Day 16 Lay day in Green Turtle. April 7.

Day 16

Mid morning we moved the boat to the unfinished dock from our mooring. We will stay here til at least Thursday to wait out a northern front with some very gusty winds. Along with a lot of other boaters. All the marinas and moorings are full!

After lunch, we visited the town of New Plymouth on the south east end of Green Turtle Cay. It is a 5 minute walk from the Marina

Let me first start off with a map of Green Turtle.

The town of New Plymouth is a major settlement on Green Turtle which was founded in 1786 by British Loyalist fleeing America after the Revolutionary War. The Loyalist had their properties confiscated and faced persecution, so they first fled to East Florida around St Marks and then fled to the Bahamas when after the Revolutionary War, Florida was ceded back to Spain.

Today, New Plymouth is a quaint village of narrow streets and rows of pastel painted clapboard houses. Many of the residents are descendants of these first Loyalists - Pinder, Roberts, Lowe and Masters are common names here.

We walked up the bluff to the sign that welcomes us to the town and a gorgeous view of the town and surrounding waters.

The streets are quite narrow and most residents used golf carts to get around the island. The homes and shops really are painted in pastels!

Much of the town is on the waterfront and the shops and restaurants cater to the fishermen and boaters who come here.

There is a park that commemorates those Loyalist who first settled the island. The park has a statue and the bronze busts of those who first settled here in 1786.

We retraced our steps back through the town and stopped to pick up a few groceries. Then made our way back to the boat. Here are few typical sites on the island.

These guys sure make themselves heard throughout the day!

Bill particularly liked this coconut pirate!

Lastly we negotiated the unfinished dock as we returned to the boat.

Bill finally had a sunny day with little wind so he put the drone up for some shots.

We celebrated by eating the ice cream which we bought at the store. Bill particularly enjoyed!

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

Crustacean Travels

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