Meandering Magees: Lynyrd Cay and Hope Town, Abaco

Friday, April 6, 2018
104 miles to Lynyard Cay
21 miles to Hope Town
Day 369

We left Great Harbour Cay Marina at 9:15 on Wednesday morning. After a stop at the fuel dock (filling up both True North and the dinghy tank) it was 10 am when getting back out on the water. Often, when traveling down the rivers, we would leave at sunrise or by 8 am. In Florida and the Bahamas, we calculate departure and arrival times based on the tide table if water depth is an issue. Which means sometimes we have to wait to get out of a harbor until rising or high tide. (we will deal with the tides all the way up the east coast on our way home!)

We got up close and personal with two cruise ships - a Royal Caribbean and a Norwegian - as we rounded Great Stirrup and Coco Cay, leaving the Berry Islands and heading to the Abacos.
We would occasionally see a freighter, but mostly it was open blue water as far as the eye could see. And unbelievable depths - over 10,000 ft. The depth finder doesn't work in those kinds of numbers. We only knew that from our charts.

As we neared the tip of Great Abaco island, there was a strong current. We could feel it pushing and pulling us. As we passed Hole in the Wall, the very southern tip, True North was doing its best sashaying imitation - swaying side to side. It's hard to get a steady picture in those conditions. But that is better than a Chuck Berry imitation - rockin' and rollin'!

Almost 5 hours after leaving Great Harbour Cay we were anchored at Lynyard Cay. The 15 other boats already there were a good indication that we were in the right spot. And the clear blue water area meant it was a sandy bottom and not weeds or coral. We anchored in 17 ft. of water.

After a quick lunch we dropped the dinghy and went into Little Harbour to Pete's Pub. It was choppy, so the 2 miles took a half hour. There is a little history behind this Bahamian hideaway. Randolph Johnston was one of the great sculptors of the 20th century. In 1952, he left his professorship at Smith College in Massachusetts and with his family, sailed to the Bahamas to live out their lives in the pursuit of a free life, devoted to art. They lived first in caves, then built thatched huts and eventually built a foundry for Randolph's work. He died in 1992, after 40 years of creating in an unspoiled, natural environment. His three sons still remain in Little Harbour, with son Pete following in his father's footsteps in casting bronze sculptures using the wax process he learned from Randolph.
Pete has a gallery that displays his work and other artists. Unfortunately, it closed at 5 and we didn't get there until 5:30. But his other enterprise - Pete's Pub - was open!

Thursday was going to be a morning at the beach on Lynyard Cay, but forecasted rain, plus needing to enter the Hope Town harbor at high tide meant we were underway by 10:30. After having some difficulties while anchoring on the rivers, we were really happy when the anchor came right up.
We no more had gotten underway when the rain came. It stopped for about 15 minutes and came back in earnest. As often happens, that brought flat, calm water. And the rain gave True North a good rinsing, getting rid of much of the salt.

Since it was only 21 miles to Hope Town, we went slow. (rain and depth of water). The entrance to the harbor is quite tricky, weaving around boats that are anchored just outside of it. I've said this before, but we are reminded of the respect we have for those boaters who traveled these waters without the electronic aids we have today.

We are staying at the Hope Town Inn and Marina. It is quite a nice marina and resort. There is a free shuttle boat that takes you across the harbor to the actual business district - cute shops and funky bars and restaurants. But our biggest surprise was the marina gave a complimentary pump out of our holding tanks! This service is hard to come by in the Bahamas, and we were prepared to pay anywhere from $30-$50. When in offshore waters here, it is legal to manually discharge your waste overboard and most boats that travel here are set up to do that. Gross!! I was ok with the fact that True North is not equipped to do that. (overboard discharge is there, just no pump to get it out of the tank). Another plus at this marina is that every slip has a ladder. With no floating docks, at low tide we can climb right from the cockpit up the ladder a few steps and get on the dock. It is such a simple yet practical solution that we are surprised other marinas don't install them.

After a trip to the pool and a couple loads of laundry using the marina machines ($5.50 to wash and $5.50 to dry), we rode the shuttle to Cap't Jacks for our first dinner off the boat since leaving Marathon. (The boat has a washer and dryer, but the marinas in the Bahamas charge for both electricity and water.)

On Friday, we were going to see the Hope Town lighthouse and then spend the day at Tahiti Beach. The wind really picked up so taking the dinghy the 2-3 miles to that beach was nixed. So I still have yet to snorkel! I took the 8 am. shuttle to Vernon's grocery store for some lettuce and a loaf of homemade bread, but alas, no donuts.
Later, Greg and I walked to the most recognized landmark in Abaco - the lighthouse that was built in 1864. I climbed the 101 steps to the top for some spectacular views. The lighthouse is the only manually operated lighthouse left in the world. Every 2 hours, the keeper has to wind up the weights that operate like a gigantic grandfather clock. In 1936, the fixed light was replaced by a rotating Fresnel lens that emits a group of five white flashes every fifteen seconds that can be seen for over 17 miles.

In the afternoon, we took the shuttle again over to town and walked up and down the two streets - Front and Back. They make it easy!

Saturday we will move only about 10 miles to anchor for two nights in Fishers Bay on Great Guana Cay. Our plan is to spend some time fishing and just hanging out on a beach and experiencing the party atmosphere at Nipper's on Sunday.