We couldn't leave Hope Town without visiting the Elbow Reef Lightstation. We arrived at their dinghy dock right at 9:00 as it opened. The iconic symbol of the Abacos is a hand-wound kerosene light and is the only manned light left in the Bahamas. It is 89 feet tall with 101 steps leading up the spiral staircase to the lantern room. There are tons of interesting facts that should be recited here: first-order Fresnel lens, the lens and turning mechanisms are original equipment dating back to the early 1900s, a hand pump is used to pressurize the kerosene, the entire lens floats in 1200 pounds of mercury, the weights have to be wound every two hours. I could go on, but they are listed on the lighthouse society's website. The steps up to the top were wooden and well-worn. The view from the windows were incredible.
Once to the top, access to the exterior walk was through a tiny "dog door." The handle to push the heavy steel door open was a most interesting clenched hand. We took in the views from all directions, spotting Crossroads at anchor all by herself, and then looking at the well-populated mooring field in Hope Town Harbour. Dark clouds were rolling in despite the fact that our weather reports called for no rain.
Before finishing up on the tower we got the "we were here" selfie and a few more photos of the Sea of Abaco. Back inside we examined the Fresnel lens, kerosene tanks, and winding weights on our way down. We were disappointed that the gift shop was not open and headed back to the dinghy ... as it began to rain.
A good shower followed us across the harbour, but had pretty much stopped by the time we got tied up to the same dock we used yesterday. We followed the road north along Queen's Highway to a few businesses we had identified yesterday. Hope Town was founded in 1785 by Loyalists escaping the American Revolution. This marker identifies their reported landing point. The overcast sky and rain made the colorful flowers even more vibrant. We stopped in the Historical Museum and a few gift shops before finishing up at the grocery store. It was well-stocked and we were able to check off all the items on our list -- milk bread, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese -- plus a few other things like fresh Bahamian bread (yum).
We loaded our groceries into the dinghy and arrived back at Crossroads just after noon. While having lunch, we heard thunder in the distance and then it began to rain. After much discussion we scrapped our plans to head to Man-O-War Cay this afternoon and decided to stay put. After a few hours, the sun came out for a while, casting a small rainbow against the heavy and dramatic cloud cover. We put the dinghy back on the upper deck for the night. By sunset, the clouds and showers had returned. Tonight's treat was a nice orange sunset to the west and, simultaneously, another arching rainbow to the east.
We will pull up anchor tomorrow morning and head to Marsh Harbour. We have a few more places we want to visit before staging for our cross back to the States. Our two months in the Bahamas have flown by. We have seen and learned so much, but there is even more of both yet to do.
Once to the top, access to the exterior walk was through a tiny "dog door." The handle to push the heavy steel door open was a most interesting clenched hand. We took in the views from all directions, spotting Crossroads at anchor all by herself, and then looking at the well-populated mooring field in Hope Town Harbour. Dark clouds were rolling in despite the fact that our weather reports called for no rain.
Before finishing up on the tower we got the "we were here" selfie and a few more photos of the Sea of Abaco. Back inside we examined the Fresnel lens, kerosene tanks, and winding weights on our way down. We were disappointed that the gift shop was not open and headed back to the dinghy ... as it began to rain.
A good shower followed us across the harbour, but had pretty much stopped by the time we got tied up to the same dock we used yesterday. We followed the road north along Queen's Highway to a few businesses we had identified yesterday. Hope Town was founded in 1785 by Loyalists escaping the American Revolution. This marker identifies their reported landing point. The overcast sky and rain made the colorful flowers even more vibrant. We stopped in the Historical Museum and a few gift shops before finishing up at the grocery store. It was well-stocked and we were able to check off all the items on our list -- milk bread, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese -- plus a few other things like fresh Bahamian bread (yum).
We loaded our groceries into the dinghy and arrived back at Crossroads just after noon. While having lunch, we heard thunder in the distance and then it began to rain. After much discussion we scrapped our plans to head to Man-O-War Cay this afternoon and decided to stay put. After a few hours, the sun came out for a while, casting a small rainbow against the heavy and dramatic cloud cover. We put the dinghy back on the upper deck for the night. By sunset, the clouds and showers had returned. Tonight's treat was a nice orange sunset to the west and, simultaneously, another arching rainbow to the east.
We will pull up anchor tomorrow morning and head to Marsh Harbour. We have a few more places we want to visit before staging for our cross back to the States. Our two months in the Bahamas have flown by. We have seen and learned so much, but there is even more of both yet to do.
Good Day Neighbors. Just updating you on the house. It is fine. No issues. Let me know if you need anything. Safe travels
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