Sometimes you find a place that seems so familiar and yet is so new and exciting—Elbow Cay is that place for us. Our highest form of praise is when we say to each other, “It’s like Bayfield and the Apostle Islands” only the water is warm and blue rather than cold and green, the fish are bright and colorful rather than brown, the islands are populated with people rather than bears, there are no bugs and we can be boating in the winter. The cruising area in the Hub of the Abacos from Whale Cay down to Little Harbour on Great Abaco Island is about the same size area. Other than the above differences, the Abacos and the Apostle Islands are twins. Okay—so I did not factor in that you might need a down sleeping bag in July on Lake Superior.
Elbow Cay has Hope Town, a charming town which time forgot and has a lighthouse watching over it. Its narrow winding roads and paths take you all over by foot, bike and cart and lead to the most spectacular views of beach, ocean and sky. The bold pastel Bahamian houses are framed by this and every color combination works against this backdrop. On my daily walkabouts to Hope Town, the North End and Tahiti Beach, I would constantly be renewed by all of this.
Life on Elbow Cay is simple—you have what you need and you can do without the rest. I was pleasantly surprised that the small grocery shops had fresh produce, frozen meats and fresh fish so we do not have to eat the canned stuff I bought in FL. You have to remember that the bank is only open on Tuesday morning and that the grocery shops close from 12 noon to 2pm daily and most everything, except restaurants, are closed on Sundays. You start your day by listening to Patty and crew on the Cruisers’ Net on Channel 68 and learn what is going on and plan accordingly. Our marina did not have reliable internet so every other day, we would walk down the road to the beautiful Abaco Inn or into Hope Town to plug in at Harbour Edge Restaurant or the Harbour Coffee Shop. Friday is fresh fish day at the Hope Town dock, Abaco Inn has the 2 for 1 Specials on Sundays and Wednesdays and you always look for a key lime pie at Vernon’s. Add in the potlucks and informal get-togethers and you have a full schedule.
The Bahamian spirit of friendliness and hospitality is contagious and everyone in town and on the road greets you with a wave and “hello.” The staff at Sea Spray, especially Rodney and Junior, were so accommodating and helpful, and since they were also 2/4 of the Sea Spray Bahamian band, they also rock. Our previous blogs note all the wonderful boaters and Loopers that we have met here and we hope that our wakes cross in the near future.
It is the end of March and cruisers are starting to head west to journey back to FL. I went down to Tahiti Beach one last time at sunset and watched the tide erase our footsteps but our memories will live on.
Elbow Cay has Hope Town, a charming town which time forgot and has a lighthouse watching over it. Its narrow winding roads and paths take you all over by foot, bike and cart and lead to the most spectacular views of beach, ocean and sky. The bold pastel Bahamian houses are framed by this and every color combination works against this backdrop. On my daily walkabouts to Hope Town, the North End and Tahiti Beach, I would constantly be renewed by all of this.
Life on Elbow Cay is simple—you have what you need and you can do without the rest. I was pleasantly surprised that the small grocery shops had fresh produce, frozen meats and fresh fish so we do not have to eat the canned stuff I bought in FL. You have to remember that the bank is only open on Tuesday morning and that the grocery shops close from 12 noon to 2pm daily and most everything, except restaurants, are closed on Sundays. You start your day by listening to Patty and crew on the Cruisers’ Net on Channel 68 and learn what is going on and plan accordingly. Our marina did not have reliable internet so every other day, we would walk down the road to the beautiful Abaco Inn or into Hope Town to plug in at Harbour Edge Restaurant or the Harbour Coffee Shop. Friday is fresh fish day at the Hope Town dock, Abaco Inn has the 2 for 1 Specials on Sundays and Wednesdays and you always look for a key lime pie at Vernon’s. Add in the potlucks and informal get-togethers and you have a full schedule.
The Bahamian spirit of friendliness and hospitality is contagious and everyone in town and on the road greets you with a wave and “hello.” The staff at Sea Spray, especially Rodney and Junior, were so accommodating and helpful, and since they were also 2/4 of the Sea Spray Bahamian band, they also rock. Our previous blogs note all the wonderful boaters and Loopers that we have met here and we hope that our wakes cross in the near future.
It is the end of March and cruisers are starting to head west to journey back to FL. I went down to Tahiti Beach one last time at sunset and watched the tide erase our footsteps but our memories will live on.
