Marianna at Green Turtle Cay
We are on our own for the first time in several months, having said a sad goodbye to our traveling companions – Pat and Fred on Marianna. We enjoyed our last 2 weeks together in the Abacos.
Hopetown
One of the most protected harbors in the Abacos is in Hopetown harbor on Elbow Cay, a barrier island just east of Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco. It hums with activity, since it is a major destination for tourists and the snowbirds who make this their winter home. The harbor is full of moorings and we were able to pick up a couple for our weeklong stay in this scenic harbor, dominated by the candy-striped Elbow Reef Light.
The entrance to Hopetown is notoriously shallow, so we had to time our entrance for the middle of a rising tide to ensure we had the depth we needed and the room to get off if we made any mistakes. We had no problems, but a large mega-yacht that arrived closer to high tide was pretty much digging its own channel as it maneuvered within the mooring field to get to the dock.
We enjoyed an evening with Fred’s aunt and uncle
The day we arrived was warmer and calmer than many we have seen this winter, so it made it possible for us to launch our own dinghy for the first time since Georgetown. (We had been carpooling with Pat and Fred in the interim.) We took a quick trip into town to get a tour and then joined Pat and Fred in their dinghy for a trip outside the harbor up the inside coast of the island to visit Fred’s uncle Bud and his wife Moira at the home on the north end of the island. They originally had sailed their boat down from New England each year. After building the house, they now fly down and leave the boat behind. They enjoy the strong sense of community that they find on the island. We saw this community in action at a benefit concert the next night at the United Methodist church, which played to a packed house.
We were finally in a position to do some snorkeling as well, with the warmer temperatures and calmer seas. We hiked over to the ocean side of the island and swam just off the south beach to see wonderful coral formations and lots of fish, including some dazzling schools of blue tang, some rays and a nurse shark.
When the next front came through, the protected harbor gave us a false sense of how bad it was, since we were sheltered from both the winds and waves. We waited out a couple of days of the winds and then decided we had to move on if we were going to see any more of the Abacos. Plus we needed to re-provision and Marsh Harbor would have to be the stop for doing that.
Close Encounters
Since it is just a short 8 mile trip to Marsh Harbor, we weren’t in any hurry to leave. Also, we needed to time our departure with the rising tide, just as we had done for our arrival. We used the morning to get some wash done and top off the water tanks before heading out of the harbor in the early afternoon. The winds and waves in the Sea of Abaco were keeping most boats in their harbors, so we had little company once we got outside. This made it all the more amazing when we found ourselves within a couple feet of a huge 47 foot chartered catamaran, who claimed (incorrectly) to have right of way as they were overtaking us. Rather than hailing us on the radio, the captain chose to stand out on the bow and shout at us about the pre-eminent right of way of sailboats under sail over anything under power. Luckily, we narrowly avoided any damage as Dave swerved away when it became the only obvious choice to avoid a collision.
After we arrived in Marsh Harbor, Dave met with both the charter company and the port authority, who both agreed that the behavior was unnecessarily aggressive (and wrong) in an otherwise uncrowded Sea of Abaco. The charter company planned to include this particular rule of the road in their initial charter briefings.
Marsh Harbor
What Marsh Harbor lacks in scenery, it makes up for in convenience. You can find just about anything in this harbor, and we took advantage of much of it. We shopped 2 of the grocery stores, the pharmacy (called the Chemist Shoppe), the hardware stores (there are at least 3) and topped off the boat’s fuel and water. We got on the internet to do e-mail and make some phone calls. We were now in a position to head out again.
Close Encounters
Since it is just a short 8 mile trip to Marsh Harbor, we weren’t in any hurry to leave. Also, we needed to time our departure with the rising tide, just as we had done for our arrival. We used the morning to get some wash done and top off the water tanks before heading out of the harbor in the early afternoon. The winds and waves in the Sea of Abaco were keeping most boats in their harbors, so we had little company once we got outside. This made it all the more amazing when we found ourselves within a couple feet of a huge 47 foot chartered catamaran, who claimed (incorrectly) to have right of way as they were overtaking us. Rather than hailing us on the radio, the captain chose to stand out on the bow and shout at us about the pre-eminent right of way of sailboats under sail over anything under power. Luckily, we narrowly avoided any damage as Dave swerved away when it became the only obvious choice to avoid a collision.
After we arrived in Marsh Harbor, Dave met with both the charter company and the port authority, who both agreed that the behavior was unnecessarily aggressive (and wrong) in an otherwise uncrowded Sea of Abaco. The charter company planned to include this particular rule of the road in their initial charter briefings.
Marsh Harbor
What Marsh Harbor lacks in scenery, it makes up for in convenience. You can find just about anything in this harbor, and we took advantage of much of it. We shopped 2 of the grocery stores, the pharmacy (called the Chemist Shoppe), the hardware stores (there are at least 3) and topped off the boat’s fuel and water. We got on the internet to do e-mail and make some phone calls. We were now in a position to head out again.
The proximity of the reef and the sheltered waters where it lies make it a popular snorkeling spot, especially when the nearby ocean reefs are unapproachable due to high winds and waves
The proximity of services also means there are lots of boats here. We managed to find a good spot to anchor, but it was a little tighter than we had hoped. Within all the boats, we were able to connect with other cruisers that we hadn’t seen for a while. Our Cat Island net control, Fred and Debbie on Early Out were there, and we enjoyed an evening with them. Harvey and Lily on Pride made a dramatic entrance to the Abacos on a Friday before we left. We were able to get the first-hand account of their harrowing passage through the North Bar Harbor channel with less than ideal conditions as we joined them Sunday night for cocktails. We also saw Ian and Sue on Kokopelli who spend their winters in Marsh Harbor. We had last talked to them as we left New Bern, NC back in November.
Goodbye from Green Turtle Cay
Goodbye from Green Turtle Cay
Having waited out so much weather in Marsh Harbor, we now needed to move through the Whale, so Pat and Fred could be positioned to choose the weather window to cross back to the US. We had decided we would spend another couple weeks in the Abacos, so this would be our last trip together. On Monday, March 30th, we headed north in light winds (again no sailing), through the Whale (the open ocean passage for a couple of miles) and in to anchor off the Bluff House at Green Turtle Cay. The morning’s overcast skies had cleared and the winds remained light, so we would have a beautiful calm night. After a swim, we dinghied in to the Bluff House in White Sound and explored the beautiful grounds a bit before enjoying a wonderful dinner by the water. It was a great last night together. As we headed back to the boat, the sun was setting as a red ball behind the boats. It didn’t get much better than this.
We awoke the next morning to overcast skies, which would linger all day, perhaps picking up on our sadness at going separate ways after so much time together. After helping them stow their dinghy, which had carried us so many places over the past 3 months, we hugged goodbye and retreated to Orion. If all goes well Pat and Fred will achieve their goal of heading out for the US on April 1st.
Fair winds, Marianna. We’ll miss you.
South Again
As for the crew on Orion, we waited out the morning’s rain and then headed south back through the Whale to anchor in Fisher’s Bay. Although it cleared for most of the trip, we saw the storm clouds coming at us as we made to anchor off Great Guana Cay. We were just about done, when it let loose. We donned our swimsuits and let the rain wash away the humidity of the day, as well as the salt on Orion.
We'll be bouncing around the lower Abacos for a couple more weeks now, enjoying our last hurrah in the Bahamas.
We awoke the next morning to overcast skies, which would linger all day, perhaps picking up on our sadness at going separate ways after so much time together. After helping them stow their dinghy, which had carried us so many places over the past 3 months, we hugged goodbye and retreated to Orion. If all goes well Pat and Fred will achieve their goal of heading out for the US on April 1st.
Fair winds, Marianna. We’ll miss you.
South Again
As for the crew on Orion, we waited out the morning’s rain and then headed south back through the Whale to anchor in Fisher’s Bay. Although it cleared for most of the trip, we saw the storm clouds coming at us as we made to anchor off Great Guana Cay. We were just about done, when it let loose. We donned our swimsuits and let the rain wash away the humidity of the day, as well as the salt on Orion.
We'll be bouncing around the lower Abacos for a couple more weeks now, enjoying our last hurrah in the Bahamas.
