Man O War
28 March 2019
Allan Gray
Our plan on Monday was to head over to Man O War Cay which is only a few miles north of Hope Town. However, it was such a nice calm morning that we decided to stay put for another day. Hope Town is such a charming village with brightly coloured cottages that surround the harbour. We dinghied ashore after lunch and spent the afternoon poking around the village admiring the sights and finished the afternoon off with a stroll along the ocean beach. Sip Sip Wine Down is a popular local restaurant with a great reputation so we decided to treat ourselves to dinner before heading back to Dagny for the night.
After breakfast on Tuesday we hauled the anchor and set sail for Man O War in a beautiful 12 knot breeze. Man O War is probably the most prosperous and industrious community in the Abacos. They have had a thriving boat building company here since the 1800s that is still in business today building small fishing boats. There are two hurricane hole harbours on the island that are usually full so we chose to anchor just outside and dinghy into the town dock. The boat building sheds that line the harbour front are all open sided allowing great views of the ongoing work. After watching the deck being installed on a 24' center console boat we poked through various other shops. The boat yard also maintains and stores many of the boats belonging to winter residents when they head north for the summer. We were intrigued by the antiquated marine railways and unfortunately just missed seeing a 42' sailboat being hauled out.
Once we reached the edge of the town site we headed north in search of a path to the ocean beach. The roads are very narrow and everyone gets around on golf carts while maintenance workers drive Smart Car size vehicles. We walked 3 kms. north admiring
the beautiful properties that line the sea of Abaco before we found a trail to the Atlantic side of the island. We came upon an area where the island is only 200 yards wide and the town has built a nice pavilion on site, complete with picnic tables. It's a popular stop for hikers with a great view of the ocean and the Sea of Abaco. Once refreshed we headed back to retrieve our dinghy and call it a day. Man O War settlement is a dry community, however, there is one restaurant at the marina that is licensed to serve the tourists. And as I expected there were some sailing friends in there so we stopped by for a well deserved cold one before heading back to Dagny.
Today's picture is of local skiff, but they didn't need the railway for it.