Hopetown in the Abacos

Hopetown in the Abacos is your dream town of sailing to the Bahamas, a seaside village with pastel cottages and a quiet harbor with  moorings for the cruisers. The town was settled by loyalists fleeing America. It has undergone many reinventions from farming to fishing to wreckers, and is currently a vacation spot, par execllance. There are museums, a lighthouse with a kerosene lamp, built in the 1860s, trails, cottages in lush gardens, sand beaches, reefs for snorkling, hotels with views of both the Atlantic and the harbor, quaint groceries, one run by baker, Vernon, who bakes wonderful homemade breads and fills his store with the aroma and with homemade signs, jokes and wise sayings.

We catch a mooring ball in the circular harbor within sight of the lighthouse and enjoy our stay, prolonged a day by bad weather, which kicks up the Atlantic and drops several inches of rain onto the island. It's not a bad place to be stuck for an extra day. Don also treated us to dinner at a harborside restaurant, and here we were afraid he'd ask to be paid for his crewing.

Passage to the Abacos and Little Harbor

We hire a guide to go through the reef at Spanish Wells, and Don who was skeptical of the need, watches with wide eyes as we weave in and out of the rocky corl heads, following our guide into the safety of the Atlantic. He becomes a believer. Because we waited for light winds and calm waters, to reveal the edges of the reef, we motor sail much of the way to the Abacos and anchor inside the reef again. To celebrate Jan's birthday, we ride in the dinghy 2 miles, past the opening of the reef and through the 2 foot waves pouring in. Let me advise you that a two foot wave is much larger when you are riding in a one foot high boat. We are headed for Little Harbor.

Little Harbor, home of the famous Pete's Pub and the Johnston family's art gallery. There are wonderful metal sculptures to be found there. So we went to help Jan celebrate her birthday. What we didn't know was that Pete's Pub ends its day at 5:30, and we didn't get there until 5:00 and the kitchen was closed. They did have an excess of conch salad though and offered it gratis with plastic cups and spoons. Best conch salad ever! We gorged ourselves.

The views from a walkway on top of the hill overlooking the bay on one side and the Atlantic on the other were pretty spectacular too.

On To Eluthera, highlighting Royal Island and Spanish Wells

At  Cambridge Key we say goodbye to Jose and Char. They will remain in the Exumas while Wind Dancer and Sand Castle set sail for Eluthera. And we do set sail. A glorious breeze from the southwest scoots us across the Exuma Sound and we anchor that evening in Rock Sound. Eluthera was settled by English families looking for religious freedom  and their descendants still live there. While we don't make it ashore in Rock Sound, we do enjoy our glimpse of the white Anglican church in the harbor. The town has a more European look than those in the Exumas. During the night, warnings of high winds expected have us scrapping our plans for a leisurely trip through the island and we decide to make a run for the Abacos, where we are supposed to meet crew member, Don Hutchins, who is to join us for the last two weeks of the adventure. The plan is to make a run for Spanish Wells, which involves a 10 mile dash across the Atlantic and then back on the bank near Royal Island, from there make another mad dash across the Atlantic and through the reef where we are to meet Don. Of course, it doesn't work out that way. A 12 hour sail with 15-20 knot winds gets us to Fleeming Cut where suddenly our speed drops from 6.5 to 3.8 and the steering feels odd. We decide it must be the current, and turn on the engine. It sounds fine, but we are still struggling through the cut, across the Atlantic and make Royal Island just as the sun goes down. As we anchor, an enormous tumbleweed of woody stemmed sea weed floats free from our keel and rudder. Royal Island curves into an almost complete circle and forms a cove, sheltered from almost every wind. It was the private hideaway of a Florida millionaire from the 1920s-1950s. Now, a group of developers, including Roger Staubach,  plan to fill the harbor with a huge marina and divide the property into multimillion dollar lots. We think we found the spot where you sign your contract for your ocean view lot.In the 1920s, a truly unique house, with living areas sometimes open to the outdoors and separate guest houses and kitchen buildings was built, but the house is deteriorating. Nature will always reclaim, what man does not maintain. Roofs have caved, walls have crumbled, re bars have rusted, and lovely mosaic tiles have chipped away.

Before leaving for Spanish Wells, Rick checks to ensure that all the seaweed is off the rudder. It isn't and he makes dive after dive bringing up handfuls of the seaweed which was wrapped tightly around the rudder. We arrive in Spanish Wells, but locals tell us the winds are already too high to make traveling through the reef safe. So, Don has to change plans, flying into Spanish Wells, and we are forced to spend several days in beautiful Spanish Wells, where we are amazed at the vitality of the town. The island was settled by English loyalists, fleeing the newly formed United States. There are still signs of their early life style, limes, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and wild cotton plants still struggle in the soil. Goats and sheep eat the course island grass. Below is a picture of  a wild growing cotton plant over 6 feet high.

Their industrious nature is evident too. Spanish Wells produces 70% of all the Bahamian lobsters, dozens of immaculate fishing boats line the harbor. For a small town of only 1500, the amount of activity is astounding. Everybody works. There are busy shipyards, unique mini-ferries take cars and people to the main island of Eluthera, the Nassau to Governors Island ferry stops here twice a day, and fishing boats, which are not currently fishing, bring in supplies almost hourly. Residents line up at the docks with golf carts and pick-ups. They pick up huge quantities of paper towels, baby cribs, and electronics. They load on frozen fish, empty propane bottles, and cases of bananas and mangoes.You can find everything you need...we were even able to replace our computer charger at the local computer store...and found a real supermarket willed with fresh produce and every kind of fresh, canned, and frozen delight we'd been missing for 4 weeks. Most amazing to us was athat a small community of Mennonites live here. A boat near us in the marina was occupied by a family of three. The mother washed out diapers by hand and put the diapers out to dry on the life lines of their sailboat. She wore an ankle length dress and, head scarf, and apron to do so. Another Mennonite man, wearing suspenders and a full beard operated one of the single car ferries.

The day Don was to arrive, Luke, Jan, Rick and I took the super ferry through the coral reefs to Governors Island. We passes our mooring field on the way.

On Governors Island is the famous pink sand beach, where movie stars and the rich and famous tan themselves...but not while we were there.

We arrive back at Spanish Wells within a few minutes of Don, who had arrived from Seattle via a plane to Palm beach, a cab to the train station, a train to Fort Lauderdale airport, a flight to Nassau, another flight to Eluthera, a taxi to the passenger ferry, and a passenger ferry to Spanish Wells. It takes a dedicated crew to work so hard to arrive!

By arriving in Spanish Wells, Don is able to see the beautiful sand bottomed Bahamian waters of blue before we head north to the green glass waters of the Abacos.

Big Major Cay

 After visiting Black point Settlement, we returned to the Staniel Key area where our 3rd Buddy Boat, Atlantica awaited with Jose and Char Pagan. After a 10 day delay in their departure, Jose and Char finally caught up with us at Big Major Key. Our cruise took on a whole different character. Jose is the ultimate extrovert. He organizes work parties, play parties, and expeditions. We have rotating dinners together on Atlantica, Sand Castle and Wind Dancer as we anchor at Big Major near Staniel Key. To solve our battery charging problem, Jose recommends that we remove the isolator between the batteries and the alternator. It works! We can now charge our batteries at about 20% an hours versus 2% in 8 hours! Luke and Jan loan us their 2nd computer, and voila, our communication problems are solved. I love this buddy boating thing!

Also in the Staniel Key /Big Major area are two sights not to be missed. Thunderball Cave, the cave used in the James Bond movie Thunderball sits on a small island nearby. The cave has holes in the ceiling where shafts of sunlight filter through the water in a dazzling display of light. Schools of fish sparkle in and out of the cave entrance hoping for a handout. ANd if that isn't interesting enough, then just grab your dinghy afterwards and ride over to the bay at Big Major where the swimming pigs live. These pigs are used to handouts from the dozens of boats anchored in the bay and will eagerly wade out for a treat. They really should be called the wading pigs, because they turn back to shore when their feet cannot reach the bottom. The other treat for us at Big Major was the nightly display at sunset, always beautiful, always different.

Rick and Cookie diving Thunderball Cave

Black Point Settlement

Black Point Settlement, another key in the Exuma Chain, was settled by freed slaves. The town is tidy and has a beautiful blue water bay, and high hills overlooking the Atlantic, also, the best bread in the Bahamas, baked by Lorriane's mother. Lorraine is the proprieter of the best restaurant on the island, a place with wifi and CNN news oin a flat screen TV. The day we were there, the equivalent of UPS arrived, a shallow draft Landing Ship arrived, pulled up to shore, rolled down the front and offloaded and onloaded deliveries. As on Staniel Key, groceries arrive by supply ship once a week, an in bad weather or with other complications, may take longer. Life is slow.

Sand Castle and Wind Dancer are to the far right of the bay.

Staniel Key

Staniel Key has a great marina and a great restaurant/bar, a respite for travelers with boating needs. We packed in fuel and water, reverse osmosis water, which proved to be quite good. Our near disaster there was caused when the marina staff waved us into a slip which was still occupied by a small motor boat, backing frantically out of our way. Staniel Key is populated by a mix of black slave descendants and white ex patriots. The town's groceries and bakeries are identified as "the blue house, the yellow house, etc. If you want great bread, knock on the door of the yellow house and get some coconut bread . The town was poor, some sad little buildings sagged here and there, but people were industrious and always helpful and friendly. We stayed three days, hiking, replenishing, trying in vain to repair the energy problems, watching the sand sharks in the marina swim below the boat and the dinghy, and enjoying the island.

A second problem surfaced when a power surge rendered our computer recharger inoperable. We could no longer charge the computer to send emails.

Exuma Land and Sea Park

Exuma Land and Sea Park, without a doubt, the lovliest of our island cruising. We stayed first in the north mooring ground on Wardwick Wells at the park head quarters. A strong current winds through the mooring, creating a blue salt river. At low tide, the white sand and shallow waters rise out of the swift moving river. Boats twist and float at odd angles, depending on the caprice of wind and tide. Ashore are myriads of trails. Signs identify the island flora. Two hundred years ago, great forests of lignum vitae, a hardwood prized by sailors for their ships, covered the islands. These were harvested and the soil blew away in the wind. Now the  sharp limestone bones of the island lay exposed. Sand anchors the hardy scrublike bushes, whose leaves are working to replenish the lost island soil.

At Wardwick Wells is Boo Boo Hill which is piled high with driftwood boat signs, painted or carved by cruisers. Above one beach sits the remains of a loyalist home, a tiny cabin of limestone with interior walls of smoothe morter. The house was tiny, but a three foot tall rock wall across the island reveals their industry. The wall was built to keep pirates away from the settlement.

Rocky blowholes near Boo Boo Hill explode with surf on windy days, and even on a calm sunny day, forced air blasts from the holes. We did a lot of snorkling in the park, first at the gorgeous mooring field, and later at Cambridge Key. The park headquarters contains an incredible coral garden, with purple fans waving in the current, yellow brain coral, giant lobsters, schools of darting neon blues and yellows, rainbow hued fish, fish of black and silver, yellow and black angel fish. More colors and kids of fish and coral than I'd ever imagined. At Cambridge Cay, we dinghied about a mile to a "sea aquarium", a rock wall of a reef, teeming with beautiful fish of colors too brilliant to be believed. Also at Cambridge Key we crossed the Conch Inlet to a cave for more snorkling. At this cay, we were joined by our second buddy boat, Atlantica, with Jose and Char Pagan. Cocktails on the beach made for a fun evening at Cambridge.

The downside of the first visit to the park was the realization that not only was our wind generator deceased, but the alternator was only charging the batteries at a rate of about 2% an hour. Our solar panels could keep us at a steady level during the day, but each night we lost 12% of our battery capacityWe decided a quick run to the marina at Staniel Kay was necessary to replenish batteries, which had dropped to an alarming 58% .

Norman Key

If it's Saturday, it must be Norman Key. We moved on down the Exuma chain about 15 miles to anchor on the west side of Norman Key, another privately owned island. Once occupied by a drug runner, Carlos Lederer, cruisers were known to disappear in this area back in the late 70s and were presumed to have been murdered by the drug lord. Drug running was shut down  over 30 years ago, and all that remains of this era are some bullet ridden and decaying buildings and the deteriorating carcass of a plane in a small bay.

There are a few houses here, beautiful sandy beaches fronting on aqua waters, a small resort, a runway, and a bar and grill, McDuff's. A planned larger resort does not seem to be materializing. The island would seem too unoccupied to support a bar/restaurant, but while we were there, two small planes landed and people appeared for late afternoon lunches. There was also a skeleton, standing in the corner. We are not certain, whether these skeleton's are left over from the drug running days or just a sign of the off beat humor of the islanders.

Highborne Cay and Allen Cay

After seven days of travel we have arrived at our destination, the chain of  Exuma Islands in the Bahamas. On the 11th of May, we crossed the Yellow Bank, standing watch on the bow for coral heads. Highborne Cay is our first stop. Highborne is a privately owned island, but friendly to cruisers. A dozen of us from small motor cruisers to enormous mega yachts, sit in the shelter of her lee shore. There is lots to do at Highborne Cay. We stopped during a hike through the island to enjoy the local humor at the "bus stop".

 The island had beautiful beaches.

And we could find lots of conchshells....but they were usually inhabited.

Our first full day there, we investigated the Allen Cay iguanas, who we shouldn't have fed, but did. If you happen to do so yourself, please note that they adore crackers, enjoy green peppers, but turn up their noses at carrots and celery. Who knew iguanas were such picky eaters? We also found time for a swim in the beautiful blue waters.

Working our Way to the Exumas

Water as far as the eye can see in every direction. For two days, we had great sailing across the bank. The first night we anchored in 18 feet of water just past Mackie Shoal. The second was spent at a mooring ball iat The Berry Islands Club. We dinghied ashore to pay at a tiny bar, weith dinner set for 8 at the only table. We heard the food was wonderful, but reservations were required. Outside, tied to the dock, were strung several lines of live conchs...a "farm" to provide fresh conch for the diners. It was there that we discovered our wind generator was not operating properly, something that plagued us the rest of the trip. Instead of a nice steady whirl of energy, the internal regulator continued to slam on the breaks at odd times.

On May 12th, we crossed to New Providence Island, where the capital, Nassau sits. We anchored in the shelter of Athol Island watched the sun set over the enormous Atlantica resort.

Bimini or Bust

We left Boca Chica on May 4th with buddy boat Sand Castle en route to a 6 week cruise to the Bahamas. The first leg took us across the gulf stream on a gorgeous Saturday. The water was so calm that it was hard associate it with the stories of rough and dangerous crossings. Bimini was our first exotic port, our first real cruise destination. Not at all what we had pictured, but interesting. The waters are as blue as reported, the skies as sunny, and the people as friendly. We didn't expect the poverty, the neglected buildings, and the closed businesses. We found the rusting hulk of a shipwreck leaning against its western shore, the crystal water breathing in and out with the waves and an Ernest Hemingway favorite bar, burned to the ground long years ago, only the arched entry remaining. Later we enjoyed a fun dinner reunion with the 3 motor cruisers from Boca Chica, Dan and Karen Schroeder on Iron Jib, Ron and Robin Jung on Back Again, and Dave and Sandy QAuick, on Comfort Zone. Later Chip and Joanne, who spent the past few weeks in Bimini joined us.. we paid our $300 entry fee and walked the island.