Sunset from Man-O-War Cay
After school on Saturday we moved the 5.5 nm from Hope Town to Man-O-War Cay, anchoring northwest of town. With an air temperature of 87 and calm seas we headed out in the dinghy to snorkel on the reefs outside of Fowl Cay along with the crew from Iceni. The water was a perfect blue and we could see the bottom in 40 feet of water. Dinghy mooring balls made it easy to tie off and get into the water. The corals were not very healthy, with big chunks of elkhorn broken off and bleached white. Fortunately there were soft corals and lots of fish living in all the nooks and crannies of the reef. We were the only boats out there enjoying the beautiful spot in perfect weather conditions. There were at least eight mooring balls spread over a quarter of a mile of reef, making this the best snorkeling we’ve found so far in the Abacos.
The only trouble with anchoring here is the power boats. They don’t slow down at all, even though there are ten boats anchored just off the harbour entrance in an area marked as an anchorage on the charts. One wake got us just after launching the dinghy. The dink surged up and tore a teak tread off the stern ladder on the big boat that had been held on with three screws.
Man-O-War Harbour Entrance
Sunday we went in and explored Man-O-War cay on foot. Nothing was open, but the marina, so we walked over to the Atlantic side and looked for sea beans on the beach. There was a large ship on, or very near, the reef that looks like it might be a drilling vessel. The homes and streets were nicely kept. The community is known for boat building and we saw a few of the Albury Skiffs around the harbor. The two protected harbors were filled with moorings and boats. There would not be room to anchor. We brought jerry jugs with us and purchased 25 gallons of water at the marina.
Home on Man-O-War
On the way back to Intuition we were hailed by a power boat who came alongside and asked “which way is it to Nippers?” Now Nippers is a famous, at least in this area, bar on Great Guana Cay that has a wild boar roast on Sundays. At 1130 in the morning these people were already three sheets to the wind and weren’t even approaching the right island. We pointed Northwest and they zoomed off.
Back on the boat, Noah made lunch while Beth and I emptied all the water jugs into the main tank. From Man-O-War we sailed to Marsh Harbour, drifting the 6.3 miles across the Sea of Abaco with just the Jib out. Noah went on Iceni, so Beth and I just relaxed and enjoyed the quiet passage. After being pleasantly surprised by the amount of room in the harbor and finding a good spot near the Jib Room to anchor we picked up Noah, Hannah and Fraser for a Pizza Dinner and movie on our boat so Iain and Sue could have a few hours of peace and quiet.
The water in Marsh Harbour is dirtier than we remember. We can’t see more than half-way down our rudder. Turtles don’t seem to mind as we have seen several large ones swimming around the boat. Frigate Birds are also making an appearance for the first time on our journey.
Monday morning the shops were open and the ladies went into town to do laundry and check out the grocery shop. They used the town laundry rather than one at a marina and did wash for $2 per load. Noah did his test lesson number 140 which means only 20 more days of school! Excellent scores in all his subjects with 100% in everything but spelling. After lunch, Iain and I went looking for some parts at the hardware and Yamaha stores without any luck.
Island Packets in Marsh Harbour
On the morning VHF radio net “Nice ‘N Easy” announced an impromptu Island Packet rendezvous in the Jib Room at 1700. Someone else came on and commented that it would be a meeting of the Island Pachyderms, a new (to us)term that seems to fit the boats well. A good percentage of the boats here are IP beige and the crews from at least 8 boats showed up at the appointed hour. Three Bells, Grainne, Jule, Nice N’ Easy, Our Turn, and Jupiter Smile are the names I can remember. Look for a photo and brief article in an upcoming IP newsletter.
Packeteers Gather at the Jib Room