More Hope Town and Treasure Cay

Hope Town is a neat, clean town, with narrow streets and white fences.

 Also some lovely, flower filled alleys that lead to the ocean.

 

Compare these streets to one of the poorer out islands.

 

We had lunch at our usual lunch favorite – Munchies.  It’s an outdoor place but has really good conch snack (fried bits of conch in a tempura type batter)  Flies are, of course, a problem in all outdoor restaurants, but the Bahamas has the answer – light a can of sterno.  Yulp, it works.  They disappear immediately. But don't' try to pick up the lit can to move it!!!

 

A hundred feet down from Munchies is a monument, dedicated to those from the island who have been lost as sea.

 

Back to the lighthouse one more time.

Later, Luke climbed the 100 steps to the top of the lighthouse.  HELLO, LUKE!

 

 Luke also took this great panorama of the Hope Town harbor, marinas on the bottom of the picture and the "town" of Hope Town on the top.  That is the Atlantic Ocean at the very top.

 

 

Bonnie and Pete invited us to a family reunion lunch.  Their 2 daughters and families were in to visit and all 12 of us walked to a wonderful beach restaurant.  It was great to meet everyone and be in that family atmosphere for a bit.  No pictures, I'm afraid. Too busy visiting!

On Sunday, we left Hope Town on the high tide and began our trip westward in the Abacos.  This is really the start of our return to the States.  We are staging ourselves each night to make progress to the vantage point for our crossing back.  Yesterday we sailed the entire trip to Treasure Cay.  Treasure Cay is actually a resort - lots of pretty bright condos, a couple of restaurants and shops and bars.  You can do laundry there, along with groceries, all in the same complex. Very convenient for cruisers.

There is also a 3 1/2 mile beach of the whitest, softest sand ever.  It is rated the 4th best beach in the world!

Yesterday and today we saw the local parrots, the Abaco Parrots.  No, I didn't take this picture - I "borrowed" it off the internet.

Today we crossed The Whale - actually, 2 cuts around a small island called The Whale.  Cruisers are especially careful here, as you are going OUT into the ocean for about 10 minutes, 10 minutes in the Atlantic, and then sail back IN from the ocean.  Outgoing currents and incoming currents affect boats very differently and boats need calm, quiet water to make this double passage.  It's a huge subject of conversation when you get near, with boaters all checking the weather, timing of the currents, and seeking local knowledge from folks who can actually see the Whale.  Here is what our navigation chart looks like - that is the Whale island on the upper center-ish.

Treasure Cay is at the lower, about 15 miles south of the Whale.  Looks simple - just sail between them.  But no, there is a large sandy shallow between them, about 1 foot depth.  All boats have to cross the Whale to get to the western side of the Abaco islands.  So, we did!  And as of noon, we are at a nice mooring ball in Black Sound.  We've been here before and like it - tomorrow we'll walk to town, do a few groceries, see the old jail, visit the memorial garden to the Loyalists who settled here along with their slaves, and just enjoy being here.  Should be here until about Sunday as of the weather right now.  This is either the last or almost the last stop before the States.  At our current plan, we can leave here, sail straight through, and arrive in FL in about 30 hours.