The Abacos Gems: Beyond the Hype of the Exumas
While most new cruisers can not wait to get to the Exumas, I personally enjoyed the islands around the Abaco Sea even more. The Abacos can be broken down into three different sections. The southern section is from Marsh Harbour south to Little Harbor, the Hub is northwest from Marsh Harbour to Whale Cay, and the northern islands are everything north of Green Turtle Cay. Now, let’s find out if my top ten match yours.
10. Cherokee & Snake Cay – I am going to start off by cheating a little bit since these are two different spots, but I think both are interesting. First, Cherokee is a quaint, little town that is seldom visited, because you must walk about five miles south of Little Harbour. If you do trek here you will find very hospitable towns people. Plus you get the chance to see the longest wooden dock in the Bahamas. Snake Cay is a failed business venture that had several shipwrecks at the dock, but the best part is a dinghy trail you can take through the maze of islets.
9. Allen-Pensacola Cay – I am not cheating this time. These were two different cays that got merged together after a hurricane in the 1960’s and nature never tore them apart again. I guess you could call it a romantic story if you want. What is romantic about this island is the fact you will probably have it all to yourself since it is uninhabited. If you do venture here make sure to check out the Signing Tree (also known as the Naming Tree) where boaters have used beach trash and turned it into artwork with their boat name and hung it from a large tree.
8. Great Guana Cay – This island is at the northern end of The Hub, since the next island is Whale Cay Cut which has an extensive shoal on the inside. Most cruising boats have to travel on the ocean side of the cay and must pay attention to the sea state at the pass entrances called The Rage. There use to be a time when Great Guana Cay was a quiet community that had great pizza and quite the party on Sunday at Nipper’s Pig Roast. Those days are gone, since now the whole northern half of the island is a golf community. Luckily the weekly pig roast still goes on, so there is hope yet.
7. Treasure Cay – This is a place that the Bahamas is lying about because Treasure Cay is not an island, but a peninsula on Great Abaco Island. What Treasure Cay does offer is a high-end community of expats, a golf course, a great beach, and a bay that provides all around protection.
6. Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park – Back in the southern part of the Abacos you will find a spot that is better for its underwater sites than above water sites. This nature park sits between Pelican Cay and Sandy Cay. I found Pelican Cay had the better beach, but the reef just east of Sandy Cay was great for snorkeling.
5. Man-O-War Cay – Back in The Hub of Abacos is another great island. This one has been well known for two things in the past. First, the Albury’s made great boats and second this is a very religious island…meaning no alcohol. Along with the ship yard, I recommend visiting Albury’s Sail Shop, where some very nice ladies turn sails into all kinds of bags. If you want some more snorkeling you can check out the Fowl Cays National Park just north of Man-O-War Cay and on the ocean side you will find the wreckage of the USS Adirondack that went down in 1862.
4. Little Harbour – Even though Little Harbour is only 10 miles away, it feels like a whole different place than The Hub. For some reason boaters do not make the trek down here and that makes it even better for us that do. As the name implies, this is a small, very well protected harbor at the southern end of the islands of Abacos. The gem of this bay is Pete’s Pub & Galley where you will find a great beach bar and an art foundry where Pete and his sons cast sculptures out of bronze. It was founded by his late father Randolph, who said “screw it all” and moved the family here and started the foundry. Another interesting family site is the caves across the bay where the family lived in the early 1950’s before he got a house built.
3. Double Breasted Cays -Way up in the northern islands is a gem…even though there is nothing there. I say that somewhat sarcastically because you will find beautiful sand flats around an island with a deep enough channel so boats can anchor in the amazing blue water over the white sand. If doing nothing locations appeals to you then this has to be at the top of your list!
2. Green Turtle Cay – Just north of Whale Cay Cut is one of the best communities in the Bahamas. Besides the fact that it has two different anchorages and everyone drives golf carts around, just hanging out on this island brings back the idea of a community. Some of the highlights are a visit to Emily’s Blue Bee Bar to try the original Goombay Smash, eating at the Wrecking Tree bar, strolling through the Loyalist Memorial Statue Garden, a visit to the historic Ye Olde Jail, and a tour through the Albert Lowe Museum.
1. Hope Town – This is yet another charming Bahamian town found on Elbow Cay, so named because the Sea of Abaco bends south at this point. Besides the usual cut houses, great bakeries, famous bars and restaurants, well protected harbor, and other things that make this a great place to visit, the red and white striped lighthouse is my favorite part of Hope Town. The Elbow Reef Lighthouse, built in 1863, remains the only active and manned light station in the world that has not been electrified; the lens is hand-wound by a keeper and fueled by kerosene. Two other places worth mentioning are Tahiti Beach at the southern end of Elbow Cay and one of the breadfruit trees Captain Bligh brought from Tahiti.
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