We left Hopetown and sailed to Great Guana. We bypassed Man-O-War for now. It would have been just too short of a sail from Elbow Cay to Man-O-War. Great Guana, a little further out gives us our chance to leave the sails out a spell.
Now, there are several quality anchorages and marinas on Guana, so one has their choices for the night. The first time we came to the island several years ago, we anchored in Fishers Bay. We had good holding, but set two anchors, in case the wind shifted. We had a great time. Dinghy in from the mooring field/anchorage and the first dock you encounter has a raucous bar play “Hold ya head…” and drunk women trying to put on frozen T-shirts. Very entertaining, I might add. Then there’s Nippers. Its a young persons drunk fest, but hey on Sunday they have a pig roast, so why not…
Well, that was last time. A little older and maybe a little wiser we decided to skip the scene at Nipper’s and Fisher’s bay. Instead we kept sailing until we reached Baker’s Bay near the northern end of the island. Baker’s bay has a marina, but its shoreline is private. There is a small island west of it that was created when the channel was dredged for cruise ships that no longer call in the Abacos.
If Fisher’s end of the island is known for parties, this end is none for solitude. We stayed that afternoon and night. The prevailing winds shifted slightly and the anchorage had a little roll to it, but nothing that would keep you awake. It was a beautiful night with a few stars between billowy clouds. During the evening another charter boat joined us. But for them and a private catamaran we had the play to ourselves.
The next morning the winds had picked up considerably. So of the crew wanted to try the uninhabited island to the west for shelling. So we dinghied over. The lumpy ride over gave us some thrills but we managed to stay mostly dry. We approached the island from is leeward side. The water thinned rapidly and we were forced to walk the dinghy in. For the most part the island is devoid of anything of interest save a few crabs and many many shells, mostly from small murdered conks. They probably lost their lives when the dredging occurred. The other item found in large quantities is trash. Plastic of all sorts, flip flops, Styrofoam cups. One must wonder what the long term effects will be on the Sea of Abaco.
The ride back to the boat turned out less dry than the way in. The wind had picked up slightly and about every fifth wave crashed over our starboard tube. But once back on board a couple of rum drinks washed away all memory of those waves.
We snorkeled a good bit that morning. The water was clear in the lee of the island and we found live conch and sea stars that looked like throw pillows. It proved a great spot for relaxing and just enjoying everything and nothing in particular. But we had other places to see. We pulled the hook, and headed out toward Whale Cay passage toward Green Turtle Cay.