Bahamas/Abacos Cruising Information

Does anyone have any good information to share on "must see" places in the Abacos, favorite towns/marinas, or other good information to pass on? Our boat is a Grand Banks 49 trawler drawing a bit over 5 feet, typically cruising between 8 and 10 kts.

We already have just about every cruising guide that I've been able to locate, plus both paper and electronic versions of the Explorer charts.

Any comments regarding accuracy of the Explorer charts, or lack thereof, would be welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Don't miss Double Breasted Cay on the way down. Spectacular. Green Turtle's Black Sound is the place to be if you want to spend time in the settlement, New Plymouth. White Sound has great marina and services, but unless you need dockage, pick up a mooring in Black Sound and rent a golf cart to see the place. Don't miss the Gully Roosters playing at the White Sound's Green Turtle Club if you're around on Wednesday nights. Kevin - the band leader - is dockmaster at Black Sound's Other Shore Club.

Great Guana Cay is fine. Fisher Bay is where Troy of Dive Guana operates - if you need guide to snorkel and dive, he's quite personable. He's also got moorings there. Main harbor for Great Guana isn't too pretty, but dockage there may appeal to you. Nipper's Bar on the Beach is a place to check out. We happened to catch a Jimmy Buffett wanabee there - Barefoot Man. Was kind of like a Spring Break for 50-year-olds scene, but good time anyway.

Man-O-War Cay is a great stop. The island is dry, so if you enjoy a little plazma, make sure you have it aboard. The Hybiscus restaurant there is really quite a nice find. And these people, although quite parochial, are marvelous folks. Early loyalist history still carries forward the strongest at this stop. Every 3rd person you meet is an Albury. They layup a fine run about boat there too. You'll see Albury's all over the place piloted by the locals and day renters.

Hopetown, Elbow Cay is indeed a most scenic place. The lighthouse was mentioned earlier, and you won't want to miss it. But go a half hour before sunset and watch the keeper, Jeffrey, light her off. It's the last world's three remaining original kerosene fired lamps. They use silk mantels, just like the Coleman lanterns. The settlement at Hopetown is great fun with a spectacular beach just east of the settlement.

Cruisers Net, VHF Ch. 68 at 0800 is very good source for weather and other happenings around the islands, with best first hand info about Whale Cay and Man-O-War Cay Channel passage conditions. Treasure Cay is essentially just a resort, but appeals to some.

Beaches and reefs are terrific, of course. A rather hidden treasure, it being close to Marsh Harbor may be the reason, is a dive / snorkel spot called Mermaid Reef. Many think it can't be that good since it's close-in. Not so.

Hope your trip is a good one!

RCE

After Marsh Harbour, a must do is Hopetown, Elbow Cay. a very short hop just east of Marsh Harbour. One of the most picturesque anchorages anywhere. Be sure and go to the top of the lighthouse to take photos of your boat on the hook. Once, when we were there, a local came to our boat and asked if his wife could cook a Bahamian dinner for us to be delivered to the boat. We happily agreed, and it was an event I'll never forget. The best conch salad, conch fritters, and fresh grouper imaginable. And, a little specialty of the island, was served as a garnish. These were little bitsy yellow peppers that would bring tears to your eyes. Hottest damn things I've ever eaten anywhere.

Since it looks like you might be headed south, I can also recommend Spanish Wells, on the north end of Eleuthera. This was a very long time ago, but we hired a local guide for the day, and he took us out on his skiff to do some conch diving and bottom fishing for grouper. It was a great day.

Chub Cay is a great spot if you like sportfishing. It's one of the premier sportfishing places anywhere, and there are plenty of charters available.

Of course Nassau and Paradise Island is always worth a stop if you've never been. The last time I was there, it was pre-Atlantis.

I'll see if I can drag out some old photos, scan them and post them "over there".

Russ

There is a great reef off man o war and guana cay's. Nassau has some forts. Walk over to the queen=E2=80=99s staircase and go up the water tower next to the old fort. You might want to check out the aquarium on paradise too. I prefer to leave Miami and check in at Bimini. Gun cay use to be a nice stop but the beach is not 2 feet of water. If you go to Bimini first and then across to west end it is a pretty long day but there is some good fish along the ridge to Isaac. Either way, if you go onto the banks anywhere in the abacos this time of year, be sure to check the tides. You can get minus tides that will drop the control down to 5 feet. It=E2=80=99s a soft stop but you might not like the feeling of being stuck so far from everything. The good news is that you won=E2=80=99t be the first person to get stuck there=E2=98=BA

There is a great reef off man o war and guana cay's. Nassau has some forts. Walk over to the queen=E2=80=99s staircase and go up the water tower next to the old fort. You might want to check out the aquarium on paradise too. I prefer to leave Miami and check in at Bimini. Gun cay use to be a nice stop but the beach is not 2 feet of water. If you go to Bimini first and then across to west end it is a pretty long day but there is some good fish along the ridge to Isaac. Either way, if you go onto the banks anywhere in the abacos this time of year, be sure to check the tides. You can get minus tides that will drop the control down to 5 feet. It=E2=80=99s a soft stop but you might not like the feeling of being stuck so far from everything. The good news is that you won=E2=80=99t be the first person to get stuck there=E2=98=BA

There is a great reef off man o war and guana cay's. Nassau has some forts. Walk over to the queen=E2=80=99s staircase and go up the water tower next to the old fort. You might want to check out the aquarium on paradise too. I prefer to leave Miami and check in at Bimini. Gun cay use to be a nice stop but the beach is not 2 feet of water. If you go to Bimini first and then across to west end it is a pretty long day but there is some good fish along the ridge to Isaac. Either way, if you go onto the banks anywhere in the abacos this time of year, be sure to check the tides. You can get minus tides that will drop the control down to 5 feet. It=E2=80=99s a soft stop but you might not like the feeling of being stuck so far from everything. The good news is that you won=E2=80=99t be the first person to get stuck there=E2=98=BA

There is a great reef off man o war and guana cay's. Nassau has some forts. Walk over to the queen=E2=80=99s staircase and go up the water tower next to the old fort. You might want to check out the aquarium on paradise too. I prefer to leave Miami and check in at Bimini. Gun cay use to be a nice stop but the beach is not 2 feet of water. If you go to Bimini first and then across to west end it is a pretty long day but there is some good fish along the ridge to Isaac. Either way, if you go onto the banks anywhere in the abacos this time of year, be sure to check the tides. You can get minus tides that will drop the control down to 5 feet. It=E2=80=99s a soft stop but you might not like the feeling of being stuck so far from everything. The good news is that you won=E2=80=99t be the first person to get stuck there=E2=98=BA

We crossed Lake O twice last year with no issues. The trip across FL is not terribly exciting after you've done it once or twice but it is several hundred miles shorter than going south through the Keys, and the scenery on the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee is quite unique.

There is a great reef off man o war and guana cay's. Nassau has some forts. Walk over to the queen=E2=80=99s staircase and go up the water tower next to the old fort. You might want to check out the aquarium on paradise too. I prefer to leave Miami and check in at Bimini. Gun cay use to be a nice stop but the beach is not 2 feet of water. If you go to Bimini first and then across to west end it is a pretty long day but there is some good fish along the ridge to Isaac. Either way, if you go onto the banks anywhere in the abacos this time of year, be sure to check the tides. You can get minus tides that will drop the control down to 5 feet. It=E2=80=99s a soft stop but you might not like the feeling of being stuck so far from everything. The good news is that you won=E2=80=99t be the first person to get stuck there=E2=98=BA

Lee Huddleston s/v Truelove on the hard at Bock Marine Beaufort, NC