Saturday April 30 - Sunday May 1: Little Harbor, Abacos

     Dan was up early, making breakfast and listening to the 0630 weather report on our single sideband radio, while I was topsides, making sure everything was secured and ready for our passage from Spanish Wells to the Abacos.  This would be the longest passage since we crossed over from Florida, 58.6 miles.  Chris Parker, weather guru, confirmed Dan’s plans; we weighed anchor as soon as breakfast was over.

     Two hours later, with Spanish Wells a distant line on the horizon, we were wondering if we really wanted to deal with such steep seas for the next seven hours.  “They wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t climbing on top of each other.”  Dan sighed.  We rolled and occasionally crashed, and we endured a lot of sprays of salt water, but we persevered, as did about six or seven other boats.  Dan set about rigging the fishing rods, but after about an hour took them down.  It was too rough - we might have hooked one, but it would have been too difficult to land it.  

     Fortunately the day was warm and sunny, the winds not too gusty, and the salt water was eighty degrees.  When you got hit with the spray, it wasn’t a big deal.  And there were short periods of time when the seas weren’t more than three feet!  Nevertheless, it was a long day, and we were very happy to make our way into Little Harbor, a very protected little private cove filled with moorings.  About four-thirty pm we were bobbing gently, relaxing in the cockpit, listening to the heavy surf from the Atlantic side of the island.  

Little Harbor channel from our cockpit.

     Little Harbor is a sort of private artist colony.  In 1951 artists Randolph and Margot Johnston of Toronto, Canada along with their children sailed into this cove seeking a haven from the aftermath of chaos and destruction of World War II and staked a claim.  For four years they lived on their boat, then moved into a cave when the boat began to fall apart, while they built their house and their workshop and eventually a foundry.  Randolph was a sculptor who worked with bronze.  His castings grace Nassau and the Vatican.  Today their son Pete, also a sculptor, runs Pete’s Pub and Gallery and owns all the moorings in the harbor.  Visitors pay the mooring fee at the bar and can stroll the grounds to see bronze dolphins, mermaids, and stingrays among other things.  The Gallery is open every day, beautifully intricate displays of bronze sculptures as well as some watercolors and other art. 

Pete's Gallery.

Pete's Pub

     We went ashore on Sunday morning, taking in the outdoor sculptures, and walking the short paths to the abandoned light house that overlooks the Atlantic side of this island and to the two accessible beaches.  The lighthouse is little more than concrete walls;  we were told that soon it will be declared a National Historic site, which means there might be some restoration money coming.   On the way back, we toured the Gallery.  Among the many beautiful pieces of art were this lovely table and three exquisite tableaux inspired by Hemingway’s story The Old Man and the Sea.  

I told Dan if he was so inclined, he could make me one of these.

One of the tableaux of The Old Man and the Sea.

     We returned to Willie for a quick lunch and then dropped the mooring, thinking we’d head up to the next cay - Lynyard Cay - and stop there for a snorkel and probably for the night.  We came upon some friends we’d met in George Town, Rosare and Nina on La Maitresse.  They were just hauling anchor; they were going over to nearby Sandy Cay to snorkel, did we want to come along?  Sandy Cay is part of the Land and Sea Park here, and there are dinghy moorings near the reefs.  We abandoned our plans to follow them.  

Ketch La Maitresse (The Mistress)

     The snorkeling was excellent - we saw schools of parrotfish, snappers, and tangs.  A nurse shark lazily made its way around us and beyond.  The coral was outstanding.  There was elk horn coral (which we’ve heard is endangered and rare to find) and stag horn coral, and hundreds of very small, very colorful fish darting all around.  We spent a good hour moving from one section to another.  

Elk horn coral - internet stock photo

Queen parrotfish - aren't they wild looking?  They have white lips and teeth and they eat coral.  Internet stock photo.

      Afterward we both moved our boats a few miles further to Tilloo Cay to anchor for the night.  Rosare and Nina invited us aboard La Maitresse for a bit and we learned that they are pretty much following the same path we are, making their way back to the US.  I think we’ve found a buddy boat to travel with.  This will be good for when we make the crossing back to Florida.