Hopetown Part II

February 28, 2011
We had the pleasure of touring the island with the crew of S/V Winterset on a golf cart. Elbow Cay is not large and we were able to see some very beautiful beaches on both the Atlantic Ocean and Sea of Abaco. There is a very stark difference. The Atlantic side is rough, with many rocks and cliffs. The deep Atlantic swells wash ashore amidst coral rocks of many sizes. Some are an acre or so in size. There are very few real sand beaches but the water goes from indigo to cobalt to emerald to white in a very short distance. The 4500 meter deep water is not far out. Looking to sea, you can see the curvature of Mother Earth and it fills the mind thoughts of square rigged ships carrying gold and silver, soldiers, sailors and pirates, dreamers and refugees. This island most assuredly has been visited by fatigued sailors seeking a calm anchorage and perhaps even something to eat. Just inside the ring of cays of the Abacos, there are many wonderful places to drop the anchor and hide from the ravages of raging seas. There are even today, stands of trees, mangoes and conch and lobsters. There are areas where one can just pass through narrow channels into shallow spots out of the wind or places to hide from pirates. Hopetown was founded in 1785 by Loyalists to the Crown from the American Revolution. The names in the cemetery show many generations from the same families. The cays today are a mix of locals who have lived here for generations, visiting cruisers, descendents of slaves and new enclaves of Haitians. The latter are generally illegal squatters and the locals are not happy of their presence.
Hopetown is arguably the most authentically preserved of all of the Abacos. It has a proper lighthouse whose light still rotates in a mercury bearing and is lit by pressurized kerosene. It must be wound every 2 hours by hand. In short, it is one of the last manual lighthouses in the world. It has lured and welcomed sailors since 1836. For more on the place see the following link: http://www.visithopetown.com/lighthouse.html .
To get to the Atlantic shore you have to merely walk over the tall hill in Hopetown opposite of the harbor. The first look is candy for the eyes. I am sure it is knarley in the stormy months but today was a double wowzer. Too bad our camera cannot capture that first impression. Put this place on your bucket list.