Abaco residents swimming alongside Jascat in the Sea of Abaco

With the departure of Bruce and Ruth, our stay in the Abacos has come to an end. We've had a great time touring the Abacos and entertaining our guests and being entertained by them, but all good things must come to an end. And besides, if we don't start now, we won't make it home to Texas before hurricane season.

Here are some of our favorite memories of the Abacos.

Best conch burger: Harbour View Restaurant in Hope Town (I actually didn't have a bad conch burger anywhere, Harbour View won because they served the best sweet potato fries with the burger)
Best fish wrap: Dock and Dine on Man-O-War
Best ribs, steak and sandwich (the Fish Ruben): Jib Room, Marsh Harbour Marina, Great Abaco
Best grouper gourmet meal: Curly Tails in Marsh Harbour followed very closely by the Green Turtle Marina Restaurant
Best story teller: Bill on s/v Tortuga (ask him about the wahoo they caught on one line while fending off a baracouda on another)
Best dock parties: the cruisers in Treasure Cay Marina
Best advice givers: Lou and Jean on s/v Pika
Best service providers: tie, Troy with Dive Guana and Jason and Steven with Marsh Harbour Marina

Favorite anchorage: the shoal off Delias Cay in Fishers Bay, Great Guana Cay
Favorite local flavor restaurant: The Wrecking Tree in New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay
Favorite coffee shop: The Daily Grind in Hope Town
Favorite marina (by a long shot): Marsh Harbor Marina, Great Abaco
Favorite snorkel site: Mermaid Reef, Great Abaco
Favorite Beach: Tahiti Beach
Favorite tourist sight: the Lighthouse in Hope Town
Favorite artifact: a 1783 New York newpaper containing George Washington's farewell address to his victorious army in the Wyannie Malone Historical Museum in Hope Town
Favorite barber (and beauty parlor): Catherine with Catherine's Beauty Parlor in Marsh Harbour
Favorite gift shop(s): tie, Sally's in Man-O-War and Ebb Tide in Hope Town
Favorite destination: Sunday thru Tuesday, Hope Town, Wednesday thru Saturday, some place else (the bars, Captain Jack's and Harbour View, saturate the harbor with loud music till midnight on those nights)

That concludes my thoughts on the Abacos. Later this morning we are leaving Marsh Harbour to start our trip home. We'll be taking a northern route back to Florida. The potential stopping spots are Manjack Cay, Cave Cay, Great Sale Cay, West End and finally, Lake Worth in Palm Beach, Florida. We'll be taking our time sight-seeing as we go so the trip may take anywhere from four days to a week.