Hopetown

We enjoyed our two days in Man-O-War Cay.  We got a couple of projects taken care of and gave the batteries a real good charge.  We wandered pretty much every part of the town and checked out all of the shops.  It is interesting that this is a “dry’ island so there are no bars and no alcohol served on the island.  The Albury family has been making boats here forever and still does.  The doors are open on their shops so we got to see a number of their boats being built.  The one beach we walked was a bust as far as shells but it was a beautiful beach with waves breaking on the offshore reef.  There are several more good beaches at the other end of the island but we didn't make it there.  We wanted to move up there and anchor for a couple more days but the winds were going to shift and it would not have been a good anchorage.  We decided to make the trip to Hopetown on Elbow Cay.  First we went aground getting to the entrance.  Once again I am happy to have 90 horses and a reversing prop.  It took some doing but we got free and headed out.  This time we had a favorable wind to put out the headsail and sail there, all of five miles.

We pulled into Hopetown harbor to get a mooring ball, anchoring is not allowed, and were directed to one by friends on Solstice from Turtle Cay.  We took the dinghy to shore and started wandering the town.  It is small with only a couple of hundred permanent residents.  The streets are narrow and there is a lot of golf cart traffic with only a few cars.  It is similar to New Plymouth and Man-O-War, and nothing like being in Marsh Harbor.  It has a similar history having been settled by Loyalists after the Revolutionary war.  A highpoint for me walking around was seeing a breadfruit tree.  My only knowledge of breadfruit is reading and watching Mutiny On the Bounty.  The reason Capt. Bligh was in Tahiti was to gather breadfruit plants to be planted in the Caribbean and Bahamian Islands as a food supply for the settlers.  This particular tree was from his second voyage in 1791-1793.  This is a real old tree.

On Friday we got together with several other cruisers and walked to Papa Nastys BBQ.  It was about a mile walk I am told but I think they are lying to me.  It was worth the walk.  Some of the best barbecue we have ever had.  We have plans to go back for the brisket.  We have heard that Papa Nasty is from Minnesota so we need to find out where in Minnesota.  In the evening we went to shore for a social with a group of cruisers that is put on by one of the bars.  Not a lie was told by anyone.  Sailors are extremely honest when they are drinking.

Saturday the sun was out in the morning and we went over to the lighthouse to check it out.  It was built in 1865 and still uses kerosene to power the light and the original clockwork to turn it.  Every hour and a half the light-keepers have to wind the mechanism to keep it turning at night.  It is a spectacular view.  After walking around town some more and visiting the shops we rented bicycles and headed out to see the rest of the island.  The hills are not big, but they are long and I haven’t been on a bike since I had my knee worked on.  First thing back at the boat was a couple of ibuprofen and a nap.  We still have the bikes for Sunday.