Back in the USA

After Great Guana Cay (see previous posts), we ventured on to Treasure Cay.

Treasure Cay is basically a protected harbor connected to the main Abaco Island that provides good access to an airport and therefore is fairly well developed.

Great house

Great gate

Unlike the Exumas and the outer islands we previously cruised, the Abacos are sort of getting back to normal.  Restaurants do not require reservations hours in advance so they can procure the food, and a hamburger doesn’t cost $18.00.

We ran into quite a few cruisers that make the Abacos their cruising grounds, just because it is so easy.  Others, like our friends on a Nauticat 44, Wind Dust, end up spending a couple of weeks in a place like Treasure Cay because it is so enjoyable.

After Treasure Cay, we ventured on to Green Turtle Cay.  First we went into Black Sound on the southern end of the Cay.  From there we could easily visit the settlement of New Plymouth.  New Plymouth was very interesting with modest house built on very narrow streets.  Pictured below is the jail that had the second floor blown off in The Great Hurricane of 1932.  We were informed that this was before hurricanes received names. 

New Plymouth had several restaurants and a couple of lively drinking establishments.  Our favorite was Pineapples.

Yes, she is pouring booze down the straw of the frozen Rum Runner.

Careful what you ask for

We took a bike ride from Black Sound to White Sound on the northern part of the Cay.  It was uphill both ways and a few more miles than we bargained for.

This is now my life, waiting for my wife

After seeing the resorts in White Sound, we decided to move the boat 1.5 miles over to The Bluff House Club (http://www.bluffhouse.com/).  We took advantage of a special they are running to keep the place full of boats.

On Monday, May 2^nd we departed Green Turtle Cay for Great Sail Cay, then to the West End of Grand Bahama Island on Tuesday.  Wednesday, May 4^th we crossed the Gulf Stream back to the States.

We spent 4 months cruising the Bahamas.  While it was a great adventure, we were ready to return to the U.S. for a while.  There are certain things we will miss about the Bahamas, such as little crime, fewer regulations, beautiful water, and a slower pace.  We won’t miss the high prices, lack of efficiency, and areas that are trashed.