Marsh Harbour

We left Green Turtle at grey dawn on Friday to 'shoot the Whale' - the narrow channel out into the Atlantic that deeper draft boats must take to avoid shoals. We knew we had probably chosen the right day when we looked ahead and behind us and saw a small flotilla of boats also heading in the same direction! Well, the Whale was a breeze. As we approached the channel we were met by rolling waves of only about three feet, even though, at each side of the channel, the spray from towering breakers crashing against the rocks was spectacular. Our route then took us back into the shelter of the sea of Abaco through Loggerhead Channel and past Baker's Bay on Great Guana Cay. This was once a stopping point for cruise ships, but was discontinued due to the unreliability of getting the cruise ships in there on schedule in the heavy seas. We waved goodbye to 'Somewhere in Time' as they made their way into Orchid Bay Marina on Great Guana. They will stay there for a few days and partake of the renowned Sunday 'Pig Roast' at 'Nippers Bar' on the hill overlooking the Atlantic. We sailed on into Marsh Harbour along with 'Sea Change' and dropped anchor by midday. Marsh Harbour is the main town of the Abacos Islands, with a small commercial port. It is also a good provisioning port for cruising boats. The town has nothing of the quaintness of New Plymouth on Green Turtle, or Hope Town just a few miles south. However, it does have a good grocery store and a few liquor stores. We stocked up on essentials like Coconut and Mango Rum - at $12.95 a litre how could we not! We also met Jane and Lawrence on 'Esprit', and were invited for drinks on their boat. As we approached 'Esprit' by dinghy we could see three or four other dinghies already tied to the stern. It turned out to be quite a party! After a glass or three provided by our generous host and hostess we all dinghied off to the 'Jib Room' at the Marsh Harbour Marina for dinner. It was a good evening! Now it's 7:30 a.m. and I am rushing to get this written before we set off for Little Harbour which will be our jumping off point for a 50 mile Atlantic trip across to the island of Eleuthera. We hope to do that tomorrow (Monday 26 Jan) if the weather is good.