February 27th to March 4th- Green Turtle Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas

On the 27th we hauled the anchor and pointed toward Green Turtle Cay. Winds were light but we raised the sails, shut down the deisel, and had a nice, quiet, morning sail. Green Turtle Cay ( GTC ) came highly recommended. We were also informed by a few cruisers to get in touch with Donny on the VHF radio and he’ll take care of you.

We found out that Donny’s Marina was very busy and had no moorings available but could squeeze us onto his T dock if I could handle it. The first thing you can hear upon approach to the marina is Donny’s clear, commanding, voice directing traffic onto his docks. He’s like a cross between a preacher and an air traffic controller. I followed his directions and he skillfully had us secured to the end of the pier in no time. Evergreen was kind of hanging off the end of the dock due to a big catamaran filling most of the slip but he said we’d probably relocate the boat tomorrow. We finally filled our water tanks, took real showers, and generally celebrated our arrival. Both Admiral and Oliver are always happy to be on a dock (me to).

The next day we began to explore GTC and headed into the town of New Plymouth. New Plymouth was a Loyalist community settled by people who were loyal to the British government during the Revolutionary War. There are about 450 year round residents. The streets are very narrow and most people drive golf carts and other small vehicles. The marina is close to town but first you have to climb a hill and then you are looking down on the water front community. Just standing on the hill and looking down the narrow streets, we knew we loved this place already!

This is a firehouse where locals eventually sheltered during the devastation of hurricane Dorian. The mural was painted by artists to bring some cheer to the community.

First on the agenda- fresh Bahamian bread. There are a few different places that bake breads, pastries, and desserts in New Plymouth. What great choices for such a small community! We got warm bread, straight from the oven, at McIntosh Restaurant and Bakery. It was soooo good! We’ve since also acquired bread and baguette from Daily Bread Bakery which is also fantastic! If I had to give up bread and cheese it would be the end of me. There are at least 4 small groceries in town with another across the harbor. Since all have different supplies coming in (by boat) we pop into one or two a day to see what they have available.

Donny tracked us down in his golf cart and let us know that if I could wedge our 11′ wide (actual beam of 10’9″) into a 14′ wide slip space we could have it. Most modern boats are wider than ours and he wanted to fill the spot. Unfortunately, it was so narrow due two a very big (expensive and unoccupied) catamaran already in place. That leaves about 3′ of space to maneuver. Ouch.

We deployed all fenders on the catamaran side and figured we’d rather hit the dock than the big cat. There was some question of how I was going to maintain control and come in really slow with the wind off Evergreen’s stern. I rigged long lines everywhere. Several other cruisers came out to help with the maneuver. Donny calls this his Dock Dynasty. Donny jumped in his Boston Whaler and tied to our stern to keep control. We passed a 100′ bow line over the cat to another dock. This was for controlling the bow. I eventually lobbed another 50′ stern line over also. Donny towed us from our stern. The other boaters on the dock heaved away. Donny fired up the Boston Whaler and pulled the stern where it needed to be. He was the conductor in this orchestration. I started Evergreen’s diesel. Donny told me to shut it down (I did). I ran around, tossing lines, then prepared to fend off the catamaran. Lynne was in charge of the spring line (the brake). A few minutes later we were safely tied to the dock without touching dock or big cat. I thanked everyone for their efforts. What a friendly, welcoming, place to spend some time! The rest of the day was busy with boats coming and going. I helped tie up several boats in the afternoon. I think that maybe I am part of the “Dock Dynasty” now. We have made several friends since docking at Donny’s.

We’re still enjoying GTC. We either go in to town or head over to Gilliam Bay Beach for a swim. Ollie has a Bahamian girlfriend who lives near the beach named Lady. They play chase and follow each other around. He enjoys the swimming as much as we do. It’s been hot and sunny every day.

We’ve been to Sundowner’s for a sundowner and music. The other day we were invited to Two Shortys for lunch. Barbeque chicken, peas and rice, coleslaw at $7 a plate. Can’t beat that! It’s one of those little places the locals go to. Delicious food. Can’t wait to go back. Today Lynne went beach combing. She found a sea bean and some of the most colorful shells I’ve ever seen. Did I mention that we are really enjoying ourselves?

Some scenes from Green Turtle Cay.

Loyalist Park.

Gilliam Bay.

One of those dots is Lynne. The water is shallow far out into the bay.