February 28th, 2024

We went for a long walk around Spanish Wells on Saturday. We walked along the waterfront, out to the Atlantic side of the island, visited a few stores and Martha particularly enjoyed the gardens.

We left Spanish Wells Yacht Harbour on Sunday about 11:30am and went about 2 miles out to anchor near the Power Plant Fuel Dock. The plan was to get fuel first thing in the morning and then head over 60+ nautical miles to the Abacos. It was a gorgeous day and we found a good spot to anchor. There were some beautiful homes on the cliffs overlooking the water and you could hear the power plant running in the background. We enjoyed the great weather, calm conditions and another sunset dinner. We've seen a lot of great sunsets and this was one of the best.

On Monday morning we prepared the boat for the 60+ nautical mile crossing over deep water to the Abacos. We headed over to the fuel dock when they opened and backed into a high dock near the rocks. It looked intimidating, but the dock hand assured us there was plenty of water. He manhandled the very large fuel lines out to the dock and helped us take on 128 gallons of fuel. Once done, we headed out of the Spanish Wells area and headed to the Abacos. The conditions were perfect with low swells separated by a period of 9 or 10 seconds. This made for an easy passage. We spotted a few boats and cargo ships along the way. 

The entrance to Little Harbor was easy to transit despite the waves crashing on either side of the entrance. The anchorage we had chosen was loaded with other boats. When we went to the beach, we found out the large group was from the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club. They were on a group outing and collecting firewood for an evening bonfire. After visiting the beach, we headed over to Little Harbor to visit an iconic beach bar, Pete's Pub. It was complete with sand floors and t-shirts hanging from the ceiling. We enjoyed their rum punch and delicious humus with pita.

It was another beautiful night on anchor with calm conditions and comfortable temperatures that only vary by 5 or 6 degrees between day and night. The sun is strong however, and the days can seem much warmer. We had another sunset dinner out in the cockpit and enjoyed the surroundings. I took the dinghy over to the island and walked to Atlantic side, about 40 yards (we could hear and see the waves crashing from the boat). The Atlantic side is rough and craggy, a result of eons of wave action and many storms. Unfortunately, the evidence of humans is clearly present with much plastic trash strewn across the landscape. There is truly a major plastic problem in the world.

I inflated the paddleboard for the first time this trip and paddled around the anchorage. The water was so clear I could see the chain and follow it all the way to the anchor in 13 feet of water. ​

We spent a while on the beach in the afternoon and in the evening we were invited for cocktail hour with some of the Yacht Club members, on the Commodore's beautiful Fleming trawler. We had a good time socializing and of course they were encouraging us to join the club.

It is now Wednesday morning and we are planning to cruise a little north to another more settled anchorage. The southeast wind is making it a little lumpy here plus we need to see some other areas since our time here is limited.