With a weekend blow forecasted to start south and then make a 180° turn north, we wanted to make sure we were somewhere well protected. While we loved Man-O-War, we also wanted to be somewhere a little more active, so we chose to head back to Hope Town before work on Thursday morning. It was an early low tide and there were spots where we had just enough depth to make it through, but we arrived without incident and were able to pick up a mooring (we were concerned that they may all be full). I was really excited to come back and revisit some favorite spots plus check out a couple new ones. Hope Town definitely set its hooks when we visited before, so more time here was more than welcome, and I couldn’t wait to walk the beach and have coffee at our picnic table again.
We had a great time at dinner at Captain Jack’s with Lori and Paul, along with their friends Katy and Phil who they’d met checking in at West End. It turns out that they were on the mooring beside us, and their son and his girlfriend were visiting, and we shared lots of laughs and talked about our experience as working cruisers.
We stopped in at Cap’n Jack’s Wholesale Liquors, which looks like you’ve wandered into a store room. It’s small, but they have a decent selection of wine and liquor, plus ice cold beer. We were low on rum, and really, I just wanted the excuse to go in and check it out.
Six weeks after leaving Green Turtle, we were in desperate need of laundry, so I went to the little laundromat over by the bike shop and Hope Town Canvas (which has some really nice bags that I’ve had to talk myself out of buying!). Somehow sitting on a porch reading a book surrounded by palm trees just makes doing laundry more bearable. Chris ran over to Marsh Harbour to get cash – there are no other banks or ATMs in this part of the Abacos.
Afterwards, we walked to On Da Beach for lunch and drinks overlooking the reefs and open Atlantic. It’s a super laid-back spot with good food (we had the fish sandwich, which came highly recommended). Their signature rum punch, “turtle racer” is good but totally sneaks up on you. Before heading back, we wandered (stumbled?) to the ice cream shop and found a coconut on the way back to the boat.
Lori and Paul invited us over to Island Dream for drinks, and we met their friends on Seaquel. We brought fried chicken fingers and homemade bbq mustard sauce, and Pat and Joel brought a really tasty pepper & onion jam from Harry and David. The forecast called for evening storms, and the incoming front looked gnarly. The storm hit hard, and the wind made two strong 90° shifts, and we ended up having to wait for it to pass to head back.
Sunday morning we had breakfast at the Hope Town Inn and Marina before Chris had to start work for the day. I spent the morning cleaning the v-berth, and then I met Paul and Lori, Pat and Joel, and Trish and Hank from Aventura to check out live music from Jib Sea Soul.
Tuesday morning was rainy and crappy – one of the uglier days we’ve had since arriving in The Bahamas. But I was thankful for the rain to wash off some of the salt spray. As soon as I had finished cleaning the metal last time, the breeze kicked up and everything was coated with a fine salt spray and constantly wet. By lunch time, the weather had cleared out. We picked up a few extra things at Vernon’s (he had kalamata olives, gorgonzola, brie and camembert!), and after work we cast off the mooring lines and headed out to anchor just outside the harbor.
We picked a spot right in front of the lighthouse in crystal clear water and were treated to beautiful storm clouds reflecting the last light. We had a nurse shark swim by and saw some sea turtles, and we watched sunset from the cockpit, enjoying having good cheese for the first time since we got here. A brief but intense shower sent us back below, but when it cleared, we had a near-full moon that was bright enough that you could actually see the bottom and the shadow that Silent Sky cast – it felt like we were floating in the sky.
Over and over, I’m awed by the magic of this place – both the natural beauty and all the incredible experiences we’ve gotten to share.
