One More From Sea Spray

Shortly after my last post, the Elliot Clan departed to return to Florida.  Elizabeth, daughter, Janet, and granddaughter Hali pictured here on the Marina porch. Janet has to get back to work at her new job at a Canadian National Park on Vancouver Island. 

The past couple of weeks have flown by and we are now in our last week on lovely Elbow Cay.  The weather has remained perfect, dare we say a little too warm at times ... but then there is a pool.  Every visit to Hopetown is fun, whether by dinghy or by bike.  The cottages are darling.

There is a significant art community and the Hummingbird Cottage is an art gallery.   The gallery is actually the larger building seen on the far right of the picture.  In addition to selling their work, they host events and conduct art workshops.  The two cottages, like many of the island buildings, have been restored, but always keeping the original design intact. 

This is the School House.

Across the harbor is Hopetown Inn and Marina, a bit fancier than Sea Spray.  It's only accessible by boat, but they have a pontoon that shuttles visitors across the harbor at all times of night and day for those who don't have their own dinghy.  

We pulled up to the dinghy dock and had a look around.  It's gorgeous ... this is the resort they picture on the marketing websites for Hopetown. 

 Buck and Linda, aboard Oasis their lovely 44' Catalina sailboat, are the ones who originally told us about Sea Spray.  Here they are getting into their dinghy for one of our adventures. 

They are fun company, always up for an adventure, a meal, or a card or domino game.  The dive boat was ferrying people over to Man O War Cay one Saturday for their annual Festival and Flea Market that raises money for their school.  We thought it was a good opportunity to see another island, so off we went.  It was very rough that day, and even on the top deck, we got soaked with spray. 

We dried off quickly in the warm sun and set off to see the island.  Man O War was also settled by the Loyalists, and there are many families there descended from these original settlers, resulting in clean, industrious, and family oriented island.  We had a great lunch at the food tent.  Cooked by the locals, there were several varieties of side dishes, beans and rice, potato salad and baked macaroni and cheese to choose from, so I quizzed  the serving ladies on who made the best.  The Albury family has been hand building boats on Man O Way for generations, and their sturdy elegant fishing craft are seen in all the harbors. 

The Albury family also own the ferry service and a canvas shop where they used to make sails, but now sew up all kinds of good looking and useful bags, very expensive.

Here we are at the festival at the classic sign telling us how far we are from just about everywhere else.   

One of our favorite spots to visit is Tahiti Beach, just a short dinghy ride, or bike ride, or walk to the south.  It's one of those perfect sand beaches, and if you go at low tide, you can walk out a long ways on the sandbar or in the water.  The water is warm, the boats go by, it's heavenly.  Getting more crowded as the month progresses, some days there are as many as 10 other people there !!!

 

 

 

The Bahamas are known for its many "Blue Holes", and Buck had gotten the coordinates for one about 6 miles down the Sea of Abaco, through a little "inlet", and then another 2 miles through a maze of islands behind Snake Cay.  We took off in the dinghys one day to see it, but the Sea was way too rough for our 9'6" RIB's so we turned back, went around Lubbers Quarters and found a beach on the back side that was deserted.  We landed, walked and discovered a "party place" complete with a swing... 

... and a bar, built out of beach flotsam where we had a picnic lunch that Linda had packed for us.  

Will try another day for the Blue Hole, stay tuned !!!