Hope Town, Abaco

What a wonderful visit we had in Hope Town. It's picturesque, quaint and perfect for a vacation getaway, even the sign "Slow Down, You're Entering Hope Town" let's you know you are in for a treat.

We were welcomed by friends who are moored there for the winter cruising season almost immediately, and invited to participate in a Full Moon Dinghy RaftUp where you tie up to the other dinghies just before sundown with drinks and appetizers - just to drift around the harbor as the tide was changing.  What fun that was.

Looming over the harbor is the candy-striped Elbow Cay Lighthouse. It is one of the last kerosene lighthouses in existence, and thanks to Jeffrey, the tender, we were given an exclusive visit to witness first hand, the lighting of the lamp.

Before the sun had gone down we walked out onto the gangway surrounding the lighthouse and were given an exciting view of Hope Town Harbor, with the Atlantic Ocean in the background. The climb had been a challenge, but the view was well worth the effort.

It was impressive to learn more about the history of the lightshouse. Even more impressive was to hear that Jeffrey, or his cousin, climb the hundred or more steps to the top, every two hours during the evening to crank the gears to keep the light turning.

If you are ever in the area, you will certainly want to visit Hope Town. And while you are there you will want to take advantage of the spectacular scenery that can be observed from atop the Elbow Cay Lighthouse.

The weather has been splendid thus far this season, and we continue to enjoy being with our friends from the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club – catching up, daily activities and occasional outings. There are so many things to become involved that we seem to fill up our daily schedule, much like being back home at work.

There have been some highlights. Carolyn continues her work at Every Child Counts, with nineteen students this year. She has noticed that many of them are taller than she is-  a sign that they are getting older but they continue to enjoy her classes each week. Overall, the number of students has continued to grow each year and it is encouraging to see the progress each student is making, making the effort worth the time and effort she puts in each week. She dide turn 70 this year, but keep it a secret.

I have jumped into water color. Never in my imagination would this have been something I would have considered in the past, but a very talented yacht club member recruited nineteen “student” and you would have never imagined the results. There were no amateurish paintings, thanks to the instructor’s assistance, and when the two-week series of classes ended, the pictures were terrific.

The editing for this year’s Waterway Guide has been completed, and I find myself rising early each morning to plan sales calls for advertising, using the internet to reach out to those accounts in the more distant areas. Chris Higgs, Harbour Master here at Boat Harbour, is gracious enough to allow me to use his van to visit local advertisers in exchange for the “soccer mom” duties I provide in exchange.

We are so happy to be back in the Abacos. It’s so nice to be on the receiving end of the “Welcome Backs” or “need a lift” as we walk into town. The area continues to be our home away from home but we always look forward to receiving emails from everyone back home which help to keep us focused.