Tom and Judy's 2001 Abaco VacationIn 2001 we took a trip with our friends, Mike and Carol Marshall, aboard their F-36 trimaran, Unconditional. After 3 weeks in the Bahmas we knew we had to go for a longer trip on our own boat. Our first stop was West End (on Grand Bahama Island), where we anchored for two nights. The next 3 weeks included anchorages at Mangrove Cay (not on map), Walker's Cay, Grand Cay, Double Breasted (a beautiful chain of uninhabited island), Alan's/Pennsacola, Cooper's Town, Manjack Cay, Green Turtle, Great Guana, Man-O-War, Marsh Harbour, Elbow Cay and Tilloo Cay (right below Elbow Cay). From there it was a 36 hour sail back to Ft. Lauderdale. Scroll down to see more photos from our trip. |
Unconditional |
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Tom shot this picture from the top of the mast. |
Unconditional in West End, Grand Bahama. |
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Mike and Carol |
Tom and Judy |
West End |
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West End is a fishing village on the tip of Grand Bahama. Hit hard by hurricane Floyd last year, the village is still undergoing major repair and construction. |
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Walker's Cay |
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 Brenda (left) is Marketing Manager for Walker's Cay and her husband manages the marina. Their daughter Brittany (right) is home schooled. They have lived on Walkers Cay (pop. 20) for 7 years. |
The best diving in the Abacos is on the reefs surrounding Walker's Cay. This hogfish that Tom speared (right) made a tasty meal. |
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 The lobster and his friend made a great lunch. |
 Tom caught dinner most nights with his spear, snare and lure. (above) An unfortunate lobster hides under a rock. |
Grand Cay |
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Grand Cay is a friendly native island with a population of about 400. School kids pose for a picture (top) and then crowd around Mike (left) to see their picture on his digital camera. |
Coopers Town |
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We stopped at Cooper's Town, another native town, to do laundry and explore. Tom saw someone under the dock and peered underneath to talk to the fisherman, who was cleaning fish in the shade of the dock. |
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Green Turtle Cay |
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Green Turtle Cay was one of our favorite islands... quaint, quiet (tourist season hadn't started yet), and clean. Many of the buildings date back to the 1700s when the island was settled by Loyalists. |
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New Friends |
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 We met Jeff (right) and his friend
Diego as they sailed Jeff's beautiful Conser 47 into Green Turtle.
Jeff is a contractor, building some of the new vacation homes on Elbow Cay. |
 Tom caught this Spanish Mackerel with a lure that Jeff made for him. |
Diego and his dog outside his home on Tilloo Cay (a small sparsely settled island south of Elbow Cay). |
Guana Cay |
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 Guana Cay is a small island where many people had recently built vacation homes. Beautiful beach but not much else. |
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Man 'O War |
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Man O' War is a tidy, "dry" island known for it's shipbuilding and sail making. |
Hope Town, Elbow Cay |
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Hope Town is another civilized, vacation island complete with quaint rental cottages, a secure harbor, and beautiful beaches. |
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