Continuing to Enjoy Marsh Harbour.

Day 48- January 19, 2009 Martin Luther King Day
Re-provisioning in Marsh Harbor

Our cruising goal is to get ourselves down to the Exuma Islands since it is warmer there and we’d like to so some swimming, snorkeling, etc. As most of you know, the Abacos are the Northern part of the Bahamas and very lovely, but can be chilly in January and subject to lots of windy cold fronts in the winter. We hope to get back to this area in April when things warm up. And, perhaps Finley and Karen & Drew could join us here.
On January 6th we made passage across the Gulf Stream to Grand Bahama Island at West End. From there we spent three days island hopping our way over to Green Turtle Cay (pronounced “key”). After a few days at Green Turtle, we used a rare windless day to motor south to Treasure Cay and tuck into a protected mooring there. Treasure Cay was fun and we found some free internet connection at the Tipsy Seagull Bar and Restaurant, but we needed to move on.
Anxious to go south and do some more sailing, we sailed down to Marsh Harbor. Marsh Harbor is not as protected as Treasure Cay, but it is more of a regular town with stores where we can boost our provisions—fill our propane tank, get a little filter thing for the Yamaha outboard, find an anchor for dinghy excursions, etc. Sure enough, Marsh Harbor has provided all of that and even more. We met some very nice folks and are planning a trip to nearby Hope Town via the ferry with them on Wednesday.
Sorry we don’t have pictures of this day (Monday, January 19). Mostly we were hiking round visiting marine, hardware, and grocery stores buying a little of this and that. Unlike 10 years ago when John was last here, we have been surprised to see stores with full shelves and lots of choices. Seems as though you can purchase most anything, you just have to do some walking from one end of town to the other. It is probably similar to the difference my mom experienced when she moved from Oak Park, Illinois to Wallingford, Vermont and then on to Plymouth, North Carolina in the late 1940’s. Supplies and services were pretty hard to find. It is the same here.
People here are excited about Obama’s inauguration. The local radio station did a piece on the local dignitaries who were on their way to Washington. The radio did point out that those who didn’t get to go, get to see it all on TV here where it is warm.