Tuesday, April 8, 2008

April 7-8 Green Turtle Cay Abacos




Departure day has arrived. I needed to take on fuel before we make the crossing to the US. As you might surmise fuel is a little more expensive over here. I should have taken on fuel when we arrived as it has gone up almost a dollar a gallon since we have been here. I have checked and Great Guana Cay has the best price on fuel and it is on our way to our first top at Green Turtle cay so I depart well ahead of Our Time, the boat that will be traveling with us. The sky looks okay as we depart but rain is predicted and and about an hour after we are underway, the sky looks threatening and our radar confirms that. The rain soon comes down in buckets and the wind picks up and the Abaco Sea develops some wave action, but luckily no lightning. Just as we pull into Guyana for fuel the rain lets up to a light drizzle. Gypsy Time is staying at Orchid Bay Marina in Guyana and after a brief conversation they decide to join us in our journey to Green Turtle Cay. Our objective today is to pass through the Great Whale Passage (a passage exposed to the north winds of the Atlantic ocean) before the north winds are scheduled to pick up tomorrow. After taking on 150 gallons of diesel, the three boats continue the journey and have a beautiful passage through Great Whale. In the early 90's cruise ships used to visit Guyana Cay but quite often they would have to cancel their stop as the Great Whale passage was just too dangerous even for cruise ships if the wind was out of any quadrant the north. The last cruise ship visited Guyana in 1993 because of this tenuous availability of the passage. Green Turtle Club in the White Sound Harbor will be our home for the next few days until the wind dies down and we can predict when we might make the crossing. Wireless internet is good here.

Today Tuesday, Judy and I and John and Gail from Our Time rented a golf cart for a tour of the island. Again the scenery is fantastic, the village of New Plymouth is unique in its own way. Lunch at Pineapples Bar & Grill. A little Pub down a dirt path wide enough for a golf cart. The golf carts over here have tires like a four wheeler. The normal golf cart tire would collapse in the first rut it hit. A number of very expensive homes but yet miles of white sand beaches interrupted by coral reef shores and off shore reefs that make the waves roll over and produce a white wall of water. A few tourists, some villa and cottage dwellers, and quite a few of us old salts visiting by boat. Only way to get here is by boat or ferry boat! No airstrip! Pictured above is one of the roads we traversed along the small hill overlooking the Atlantic. Also Judy and Gail in front of the Green turtle Sign. Note the one way sign. Lower picture shows a typical street in New Plymouth. A few cars and trucks on the island. There is not a gas station. Perhaps they fill up at one of the marinas. Golf carts and four wheel style vehicles far outnumber the cars. Perhaps we will move on tomorrow to another island and anchor out. We are reaching close to the last point of civilization before we get to West End on Great Abaco Island where we will cross back over to the U.S. Hence no Internet until West End



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