Hopetown, Abacos

We pulled into Hopetown on Thursday. Anchoring is not encouraged in the inner harbor and since Hopetown is the most popular spot in the Abacos, rented moorings are hard to get. We turned around and pulled into a mangrove harbor on the way out of the inner harbor within 100 yards of the famed Elbow Cay Lighthouse, dropped a couple hooks and tied to the mangroves. The Elbow Cay Lighthouse was built in 1864 and still has a kerosene powered lamp behind the prism.

On Friday morning we found the harbor was just too tight to anchor in and pulled the hooks. Luck was with us though as we were able to get a mooring for the next four days.


Inner Hopetown Harbor...




A welcoming dinghy dock.

Most of the houses in the "downtown" have been converted to rentals. The cheap ones go for about $1,700 per week. Cathie is standing below a very nice older resort.

Wow. One of the trees off of one of Captain Bligh's ships!!

This street ends facing the entrance to the harbor. You can see one of the triangular range markers that are used to guide the boats thought the shallows at the entrance. Was a nice spot to sit and watch the traffic go by.

Walk on the Beach

Today we took a walk on the beach, as we do many times while cruising. The photos below are taken from the Eastern side of Great Abaco, oceanside, with no Cays blocking the flow from The Atlantic.





Allot of single shoes...


Tar from an oil spill...





Our legacy??

Man-O-War Cay and Little Harbor

We spent a night on Man-O-Way Cay, one of the principal present day locations of ancestors of the Loyalists from the Revolutionary War. Albury Boats have been built here since the early 1950's. They are known as a quality boat sold stateside and the Bahamas. Most are center console 18-23'. We all noticed the residents were not the friendliest lot.....

We then sailed south to Little Harbor, on the south central end of Great Abaco Island. We stopped about 4 miles north and snorkeled on Sandy Cay, a coral reef refuge. Great diving!!


Little Harbor is known for its lost wax casting in bronze art...


The old lighthouse on the island could use a little restorative work....





The Beach below the lighthouse was pretty cool. Allot of caves carved into the limestone shore. Similar to Cave Point, Door County, Wisconsin