Experiencing the Abacos

Eric, the dockhand at Conch Inn Marina, is very competent and really impressed Martha. After watching him lasso the pilings, she asked for some lessons. Eric came by later in the day to teach her the proper way to get a line around a piling. He was a good teacher and she accomplished the learning goal.

Debbie and Bill arrived in the early afternoon and then we all went over to marina restaurant Snappas for a late lunch. They decided to try the conch fritters, and they were a big hit. Just as we were heading out for a walk, it started to rain. It got heavier as the evening progressed and dumped a lot of water on us overnight. It was all cleared out when we woke up and we prepared for an early departure to Hopetown. I wanted to get through the narrow and shallow entrance a couple of hours before low tide. We had a beautiful trip over and made our way to the entrance without incident. As we got to the narrowest part of the entry passage, we met a number of dinghies, a smaller powerboat and the island ferry heading out. We had a bit of a traffic jam in some very skinny (shallow) water. It was an early arrival and we had to wait a few minutes for the marina to determine where they wanted us. We were assigned a slip in a narrow fairway with some large yachts on the opposite side, but fortunately the calm conditions allowed us to have a good docking without incident. We had a great view of the resort, the bar and pool, the mooring field with many vessels of various types, and the iconic lighthouse. Since Dorian, these marinas have redone their docks as well as the electric and water infrastructure, but they are fixed docks, so getting on and off the boat can be a challenge. The tide changes 3 to 4 feet and that changes the orientation of boat access points.


The early arrival meant we had almost the entire day to explore. We climbed the lighthouse for some great views and walked through the quaint town. The resort provided a free water taxi service to get us across the water. It was very convenient and meant that we could leave the dinghy onboard. We ate a Captain Jack’s, and the popular conch fritters were ordered once again. Hopetown is a great little boating mecca and you can see why so many people love to visit. I was glad we were at the marina, however there were mooring balls available when we came in and we could have stayed on one of them. The balls are very popular and are often hard to get.

We took advantage of the pool until some light rain came along and had a good night in Hopetown. The next morning, Fred, one of the friends we made at West End, stopped by and we shared some stories of the adventures since we were last together. His boat was on another dock and we didn’t recognize it from the stern, otherwise we would have gone over to see him earlier. We also ran into another couple from the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club that we met when we were anchored at Lynyard Cay. It’s fun to run into friends along the way. 

We left Hopetown before the tide got too low and headed north. The destination was Crab Cay for a night out on anchor, but the plan was to make a lunch stop at Grabbers on Great Guana Cay. We arrived there around 11am and set the anchor before taking down the dinghy and making the run to shore. We had a good lunch at the iconic beach bar, and I think conch fritters may have been ordered once again. They also served a strong rum punch, but I stuck with club soda since I was the captain. I wait until we are anchored or tied up for the night before drinking any alcohol.

After lunch, we headed back to the boat, loaded up the dingy, raised the anchor and headed out to our anchorage for the night. The route took us through Whale Cay Passage, which can be treacherous in certain weather conditions. On this particular day, the passage was a non-event as we had large swells, but the interval between them was pretty long. It made for a smooth ride despite seeing some good-sized waves battering the shoreline.

We got to the anchorage and found that there were quite a few boats, but plenty of room allowing us to tuck in fairly close to the shore for better wind protection. After Bill and I made a short dinghy exploration, we prepared for our first big dinner on board. We had purchased some lobster tails in March Harbour (4 for $36) and cooked them on the grill. As the sun set, we sat down to lobster and champagne, celebrating another good day on the water.

On our previous exploration, Bill and I had found an “Art Trail” through the woods. Bill, Debbie and i took the dinghy to shore and walked along the trail. There were some unique and fun creations all along the trail. If we come back, maybe we will make something to add to the “exhibit.” After returning to the boat, it was time for some swimming and snorkeling. There wasn’t much in the water to see, but it was refreshing to spend time in the water. After cleaning up and storing the dinghy, we raised anchor and headed about 5 miles to Green Turtle Cay. This would be another marina stay for two nights as the winds were predicted to build up and gust to over 30 knots. Spending time on anchor in those conditions would not likely be too comfortable and we would feel secure in the marina. 

Green Turtle Cay is one of the popular stops in the Abacos and the marina is very nice. I wanted to top off the fuel tanks before docking, but a large island cargo ship was at the fuel dock waiting for high tide, so we will have to wait until we leave. We all took a walk to the Atlantic side of the island and then back to the boat for cocktails before dinner at the marina restaurant. The cargo ship tried to make an exit after the tide came up, but apparently the depth was still too low in the channel as he returned and anchored for a while before making another attempt which was successful.

It is now Sunday morning and we are adjusting to Daylight Savings Time. I don’t like having it dark so late in the morning, but I know that I am going to enjoy the extended daylight in the evening. We plan to rent a golf cart to today and explore the island.

Our plan is to leave for another anchorage in the morning, weather permitting.