Friday afternoon we went ashore to Marsh Harbour Marina with fingers crossed that our parcel had arrived – and it was waiting for us. Yay! We quickly ordered lunch before the kitchen closed and Richard set to replacing the prop – and it fitted. Phew…. Quick spin up and down the marina and it works too – great…. What a relief!
Over lunch we got chatting to this older couple – mid 70s we reckoned – the guy was going off on a yacht charter in the morning and his other half was going to stay in an apartment and help out the local school’s library. Interesting couple and we assumed they had been married for years…… It turns out they met six months ago via the internet! Never too late eh??!!!??? After they left we enjoyed a few hours bobbing in the pool before saying our farewells to the Jib Room and staff – they have been great to us while we have been here and have helped us out a lot.
As we made our way back out to the anchorage Richard was a very happy dinghy captain as we left a wake behind us! Back on Morphie we had a quiet night and enjoyed our last Marsh Harbour sunset.
Saturday morning we were up early and sorted ourselves out before heading over to Hope Town. Was nice to be back on the move again. By the time we arrived we were at slack low water – and going through the channel would be a little skinny – so we anchored off outside behind the lighthouse and had lunch.
An hour later we made our way in through the channel with about 18 inches beneath our keel…..
Picked up our mooring – there isn’t room in here to anchor – and settled in and admired the views.
Later on we went ashore to Cap’n Jacks for a bite to eat and caught up on the internet whilst enjoying the view of the anchorage.
Afterwards we went over to the yacht club which was pretty busy with loads of families and kids running around. It certainly seemed odd to see people eating in their swimming costumes next to people who were clearly dressed for dinner…. We had a couple of beers – but nothing going on – so decided to call it a night. Back in the dinghy – admiring Morphie in front of the lighthouse – we heard live music so decided to check it out.
We realised it was coming from the Harbours Edge – so we tied up to their dock and went in. The place was packed, the music was good, and we enjoyed watching the dancing….. It ended up a late night after all.
Sunday morning and we did a few boat jobs before heading ashore – today’s destination was the beach at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge. Last time we visited it was raining and it was amazing to see the difference with the sun out – particularly at low tide with the reef exposed. Beautiful place… We got a bucket of beers and settled down to some afternoon bobbing – thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Later on we returned to Morphie and stayed put for the evening. It was time for curry and an early night!
Monday morning and we did a few boat jobs again before heading ashore – this time we were going into the marina as we have laundry to do and garbage to dispose of. Got our tokens for the laundry and put the wash on……and then settled down beside the pool. The main pool was quite busy so we took up residence in the small Jacuzzi at the top and Richard waited there patiently for me to deliver beer LOL!
We stayed in the pool for a while – nipping back now and then to check the laundry – and finally it was done. We both folded it up and put the bag back in dink and had a final beer in the pool before returning to Morphie for another Hope Town sunset….. We have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here in Hope Town again.
Tuesday morning and we dropped our mooring ball and headed off – our destination is Man O War Cay. This island is only five miles away and we were hoping for a bit of a sail, but sadly, we ended up motoring again as the wind refuses to blow…..
We dropped our anchor off the west end of Dickies Cay and got a good set in sand. We took some time out admiring the scenery and then dinked in through the cut into the main harbour. This is a narrow channel – a bit like Spanish Wells – with the main settlement spread along it.
We found the dinghy dock and went for a walk. The roads are narrow and concrete as the main transport here is golf buggy and, of course, the main road is called the Queens Highway.
We wandered around – admiring the beautiful flowers, the ancient buildings, the manicured gardens, the fire station, the Abaco signpost and found ourselves on the other side of the island being blown away by the fantastic Atlantic beach. Wow!
On the way back to dink we passed the museum – which was shut – and admired the boats on display outside.
We also liked the look of the local library – which was also shut – and wondered how anyone could cope with a bank that only opened for four hours once a week!
We then stopped in the Sail Shop – this is quite famous for making sunbrella / sailcloth items and I really wanted to buy something. Unfortunately even the very small wash bag was priced a bit steeply – at $60 – so I came away empty handed. Never mind…… Richard did come across this sign that he liked though….
On the way back to the marina we checked out the names of the local heroes – and you realise just how steeped in history this place is by the common surnames of those honoured.
Man of War Cay is an island-bound community of Loyalist descendants and their heritage goes back to eighteenth century settlers who constructed ships and made sails. Some of this industry continues here on the island although now it is mainly fibre glass rather than the traditional wood…. Our final stop was in the marina restaurant where we had a diet coke – we were too late for the kitchen so no appetisers for us. And yes, a soft drink! Why? Well, Man O War Cay is fiercely religious and is a dry island……
Having enjoyed our trip ashore we returned to Morphie very hot and bothered…… So we dug out the floating chairs, tied them off the back and enjoyed some superior bobbing….
Showered off we had dinner while the sun set in a spectacular fashion. What a great anchorage.
This morning – Wednesday – we got up early and I even saw the sun rise.
Richard has been in the water cleaning off the hull which had picked up a bit of growth in Marsh Harbour and Hope Town while I’ve been blogging. We are planning a snorkelling afternoon and another night here before we move on tomorrow. Oh yes – and we still haven’t got a confirmed reservation for our haul out. I’ve telephoned them, emailed them and telephoned them again. Being dealt with apparently……but not confident! Although used to island time in the Caribbean I was expecting Florida boat yards to be slightly more on the ball…… So I’m still a bit frustrated – but Richard is confident it will all come good in the end. But we have had a positive response from the company supplying us with a whisper pole and boom vang so not everything is up in the air. In the meantime, fingers remain crossed!
Bye for now
Jan