04-19-2015 – BAHAMAS, Man-O-War Cay, 4-13-15 – 4-19-15

One and one half hours after leaving Marsh Harbor, on 4/13/15, we were tied up at a mooring in Man-O-War Cay’s Eastern Harbor.

Man o War’s eastern harbor with view of Déjà Vu, 

one of two historic Albury boats that was being restored.

Drying on our life line, at the far right in the picture above, are the remnants of a Bahamian courtesy flag that we found underwater, while checking our anchor. (Things that we might find above ground and call “trash” are always considered “treasures”, at least temporarily, when found underwater.)

The other Albury boat under restoration

Man-O-War is a Cay, a small, narrow island along the ocean, 2 ½ miles long and about ½ mile wide, far less in some places. It is a dry island, and the people here are religious and loyalist. Most are white and many of them have ties to England or other British colonies. Shop owners and workers are nearly all white and many speak with accents that are at least slightly “British” (to my ears, which, I confess, cannot tell British from Irish from Scottish from South African from Australian, etc).

A house by the beach

A terrific name for an exotic beach home!

Man-O-War is a clean and quiet island. It has a museum, open 3 days a week from 10 AM to 12 PM, with island history and artifacts.

Man-O-War Heritage Museum

Man-O-War Heritage Museum

Chuck, across the street from the Man-o-War Museum

Chuck and Sandy, across the street from the Man-O-War Heritage Museum

There are 3 well stocked, small grocery stores, and several stores that sell gifts or specialty items. One of these sells batik cloth and soft goods made from it, and another sells bags of every size and style made from heavy canvas cloth. The canvas bag store has 3 women working at sewing machines, turning out carrying bags and toiletry kits and luggage, in many patterns, all with very heavy duty plastic zippers.

There are two restaurants. We went to one (yum, conch chowder!) but have yet to find the other. There are almost no cars. Most people drive golf carts.

On Tuesday, we took a dinghy trip to go snorkeling with our friends Tim and Joan, on “Head over Keels,” who sailed in on Monday from Hope Town, right before we arrived from Marsh Harbor, and their friends Kate and John. We had first met John, who is a boat broker, in Vero, when we went along on a boat inspection trip down the intracoastal to Ft Pierce, with our pal Pete. John was the broker for the boat that was for sale. Small world! 

We all dinghied to the western end of the main harbor and out to a cove called “The Low Spot”, which is the narrowest point on the island. We snorkeled on a reef and saw a lot of different small fish and corals, and lots of empty conch shells. 

Snorkeling - Sand and corals, at Man-O-War Cay

Snorkeling - Conch shell dump, at Man-O-War Cay

Snorkeling - Sponges and Sea Fans, at Man-O-War Cay  

Snorkeling - Tiny fish at Man O War Cay

At the low spot, view of the ocean side, at Man-O-War Cay 

At the Low Spot, (bay side) at Man-O-War Cay  

View of the bay side at the Low Spot, at Man-O-War Cay. We snorkeled on the bay side.  

Lovely sun shelter at the Low Spot, at Man-O-War Cay  

Picnic area, at the Low Spot, at Man-O-War Cay  

Chuck and I both took pictures and we found a couple of “sea biscuits.” I also found a conch shell that I thought had a conch in it. We brought it home and started pounding it open with Chuck’s heavy hammer and large screwdriver. When we stuck in the knife to cut the muscle of the conch, out crawled a large, stocky crab! Chuck wanted to cook it but I sort of freaked out, and we tossed it overboard.

Too bad we didn’t realize that this was an empty shell. Usually the empties already have a hole in them, from when somebody removed the conch. (The hole looks like the coin slot in a piggy bank).

Conch Shells with holes from conch harvesting

Without a hole, they can be used as a horn. (With a hole, they can still be used, if the hole gets plugged. They're just not quite as pretty).  Occasionally we hear cruisers blowing conch shells in the anchorages at sunset.  I think as a former French horn player, Chuck would make a great conch blower!

On Wednesday, Chuck and I hiked all over the island in search of the library and the ocean beaches. It was a very hot day, and the island is a little hilly. Our packs were heavy with water, cameras, towels, bathing suits and other things in case we found a beach for swimming, so walking was pretty tiring. The beaches were pretty to look at, but not places we wanted to spend time. They have a lot of rough black coral and no shells to speak of. 

View of the ocean, at Man-O-War Cay  

We were equally disappointed with the library. We asked some school kids when the library is open, they said they thought it was open on Tuesdays. We asked a storekeeper and she said it’s been closed for a couple of years, there is no one to run it. (She did offer to loan us some books if we needed something to read. We declined.)

On Thursday, Joan and Tim left for Green Turtle Cay and the start of their return trip. We took another snorkel trip to one of the two tiny islands just outside of Man-O-War Cay, on the Abaco Sea, with our new friends Dave and Lisa, on “Virginia Dare”. 

Virginia Dare, in the eastern harbor at Man-O-War Cay

We saw a lot of signs at the island saying “Private” but landed our two dinghies on the beach and hopped in the water. At one point I went back to the dinghy to drop off my camera and a man with “Sandy Cay Staff” on his shirt came along. He told me the island was private. I told him all beaches in the Bahamas are public. He told me the island was private. I told him all beaches in the Bahamas are public. He told me the island was private. I said, “So what does that mean? Everything is fine as long as we don’t go on the island?” He said “Yes.” I went back in the water.

We had a nice time with Dave and Lisa. Here is a link to Lisa’s beautiful blog, with terrific pictures: http://sailingcoopers.blogspot.com/

We learned a new word: Snore Box. Chuck was looking at real estate ads and came across this term, which we, of course, thought was a typo, Shore box? But it occurred in more than one ad. Then we saw one, and it looked like a garden shed, or a root cellar. It wasn’t until I read Lisa’s blog that I found out what it is – a spare room for guests to sleep!

Sandy, at the “snore box”

On Thursday night Chuck and I went to the theater on Man-O-War Cay. It was a fundraiser for the island school. When I saw the signs I was hoping it was a play, but it was a movie, “The Best of Me”. It was PG 13 and the signs said that anyone under 13 would need parental permission to attend. The audience consisted of young high school kids and a few other islanders who were considerably older than 13. About 15 -20 people in all, no other cruisers. I was proud to be among the best supporters of the concession stand. We had hot dogs, nachos, and milkshakes. And we bought some baked goods to bring home, too.

Finally on 4/19/15, at 10:00 AM we dropped the mooring and continued over to Elbow Cay, which contains the lovely harbor of Hope Town.

Passing “Sandy Cay” where we had snorkeled, on the way to Elbow Cay.

On the way to Elbow Cay/Hope Town

Sandy and Chuck, on s/v Summer Wind

Sandy, washing the dishes on the transom, at Man-O-War Cay