We spent a week on a mooring in Hopetown Harbour on Elbow Cay. Hopetown is a pleasant place, but probably the most 'touristy' of any of our destinations in the Bahamas. There are a large number of winter residents and guest cottages for shorter term stays along with supporting restaurants and shops.
It is home, however, to the iconic Elbow Cay Lighthouse. This was one of several lighthouses built in the late 19th century by the Imperial Lighthouse Service to help reduce the number of ships coming to grieve on the reefs that fringe the Bahamas. As we discussed in our blog entry on crossing the Providence Channel, the Bahamas Bank forms a large roadblock to ships transiting to North America, with only a few deep-water passages across. Interestingly, the local residents at that time, who made a substantial part of their income as 'wreckers', were not in favor of building lighthouses and tried to impede their construction.
The lighthouse is lit every night, but looking at it any time after midnight will assure you that it is not a serious aid to navigation; it may or may not be burning brightly and is rarely turning so as to display the proper characteristic early in the morning.
It is, however, one of only a few functioning lighthouses using 19th century technology so it has great historical significance.
The light is fueled by pressurized kerosene (for campers, think of a large Coleman lantern). The light is rotated by a clock mechanism powered by a large weight that must be cranking to the top of the structure every few hours.
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| Kerosene pressure vessels |
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| Clockworks that rotate the light |
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| View of the harbour from the top of the lighthouse |
One of the other landmarks in town is the Cholera Cemetery. A devastating epidemic hit the Bahamas in 1850's. A very interesting book, that gives a great view of the Loyalist experience in the Bahamas, including the Cholera epidemic, is Wind From the Carolinas. We heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to better understand the history of the Bahamas.
Sailboat racing is a very popular activity in the Bahamas and Hopetown is home to the 'Rage'. The Bahamian racing sloops are 'rocket ships' that carry an enormous amount of sail. They must be balanced by multiple crew members out on hiking boards; they also capsize regularly.
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| Note the length of the boom - HUGE! |
We attended the Methodist Church family service on Sunday. There we found a great Canadian couple on staff (Andrew and Nicole) working with youth and coordinating the family service. We were really impressed by their obvious love for the Lord and their enthusiasm in sharing.
Our favorite restaurant here is the Bahamian owned and run Harbour's Edge. We went there late in our visit here two years ago and were impressed with their food and friendly service. This time we visited earlier (and often :-)) and were not disappointed.
On Monday, we transited the Sea of Abaco to Harbour View Marina in Marsh Harbour. We plan to stay here for a couple of weeks as we reprovision and catch up on laundry, boat cleaning, and repairs; it has been over a month since we docked and the laundry situation was getting desperate. We also hope to visit our friends at Grace Baptist Church in Dundas Town.
Tom
Docked at Harbour View Marina
Marsh Harbour, Abaco
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