Hope Town (Part 2) Life in Paradise is Not Always Easy

 When you look at the pictures of Hope Town in the Abaco District of the Bahamas you could easily call it paradise. I can tell you that it is a very cool place. The problem is that when you live on a boat, things are going to break and you are going to have to fix them. That is why many people call cruising life: "Doing boat work in exotic places". 

Here is a beach shot to set the mood. This beach was a short walk from our boat. 

There are many systems in our boat that periodically need to be maintained or fixed. The least desirable to work on, is the waste system. Yep, the toilet and holding tank system. In the US, you use the holding tank until it is full and then go to a marina that has a pump out system that literally sucks the waste out of the holding tank and you are now ready to fill it up again. As you may recall, I replaced my holding tank back in 2021, because the old tank started to leak. In the Bahamas and anytime you are offshore you use a macerator to pump the waste overboard. There are virtually no pump out systems located in the Bahamas. I guess there is so much water and so few people that they feel that it is not an issue. You could have probably gone all day without knowing that, but the point is that my macerator has been giving me problems since I have been over here. The good news is that I had a new pump on board. The bad news is replacing it did not totally fix the problem. I went to an awesome boat supply shop while we were in Man O War Cay and found a replacement vent for the outside of the boat. It has been having clogging problems and I thought I should just replace it. When I removed the old one, I found the problem I had been chasing for a while. Although, I had run a wire up through it to clean it out multiple times, it still had a very small opening. Replacing the vent was not easy, but I got it done and the system now works correctly. Just a little reality to add to the awesome pictures of Paradise. 

What my macerator looks like. Double clamps wherever possible on a boat. 

The rest of our time in Hope Town was very enjoyable. We took long walks to both ends of the island. We walked to the south end of Elbow Key to go to the last of the performances of the Music and Rum Festival. The weather turned bad and they had to move it indoors at the Abaco Inn. We were early because we had walked and planned to have lunch first, so we scored a great table. We called our friends David and Paula to join us. We had a great time while the rain and wind pounded outside. We got on the first shuttle back to town, so all went well. 

We came upon the local cemetery with an awesome view. 

All over the islands they post signs that show the distance and name of their home town. Very few people are from here.

The walk along the ocean side was beautiful on this stormy day.

Can you see the two surfers in this shot?

The musicians sat in the middle of the room and used no sound equipment. it was a very enjoyable performance. The artist that wrote "10 rounds with Jose Cuervo" was there, and performed her song.

 On another day we decided to walk to the north end of the island. We met a man that has lived on the island for over 30 years. We learned a bunch about life on Elbow Key. We love those kind of meet ups. It was a wonderful walk and it ended at the beach in the picture at the beginning of this entry. 

That is about all I need.

The ocean side of the island

We did love this beach.

The clarity of the water never gets old

I wonder if they get tired of the view

Kim found her spot under that palm tree. We stayed a while. 

We had a very calm day, so we decided to go snorkeling on the ocean side of the island. We had an amazing time. The coral heads were huge and there were all kinds of fish. After we came back to the beach, we saw a fin in the water. It was our first encounter with a shark. It was about 5 feet long, and I am sure he was not dangerous. We did warn some other swimmers when he came back a few minutes later.

See that dark patch just out from me. Yep, that is the shark.

Just another beautiful evening in the harbor. 

Many things we do are the same as every one else. Like laundry. 

This is where Kim was waiting for her laundry to be done. 

Things are expensive in the Bahamas. $7.00 to wash and $7.00 to dry. The good news is we don't wear a lot of clothes.  

Or she waits here at the laundromat. Tough life.

Our last day in Hope Town was February 19th. We had heard on the cruisers net that there was a fundraiser at a local bar called "On Da Beach" for a local school teacher that needed medical attention in the US. We went and some amazing things happened. 

It is a very cool place 

We met this couple and talked for a long time. I have no idea what their names are, but they were fun to talk to.

Here is a shot of the band. Skylar is in the back on the keyboards. 

Our friends Rich and Laura that we met in Washington, NC came by. That would be the last time we would see them as they sailed on. 

While I was sitting there talking to some folks I saw someone across the bar that looked familiar. It took me a minute, but it was Skyler and Miranda. We met them last year in Carolina Beach. They told us about Southall Landings Marina in Hampton, VA. We saw them again there. As it turns out, Skylar and his friend used to play professionally in a band. They were there to jam with the band that was doing the benefit concert. To say they were good would be a gross understatement. Skylar on the keyboards and his friend on the saxophone were amazing. While sitting there watching them play I saw another couple that looked familiar. I had to go talk to them. They were a young couple I had been following on Instagram. They wrote all about cruising in North Carolina and inspired us to go to Edenton. They are sailing in the Bahamas, but unfortunately, their engine is not working. They decided to press on and do it all under sail alone. I am staying in touch and rooting for them.  

I know this is a long one, but so much happened in Hope Town, that I wanted to remember. We had plans to head south and leave the Abaco's, but we needed to get some things done. The next day we were finally on the move again after 9 days on the mooring ball in Hope Town. In my next entry, I will tell you where we went, and what we did.