From Hope Town On Elbow Cay To Treasure Cay Beach there is alot to see and do in the Abacos Islands.
Here is a 7-day sample Abacos yacht charter itinerary for your sailing adventure:
Day 1: Hope Town is the main settlement on Elbow Cay.
It’s a picturesque villages built around a protected harbor that looks as if it might have been pickedup in New England and dropped in the Abacos.For our history buffs we suggest the Wyannie Malone Museum which gives a fascinating picture of how this area was thrown into the turbulent times of the American Revolution.
Photo: Lighthouse in Hope Town, Elbow Cay
Hope Town is the location of the candy-striped Elbow Reef Lighthouse that has been a landmark in the Abacos for generations. It was built in 1863 and was not universally welcomed by the island’s inhabitants who, up until that time, had eked out a decent living from salvaging ships that were wrecked on the nearby reefs. Elbow Reef is one of only a few lighthouses left in the world that burns pressurized kerosene and therefore requires constant attention from the keeper. It is well worth climbing the one hundred and one steps to the top for the stunning view over the Sea of Abaco.
Day 2: Man-O-War Cay
Located on the north side of Great Abaco Island, Man-O-War Cay is a long, narrow island, about 2 ½ miles (4 km) long and only 10 metres wide at its narrowest point.It, like New Plymouth, was originally a Loyalist settlement and the population remains fiercely loyal to the British crown. Man-O-War Cay can be explored easily by bike or golf cart which is how the locals get around. Watch out for the infamous Miss Lola and her golf cart, laden with her freshly baked cinnamon buns-YUM! Snorkeling, beach-combing and bone fishing are just a hint of things that can be enjoyed here.
Day 3: Green Turtle Cay
Green Turtle Cay’s pristine, turquoise waters offer fantastic deep-sea fishing and diving experiences. Discover secluded coves teeming with the ghosts of 17th century pirates and beaches ideal for reef snorkeling. Coco Beach cannot be missed. It is a place of serene beauty with a stunning crescent-shaped beach lined with tropical casuarina pine trees.
Photo: Staghorn Coral
Two marinas attached to resorts at the northern end of the island offer a warm, Bahamian welcome to visiting sailors. At the Bluff House Marina on White Sound (which has recently been renovated) and The Green Turtle sailors have access to excellent facilities, fine and casual dinning, plus live music most nights.
Day 4: Picturesque Little Harbour
Little Harbour, located on the east side of Great Abaco Island, is a picturesque and secluded village that has been home to a community of artists since the 1950s. Art enthusiast will appreciate the Johnston family famous life-size marine bronzes, furniture and jewelry inspired by the local flora and fauna. Little Harbour is surrounded by a beautiful sandy beach and offers a protected anchorage, overlooked by a deserted lighthouse. Pete’s Pub, located on the beach and owned by Pete Johnston, serves lunch (be sure to try the fish burgers!) and a legendary rum punch. It’s the ideal place to sit for an hour or three, watching the world go by.
Porpoises and sea turtles swim in the clear blue waters of the harbour and on its western side there are genuine pirate caves at the foot of the cliffs that are worth exploring. North Beach has a magnificent coral reef that makes for a fascinating snorkeling spot. The bone-fishing is excellent in Bight of Old Robinson.
Great Guana Cay, a long narrow islet, is best known for the 5 1/2-mile beach that stretches along its Atlantic side. It is a remote and scenic island with few shops and restaurants and a population of only 150, who Cay in the Bahamas live in a settlement along the beach. There are no established roads on Great Guana Cay, so transportation around the island is by golf cart or bicycle.
The interior of Great Guana Cay is forested and home to a great variety of native and rare birds, including white-crowned pigeons and white-tailed tropic birds.On the island’s beaches, you can expect to find loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles. The island has one of the longest and best preserved elkhorn and staghorn coral reefs in the West Indies, so snorkeling or diving is an absolute must here. For an island with such a small population, Great Guana Cay has acquired a reputation as a party island. Nipper’s is the most famous of the local hangouts. Visit on a Sunday and check out the famous pig roast and sample a rum cocktail or two and listen to Jimmy Buffet music. This is stress-free living at its best.
Day 6: New Plymouth
New Plymouth You may want to head back to Green Turtle Cay, to finish exploring what the rest of what this beautiful, unspoiled island has to offer. The charming picture-postcard village of New Plymouth is often said to resemble a living museum. The town was originally settled in 1783 by Loyalists – American colonists remaining loyal to the British monarchy who fled New England at the time of the American Revolution.The clapboard cottages and white picket fences on the New Plymouth waterfront look as if they have been transplanted directly from New England.
The Albert Lowe Museum in the town is housed in a meticulously restored Loyalist house and the collection of artifacts, furniture and photographs does a good job of imparting a sense of how arduous life has been here in the Out Islands since the Loyalists first arrived. The Memorial Sculpture Garden, across the street from the New Plymouth Inn, is laid out in the pattern of a Union Jack flag and honours some of the original Loyalist settlers and their descendants. The ecology of reef systems is well explained at the Captain Roland Roberts House Environmental Centre.
This town is a popular stop-off for yacht charter with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants to interest modern-day sailors. The Ocean Blue Gallery has a good collection of work by local artists and The Wrecking Tree Bar and Restaurant on the waterfront is renowned for its grouper fritters and With so many restaurants and bars to choose from you are certain to find a relaxed places to chill out if you’ve overdone it on the history and are in need of a drink to restore equilibrium.
Day 7: Treasure Cay Beach
Treasure Cay Beach was named as one of National Geographic’s Top Ten beaches in the world and it’s easy to see why. It’s a picture-perfect, crescent-shaped, white-sand beach that stretches over three miles just crying out to be enjoyed. It never seems to get too crowded either, which just adds to the experience.
Fishing is big on Treasure Cay, particularly sport-fly and bone-fishing, with marlin, tuna, yellowfin, snapper, barracuda, grouper and wahoo all there for the catching. The island hosts the annual Treasure Cay Billfish Championships in May.
On land there is an eighteen-hole championship golf course at the Treasure Cay Golf Club (it’s the only golf course in the Abacos and is something of a draw in this neck of the woods)and several excellent tennis courts. And if that all sounds too energetic, you can always take time out and hit the Tipsy Seagull for a few drinks and shoot the breeze with other sailors….
