March 16th to 19th – Hope Town /Elbow Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

On Thursday afternoon we sailed over to the harbor in Hope Town. We spent the morning hanging out on Tahiti Beach. The trip over to Hope Town was sort of a slow drift with occasional zephyrs helping to keep enough forward momentum so we could steer. We ghosted through all of the boats anchored outside of Hope Town. It was a fun and relaxing 3 nautical miles! We found Rhiannon’s mooring and tied up for a few days.

Hope Town is like a post card. There is very little evidence of the damage done by Dorian. It’s probably the most touristy of the islands we’ve visited. The harbor is surrounded by quaint little homes. Looking over the harbor is the Elbow Reef lighthouse.

The Elbow Reef lighthouse is the last manned, non-electrified, lighthouse in the world. It’s lens is hand wound and is fueled by kerosene. We’ve seen the lighthouse keeper up there, with a flashlight, lighting the lamp. Along with getting diesel and water, checking out the lighthouse was a priority.

Since arriving here Lynne and I have been wandering around the little streets and checking out the town. There are a few grocery stores. Captain Jack’s is a restaurant and bar right on the water, a stones throw from the dinghy dock. It seems to be a gathering place for the cruisers in harbor. The beach is a very short walk across town. There is a cruiser’s net on the VHF radio in the morning. The broadcast covers local happenings, marine weather, and other boat related news.

We’ll be here until Tuesday when SV Rhiannon returns. We’d like to get another mooring but it doesn’t seem very likely as the harbor is full. According to someone we spoke with, March and April are the busiest months. Besides the usual migratory vessels there are a lot of big charter catamarans around here. Some larger than our house!

Some scenes from Hope Town.

View off the back porch.

Elbow Reef lighthouse.

Kerosene tanks for the light. We are climbing the tower.

View from the top. It was pretty windy up there!

Evergreen is in the back row of this shot.

Evergreen moored in Hope Town. Elbow Cay, Bahamas.

For Sunday night into Monday we are expecting rain. We’ve had some showers move through the area today. I’ve been experimenting with different awnings to keep Evergreen ventilated while keeping the rain out. I’ve also been working on rain catchment systems to fill the tanks. I built a particulate filter, before leaving home, that filters down to around 1 micron. That, plus bleach, should keep the water pure. We also have another filter on our drinking water that filters down to 1/2 micron and removes the bleach taste. Sometimes Evergreen is like a big science experiment. It keeps me entertained.

Sunset at Hope Town Harbor.