(This is a long post with lots of photos. Read when you have time!)
Meet "Showboat" at his conch stand in Marsh Harbour,
where he makes delicious fresh conch salad to order.
Showboat is ready to put on his show...
He starts by hammering a spot on the shell and cutting
out the conch.
Then he trims the conch down to the yummy white meat.
He scores and chops the conch meat, then combines it
with diced tomato, green pepper, onion, and some
cucumber. Showboat tops it off with a little salt, lime
juice, orange juice, and his secret hot and spicy marinade.
We like Showboat's fresh conch salad with crackers for
lunch. Yum!
Our anchorage just outside Hope Town on Elbow Cay.
That's the historic Elbow Cay Lighthouse off our bow.
Built in 1836, it is 89 feet tall and is one of two hand-
wound kerosene-burning lighthouses still operational
in the world. Kent and our friend Linnea enjoyed the
view from the top, but alas, my fear of heights kept
me at ground level.
Yikes, what is that? It's a 7-foot nurse shark looking
for a handout! The shark circled Bangarang a few
times during our stay. Apparently, he's the
neighborhood moocher.
A view of the lighthouse in Hope Town from the
Hope Town Inn & Marina
A stroll through Hope Town
A typical view of Hope Town from the harbor's edge
Hope Town Harbour Lodge, where you can eat lunch
with a view of the Atlantic, swim in the ocean, then
take a dip in the pool.
Fresh fish, anyone?
A rental villa in Hope Town
An example of the wooden boats still being hand-crafted
by local boat builders in Hope Town.
A visit to the lighthouse
The lighthouse lenses
The shells and sea life in the Abacos are beautiful. A
walk on any beach here is filled with discovery. Here's a
helmet conch.
The colorful sea urchins and the bleach-white sea
biscuits collected among the sea grasses are my favorites.
Wild horses inland on Great Abaco
Top shells
Little starfish
Queen conch
A live starfish underwater
Brain coral
A welk we found wading in the shallows at Manjack Cay.
Huge! We just couldn't allow ourselves to take him for
supper when he was so large and obviously old. Back into
the Sea of Abaco he (she?) went!
A crab on the rocks on Manjack Cay
Trooper running along the beach at Manjack Cay
As we waded in the shallow waters at Manjack Cay, the
stingrays circled around us. It's a popular spot where
visitors come to feed them and some even try to pet them.
It's both a thrill and a bit creepy to see and feel them
glide silently and smoothly around your legs!
A very bright moon is peeking out over Manjack Cay
I have to include some pictures of the wild pigs on
No Name Cay, where boaters bring them food.
When we were there, we saw at least two dozen of them,
including some cute little piglets.
Snort, snort!
They really are pretty adorable.
They love to swim and often swim up to the boaters,
knowing there is food coming.
The pigs are known to be somewhat tame but many
weigh about 200-400 pounds, so I keep my distance!
A big welcome for visitors at Green Turtle Cay
A view of the Bluff House on White Sound at
Green Turtle Cay
The Albert Lowe Museum on Green Turtle Cay
It's not Whole Foods or Mariano's but it's a
surprisingly well-stocked grocery on Green Turtle Cay!
"Ye Olde Gaol" in New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay.
A close look at the historic jailhouse and out buildings
would be enough to keep you on the straight
and narrow here in the old days. Built in mid-1800s. No
wonder there isn't any crime here to speak of in this
community of just 500 residents!
Green Turtle Cay
Beautiful tropical flowers everywhere
Green Turtle Cay
I think these are Plovers--very common to the Abacos
We anchored in Black Sound at Green Turtle Cay
in front of the yacht club.
Lunch poolside at the Leeward Yacht Club
One of the most gorgeous beaches at Treasure Cay
My next ride!
Anchored off Treasure Cay in glistening waters
Candlelight supper with our shell collection, which
seems to grow by the day. Gotta control myself!
Supper: spiny lobster on the BBQ
This blog got so long. And I didn't even get a chance to include our sails to Tahiti Beach, Tiloo, Man O War Cay, Sandy Point, or Little Harbor! Thanks for sticking it out and taking an interest in recent highlights of our adventures!
