There is a special relationship between the sailors of the US-based sailing association known as The Corinthians and the sailors of the UK-based Little Ship Club (LSC). Every two years we arrange a joint cruise in either the US or the UK. This year, it was the Corinthians’ turn, and we chose a spring cruise in the Abacos, a small group of cays in the northern Bahamas.
The fleet gathers in Marsh Harbor
The program, which took many months to organize, started in Marsh Harbor, with visits to Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Man-O-War Cay, and Hope Town on Elbow Cay.
On Saturday, April 18, everyone gathered at Marsh Harbor and checked their chartered boats. Since most of the depth in the Abacos is only six to 10 feet, most of the boats were catamarans because of their shallow draft. All the boats were booked individually, primarily from two companies, The Moorings and Cruise Abaco. Boats ranged between 42 and 50 feet in length. One boat was chartered from Navigare Yachting. Cruise Abaco only had one monohull, a Dufour 37, which we sailed on. The fleet totaled 15 boats, including four Corinthian boats from the US: Dulcinea, Moonshine, Patriot, and Sea U.
The best laid plans…
It was here that we learned that the itinerary for the cruise had changed due to a challenging weather forecast. Although the Abacos weather is usually benign, the forecast for Tuesday, April 21, was for 20-30-knot northeasterlies. We had planned to visit Green Turtle Cay later in the week, which meant sailing through the Whale Cut. This cut is open to the North Atlantic and can see 10-foot breaking waves in strong nor’easters, so we changed our plan such that we would go straight to Green Turtle on Sunday and return through the Whale Cut to Great Guana Cay on Monday before the strong winds arrived.
Island explorations and white sand beaches
The fleet set off on Sunday morning. The wind was light, so most motored the five hours to Green Turtle Cay, and by 2 p.m., all boats were anchored at Joyless Point or tied up in the Green Turtle Club marina. Some folks rented golf carts and explored the island. We finished the day with dinner at the Green Turtle Club, with long lines at the bar seeking rum punches!
On Monday, the boats returned through the Whale Cut, which was still very calm, and anchored in Fishers Bay off Great Guano Cay. Great Guano Cay has miles and miles of white sandy beaches and a couple of renowned beach bars where we enjoyed dinner at Nippers and Grabbers.
On Monday night and Tuesday, the wind blew 20-30 knots, so we were grateful to be in the safe lee of the Cays and not traversing the Whale Cut.
Man-O-War Cay: where British loyalists fled
Wednesday, we sailed to Man-O-War Cay. This small two-mile-long Cay was delightful. It has 300 Bahamian inhabitants, the friendliest people, an excellent grocery store, and a waterside restaurant. Man-O-War Cay has a deep and rich history. British loyalists settled here when they fled the American Revolution after the colonies defeated Britain, and a lot of the families here to-day are direct descendants of those early settlers. For generations, this island was known as the boatbuilding capital of The Bahamas, and we visited the historic Albury Boat Works.
During our stay on Man-O-War Cay, we picked up stories from the major 2019 hurricane. They had no power for nine months, and with no trees to provide shade, children were covered with blisters from the sun. Despite these stories, the island has been almost completely rebuilt and apart from some damaged homes, the island has recovered.
Elbow Cay: Key lime pie, 200 steps, and silly skits
For Thursday and Friday, the fleet moved onto Hope Town on Elbow Cay where they picked up a mooring in the harbor or anchored outside. Hope Town is one of the most popular locations in the Abacos. Everyone knows about Vernon’s Grocery Store, where they have been making the best key lime pies since 1962.
Most of the fleet climbed the 200 steps to the top of the famous red and white striped Elbow Reef Lighthouse, where they could look down on the harbor and mooring field and in the distance see the many Cays we had visited.
On Friday evening, we all gathered at the Firefly Resort just outside town for our final dinner. We ate outside overlooking the water where most of our fleet’s catamarans were anchored. Previously, the cruise activities committee had requested that each boat prepare a unique skit. There was continuous laughter as we enjoyed songs, narrations, and limericks. This was also the time when those boats with seven-day charters had to return their boats, so we sadly said goodbye to them.
Rum punch and goodbye until next time
On Sunday, the remainder of the fleet sailed to Tahiti Beach to enjoy swimming and the rum punches from the Thirsty Cuda floating bar before returning to Marsh Harbor on Monday and a final dinner at the Jib Room.
Everyone agreed that the cruise was wonderful, and we look forward to our next joint cruise with the LSC in 2028, in either Holland or the South of France to continue the close relationship between the Corinthians and the members of the LSC.
By David Hornbach and David Shinkfield
