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Bring
enough film--this is one of the most photogenic places in all of Abaco!
The candy strip lighthouse towering above the scene must be one of the
world's most photographed and is a favorite subject for artists.
The huge, completely protected harbor attracts one of the largest fleets
of private pleasure boats found in Abaco. An
unforgettable sight is the reflections of the late sun from the multicolored
houses along the northeast shore of the harbor. Casuarinas tower over the
northern half of town, and huge palms are the skyline for the southern half of
the harbor. Sunset and sunrise at
Hope Town are spectacular.
The
harbor is so crowded, that I can no longer recommend anchoring in here. A
mooring is better than setting your own anchor in Hope Town, because there
isn’t sufficient swinging room and you may foul your anchor in one of the many
huge old chains which were sunk here to help hold the old sailing ships during
hurricanes.
Hope
Town Marina usually has moorings for rent. Theirs are the red ones and they're
attached to 2,000 pound concrete blocks and rent for $6/night. They also have
limited dock space available for boats up to 7 feet draft.
Call them on VHF Channel 16. The
yellow moorings belong to Abaco Bahamas Charters.
Lighthouse Marina sells fuel, ice, and rents small boats.
Plan
to spend some extra time here, if you can. You'll find plenty of activities
ashore and in the surrounding waters.
The
most prominent landmark is the lighthouse.
It is open for tours and is probably one of Hope Town’s most popular
attractions. It was built in 1862,
and is still operated by a kerosene light.
The lighthouse keepers still haul the cans of kerosene to the top of the
tower, pump up the air pressure, and wind the timing mechanism, all by hand! It
stands 120 feet above sea level,
flashes every 15 seconds, and is visible for 23 NM.
There
is a nice dink landing near the foot of the lighthouse.
It is well worth your while to visit.
Even the climb up the steep spiral staircase is worth the effort.
Step out on the balcony for the most panoramic view of the harbor you'll
ever get! Take your camera! From this vantage point, you will get a very good perspective
of the approach and entrance channel, which may have seemed difficult. It will
be much easier, once you've seen it from the top of the lighthouse.
There's
is a little sheltered hole just north of the lighthouse which has 4 feet
depth at MLW going in. We
saw deep draft boats moored there in 7 to 8 feet MLW. This snug little harbor is filled with local boats.
You'll enjoy the main harbor more anyway.
On
the west side of the main harbor, just a little south of the lighthouse, near
Hope Town Marina, you will find Club Solei, run by Rudy and Kitty Malone.
This restaurant is reputedly the best in town. Immediately behind the restaurant they have six hotel rooms
and a very nice fresh water swimming pool.
Peggy and Chris Thompson also rent a few nice cottages on the west side
of the harbor.
On
the south side of the harbor, tucked up in Back Creek are Sea Horse Marine and
the maintenance facility for Abaco Bahamas Charters (ABC).
Sea Horse Marine rents small boats and is a Johnson outboard dealer.
ABC is owned and operated by Evans Wilhoyt, who is very knowledgeable
about the local waters. ABC has been doing business in Abaco longer than any of the
larger charter companies currently doing business here.
They have several of the older, heavy CSY sailing yachts, but they also
have some newer, lighter Newport 33's. You
can't beat the picturesque harbor, which they call home port.
In
recent years, frequent visitors to Abaco have missed Bessie Lowe (of Bessie's
Bakery). Her widower, Curtis, still
bakes the famous bread in their home on the west bank of Nigh Creek. Her son, Robert, runs the fish market next door.
The
main settlement of Hope Town is on the east side of the harbor.
You may deposit garbage at the Government Dock on designated days.
When we were there, for fifty cents, per bag you could dispose of garbage
at 0900 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Across
the street from the government dock is the post office and commissioner's
office. A short walk south brings
you to the Hope Town Harbour Lodge, run by Laddie and Mark Sullivan. Their grounds extend from the harbor to the ocean, where
there is a beautiful beach. The
pool and outdoor bar are right down near the beach, so you can go back and forth
as the mood strikes you. The
grounds are beautiful.
The
Lodge is the tallest building in town! They
have a bar and restaurant as well as air conditioned rooms and cottages. Their
restaurant is quite good, and overlooks the harbor.
One of their cottages is the 130-year old Butterfly House, which has been
fully restored. You can dock your
dink at their bulkhead, if you're going in to use their bar or restaurant. Although you'll find plenty of water for your dink alongside,
avoid a foul area north of their dock.
As
you walk north past the Government Dock, you will encounter the Harbour's Edge
Restaurant. Young Clay Wilhoyt and
his wife Lisa run it. It's in the
same building as the Old Village Inn, and has a fantastic view of the harbour.
It is one of my favorite places in Abaco for happy hour, just because of
the view. Their conch fritters are
near the top of my list as well. Once
when we were there, they had cooked a lobster for a fellow who had just caught
it swimming off the beach at the Lodge. What
a nice service!
Another
restaurant, which you may wish to try, on this side of the harbor is Cap'n
Jacks. The last time I ate there,
it was still an outdoor affair right on the water, but they were planning to
build a new building and have indoor seating. Their prices were quite reasonable
and the food was very good local cuisine.
Outside
of town, and too far to walk are Rudy's
Place and Abaco Inn. Either
restaurant will give you a ride to and from their establishments.
Just give them a call on VHF channel 16. The food is just as good as
ever, but the prices went up substantially when Rudy's expanded. The Abaco Inn
is described later in this chapter under White Sound, but they will come to Hope
Town to pick you up in their van.
If
you need groceries, you will find an adequate supply in Hope Town.
At the north end of town, you will find Lorraine's Food Fair.
Back toward the ocean, on the main road is Vernon's Grocery, and back
toward the harbor on the other main road you'll find Harbour View Grocery, the
newest and most modern of the three. Prices
are high at all of them, so you're better off to stock up in Marsh Harbour.
Generally speaking, they all have about the same merchandise, except that
Vernon's has fresh baked goods, including fresh bread.
This
is a good place to pick up gifts and souvenirs. You can select nice things at The Ebb Tide Gift Shop, Kemp's
Souvenirs, Edith's Straw Shop, or Water's Edge Studios.
My sister just loved the straw hats at Edith's.
Water's Edge Studios offers all sorts of nice woodcarvings.
Clear View Drugstore sells over the counter medications, sun protection
products, and Tee shirts, but have no pharmacy.
If
you need prescription medications, you'll need to visit the clinic, which is
located just north of the post office. Dr. Jane Garfield, who also holds clinics
in Man-O-War and Guana, staffs it. Her
hours in Hope Town are 9-12 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Visit
the Wyannie Malone Historical Museum in a house over a hundred years old.
Up front it appears to be a typical Cape Cod home, but in back an
addition is incongruous. It's about
halfway between the Government Dock and the Hope Town Sailing Club.
Stay on the east fork where the road branches, and it's on your left.
Widowed Wyannie came from Charleston, South Carolina around 1785 with her
four children. She was
enthusiastic, determined, and certainly courageous. Exhibits depict life in the original settlement, wrecking,
sponging, hurricanes, and shipbuilding. There are tape recordings of
reminiscences of older Hope Town residents, old tools and utensils.
For
history lovers, Hope Town is a delight to visit in other ways as well.
Loyalists from New England founded this settlement
in the 1780's . You will
find descendants of these original families still among Hope Town's most
prominent citizens-the Malone's, the Russel's, and the Albury's. You will still
find scattered evidence of the old way of doing things.
Walking through town, you may discover an old stone oven for baking in
the yard, or a wooden boat under construction.
In another yard, you may spot a boat of the same design many years older,
rotting away! All over town, you
will find scattered reminders of the wrecking days.
Near the fire station, the cemetery provides a grim reminder that life
was harsh in these out islands. It
was closed after an epidemic almost wiped out the town.
Even
the Abaconian accent, most pronounced in Hope Town, is a living reminder of the
historical ties to the British Empire. Although
the accent is not exactly British, it is Elizabethan, certainly not like the
English which you hear in the United States.
The Hope Town people drop their H's and mix up their V's and W's.
Hope Town becomes "Ope Town" and Marsh Harbour becomes
"Marsh Arbor".
Hope
Town is an ideal location from which to explore Abaco, even if you’re not on a
boat. A number of cottages and
villas are for rent in addition to The Hope Town Harbour Lodge and The Abaco
Inn. There is no better place to rent a cottage and a small boat. If your family
or group is diverse in their interests, this may be perfect for you!
Those inclined can go out in the small boat for fishing, diving, and
exploring. Others can take a day
trip to Marsh Harbour or Man-O-War Cay via Albury's Ferry service which makes
several round trips daily to both destinations.
The lazy can lounge on the beach all day. Hope Town Hideaways (366-0224),
Malone Estates (366-0100), Russell Rentals (366-0046), and Sea Spray (366-0065)
collectively manage a large number and variety of such cottages.
Island Marine (366-0282), and Sea Horse Marine (366-0023) both have large
fleets of well maintained power boats which serve this purpose well.
If this arrangement fits your situation, a good strategy would be to stay
in Hope Town one week and explore from Guana Cay south to Little Harbour. On
another trip, you might do the same thing using Green Turtle Cay as a base to
explore the cays north of Whale Cay. Don’t
try rounding Whale Cay in a small boat.
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