Day 72 - Spanish Cay to Green Turtle Cay

The wind blew hard all night, causing the boat to rock and making the waves loudly slap against the boat.  It was tough for me to fall asleep and stay asleep.  We got up and had a quick breakfast and left the dock at 9:15 am.  It was still windy and there were more clouds today, with temperatures in the 70’s.  We only had 14 miles to go (southeast) to get to Green Turtle Cay, which sits about 170 miles due east of Palm Beach, FL.  The water was relatively calm even with the winds.  On our starboard was Great Abaco Island and we slowed down to see Coopers Town.  There was not much there, but it is the hometown of the Prime Minister and where the Administrator of northern Abaco maintains an office.  The buildings were colorful although there was evidence of Hurricane Sandy damage here too.  To our port were Manjack Cay and Crab Cay where boaters like to anchor.

  Just outside the entrance to White Sound at Green Turtle Cay, we passed a freighter at anchor.  Along the Sound were cottages for rent, homes, and a couple marinas and private docks.

We arrived at Green Turtle Club Resort and Marina at 10:30 am.  The docks are nice but the finger piers were very short, making it a little more difficult to get on and off the boat.  The Green Turtle Club is one of several marinas/resorts on the small island that is 1 mile wide and 3 miles long.  The town of New Plymouth is located on the southern tip of the island.  It was settled by Loyalists 200 years ago, after America gained its independence from Great Britain. 

 

While we were getting settled, two small aircraft landed in the bay and anchored at the private beach for the resort.  We decided to do some exploring of the grounds and followed a road to Coco Bay where we found a small sheltered beach. 

Back at the resort we spent some time on its beach and in the pool.  Captain Randy checked into renting a golf cart to get to New Plymouth.  There are few cars on the island and most people get around in golf carts.  The one we rented did not go very fast but it gave us transportation to town.  New Plymouth is not very big and you can drive through it in about 5 minutes.  We stopped in a few food stores that also carry a few gifts and one true gift/souvenir shop.  We paid a brief visit to a model shop that had boat models, mostly sailboats, and an outdoor sculpture garden that honors the Loyalists and prominent historical residents of Green Turtle Cay.

 

 

 

All over town were signs advertising Sundowners, a bar on the Abaco Sea that opens at 5 pm every day.  It was almost 5 pm so we decide to check it out.  The place is pretty much a dive, with a small bar and pool table inside and picnic bench seating on the deck outside.  The proprietors, Brian and Caroline appeared behind the bar at 5 pm and soon there was a small group of regulars at the bar.  We sat down and Caroline set a bowl of fish dip and crackers in front of us.  The TVs gave us news from West Palm Beach.  Brian set out a few bowls of peanuts and entered into some friendly conversation with us.  It was a very comfortable and welcoming place.

 

We climbed back into the golf cart and drove back to the marina, stopping at the beach on the Atlantic side for a few minutes.  We dined on seafood (what else?) in the marina restaurant and tried their “world famous” rum punch.  Adjacent to the dining room is the Tipsy Turtle Bar and we stopped in there for a nightcap.  Like some of the bars we had been in on this trip, the walls were lined with $1 bills signed by visitors.  This bar also had burgees hanging from the ceiling and we went to the boat to get a Diversey Yacht Club burgee to trade.  The Tipsy Turtle would not trade, but told us we could put ours up if we liked.  There was no ladder and lots of people so we planned to come back the next morning to hang the burgee.

Around 9:30 pm a band called the Gully Roosters began playing out on the patio and we ended our night listening to their reggae sound.