Man O War

1755 nm   N26 35.682  W077 00.433

 Our trip today was a staggering 7 miles!  In general, things are pretty close together in the Abacos, making it practical to island hop back and forth without having to plan out a route that steadily moves you in a single direction.

The trip was so brief that it was hardly worth it to get up the sails.  We rolled out the jib for a bit, but quickly had to furl it as we approached the harbour entrance.

Man O War has two mooring fields, one in the north and one in the south.  We chose the north one, an that's where our friends Ron and Phoebe were.  There were several mooring balls empty, but they were extremely close together.  We picked up one, but I was unhappy with how close it let us swing to the boat behind us, less than a boat length!  I was later to discover that this close spacing is pretty typical in the Bahamas.  We found another empty mooring, right next to a motor yacht named "Christian".  The woman aboard told us that that one was empty and would be fine for our length boat, so we quickly picked it up.

On this trip, we're becoming quite adept at picking up a mooring ball.  We've adopted a technique that uses a long (40 ft) line attached at the bow and led back, outside of all the rigging, to a point amidships.  The rail is much lower to the waterline there, making it easier to grab the mooring pennant, and the helmsman can see the ball as we approach it, making it much easier to keep the boat on station next to it.  Once the line is looped through the pennant and brought back to the bow, we are securely tied in place, and its easy to get a second line through the pennant.

Moorings are REALLY Close Together at MOW!

We went ashore to the Man O War Marina, and found Ron & Phoebe.  Unfortunately, they were in the middle of an unplanned disassembly of their toilet and its plumbing, and were pressed for time because they needed to get it done and get to Marsh Harbour tomorrow to pick up their son Matt and his girlfriend.  Still, they found time to take an hour out and socialize.  We really enjoyed seeing them!

Ron and Joan

Phoebe

Man O War was a delight after Marsh Harbour.  It was extremely clean and neat, with just the right balance of quaint with a few conveniences and concessions to tourists.  It was a small but thriving community, with active businesses oriented more towards boatbuilding and fishing than tourism. The "roads" were double-wide concrete sidewalks, which were used primarily by golf carts, although you could walk to either end of the island.  And the houses and signs were brightly painted with all kinds of colors.  No pastel shades here!

Joan on "Lover's Lane"

The Main Road

The next day, the front came through and rained most of the day, keeping us on board.   Our bimini cover is getting old, and the rainwater that collects on it tends to drip through, so Joan got on her bathing suit and took advantage of this freshwater stream to wash her hair!

Hair Wash in an Improvised Shower

The next day was clear, and we hiked out to a spot on the north end of the island called "The Low Place".  There, the island narrows to a low strip of rock barely a hundred feet wide.  At high tide, the waves on the Atlantic side wash right over it!   On the way there, we noted that the properties were larger and more "high end", but still maintained a Bahamian flavor instead of being imported "McMansions".

Road to the North End

Beautiful Properties Along the Way

Atlantic Coast Approaching The Low Place

Almost There

The Low Place

We got there at low tide, so the water wasn't  coming over.  But we could see fresh seaweed caught on the floorboards of the little covered pavilion there.  The two coasts are so different; the Atlantic side rough and rocky, and the Sea of Abaco side placid, sandy,  and turquoise.  Joan went wading.

Wading on the Beach

After we walked back to town, we treated ourselves to dinner out at the Hibiscus Cafe, which had been recommended, and was delicious.

Hibiscus Cafe

Our stay in Man O War continued to be extremely enjoyable.  We met a couple of Canadian cruisers named Dan and Paula aboard the S/V Erin Kjarr that was moored close to Dolce Vita.  We ended up traveling with them for the next several islands. 

On our 6th and final day in MOW, we got up a little early and went to breakfast at the Museum, Coffee Shop, and Visitor's Center.

Museum, Coffee Shop, and Visitors Center.

Two women operate the shop out of a modern addition to one of the oldest houses on the island.  They have collected photos, artifacts, and memorabilia from all of the families living on the island, and have preserved it all in a nice little museum in the old building.

Afterwards, we walked by Edwin's Boatyard #2 and watched three workers laying up a fiberglass panel for a boat.  They worked with economy of motion and precision, clearly an experienced team. One cut and placed the fiberglass cloth, and the others wetted it out with resin and took care of dressing the edges.  None had fume masks on, and only the fiberglass cutter had a dust mask on!  Clearly no OSHA here!

Tomorrow, we will head South to Hopetown, on Elbow Cay, for our next Island adventure.  For convenience, we will try to get a mooring in the harbor there, but we are told that the mooring field is very busy and always full.  But we'll try, and if we can't get one, we'll anchor just outside of the harbor (there's no room to anchor inside) and dinghy in.

Life is good.