Lunch at Man Of War Cay

Here is the sunset from our marina at Great Guana Cay. It was really spectacular and the tradition is to blow a conch shell at sundown. A little distracting at first, but kind of cool.

Well, yesterday we headed out of Great Guana Cay to Marsh Harbor. We decided to stop at Man Of War Cay for lunch and to check out the sights. There is not a lot of activity there, as most people are part of the boat repair industry. And did I mention it was a dry Cay? There is only one restaurant, 2-3 grocery markets (can't call them stores) and a few other gift shops. The thing that is impressive about this island is how well-kept the entire island is. Even the individual homes are really nice and manicured.

We walked around for about 30-40 minutes and saw the entire settlement and most of the beaches. There are more beaches, but there is no more settlement or people. We then had to laboriously wait for the only cafe to open at 11:30AM for lunch. Amazingly, we were the first customers of the day and did not eat until 12:30. The food was just OK, with no flavor added. It did fill up, thought with almost a dozen people. She was slammed!

After lunch, we headed for Marsh Harbor. This is where everyone gets their provisions while cruising in the Abacos. This is the "Big City" and happens to be the capital. We arrived and were told to anchor out for about 10 minutes because the dock hand/master was out. So we came in after we were called (about 15 minutes) and after I rinsed down the boat and tried to connect to the Internet, we left for the stores.

It was really just one auto parts store after another. Some were auto/marine stores. Some were auto/hardware stores, but nonetheless, there were a lot of auto parts stores. So we hit them all looking for the parts and tools that I need to repair the minor problems on the boat and Dinghy.

We found an unusual attraction for this part of the world: a traffic light. It is only a 3-way intersection, but apparently they needed a stop light. We also heard sirens for the first time (including the Coast Guard). This is the big city here, but it is terribly small. There seems to be more hustle and bustle, though, and you see sailors (cruisers) up and down the streets with bags in their hands or collapsible carts in tow with all the "provisions" that they need.

This is a true mariner's town where people seem to keep coming back and looking up their old friends. We ran into our friends from the True Blue this morning as they were here to pick up the boat's owner. I also radioed our friends from Hark the Sound. Babi had to fly home, but David is still here. We plan on having a drink with him later. We have also met numerous people from North and South Carolina. I am starting think that THEY are seasonal, and here is where everyone lives.

We will rest here for a while, while I make boat repairs, and do some cleaning/maintenance. We had dinner and lunch at the Conch Inn Marina; nothing to really report. Just OK.