Captain's Choice blog: Welcome to the Abacos

A text to my sister relating to which islands we were in had me thinking...when people think of the Bahamas is it Nassau and Freeport they think of? Years ago before we ever thought of taking the boat to the Bahamas that's what I would have thought of. My sister said the Exumas and Eleutheras sound like a disease and she had no idea where I was. I have come to learn that the Bahamas is not just Nassau and Freeport, as a matter of fact we won't be in either location as we continue to explore. The Bahamas are so much more than those locations...more beauty, more serenity and at times so much less...less people, less commercialism, less stress.
The Abacos, our next stop, are a group of islands and barrier cays that form a 120 mile long chain, in the northern Bahamas.

After being advised that the fresh produce would be on the shelves Friday morning, Mark and I walked to the Food Fair at Spanish Wells. We were pleased with the prices there compared to some of the other stores we had been in, some of the produce looked great some did not...but that's the same at home so we picked up a few things and headed back to the boat. We waited for the tide to rise before we headed over to Royal Island and anchored in 8' (great holding) along with 10 other boats. This anchorage is 8 miles from the marina and puts you in a good position to head out in the morning with ample water no matter where you are in the tide cycle.

The wind forecast for Saturday was light SE and the weathermen had it correct! It was a great ride, 64 miles to the Abacos. The swells were spaced out well, it reminded us of a water bed that doesn't have baffles, gentle waves that actually could have lulled you to sleep. Mark decided to try his luck for some fresh fish for the freezer. Our relaxed cruising speed is just about perfect for trolling a top water lure or Ballyhoo, and just after I went down below to make lunch I noticed the boat had stopped. I ran out, saw he had a fish on the line and helped him land a Mahi Mahi. Oh what fun as the fish jumped out of the water as he was reeling him in. Mark got it close to the boat and I was trying to take a video, then he asked me if I could use the gaff to bring the fish in the boat. I've never gaffed a fish, so I took the rod to let him gaff it. The fish, although Mark said it wasn't that big, gave me quite a fight. We finally got him in the boat. Back up to the helm for me so we could get back under way while Mark cleaned the fish, we ended up with several meals in the freezer and 1 in the frig.

Our plan was to check the mooring balls outside of Pete's Pub in Little Harbour and grab a ball if one was available and if not go anchor at Lynard Cay. Surprisingly there were several mooring balls (all with pendants), so we grabbed one and got situated. We had heard so much about Pete's Pub, a must stop for boaters in the Abacos. Pete's father Randolph Johnston was a great sculptor and professor at Smith College. Johnston and his family left Massachusetts in 1952 aboard their schooner Langosta to escape the maddening rush of civilization and live a free life devoted to art. They ended up in Little Harbour where they lived in caves and thatched huts and eventually constructed a foundry for Randolph's work with bronze. Pete learned how to sculpt and the foundry is still in operation. Pete and Randolph's work can be found in the Vatican's Museum in Rome and Rawson Square in Nassau. Pete has a gallery that is dedicated to his father and owns Pete's Pub.
We launched the dinghy and we could hear music coming from the Pub and then I said to Mark, sounds like someone is giving a toast, do you think there is a wedding on the beach? I'm sure you can guess why there were mooring balls available...dang, Pete's Pub was closed for the day due to a private party. Back to the boat we went, now not only did we not get to see Pete's Pub but I had to cook. Thank goodness Mark caught the mahi - it was delicious.

Sunday morning we debated whether we should stay or head to Treasure Cay where we had marina reservations due to impending weather mid week. Mark checked all the weather sources (all forecasts different of course) and felt because of the uncertainty, we really needed to leave, so we took a slow ride to Treasure Cay 51 miles away. We did a "drive by" of Hope Town and Marsh Harbour, we will backtrack and see those areas once Allison arrives. It was a good thing we decided to leave, the winds picked up Sunday to much more than what was forecasted (by all of the forecasters except one) and Monday ended up being very windy as well. The frontal system that caused all the tornado damage in Alabama and forced the closing of the Tenn-Tom was effecting us down here in the Bahamas with winds. We will ride out the winds here at Treasure Cay for a few days, exploring the area and the beach that was voted one of the region's top 10 beaches in Caribbean Travel & Life.