Hopetown

We have breakfast on the boat and take the passenger ferry over to Hopetown to meet with Robert and Karen who are taking the ferry from Marsh harbor to here for the day. We go for a long walk to a beach bar that we have missed the last three times we have been here “On Da Beach”. Like every other oceanside building here it is totally new. Great location on a bluff over the beach. We are a little early for lunch so we have drinks while we wait for the kitchen to open. We all had a very good lunch at a great place to hang out.

Pessenger Ferry

 

"Da Beach"

 

Karen on the beach and "Da Beach" in the background

We all head back to town. We take the passenger ferry to the Light house dock and climb the light house. We walk back to the Hopetown Marina.  Robert & Karen take the ferry back to Marsh Harbor. 

 

 

 

Harbor view from the Lighthouse

 

After dinner on the boat we have movie night on Sea Vu Play, “Where the Crawdad’s Sing”

 

 

Hopetown

 

We have breakfast at the Hopetown Inn & Marina restaurant and then Linda does two loads of laundry. Later Linda and Karen take the ferry to town for some window shopping. Mark and I meet them later at Captain Jacks for Lunch. Captain Jack’s is a popular restaurant on a pier in the harbor that just reopened this year after being closed or essentially not existent for the last three years after Dorian wiped it away.

We finally get to the new ice cream shop, Skoops. Limited selection but very good ice cream.

We have dinner at the Hopetown Marina restaurant with "Windara", Melissa and Chris, who we first met at Great Harbor.  They have been here on a mooring for a month. They both work remotely on their boat.
 

Linda, Mark, Karen, Melissa & Chris

Hopetown

Sea Vu Play and Belladventure leave around 9:00 AM. I stay a little longer to explore around the anchorage and we leave around 10:30. 

 

Many home sites just remain as cement pads

 

Other homes have been completely rebuilt

 

We take the shallow water route, which saves us around an hour getting to Hopetown. As we enter the Harbor we get a light squall coming through so I tell the Dock Master at the Hopetown Inn & Marina we will chill just off the docks until the rain stops, which it does in about 15 minutes. We dock next to Sea Vu Play who arrived ½ hour ago. Belladventure headed to Marsh Harbor. An hour after we tie up, a heavier longer lasting squall comes through after we put up more of our cockpit canvas and vinyl. By that time, we and Sea Vu Play are having lunch at the restaurant watching the down pour from under the awnings at the restaurant. 

Lunch time down pour

Pessenger Ferry to Hopetown

Later in the afternoon we take the passenger ferry to Hopetown, hoping to checkout the new Ice Cream shop. We are too late, they are already closed. So we head to Munchies, who always have ice cream. We walk around Hopetown to see the still visible damage and reconstruction. Our old favorite, The Harbour Town Inn, is no more. They tore down the damaged hotel and motel units. The outdoor bar and restaurant are gone and the pool is filled in with sand.

The pool at The Harbor Town Inn, April 2019

 

The "pool" at The Harbor Town Inn, April 2023

 

 

 

Sand bag retaining wall, good luck

 

Sand bags

 

Many buildings have not been repaired

 

Manana at Hopetown Inn & Marina

 Trip to Hopetown

Tilloo Cay

We get up late and head to the beach at 9:00AM to hike over to the Ocean side of Lynyard Cay for a hike along the beach. 

 

 

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We all leave around 11:00 for Tilloo Cay, just a couple hours sail north. Robert breaks a belt on Belladventure’s engine and sails over closer to the Cay to anchor and replace it. We head on to Tillok Bay and anchor around 12:30PM. I run tlhe watermaker. Sea Vu Play and Belladventure show up an hour later and anchor to the west where the water is a little deeper. Still lots of destroyed and damaged houses along the shore. Others are brand spanking new.

 To Tilloo Bay

 

Abacos

Up at 6:00 am and out by 7:30am. We take our usual route north through the Ridley Head Cut through the reef. 

 

We have a long day to reach Lynyard Cay in the Abacos, crossing the deep Providence Channel, which has a lot of shipping traffic. A very rolly day, the swells from the northeast are much higher and closer together than forecast. Another boat over the VHF radio says they saw a whale, but no such luck for us, just a bunch of flying fish. Linda takes a couple doses of ginger root and then meclazine to avoid motion sickness. We pass lots of garbage.

 

 

 

Busy Sailors

The anchorage at Lynyard Cay has 25 boats, more than double that amount we have every seen here before. Bellaventure started about seven miles west of us in Spainish Wells and arrives about the same time as Manana and Sea Vu Play. We all have Happy Hour on Belladventure. We don’t need much else for dinner and just have soup.

Spanish Wells

We rent a Golf cart for the day to tour Spanish Wells and Russel Island. Sunday on Spanish Wells most businesses are closed, but we do find a food Van that has coffee and pastry.

 

 

 

 

 

Pelican Bay

 

We later have lunch at the Sandbar Beach Bar on Russel Island. Very popular place and fairly crowded. Food was very good.

 

Sandbar Beach Bar

Lovely Sunday afternoon

 

 After lunch we walked a couple more beaches then turned in the Golf cart and head back to the boats. Terrie & Duane “Fiona” stopped by and were interested in the route though Ridley Cut that we always take north. I email them our past tracks and offer to send them tomorrows track since they will not leave for a couple days.

 

Spanish Wells

We have a leisurely breakfast and don’t leave until 10:15. We are trying to time slack current through Current Cut on the north end of Eleuthera at 1:00 pm. 

 

Entering Current Cut

 

We arrive at Spanish Wells at 3:00 pm. We have time to go for a swim off the back of the boat, before we head to the “Shipyard” restaurant for dinner.

 

Love the graphic of the two partners of R&B Boatyard

They have a removable bridge for their marine railway

Dinner at the Shipyard

 

Sunset at the Anchorage

 

Hatchet

We leave at 8:15 and head to Hatch Bay. We arrive at 2:15, motor-sailing. 

Narrow entrance to Hatch Bay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We go ashore with Mark & Karen for a walk around town and come back to Emit’s, “Farrington’s Boat Haven”. Emit started his business a few years ago catering to cruisers, food, drink, laundry, rental cars. Etc. Emit likes to sing and play guitar for his customers. 

 

Emit in action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We head back to our boat to play cards and I make Mango Daiquiris for Karen and Linda. 

You don't want to share the entrance with the Ferry

 

Emit has a band playing music until 2:00am, fortunately we are far enough away that I can drown out the sound with my fan next to my bed.

Meanwhile back at Malletts Bay, Vermont, our home port in Vermont

 

Ten Bay Beach

We pull anchor at 7:45AM for a couple hours sail to Ten Bay Beach. We sail all the way there on just our jib and arrive at 11:30. 

 

 

Rainman

The water is very clear here so I set up the Rainman and generator to make water. The generator goes into overload and it looks like it will not have enough power to run the Rainman. Finally I flip the switch to “Smart Throttle” mode which I don’t think will work, but am surprised when it does. I thought “Smart Throttle” mode just lowered the RPM for lower loads. Well, I learn that with “Smart Throttle” off the generator runs at 3000 RPM. 

 

With “Smart Throttle” mode on the RPM will vary with the load and can run over 3000 RPM for higher loads. I run the generator for two hours filling our water tanks.

Later in the afternoon I take the dinghy ashore at low tide and go for a walk up the beach. This beach is public and there was quite a few people here this afternoon by car. Robert and Karen, “Bellaventure” come into the beach and we visit for a while. Back on the boat Linda is making a batch of Texas Caviar.

Ten Bay Beach

From the Top, Sea Vu Play, Manana and Belladventure

 

After dinner we play cards with Mark and Karen on their boat. Karen made a very good pie for dessert.