Bahamas 2003 – Week 4.

Saturday April 23rd – Hope Town to Fisher’s Bay

[Daughter Claire and her boyfriend Jerome are guests on board]

Claire and Jerome at Snappas

After breakfast Claire and Jerome took the dinghy in and walked to the beach by the reef off Elbow Cay. We had the drone ready for their return and got some nice video as they returned. The report was this was their favorite spot so far with loads of sea life! Though one local walking the beach warned them about the sharks!

After lunch we headed off to Great Guana Cay and anchored in Fisher Bay . We went into Grabbers with Bella, had a round of drinks and watched the friendly sting ray swimming off the beach.

Grabbers
Grabbers
Sonas crew at Grabbers

As always once the sun goes down we turn on the anchor light. Paul sticks his head up and checked that the light was on and tonight it was not, the bulb had gone out. For tonight he turned on both LED lights on the radar arch which would make us very visible.

Sunday and Monday April 24th and 25th – Orchid Bay Marina

We first visited Guyana Cay way back in 2002 with our young children. With family in 2009 we tied up at Orchid Bay Marina on a Moorings Cat Thee island has a lot to offer and we wanted to spend two days showing it to Claire and Jerome. So we had booked into the marina for two nights, specifically on a Sunday so that we could “do” a Sunday at Nippers!

Orchid Bay Marina

As we turned the corner heading from Fisher Bay to Orchid Bay we saw two sunken boats right off our port side. The water was flat calm so it came as a bit of a surprise. Though we were in fifteen feet and we are sure that these hulls were only fiver or six feet in height. After getting tied up the two youngsters headed off to snorkel the reef off Nippers and we met them afterwards for drinks and lunch.

Fishing the rock off Orchid Bay
C&J Playing off Nippers

Orchid Bay Marina has about 30 slips in operation, though there were only about six boats tied up. There was a team laying more docks so we don’t think it will be long until they have it all back up and running. The wonderful restaurant had been badly damaged by Dorian. It had subsequently opened serving drinks and snacks but then COVID shut it down again and it has yet to reopen.

Other than the marina there is quite a lot of building happening on the Cay and it seems to be quickly coming back.

Previous grocery closed since Dorian. Nippers has opened a new one further along the road.

Tuesday April 26th – to Marsh Harbour

Claire and Jerome are leaving tomorrow, so we checked back into Conch Inn Marina for the night. We walked over to Colors Bahamian for Dinner where, true to form, Claire sang a couple of Karaoke songs! We just got back to Sonas as a tremendous storm hit, with lots of rain and lightening.

Wednesday and Thursday April 27th and 28th. Manjack Cay

After our guests left for the airport we filled up the water tanks and walked over to Maxwells supermarket for fresh goods. We got out of the marina around 11 and headed north, through a relatively benign Whale Cay Channel and anchored in the south Nunjack (Manjack) anchorage. It was pretty full with mostly sail boats. Three charters cats with a large group of young French couples on board were ashore playing on the beach. We spent a very relaxing two days in the anchorage.

Manjack (Nunjack) Cay Anchorage
In case you want a coconut!
Remains of sunken vessel

Friday April 29th. Great Abaco Beach

The wind was forecasted to be pretty stiff from the south which would take it right into the anchorage so we crossed over to the beach on Great Abaco Island directly across from Manjack. When we went ashore we were shocked to find the first two rows of trees ripped off their stumps and next two rows stripped of any foliage. We assumed the result of Dorian.

Anchored off Great Abaco
Beach with destroyed tree line

All our weather forecast sources indicate a major blow coming in over the weekend with gusts over forty knots. We called Green Turtle Club and booked into the marina for three nights until it blows over.

Some photos of Claire and Jerome snorkeling

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