Mar. 20 – Hope Town, Elbow Cay

Hope Town Inn & Marina Mooring Field

This morning we took the dinghy and explored the south end of Elbow Cay, Tahiti Beach and part of Tilloo Cay. Boating in this part of Abaco feels like being on a lake…everything is fairly close and easy to get to. We came back to the boat for lunch and finally made it up to the lighthouse this afternoon. A trip to the top gives you an amazing view of the area.

Elbow Reef Lighthouse is probably the most recognizable landmark in Abaco and is one of the last operational kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world. This lighthouse was built in 1862 and became operational two years later. Its light can be seen from 20 nm away. It’s one of only three manual lighthouses left in the World. It has a spring mechanism that has to be hand cranked every several hours to maintain the sequence of five white flashes every 15 seconds. The lamp burns kerosene oil with a wick and mantle.  

This evening we met friends at Wine Down Sip-Sip for their Friday night get together. A very friendly place where everyone visits everyone. It reminded me a lot of Pearlz in Charleston.

Stan at Tahiti Beach 

 The Candy Striped Lighthouse

by Elizabeth Webb

The Candy Striped Lighthouse I stand on a hill

Watching over the world down below.

I gaze out to sea and around Elbow Cay

And the boats as they pass to and fro.

I bid them goodbye and examine the sky

For changes of wind and of tide;

Look smilingly down on the candy bright town

And Hope Town looks upward with pride.

Views of the harbor from the lighthouse.

An aerial view of Hope Town by David Rees

Betsy and Annette 

Stan and Anthony 

Here is a map of southern Abaco Islands...it will give you an idea of where we've been. You can check out our travel map here.