Remember a few blogs back when we said that our Luke feathering prop had stripped its gears as we were picking up a mooring ball in Man O War Cay? And remember that we said that Edwin's Boat Yard was able to put on a used fixed prop that got us under way? Well, when we were leaving Hopetown a week ago, I dropped the mooring lines and gave Wayne the thumbs up signal that we were clear and he put it into forward... nothing. He put it into reverse... nothing. I looked back to see this very puzzled look on his face. Luckily, the mooring next to us was empty and we were able to drift down onto it and pick up the lines and secure ourselves again. Wayne checked the linkages and the transmission and everything seemed in order. So, he put on his swimsuit and snorkel mask and got into the water to take a look. Lo and behold, our prop was not on the shaft!

We called Chris (off Groovin) and he came down with his dive gear and luckily, he was able to find the prop. One blade was sticking out of the muck, but we were sure that we had lost all the fittings. We had to wait until Monday to get in touch with Edwins, so we settled back in for a few days. When we did get in touch with them, they said we would have to get the boat back to Man O War. Given that there was a cold front coming through with high winds, we figured it best to wait until later in the week to make the journey.

The entrances to both Hopetown and Man O War are dog-legs, and not something that you want to attempt under sail, so we made arrangements with "Captain Plug" to tow the boat to Man O War (see lead picture). He arrived at 4:30 pm and hooked up to us and we were on the dock at Edwin's by 6:00 pm. The staff at Edwin's were on the boat at 7:30 in the morning and had us hauled out. When they originally put the new prop on, they used the fittings from our Luke prop. Apparently the new prop slid right over the top of the fittings because they were still on the shaft - go figure. Once everyone stopped scratching their heads trying to figure out how that happened, they reattached the prop, put on some heavier fittings and we were fixed by 9:00 am. The only thing we had to do now was wait for tide so that we could go back into the water. They launched us about 6:00 pm and we headed to the Eastern harbour at Man O War for a few days. Let's just hope that it's the last of the issues. It seems as though we've had our share. The nice thing about meeting other cruisers though is that you find out that you're not the only one that has troubles - it seems like everyone does. I guess that's cruising!

We spent two wonderful weeks in Hopetown. What a glorious little community. We can see how cruisers spend the entire winter there. There is always lots to do and the beach is spectacular. The Hopetown Sailing Club has races every week, so if you're inclined to go and join in the fun, you're more than welcome. We spent a lot of time exploring the village on foot and at the beach.

When we first arrived in Hopetown we hooked up with Chris and Liz off of Groovin (our buddy boat coming over) and the four of us rented a golf cart. We had done that in Green Turtle and it was a great way to get acquainted with the island and get the lay of the land. Chris and Liz had already been in Hopetown for a week or so, but they happily joined us. We explored for the day and spent some time at Tahiti Beach. Tahiti Beach gets larger and larger as the tide goes out and it was a great place to beachcomb. We saw the biggest star fish that we've ever seen lying on the beach as well as some very interesting shells. It was a busy spot and clearly everyone else had the same idea that we did.

We also went to the top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse on Elbow Cay (see lead picture) is one of the last of its kind in the world. It is run on kerosene, and the lighthouse keepers wind the mechanisms every two hours through the night to make sure that the light keeps turning. The view from the top of the lighthouse is breathtaking - that is if you still have any breath left after climbing the 110 steps to get to the top! You get a spectacular view of the harbour, the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of Abaco all at once.

The Barefoot Man Concert was being held at Nippers on Great Guana Cay, so instead of taking the boat, we took the ferry to Great Guana to enjoy the day. The Barefoot Man is something like Jimmy Buffet, but with a local flare. Some very interesting songs, and lots of fun. We had a great day but were glad when the ferry left at 4:00 to take the "geezers" back.

Hopetown is a very busy little harbour with lots of people coming and going. Moorings are at a premium and it seems like the minute one boat leaves, two more come in. There are also a lot of rental cottages available as well, so many cruisers plan to unite with family while they're there. The people are very friendly and there is no shortage of things to do. We'll definitely be back!

Wayne's birthday was on Wednesday, March 19th. We spent most of the day on the island, having a wonderful lunch out at Harbour Side restaurant and then exploring the north part of the island and the beach. There are a number of quaint little shops in Hopetown, so we were able to pick up the rest of the gifts for our grandchildren that we'll take back with us and managed to pick up a really great t-shirt for Wayne.

To finish off a great day, we had a lovely bbq'd steak dinner along with a couple of very large lobster tails (yes, THAT kind of tail - get your minds out of the gutter) that we had picked up in Marsh Harbour last week. Great music, nice wine and a beautiful moon rounded out the evening. What a wonderful way to spend your birthday.