.  There is a boat shop where they build Albury boats, a sail shop where the ladies are constantly sewing bags of all shapes and sizes, and a boutique where a lady creates garments out of Bahamian Androsia (a batiked fabric). I bought some cotton Androsia scraps at the boutique so I can create a new quilt for our v-berth.  Lunch was at the Dock and Dine Restaurant at the marina.  

I purchased a small back pack at the Albury Sail Shop.

Conch shells are for sale in many locations on the cay.

This photograph was taken looking
out to the harbour from shore.

That afternoon we made the short trip to Marsh Harbour and dropped the hook in a great location in the harbour.  We are close to the dinghy dock, The Jib Room (for Saturday Night steak-out) and the Conch Inn where we like to get showers.  For the next couple of days we did errands (getting ice and disposing of garbage), did laundry, and purchased groceries..  This feels like our home here in the Abacos.  We will use Marsh Harbour as our base and take several long excursions to explore the out islands.

I made arrangements to fly out of Marsh Harbour to West Palm Beach where I rented a car and drove to Sarasota, FL. I will be gone until 1/7/18.

My next blog post will be about my return to the Bahamas and our stay in Marsh Harbour.

Thank you for reading my blog