While the idea that we would use Man O’War Cay as our “base” proved to be unattractive after we actually visited Man O’War, the idea of having a “base” - temporary home turned out to be a good one. Our base was Hope Town. Hope Town is charming (check out the photos),with the famous lighthouse, 2 little grocery stores, one of which is Verns. Verns is famous for fresh baked goods, in particular Vern’s Key Lime Pie. We bought one ($15.00!) and it was worth every penny - it was to kill for. Wiley reluctantly shared some with our friends. The restaurants in Hope Town - are right on the water front (Harbour’s Edge and Cap’n Jack) on either the bay ( or ocean side (Fireflies). It is easy bringing the dinghy into town at the sailing school dock which is across from the marina (Hope Town Inn and Marina) where we stayed. It has one of the all-time great beaches, Tahiti Beach, with great snorkeling - white powdering sands, and good shelling. It is more than 13 miles from downtown, so we rented bikes and rode a hilly ride and worked off some of the rum drinks we have enjoyed so much. There is also a dive shop - Froggies where we get our scuba tanks filled by Lambert and Theresa.
The Hope Town Inn and Marina is in transition as it builds a brand new facility. It is getting closer to completion and includes 2 pools (one where you can be served a drink while you sit on a bar stool in the pool!), will have a small store, a small restaurant, showers, wi-fi, etc. Currently the resources are limited but we have enjoyed the safety of being at a slip, having electricity, and certainly enjoyed the bartender Katie’s Yellow Bird. Additionally, Wiley found a path that led to a “private spot” to go swim in the Sea of Abaco. I found it less attractive after learning that Bull Sharks like to come past this area on their way to a shallow feeding ground near the entrance to Hope Town. In fact we took a dinghy ride out to this area to look for Bull Sharks. Wiley is eager to see some large tropical “beasts” - that is besides me in the water.
We took many trips from Hope Town to places to dive or snorkel in the Sea of Abaco but would always return when bad weather was probable. We never felt “stuck” there.
However, once a week we went to Marsh Harbor. We anchored there and went ashore in Dimples to grocery shop at Maxwell’s (It is the only grocery store in the islands that compares with a grocery store in the states.)
We voyaged from Hope Town on several SCUBA expeditions.