Idyllic Northern Abacos
February 3-10 2025
What a promising beginning as we embarked on one last tour of the Bahamas on Pelican. From West Palm Beach to West End, our track served up our calmest crossing ever. And in a providential reversal, quieter winter weather prevailed in the typically windy northwest Bahamas while the southern Bahamas experienced uncharacteristically unsettled weather. This allowed us to anchor at the northern edge of Abaco by Double Breasted Cays and Grand Cay, islands we’d always wanted to visit but never had, due to rough weather. This year, we could drop the anchor anywhere in tranquil seas and turquoise waters.
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Near Grand Cay
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Leaving Grand Bahama
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Sunset at Old Bahama Bay
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| A very secluded anchorage near Grand Cay |
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Rosie's Place, Grand Cay
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We asked around at Grand Cay where we could buy fresh lobster; they pointed us to Wendell who opened
the door of his treasure chest (a securely locked walk-in freezer) of "Bahamian Gold."
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Yes!
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Winds soon reverted to normal, and we returned to an itinerary through our favorite stops over the years.
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The "signing tree" at Allens-Pensacola Cay
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| A quick stop at Green Turtle Cay |
A Tale of Two Harbours
February 11-13, 2025
The first time we cruised the Bahamas in 2003, we spent most of our time in Marsh Harbour, and we love it. The last time we’d been in Marsh Harbour, in 2022, recovery from Hurricane Dorian’s 2019 devastation had barely begun. Three years later, it was heartening to see the strides the community has made to come back from the horrific damage. We reserved a slip at the newly rebuilt Harbour View Marina and landed in the lap of luxury! Clubhouse, pool, and most importantly to cruisers, the bathrooms, were all gorgeous. One highlight in town was seeing our old friend, George, the “Conch Salad Man.” We asked about him and were told he was now a taxi driver. The next day we walked into a shop and there was George at the counter making a purchase. It’s wonderful to reconnect with special people we’ve met over the years.
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| The office at Harbour View Marina |
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| Marina pool |
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| Places to go |
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| Wally's is open for business |
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| Dinner at Wally's |
A few days later, we moved on to Pete’s Pub and Gallery in Little Harbour for lunch followed by a calm night at anchor.
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| Pete's Pub - casually funky ambiance, amazing food |
Spectacular sculptures, mostly marine life, are still forged in the Johnston Art Foundry, established in this remote harbor by Randolph W. Johnston in 1952. Succeeding generations carry on the tradition.
Spanish Wells Oasis
February 14-16, 2025
Crossing from Little Harbour to Spanish Wells, we pounded into rougher seas than our Gulf Stream crossing served up. We were fairly comfortable as we passed through floating sargassum, possibly the edge of the Sargasso Sea. These floating mats, sometimes called the "golden floating rainforest," are an underwater nursery for sea turtles, eels, crabs, and schools of pelagic fish. At the edge of this calm area, converging currents from Tongue of the Ocean and the Northeast Providence channel met opposing swells. Churning breakers rose to feisty, foaming peaks and pitched us about. It felt scary, but fortunately, over time, I’ve learned that uncomfortable is not a synonym for unsafe.
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| The golden floating rainforest |
Once we arrived safely in Spanish Wells, a dock at Yacht Haven and a rental golf cart gave us the time and freedom to explore on land. We like the authentic Bahamian vibe and friendly people here, not to mention the big grocery and marine supply stores.
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| Yacht Haven, Spanish Wells, St. George's Cay |
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| The Sand Bar on adjacent Russell Island |
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| The view from the Sand Bar |
We took the high-speed ferry to Harbour Island for long enough to eat lunch and walk the town and the gorgeous pink sand beach for which ’Briland is famous. Our phones recorded more than 18 thousand steps that day!
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| Bougainvillea in beautiful bloom on 'Briland |
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| Pink Sands beach |
Lush, Tropical Eleuthera
February 17 - 27. 2025
After timing our passage through Current Cut, Eleuthera was our next cruising ground, with a first stop at the famous Glass Window. At an isthmus that forms the narrowest point on the island, you can stand in one place and see the deep sapphire blue Atlantic on one side of the bridge and the aqua waters of the shallow banks on the other. The Glass Window was a land bridge spanning the gap between eighty-foot cliffs on either side. In the early twentieth century, sea storms and towering rogue waves amazingly washed out the high arch, which was later replaced by a highway bridge.
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| Glass Window panorama |
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| Keith on bridge spanning the Glass Window |
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| Our next stop, Gregory Town harbor |
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| Conch shell construction material, Gregory Town |
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