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Jay at Hopetown
After climbing to the top of the lighthouse in Hopetown, we are rewarded with a great view. After waiting out the first storm to pass in Marsh Harbor we decided to continue with our trek down south and explore some more of the islands in the Sea of Abaco. Our destination was Elbow Cay, an island with good protected anchorages and a lot of great things to see and explore. After the three hour sail we find the perfect anchorage nestled between the southern end of Elbow Cay, the northern tip of Tilloo Cay, and protected from the west from Lubbers Quarter Cay. It almost had 360 degree protection (very rare to find here in the Bahamas unless you are in a big harbor) and proved to be a great spot to be for a few days, especially because the wind clocked around as the storms passed. After settling into our new spot Jay, Chris, and I decide to go snorkel with the hope of spear fishing. We hop in the dinghy and head over to Tilloo Cay, where the rock cliffs drop off into the ocean and provide great hiding places to find fish. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful at spearing any fish that day and spent most of our time just chasing after the groupers and snappers,
Tahiti Beach
Beautiful Tahiti Beach- turquiose water, white sand beaches, and palm trees. What more do you need? which were quick to hide in the coral heads once they saw us coming. But we did not come back to the boat empty handed, we did find two good size conchs that made some yummy conch fritters for appetizers that night as we watched sunset. Oh it was good to be off the marina and back out at anchorage.
The next day was Easter Sunday and we decided to spend the day at Tahiti Beach. So we pack up all of our stuff for the day and head out. Now I must admit that it is quite a spectacle to watch us go to the beach these days- you can not believe how much stuff we take with us. It is amazing that it all can fit into the dinghy. So not only do we have ourselves and our dog, but we have an umbrella and two beach chairs that we take so that we are comfortable sitting on the beach and don’t get too much sun. Then we have all of our snorkel gear (masks, booties, fins, wetsuits, etc.) and our two spears in case we want to go out and spearfish while we swim. Then we
Stuff
All of our stuff at the beach, yes... we need it all. have a cooler that we bring which is full of lunch, snacks, beer, and water (in case we get hungry or thirsty- which we often do). And then we have our backpack filled to the brim with the camera, towels, hats, books, games, sunscreen, dog toys (either a frisbee or a tennis ball) as well as a dog bowl and dog treats. And only once did we bring our boogie boards to the beach. It really is funny watching us get everything ready and loaded onto the dinghy for our day at the beach, but I can’t imagine leaving any of it behind. It is what makes our days at the beach so wonderful.
Tahiti Beach is a beautiful beach at the southern tip of Elbow Cay which gets its name from all the palm trees that line the beach. It is unique in that the water is so shallow (only a foot or two) for at least 100 yards off the beach, making the water around the beach that very bright turquoise color that is so awesome. And you can walk out in the shallow water and explore all around the tip of the island, which was fun
Hopetown
Picturesque Hopetown Harbor, with all the sailboats in front of the lighthouse. for us and the dogs. We really had a great day, reading books and swimming, picnicking on the beach, playing with the dogs, and hunting for priceless treasures (I sure do have a nice collection of shells now). After we had enough sun and sand for the day we headed back to the boats to unload our stuff and Jay and Chris decided to go out fishing for dinner, this time with fishing poles and pieces of the conch for bait. They went back to the same place where we spear fished the day before, determined to get the grouper and snapper that we had chased and that had evaded us for hours. This time the fisherman successfully came back with five nice fish (1 big grouper and 4 snappers). That night we went to the Verna Breeze with the marinade for the fish and curried fried rice. We grilled the fish whole and had a huge Easter feast on their boat; it was a very Bohemian way to celebrate Easter. We finished off the night by playing Kuduuk and looking up at the thousand of stars that fill the sky. I think it is one of the most different
Lighthouse
The candy-cane, red striped lighthouse of Hopetown. and unique way to celebrate Easter, one that I will never forget.
Jay and I wake up the next morning and decide to go into Hopetown, a small harbor which is famous because of the red and white lighthouse there. Unfortunately the entrance to the harbor is too shallow for us to bring the Rum Runner, so we hop in the Sushi Boat and dinghy the 3 miles to get there. Actually the ride there wasn’t too bad, but the ride back was wet… very very wet. We had waves crashing over the dinghy and after a while, we couldn’t bail the water out fast enough. So instead of bailing we unplug the stopper at the back of the dinghy and try to get up on a plane so that the water will go out the hole in the back. It actually worked rather well. It was never a dangerous situation, actually we were laughing at ourselves the whole way. And now we have affectionately re-named our dinghy the wet rider.
Hopetown is a very charming island community with many brightly colored cottages that almost has a European feel about it, which makes sense because it was colonized
Glass
The original glass lens of the Hopetown Lighthouse. by the British after the American Revolution. We first went to the lighthouse- which is one of the last three kerosene fueled, hand cranked lighthouses in the world (very cool). We climbed all 101 steps to the top of the lighthouse which offered us a spectacular view of the island. Afterwards we wandered thru town, stopping along the way at all the shops and restaurants. Towards the end of the day we found a great restaurant and bar located right on the beach where we meet a group of people from Denver (what a small world!). We had a wonderful time hanging out with them and walking along the beach there, which was spectacular. Unfortunately we didn’t bring our snorkel gear with us because the beach there was on the Atlantic side and had a little reef (which we were told has great snorkeling). It is definitely a place we want to go back to one day, if our travels ever take us there again.
While we were exploring Hopetown, Chris and Kelly had to go back to Marsh Harbor because their cat, Petey, was sick and needed to go to the vet. As it turned out, the vet
View
A breathtaking view of Hopetown from atop of the lighthouse. in Marsh Harbor couldn’t find anything wrong with the cat so Chris had to fly back to Florida in order to get the appropriate care for Petey. So the next day Jay and I decided to go back to Marsh Harbor to hang out with Kelly while Chris was away.
On the way back to Marsh Harbor we decide to make a stop along the way at Sandy Cay and Pelican Natural Underwater Park (the only protected underwater park in the Abacos). It was some of the best snorkeling we have ever had- totally awesome! The fish there are quite used to people an as soon as you jump off the boat you are surrounded by schools of tropical fish. And there are some types of coral there that I have never seen before. The highlight was snorkeling along with a spotted eagle ray that swam right by us. And there was some of the biggest conch that I have ever seen there, which we were almost tempted to take with us for dinner. But no worries, we would never do that. The whole reason why it is such a great place to snorkel is because the sea life
Beach
After getting drinks from the baretender at the beach bar, you stroll down and enjoy this lovely beach. is protected there and we would never want to change that. It is another place we would love to go back to again.
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momjj
non-member comment
Finally!
It's been a long time! We got spoiled with these blogs! In your pic, ou look so relaxed and fun loving. We also like the pics of the lighthouse. I am going to print out an 8x10 pic of both for grandma and tape it on the wall by her bed. ....love and miss you, mom