After a couple days on Lynyard, the wind shifted around making the anchorage rolly and uncomfortable, so we moved up to Tilloo Cay just off Tavern Cay. It was much more settled and put us that much closer to Hope Town, although with Windara’s draft, we could no longer pass between Lubbers Quarters and Tahiti Beach.
Getting a mooring in Hope Town is always a challenge – kind of like Block Island in miniature. It’s first come, first served, and most of the empty moorings are reserved (once you’re on a mooring, you can pay for however long you want it and keep it reserved if you decide to go out for a sail). Lori and Paul were on a mooring, so I texted them to see if there was anything open, and there wasn’t. We found a good spot on the outside to anchor up, although with wind expected to build from the northwest, we wouldn’t be able to stay long. We planned to work for the day and then head over to Marsh Harbour to find a more protected anchorage. But just as we were opening our laptops to get to work, Lori texted me that the mooring right beside theirs had opened up. We hauled anchor and hauled ass to get in before someone else snagged it. We totally lucked out!
Recovery is evident everywhere – Sea Spray Marina is back up and running, new shops and restaurants have opened, and more rental properties have been completed. But there’s no clearer sign of Hope Town’s recovery than the crisply-painted candy stripes of the Elbow Cay Lighthouse. We’re thrilled to see this area continuing to make a comeback after Dorian, but more cruisers means, well, more cruisers, so everything is more crowded.
We were excited to get back to some favorite places from last year – Cap’n Jacks, On Da Beach, Hope Town Inn, Firefly, Thirsty Cuda – and discover some new ones, like Sea Biscuit Bakery (best baked goods we’ve found in a LONG time!) and Skoops Ice Cream & Tings. We resumed our morning beach walks and coffee at the memorial garden, and visited the lighthouse with its incredible view over Hope Town Harbour, the Sea of Abaco, and the mighty Atlantic.
Initially the weather wasn’t fantastic, and temperatures dropped down into the mid 60’s, reminding us how ill-equipped we’ve become to deal with anything under 70°. And there have been more cloudy days and squalls than we saw down in Spanish Wells. A couple weeks ago as we were getting ready to go to brunch, we saw a water spout forming out in the Sea of Abaco. Fortunately it was heading away from us and didn’t touch down, but it was still kind of freaky to see. All day we had dark clouds and intermittent, intense rain. But the weather continues to improve, and temperatures have been pretty comfortable for the past week or so.
One of my favorite things when we don’t take a morning walk is to listen to the cruisers net. Run by Will, or King Triton as we call him, it’s a great way to hear about what’s going on in the Hope Town community and connect with other cruisers. In addition to hearing about performances to benefit various local organizations or residents in need by Jib Sea Sol (an ever-changing classic rock band made up of locals and cruisers) and a husband and wife acoustic duo, we also learned about a classical music concert to benefit the community center given by Paul Warner (cello), Barry Talley (piano) and special guest You Ju Lee (piano). It was packed, and the music was fantastic.
We’ve met a ton of people here, partly due to introductions from our friends and partly due to cruising a unique boat. We spent time with Lori and Paul and hung out with them, their son and his fiancee at Tahiti Beach (yes, we did dinghy all the way out there in 15+kts of breeze from the south – the very kind of thing we’d see someone doing back home and ask what was up with the idiots out there in the dinghy!). We caught up with Michelle and Ian and had brunch with them and some of their friends. Reggie on Lankayan stopped by to introduce himself and invite us over for a pre-work breakfast along with John and Joanne from No Limits. We had drinks with Taylor and Alex on Isabela and met Kris and Bill from Sacagawea at the top of the lighthouse. Catalina 36 owners John and Sharron dinghied over to introduce themselves (we follow each other on Instagram, and apparently our travels last year helped factor into their decision to cruise Sundog down this year – very cool to hear!). We caught up with Chuck and Margi (briefly) and had sundowners and dinner with Neil and Linda of Mañana and Mark and Karen of Sea Vu Play, who we’d met in Great Harbour. We’re also meeting our friend JR, a local who had taken us out on a charter last year with Chris’s parents, for dinner. We find that we’re far more social when we’re in The Bahamas than we ever are at home.
This past weekend, we dinghied out to the northeast end of the island to swim/snorkel. The tide was on the way out and the current was pretty strong, but it felt good to get in the water again – Man Island was the last place we actually got to swim.
It hasn’t been ALL fun and games – we’ve been getting some boat projects done too. Hope Town Canvas was able to sew our torn spinnaker bag, we replaced Squall’s spark plugs and reattached the light (which will need to be wired in – turns out it never was!), and we’ve been working on the watermaker. We fixed a couple leaks, but we keep getting a “system stalled” error, which we think is being caused by unequal pressure in the clark pump. We chatted with Jamie Gifford from Totem and there are a few things he thinks it could be, but we don’t have the spares we need and will probably need to fix it in the US. I tried to reattach the handle on the shower hatch, but the JB Weld didn’t set properly, so now we’ll have to sand it down and try again.
As I write, I’m soaking up the afternoon sun in the cockpit on a windy Friday afternoon, three weeks after first arriving here. Dinghies shuttle back and forth as turtles poke their heads up for air, and people come and go from the top of the lighthouse. People are starting to talk about heading home, and we feel the clock ticking on our time in the Bahamas too. I can’t tell you what it is that’s so special about Hope Town – it’s just something you have to experience. And I think that’s true of the Bahamas in general. The idea of leaving gets harder and harder, and when I leave, I’ll be leaving a piece of my heart right here in Hope Town.
One reply on “At Home in Hope Town”
Your writing is down to earth and the accompanying photos add so much to being able to picture your adventures!